Utz Brands (NYSE:UTZ) Stock Rating Lowered by Piper Sandler

Utz Brands (NYSE:UTZ) was downgraded by research analysts at Piper Sandler from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on UTZ. BTIG Research assumed coverage on shares of Utz Brands in a report on Monday, April 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $10.00 price objective on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Utz Brands from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $14.25 target price for the company. in a research note on Tuesday. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $14.25 target price on shares of Utz Brands in a research report on Wednesday. TD Cowen cut their price target on Utz Brands from $11.00 to $9.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $15.00 price target on Utz Brands in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $13.39.

Utz Brands Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:UTZ opened at $14.09 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -140.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.11 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a 50 day moving average of $7.83 and a two-hundred day moving average of $8.43. Utz Brands has a 52-week low of $6.78 and a 52-week high of $14.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

Utz Brands (NYSE:UTZ) last posted its 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. The business had revenue of $361.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $361.76 million. Utz Brands had a negative net margin of 0.58% and a positive return on equity of 8.61%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.16 earnings per share. Utz Brands has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.771-0.795 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Utz Brands will post 0.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Utz Brands

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. NewEdge Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Utz Brands in the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Utz Brands by 431.5% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 3,343 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 2,714 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Utz Brands by 118.5% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 4,356 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 2,362 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in shares of Utz Brands by 363.5% in the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 6,086 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 4,773 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Osaic Holdings Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Utz Brands by 76.1% in the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 3,756 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 1,623 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.97% of the company’s stock.

Key Utz Brands News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Utz agreed to be acquired in a $2.9 billion take-private deal by Intersnack Group, giving shareholders a fixed cash exit near $14.25 per share and driving the stock closer to the deal price. Utz Will Go Private in $2.9B Deal With Intersnack
• Positive Sentiment: Piper Sandler reaffirmed a neutral rating but raised its price target to $14.25 from $10.00, suggesting the market may have already largely priced in the transaction value. Piper Sandler rating update
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple law firms have announced investigations into whether the $14.25 buyout price is fair to current UTZ shareholders. These reviews do not change the deal itself, but they can add headline risk and uncertainty around the closing process. UTZ Notification: Utz Brands Investigated Over $14.25 per share Transaction
• Negative Sentiment: Several brokerages, including DA Davidson, Barclays, and Stephens, downgraded UTZ to weaker ratings after the deal announcement, reflecting limited upside beyond the takeover price and potential execution risk before closing. Barclays Downgrades Utz Brands to Equal Weight

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.