Utz Brands, Inc. (NYSE:UTZ) Receives $13.27 Consensus PT from Brokerages

Utz Brands, Inc. (NYSE:UTZ) has earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the eleven analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have assigned a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $13.3864.

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on UTZ shares. Barclays cut Utz Brands from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $14.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Piper Sandler restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $14.25 price objective (up from $10.00) on shares of Utz Brands in a report on Thursday. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $14.25 target price on shares of Utz Brands in a research report on Wednesday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Utz Brands in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Utz Brands from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th.

Key Stories Impacting Utz Brands

Here are the key news stories impacting Utz Brands this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Piper Sandler raised its price target to $14.25, implying the stock is trading near the proposed buyout value and suggesting limited additional downside from current levels.
• Neutral Sentiment: Utz announced it will go private in a $2.9 billion transaction with Intersnack Group, giving the buyer a major U.S. snacking foothold and effectively setting a deal price ceiling for the shares.
• Negative Sentiment: Several firms are investigating the merger, with Brodsky & Smith, Bleichmar Fonti & Auld, and Kaskela Law all questioning whether the $14.25 offer undervalues Utz Brands shareholders. Article: Brodsky & Smith Shareholder Update
• Negative Sentiment: Piper Sandler downgraded Utz Brands from strong-buy to hold, while DA Davidson cut its rating from buy to hold and Barclays and Stephens both downgraded the stock to equal weight, reflecting more cautious views after the deal announcement.

Utz Brands Trading Up 0.0%

NYSE:UTZ opened at $14.10 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $7.97 and a 200 day moving average of $8.47. Utz Brands has a 52 week low of $6.78 and a 52 week high of $14.44. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.03 billion, a P/E ratio of -140.94, a P/E/G ratio of 5.12 and a beta of 0.82.

Utz Brands (NYSE:UTZ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $361.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $361.76 million. Utz Brands had a negative net margin of 0.58% and a positive return on equity of 8.61%. The company’s revenue was up 2.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.16 EPS. Utz Brands has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.771-0.795 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Utz Brands will post 0.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Utz Brands Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 22nd were given a $0.063 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 22nd. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Utz Brands’s dividend payout ratio is currently -250.00%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Utz Brands

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in Utz Brands by 363.5% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 6,086 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 4,773 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in Utz Brands by 26.7% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 796,586 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,309,000 after buying an additional 167,958 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its position in Utz Brands by 61.4% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 937,060 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,421,000 after buying an additional 356,428 shares during the period. Quantinno Capital Management LP boosted its holdings in shares of Utz Brands by 140.9% during the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 291,034 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,305,000 after buying an additional 170,211 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its holdings in shares of Utz Brands by 127.4% during the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 106,420 shares of the company’s stock valued at $843,000 after buying an additional 59,623 shares in the last quarter. 95.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Utz Brands Company Profile

Utz Brands, Inc is a leading U.S. manufacturer and distributor of salty snack foods, offering a wide range of products including potato chips, pretzels, cheese snacks, popcorn and tortilla chips. Headquartered in Hanover, Pennsylvania, the company markets its snacks under several well-known brands and serves grocery, mass merchandise, club, convenience and online retailers throughout the United States.

Founded in 1921 by Bill and Salie Utz as a small country store operation, the business expanded gradually through direct delivery to local customers and sales to regional grocers.