Utz Brands (NYSE:UTZ) Reaches New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Utz Brands, Inc. (NYSE:UTZ) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $14.17 and last traded at $14.1450, with a volume of 5299595 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $14.06.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on UTZ. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $15.00 price objective on shares of Utz Brands in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Utz Brands from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, July 25th. Stephens set a $14.25 price target on Utz Brands in a report on Tuesday, July 21st. Zacks Research upgraded Utz Brands from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Utz Brands from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $14.25 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Utz Brands presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $13.39.

Utz Brands Price Performance

The firm has a 50-day moving average of $8.37 and a 200-day moving average of $8.55. The stock has a market cap of $2.04 billion, a PE ratio of -141.44 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.14 and a quick ratio of 0.75.

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

Utz Brands Announces Dividend

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Utz Brands

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its stake in Utz Brands by 39.7% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 248,912 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,504,000 after purchasing an additional 70,739 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its position in shares of Utz Brands by 5.9% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 39,470 shares of the company’s stock valued at $556,000 after purchasing an additional 2,190 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Utz Brands by 40.8% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,022,709 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,480,000 after purchasing an additional 585,952 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its holdings in shares of Utz Brands by 36.4% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 196,013 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,760,000 after purchasing an additional 52,285 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc lifted its position in shares of Utz Brands by 10.0% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 77,578 shares of the company’s stock worth $974,000 after buying an additional 7,073 shares in the last quarter. 95.97% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Utz Brands

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.