Utz Brands, Inc. (NYSE:UTZ) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Utz Brands, Inc. (NYSE:UTZ) have been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the eight research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $14.9286.

UTZ has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Mizuho set a $16.00 price target on Utz Brands in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of Utz Brands from $14.00 to $12.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 31st. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Utz Brands in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Piper Sandler cut their target price on shares of Utz Brands from $19.00 to $15.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 21st. Finally, Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $14.00 price target on shares of Utz Brands in a report on Friday, October 31st.

Utz Brands Stock Performance

Shares of Utz Brands stock opened at $9.82 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $10.05 and a two-hundred day moving average of $11.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 140.24, a PEG ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 0.90. Utz Brands has a 52 week low of $9.19 and a 52 week high of $14.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 1.22.

Utz Brands (NYSE:UTZ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $0.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.23. Utz Brands had a return on equity of 8.12% and a net margin of 0.39%.The business had revenue of $377.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $374.25 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.21 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 3.4% on a year-over-year basis. Utz Brands has set its FY 2025 guidance at 0.824-0.847 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Utz Brands will post 0.85 EPS for the current year.

Utz Brands Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th were paid a $0.063 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 15th. This is a positive change from Utz Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.6%. Utz Brands’s payout ratio is presently 357.14%.

Insider Transactions at Utz Brands

In related news, CEO Howard A. Friedman bought 7,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $10.58 per share, for a total transaction of $76,176.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 66,298 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $701,432.84. This represents a 12.18% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Dylan Lissette purchased 7,010 shares of Utz Brands stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 18th. The stock was bought at an average price of $9.99 per share, with a total value of $70,029.90. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 160,694 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,605,333.06. This trade represents a 4.56% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have acquired a total of 92,313 shares of company stock valued at $947,055 over the last 90 days. 16.32% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Utz Brands

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. NewEdge Advisors LLC bought a new position in Utz Brands during the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Utz Brands by 194.8% during the third quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 2,618 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 1,730 shares in the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. raised its position in 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 buying an additional 1,623 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC lifted its stake in Utz Brands by 37.6% in the 2nd quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 5,481 shares of the company’s stock valued at $69,000 after acquiring an additional 1,497 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. lifted its stake in Utz Brands by 16.1% in the 2nd quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 7,394 shares of the company’s stock valued at $93,000 after acquiring an additional 1,023 shares in the last quarter. 95.97% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.