Utz Brands (NYSE:UTZ) Shares Gap Up – Here’s What Happened

Utz Brands, Inc. (NYSE:UTZ)’s stock price gapped up prior to trading on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $7.45, but opened at $14.08. Utz Brands shares last traded at $14.0750, with a volume of 30,105,461 shares.

Key Headlines Impacting Utz Brands

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

• Positive Sentiment: Utz Brands agreed to be acquired by Intersnack Group for $14.25 per share in cash, sending the stock sharply higher on the takeover premium. Utz Brands to be taken private by Germany’s Intersnack Group
• Positive Sentiment: The deal price implies a roughly 91% premium, which is driving heavy trading and optimism that shareholders will receive a sizable cash payout if the transaction closes. Utz Brands to Be Taken Private in $2.9 Billion Deal
• Positive Sentiment: Several market reports highlighted that packaged-food peers also benefited from the buyout news, reinforcing the view that the transaction confirms strategic value in the snack category. Packaged food stocks perk up after Utz Brands buyout
• Neutral Sentiment: Law firms have launched investigations into whether the sale process and price were fair to public shareholders, which is common in take-private deals but could create headline risk. Shareholder Alert: The M&A Class Action Firm Announces An Investigation of Utz Brands, Inc.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrades from Barclays and Stephens to “equal weight” suggest limited upside from here given the deal price is near the expected value. Utz Brands was downgraded by Barclays PLC

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Utz Brands in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Utz Brands from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $14.25 price target on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday. TD Cowen dropped their price target on shares of Utz Brands from $11.00 to $9.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 20th. DA Davidson reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $14.25 price objective (down from $15.00) on shares of Utz Brands in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, BTIG Research started coverage on Utz Brands in a research note on Monday, April 13th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $10.00 price objective for the company. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $13.27.

Utz Brands Stock Up 0.0%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The company has a market capitalization of $2.02 billion, a PE ratio of -140.64, a PEG ratio of 5.11 and a beta of 0.82. The company’s 50 day moving average is $7.69 and its two-hundred day moving average is $8.40.

Utz Brands (NYSE:UTZ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 6th. The company reported $0.15 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $361.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $361.76 million. Utz Brands had a negative net margin of 0.58% and a positive return on equity of 8.61%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.16 EPS. Utz Brands has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.771-0.795 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Utz Brands, Inc. will post 0.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Utz Brands Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, July 2nd. Investors of record on Monday, June 22nd were paid a dividend of $0.063 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 22nd. This represents a $0.25 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. Utz Brands’s dividend payout ratio is presently -250.00%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Utz Brands

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in UTZ. NewEdge Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Utz Brands during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Utz Brands by 431.5% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 3,343 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 2,714 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its holdings 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 valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 2,362 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in 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 purchasing an additional 4,773 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Osaic Holdings Inc. increased its position in 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 purchasing an additional 1,623 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.97% of the company’s stock.

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.