Utz Brands (NYSE:UTZ) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results, Hits Estimates

Utz Brands (NYSE:UTZ) announced its earnings results on Thursday. The company reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.26, FiscalAI reports. The company had revenue of $342.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $346.99 million. Utz Brands had a return on equity of 8.52% and a net margin of 0.06%.Utz Brands’s revenue for the quarter was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.22 EPS. Utz Brands updated its FY 2026 guidance to 0.771-0.795 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from Utz Brands’ conference call:

• Company reiterated confidence in its 2026 commercial plan and guided to roughly 200–300 basis points of organic growth (midpoint ~2.5%), assuming a flat category while keeping flexibility for a dynamic market.
• Midpoint EBITDA expansion is modest at about 40–50 basis points, with a $4–6M California startup spend and possible inflation/reinvestment headwinds limiting margin upside versus prior expectations.
• Management expects positive distribution gains, with shelving in California starting imminently and innovations (protein pretzels, new Boulder Canyon SKUs) launching in Q2 to drive household acquisition and volume.
• Balance sheet focus remains intact—finished 2025 at 3.4x leverage, targeting 3.0–3.2x in 2026, plans to delever ~0.3–0.4x per year and pursue a long-term free cash flow goal of ~$100M toward a 2.5–3.0x target.

Utz Brands Stock Up 4.4%

Shares of NYSE:UTZ traded up $0.40 on Friday, hitting $9.40. 3,816,873 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,541,115. Utz Brands has a 1-year low of $8.72 and a 1-year high of $14.67. The company has a market capitalization of $1.34 billion, a PE ratio of 940.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 1.22. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $10.30 and its 200 day moving average is $11.39.

Utz Brands Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 2nd. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 15th were issued a dividend of $0.063 per share. This is a positive change from Utz Brands’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.06. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 15th. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. Utz Brands’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 357.14%.

Key Stories Impacting Utz Brands

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on UTZ shares. TD Cowen dropped 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. DA Davidson set a $15.00 price target on shares of Utz Brands in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Mizuho set a $16.00 price objective on Utz Brands in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on Utz Brands from $15.00 to $13.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their target price on Utz Brands from $15.00 to $14.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $14.00.

Insider Activity at Utz Brands

In related news, Director Dylan Lissette bought 7,010 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 18th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $9.99 per share, for a total transaction of $70,029.90. Following the acquisition, the director owned 160,694 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,605,333.06. This represents a 4.56% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Series R. Of Um Partners, Llc bought 12,420 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The stock was bought at an average cost of $9.60 per share, for a total transaction of $119,232.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 628,594 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,034,502.40. The trade was a 2.02% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have purchased 29,020 shares of company stock valued at $283,851. 16.32% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Utz Brands

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Pathstone Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Utz Brands by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 140,831 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,711,000 after purchasing an additional 1,075 shares during the last quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC increased its position in Utz Brands by 1.0% during the second quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 109,921 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,380,000 after buying an additional 1,137 shares during the period. Osaic Holdings Inc. increased its position in Utz Brands by 76.1% during the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 3,756 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 1,623 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Utz Brands in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc boosted its holdings in shares of Utz Brands by 2.8% in the third quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 79,740 shares of the company’s stock valued at $969,000 after acquiring an additional 2,162 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.97% of the company’s stock.

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.