Utz Brands (NYSE:UTZ) Given Neutral Rating at Piper Sandler

Key Points

• Piper Sandler reiterated its neutral rating on Utz Brands and raised its price target to $14.25 from $10.00, implying only modest upside from the current share price.
• Several other analysts also remain cautious overall: the stock’s consensus rating is Hold, with an average target price of $13.39. Recent calls include neutral views from DA Davidson and UBS, while Jefferies downgraded the stock to hold.
• Utz Brands reported quarterly EPS of $0.15, topping estimates, while revenue rose 2.6% year over year to $361.3 million. The article also notes the stock is trading near its 52-week high and has been boosted by takeover-related news.

Utz Brands (NYSE:UTZ - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "neutral" rating reiterated by analysts at Piper Sandler in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $14.25 target price on the stock, up from their previous target price of $10.00. Piper Sandler's target price would indicate a potential upside of 1.24% from the stock's current price.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the company. DA Davidson reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $14.25 target price (down from $15.00) on shares of Utz Brands in a research report on Wednesday. BTIG Research began coverage on shares of Utz Brands in a report on Monday, April 13th. They set a "buy" rating and a $10.00 target price on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group cut 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. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d)" rating on shares of Utz Brands in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Finally, UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and set a $14.25 target price on shares of Utz Brands in a research note on Wednesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Utz Brands presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $13.39.

Utz Brands Stock Performance

Shares of UTZ stock opened at $14.07 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a current ratio of 1.14. The firm has a market cap of $2.03 billion, a P/E ratio of -140.74, a P/E/G ratio of 5.11 and a beta of 0.82. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $7.69 and its 200-day moving average price is $8.40. Utz Brands has a one year low of $6.78 and a one year high of $14.53.

Utz Brands (NYSE:UTZ - Get Free Report) last released 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 prior year, the firm earned $0.16 earnings per share. 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. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Utz Brands will post 0.78 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

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

Trending Headlines about Utz Brands

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

• Positive Sentiment: Utz Brands agreed to be taken private by Intersnack in an all-cash transaction, creating a clear takeover premium for shareholders. Utz Brands to be acquired by Intersnack Group in $2.9B transaction
• Positive Sentiment: The deal price of $14.25 per share implies substantial upside versus the prior trading level, which is supporting the stock’s jump. Utz Brands to go private in $2.9 billion acquisition by Intersnack Group (UTZ)
• Neutral Sentiment: Several firms, including Barclays, Stephens, and DA Davidson, downgraded the stock to more neutral ratings after the acquisition announcement, suggesting limited additional upside beyond the deal price. Tickerreport.com downgrade coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Law firms have announced investigations into whether the sale process and price were fair to public shareholders, which can create headline risk but does not change the announced deal terms. Shareholder Alert: The M&A Class Action Firm Announces An Investigation of Utz Brands, Inc. NYSE: UTZ

Utz Brands Company Profile

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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