Stephens Downgrades Utz Brands (NYSE:UTZ) to Equal Weight

Utz Brands (NYSE:UTZ) was downgraded by Stephens from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research note issued on Tuesday, Marketbeat.com reports.

Several other brokerages have also issued reports on UTZ. TD Cowen decreased 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. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Utz Brands in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Zacks Research raised Utz Brands from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $15.00 target price on Utz Brands in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on Utz Brands from $12.00 to $10.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $13.27.

Utz Brands Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of UTZ opened at $14.06 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.02 billion, a PE ratio of -140.64, a P/E/G ratio of 5.11 and a beta of 0.82. Utz Brands has a 12 month low of $6.78 and a 12 month high of $14.67. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $7.69 and its 200-day moving average is $8.40.

Utz Brands (NYSE:UTZ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $361.30 million during 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 company’s quarterly 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. Equities research analysts forecast that Utz Brands will post 0.78 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Utz Brands

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. NewEdge Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Utz Brands during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Utz Brands by 431.5% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 3,343 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 2,714 shares during the period. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 1,623 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake 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 valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 2,362 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in shares of Utz Brands by 363.5% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 6,086 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 4,773 shares during the period. 95.97% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Utz Brands News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Utz Brands agreed to be acquired by Intersnack Group for $14.25 per share in cash, sending the stock sharply higher on the takeover premium. Utz Brands to be taken private by Germany’s Intersnack Group
• Positive Sentiment: The deal price implies a roughly 91% premium, which is driving heavy trading and optimism that shareholders will receive a sizable cash payout if the transaction closes. Utz Brands to Be Taken Private in $2.9 Billion Deal
• Positive Sentiment: Several market reports highlighted that packaged-food peers also benefited from the buyout news, reinforcing the view that the transaction confirms strategic value in the snack category. Packaged food stocks perk up after Utz Brands buyout
• Neutral Sentiment: Law firms have launched investigations into whether the sale process and price were fair to public shareholders, which is common in take-private deals but could create headline risk. Shareholder Alert: The M&A Class Action Firm Announces An Investigation of Utz Brands, Inc.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrades from Barclays and Stephens to “equal weight” suggest limited upside from here given the deal price is near the expected value. Utz Brands was downgraded by Barclays PLC

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.