Utz Brands (NYSE:UTZ) Cut to Sell at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Utz Brands from hold to sell, adding to a wave of more cautious analyst sentiment following recent developments.
• Utz Brands has agreed to go private in a $2.9 billion transaction with Intersnack Group, which has effectively set a reference price for the stock around the deal value.
• Several firms are investigating the merger and questioning whether the $14.25 offer adequately values shareholders, while multiple analysts have also cut ratings to more neutral levels.

Utz Brands (NYSE:UTZ - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group cut Utz Brands from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $14.25 price target for the company. in a research note on Tuesday. Stephens set a $14.25 price objective on Utz Brands in a research report on Tuesday. BTIG Research started coverage on Utz Brands in a report on Monday, April 13th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $10.00 target price for the company. TD Cowen dropped their target price on Utz Brands from $11.00 to $9.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "sell (d)" rating on shares of Utz Brands in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $13.39.

Utz Brands Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of Utz Brands stock opened at $14.10 on Friday. The firm's 50 day moving average is $7.97 and its 200 day moving average is $8.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.03 billion, a PE ratio of -140.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.12 and a beta of 0.82. Utz Brands has a 1 year low of $6.78 and a 1 year high of $14.44. The company has a current ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62.

Utz Brands (NYSE:UTZ - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $361.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $361.76 million. During the same quarter in the prior 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. Equities research analysts forecast that Utz Brands will post 0.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of UTZ. NewEdge Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Utz Brands in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Utz Brands by 431.5% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 3,343 shares of the company's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 2,714 shares during the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Utz Brands by 76.1% in the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 3,756 shares of the company's stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 1,623 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its stake 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 worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 2,362 shares during the period. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 4,773 shares during the period. 95.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about 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.

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.

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