Utz Brands (NYSE:UTZ) Hits New 12-Month Low – Here’s Why

Utz Brands, Inc. (NYSE:UTZ) hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $9.02 and last traded at $9.25, with a volume of 585963 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $11.13.

More Utz Brands News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS of $0.26 matched the consensus and rose from $0.22 a year earlier, showing earnings resilience despite top-line pressure. Zacks: Q4 Earnings Match
• Positive Sentiment: Gross margin improved (+50 bps reported), and branded salty snacks delivered organic growth, indicating some operational leverage and pricing/mix benefits. Business Wire: Q4 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Organic net sales were essentially flat (+0.4%) for the quarter with branded salty snacks up ~2.5%—positive category trends but limited near-term top-line momentum. Business Wire: Sales Detail
• Neutral Sentiment: Management highlighted strategic expansion and product innovation on the earnings call, which could support longer-term growth if execution continues. Yahoo Finance: Call Highlights
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue of $342.2M came in below consensus (~$347M), signaling demand weakness and contributing to investor caution. MSN: Revenue Comes in Light
• Negative Sentiment: Utz cut its FY2026 EPS guidance to $0.771–0.795 vs. Street ~$0.88, a noticeable shortfall that likely weighs on near-term multiple and sentiment. MarketWatch: Outlook Miss

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

UTZ has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group set a $10.00 price objective on shares of Utz Brands in a report on Friday. DA Davidson set a $15.00 price target on Utz Brands in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Mizuho set a $16.00 price objective on Utz Brands in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on Utz Brands from $14.00 to $12.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on Utz Brands from $13.00 to $12.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $14.00.

Utz Brands Stock Up 4.4%

The company has a market cap of $1.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 940.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 0.92. The company’s 50-day moving average is $10.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $11.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 0.80.

Utz Brands (NYSE:UTZ) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The company reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.26. The business had revenue of $342.20 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $346.99 million. Utz Brands had a return on equity of 8.52% and a net margin of 0.06%.The company’s revenue was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.22 EPS. Utz Brands has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.771-0.795 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Utz Brands, Inc. will post 0.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Utz Brands Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, December 15th were issued a $0.063 dividend. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 15th. This is a positive change from Utz Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. Utz Brands’s dividend payout ratio is 357.14%.

Insider Transactions at Utz Brands

In related news, major shareholder Series R. Of Um Partners, Llc bought 12,420 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The shares were acquired at an average price of $9.60 per share, for a total transaction of $119,232.00. Following the purchase, the insider owned 628,594 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,034,502.40. The trade was a 2.02% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Dylan Lissette acquired 7,010 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $9.99 per share, with a total value of $70,029.90. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 160,694 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,605,333.06. The trade was a 4.56% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders acquired 29,020 shares of company stock valued at $283,851. 16.32% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Utz Brands

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of UTZ. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Utz Brands by 16.1% in the second quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 7,394 shares of the company’s stock worth $93,000 after acquiring an additional 1,023 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Utz Brands by 8.7% in the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 13,457 shares of the company’s stock valued at $140,000 after acquiring an additional 1,074 shares during the period. Pathstone Holdings LLC boosted its position in Utz Brands by 0.8% in the third quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 140,831 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,711,000 after purchasing an additional 1,075 shares during the last quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC grew its stake in shares of Utz Brands by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 109,921 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,380,000 after purchasing an additional 1,137 shares during the period. Finally, Osaic Holdings Inc. grew its stake in shares of Utz Brands by 76.1% during 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 period. 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.