Systematic Financial Management LP Increases Holdings in Utz Brands, Inc. $UTZ

Systematic Financial Management LP increased its stake in shares of Utz Brands, Inc. (NYSE:UTZ) by 195.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 849,461 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 561,961 shares during the quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP’s holdings in Utz Brands were worth $6,728,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in UTZ. NewEdge Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Utz Brands during the 2nd quarter worth $25,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Utz Brands by 431.5% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 3,343 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 2,714 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Utz Brands by 118.5% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 4,356 shares of the company’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 2,362 shares during the period. Osaic Holdings Inc. increased its position in Utz Brands by 76.1% during the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 3,756 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 1,623 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd increased its position in Utz Brands by 134.0% during the fourth quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 6,125 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 3,507 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.97% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on UTZ. Piper Sandler reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $14.25 target price (up from $10.00) on shares of Utz Brands in a report on Thursday. Stephens set a $14.25 price target on shares of Utz Brands in a report on Tuesday. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $15.00 price target on shares of Utz Brands in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Utz Brands in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $14.25 price objective on shares of Utz Brands in a research report on Wednesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Utz Brands currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $13.39.

Utz Brands Price Performance

Shares of UTZ opened at $14.10 on Friday. Utz Brands, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $6.78 and a fifty-two week high of $14.44. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $7.97 and its 200 day moving average price is $8.47. The company has a market cap of $2.03 billion, a P/E ratio of -140.94, a PEG ratio of 5.12 and a beta of 0.82. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.15 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.01. Utz Brands had a negative net margin of 0.58% and a positive return on equity of 8.61%. The company had revenue of $361.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $361.76 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $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. On average, research analysts forecast that Utz Brands, Inc. will post 0.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Utz Brands Announces Dividend

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

Utz Brands News Roundup

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.

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.