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Market Trends - The Santa Claus Rally is anticipated as a familiar market trend, historically resulting in stock increases 80% of the time during this period since 1972 [1] - This year's rally is expected to be accompanied by volatility due to factors such as AI speculation, a weakening labor market, and record-low consumer sentiment [2] Labor Market and Layoffs - October saw over 150,000 layoffs, the highest figure in 20 years, impacting companies including Amazon, which laid off 14,000 corporate employees [2] Stock Market Performance - The tech-heavy Nasdaq Index fell 5% recently, indicating cracks in the bull market, with Amazon shares dropping 6% [3] Investment Opportunities - Utz Brands Inc. (UTZ) is highlighted as an attractive investment, trading at 13 times forward earnings, significantly lower than its long-term average, with a profit outlook of 5% growth this year and 15% next year [12] - Greenwich LifeSciences Inc. (GLSI) is noted for its potential in cancer immunotherapy, with recent insider buying and FDA Fast Track designation, despite a 33% decline in shares due to short selling [15][19] - Matador Resources Co. (MTDR) is recognized for its strong insider buying activity and attractive cost structure, trading at a low valuation compared to peers, with a 4% dividend yield [22][25][26] Insider Buying as a Bullish Signal - Insider buying is considered a strong bullish signal, with examples of significant gains following such activity in companies like Longeveron Inc. and Nuvation Bio Inc. [14][27] Upcoming Events - A Profit Surge Event is scheduled, where insights on market volatility and trading opportunities will be shared [7][28]

This story was originally published on Food Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Food Dive newsletter. Utz Brands is buying logistics infrastructure assets that will allow the snack maker to expand its presence in California, the country’s largest consumer of chips, pretzels and other salty offerings. The Pennsylvania-based company is buying direct store delivery routes across California from Insignia International for an undisclosed amount. Utz said it sees the Golden Stat ...

Core Insights - Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Utz Brands by 23.7% during Q2, owning 36,797 shares valued at $462,000 [2] - Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 95.97% of Utz Brands' stock, indicating strong institutional interest [3] Institutional Activity - Janney Montgomery Scott LLC acquired a new position valued at approximately $196,000 in Q1 [3] - Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings by 7.2%, now owning 7,439,869 shares worth $104,753,000 after acquiring an additional 501,374 shares [3] - Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its holdings by 38.0%, owning 5,671,757 shares valued at $79,858,000 after acquiring 1,560,884 shares [3] - GW&K Investment Management LLC raised its holdings by 19.7%, now owning 1,531,986 shares worth $21,570,000 [3] Analyst Ratings - UBS Group lowered its price target from $13.50 to $11.50, maintaining a "neutral" rating [4] - Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating with a price target of $14.00 [4] - TD Cowen reduced its price target from $14.00 to $12.00, setting a "hold" rating [4] - The consensus rating for Utz Brands is "Moderate Buy" with a target price of $16.07 [4] Stock Performance - Utz Brands stock opened at $10.52, with a market cap of $1.49 billion [5] - The company has a PE ratio of 150.34 and a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.41 [5] - The stock has a 12-month low of $10.19 and a high of $18.29 [5] Financial Results - For the latest quarter, Utz Brands reported an EPS of $0.23, meeting consensus estimates [6] - Revenue for the quarter was $377.80 million, up 3.4% year-over-year, exceeding the consensus estimate of $374.25 million [6] - The company has set FY 2025 EPS guidance at 0.824-0.847 [6] Dividend Information - Utz Brands announced a quarterly dividend of $0.061, representing an annualized yield of 2.3% [7] - The dividend payout ratio is currently 342.86% [7] Insider Transactions - Director Christina Choi sold 5,703 shares at an average price of $13.63, resulting in a 14.47% decrease in her position [8] - Insiders currently own 16.32% of the stock [8] Company Overview - Utz Brands, Inc. specializes in the manufacture, marketing, and distribution of snack foods, offering a variety of products including potato chips, pretzels, and popcorn under various brand names [9]

Group 1 - The article does not provide any relevant content regarding company or industry insights [1]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company has maintained its expectation for EBITDA margins of around 16% in 2026, with an anticipated 100 basis points of expansion each year [23][28] - The company reported a 1% drag on pricing in the recent quarter, which was in line with expectations [42][46] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company is seeing strong growth in its Boulder Canyon brand, which is the number one potato chip brand in the natural channel, with velocities up about 35% [80] - The On the Border brand is experiencing short-term challenges, but management believes these issues are not structural and can be addressed [76][78] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company has a 1.9% market share in California, which represents a significant opportunity as the state accounts for about 10% of the salty snacks category in the U.S. [41] - Expansion markets such as Florida, Illinois, Colorado, and Missouri are averaging about 6% growth, outperforming the average expansion market share [114][115] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company plans to make incremental investments to support its expansion into California, leveraging a proven playbook from previous market entries [26][27] - The strategy focuses on holding core markets while expanding into new geographies, with a strong emphasis on innovation and communication to drive growth [111][112] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management remains optimistic about the salty snacks category, noting that consumer participation is increasing and the pricing environment remains rational [120][121] - The company is committed to increasing marketing investments, particularly in retail media, to drive consumer engagement and support brand growth [124][125] Other Important Information - The company is addressing recent challenges related to potato supply quality, which impacted gross margins, but expects these issues to be isolated and resolved [61][66] - The company is focused on productivity improvements and supply chain optimization to enhance operational efficiency and support top-line growth [98][102] Q&A Session Summary Question: Can you elaborate on the California route acquisition and its impact? - Management indicated that the acquired network will allow for product introduction in early 2026, with confidence in driving growth through existing customer relationships [40] Question: What is the outlook for pricing and volume mix? - The company experienced a 1% drag on pricing but expects to manage this through effective revenue management strategies [46][47] Question: How does the competitive landscape affect the company? - Management views competitor innovations as a net positive for the category, as they can drive consumer interest and engagement [88][90] Question: What are the expectations for market share dynamics? - The company is seeing incremental market share gains in core markets, driven by strong relationships with retailers and effective execution [111][112] Question: What is the company's approach to innovation? - Management believes that innovation can drive category growth and is focused on simplifying ingredients and addressing consumer trends [130][133]

Utz Brands, Inc. Third Quarter 2025 Earnings Presentation October 30, 2025 Disclaimer Forward-LookingStatements Certain statements made herein are not historical facts but are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. The forward-looking statements generally are accompanied by or include, without limitation, statements such as "may," "can," "should," "will," "estimate," "plan," "project," "forecast," " ...

Group 1: Company Overview - UTZ Brands, Inc. (NYSE:UTZ) is a company that markets, manufactures, and distributes a variety of branded snacks, including pretzels, potato chips, veggie snacks, cheese snacks, and pork skins. Its brand portfolio includes Utz, Golden Flake, Zapp's, Good Health, Hawaiian, and Boulder Canyon [4]. Group 2: Analyst Ratings and Price Targets - RBC Capital analyst Nik Modi has reiterated a Buy rating on UTZ Brands, setting a price target of $20 as of October 28 [1]. - Conversely, UBS analyst Peter Grom assigned a Hold rating on October 20, with a price target of $13.50, citing the company's unchanged guidance for fiscal year 2025 and expectations for modest EBITDA margin expansion and organic sales growth [2]. Group 3: Market Performance and Sentiment - Despite exhibiting favorable performance trends that surpass the overall salty snacks domain, concerns about the sustainability of UTZ's top-line growth persist, particularly due to ongoing macroeconomic and category pressures [3]. - These concerns have contributed to a decline in the stock's performance, leading to underperformance compared to the broader market and its peers since early August [3].

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company reported a net sales growth of 3.4%, with branded salty snacks organic net sales growth of 5.8% [6][19] - Adjusted EBITDA increased by 11.7%, and adjusted earnings per share rose by 9.5% [20] - Adjusted gross profit margin expanded by 20 basis points, with adjusted EBITDA margin expanding by 120 basis points to 16% [20][21] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Branded salty snacks now represent 89% of total net sales, marking the seventh consecutive quarter of growth in this category [6][19] - The Power4 brands achieved a retail sales increase of 7.1%, driven by 4.4% volume gains [7] - Non-branded and non-salty snacks experienced a decline in organic net sales of 13.1% due to a strategic decision to right-size the partner brand portfolio [19] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - California, the largest salty snack market in the U.S., has a retail sales figure of $4.1 billion, with the company currently holding a 1.9% market share [5] - Expansion markets saw a total company retail sales growth of 9.2%, significantly outpacing the salty snack category decline of 0.3% [9] - The average market share in expansion markets is 3%, compared to 6.6% in core markets, indicating substantial growth opportunities [10] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The acquisition of Insignia International's direct store delivery assets is a key part of the company's westward expansion strategy, particularly in California [4][5] - The company is focused on enhancing its branded salty snacks business and expanding its geographic footprint [34] - Continued investment in marketing and productivity initiatives is expected to drive long-term growth and margin expansion [20][34] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in the company's ability to outperform the category over the medium and long term, supported by strong brand performance and market share gains [17][34] - The company updated its 2025 outlook, now expecting organic net sales growth of approximately 3%, up from a previous expectation of 2.5% [27] - Management highlighted the importance of free cash flow generation and plans to optimize capital expenditures in 2026 [30][31] Other Important Information - The company plans to eliminate all artificial colors from its product portfolio by 2027, aligning with consumer preferences for cleaner ingredients [16] - Cash provided by operations for the year-to-date period was $47.3 million, with capital expenditures of $89.2 million [25][26] - The net leverage ratio at the end of the third quarter was 3.9 times trailing twelve months normalized adjusted EBITDA [26] Q&A Session Summary Question: What are the expectations for organic net sales growth in 2025? - The company now expects organic net sales growth of approximately 3%, reflecting year-to-date outperformance [27] Question: How is the company addressing supply chain challenges? - Management noted that supply chain inflation has largely normalized and that productivity initiatives are in place to offset costs [21][22] Question: What are the plans for capital expenditures in 2026? - Capital expenditures are expected to decrease significantly from $100 million in 2025 to a preliminary range of $60 to $70 million in 2026 [30][31]

Financial Performance - Net Sales increased by 3.4% to $377.8 million compared to $365.5 million in the prior year period[5] - Organic Net Sales growth was 3.4%, with Branded Salty Snacks Organic Net Sales growth at 5.8%[5] - Adjusted Net Income increased by 13.2% to $33.5 million, while Net Income decreased to $(20.2) million[8] - Adjusted EBITDA increased by 11.7% to $60.3 million, representing 16.0% of Net Sales[9] - Gross Profit Margin declined by 220bps to 33.6%, but Adjusted Gross Profit Margin expanded by 210bps to 41.1%[6] - Net sales for the thirteen weeks ended September 28, 2025, were $377.8 million, an increase from $365.5 million for the same period in 2024, representing a growth of approximately 6.3%[43] - Gross profit for the thirteen weeks ended September 28, 2025, was $126.9 million, down from $131.0 million in the prior year, indicating a decrease of about 3.1%[43] - The company reported a net loss of $20.2 million for the thirteen weeks ended September 28, 2025, compared to a net income of $0.8 million in the same period of 2024[43] - The company reported a net loss of $4.4 million for the thirty-nine weeks ended September 28, 2025, compared to a net income of $28.6 million for the same period in 2024[46] - The comprehensive loss for the thirteen weeks ended September 28, 2025, was $22.7 million, compared to a comprehensive loss of $14.7 million in the prior year[43] Expenses and Costs - Selling, Distribution, and Administrative Expenses increased to $123.1 million, or 32.6% of Net Sales[7] - Total selling, distribution, and administrative expenses increased to $123.1 million from $110.0 million, reflecting a rise of approximately 11.9%[43] - The company experienced a significant increase in depreciation and amortization expenses, rising to $60.4 million from $53.4 million year-over-year[49] - Adjusted Selling, Distribution, and Administrative Expense for the 13 weeks ended September 28, 2025, was $93.8 million, or 24.8% of Net Sales, compared to $88.7 million and 24.3% in 2024[54] - Business transformation initiatives resulted in costs of $20.1 million for the thirteen weeks ended September 28, 2025, compared to $8.1 million for the same period in 2024[61] - The company incurred $34.6 million in business transformation costs for the thirty-nine weeks ended September 28, 2025, compared to $18.4 million in the prior year[61] Liquidity and Debt - Total liquidity as of September 28, 2025, was $197.7 million, with net debt of $807.9 million and a Net Leverage Ratio of 3.9x[13] - Total current assets increased to $333.4 million as of September 28, 2025, up from $317.3 million as of December 29, 2024[48] - Total liabilities rose to $1,414.5 million as of September 28, 2025, compared to $1,340.7 million as of December 29, 2024[48] - Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the period were $57.7 million, a slight increase from $56.1 million at the beginning of the period[49] - Total net debt as of September 28, 2025, was $807.9 million, with a net leverage ratio of 3.9x based on trailing twelve months Normalized Adjusted EBITDA[63] - Gross debt amounted to $865.6 million, which includes term loans, real estate loans, and equipment loans[63] Future Outlook - The company raised its 2025 Organic Net Sales growth outlook to approximately 3% from a prior expectation of 2.5%[16] - The company expects Adjusted EBITDA growth of 7% to 10% and Adjusted Earnings Per Share growth of 7% to 10% for fiscal year 2025[20] Shareholder Information - The weighted-average shares of Class A Common stock outstanding increased to 86,958,867 from 82,445,064 year-over-year[43] - The weighted-average shares of Class A Common stock outstanding increased to 86,266,184 from 81,763,848[46] - Adjusted Earnings Per Share for the 13 weeks ended September 28, 2025, was $0.23, reflecting a 9.5% increase from $0.21 in 2024[55] Adjustments and Impairments - The adjustment related to purchase commitments and other adjustments was an expense of $2.7 million for the thirteen weeks ended September 28, 2025, compared to $1.5 million for the same period in 2024[61] - Acquisitions and divestitures incurred expenses of $10.0 million for the thirteen weeks ended September 28, 2025, up from $2.8 million in the prior year[61] - The company recorded an impairment charge of $0.6 million during the 39 weeks ended September 28, 2025[60] Performance Metrics - Adjusted EBITDA is a key performance indicator used to evaluate operating performance, and it is calculated by excluding certain non-cash adjustments and other cash adjustment items[37] - Normalized Adjusted EBITDA for FY 2025 was $207.2 million, slightly up from $200.2 million in FY 2024[62] - EBITDA for the 13 weeks ended September 28, 2025, was $23.8 million, a decrease of 22.0% from $30.5 million in 2024[58] - Adjusted EBITDA for the 13 weeks ended September 28, 2025, was $60.3 million, an increase of 11.7% from $54.0 million in 2024[58]