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Utz Brands, Inc.: Q1 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q1 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 6 May 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 13 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Net sales rose 2.6%: Net Sales rose 2.6% to $361.3 million from $352.1 million. Price added 3.7 points and volume/mix subtracted 1.1 points. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA rose 6.2%: Adjusted EBITDA rose 6.2% to $47.9 million, and its margin rose 50 bps to 13.3%, as adjusted gross margin expansion more than offset higher adjusted SG&A. Source
  • Branded Salty Snacks grew 5.2%: Branded Salty Snacks organic net sales rose 5.2%, led by the Power Four Brands, and made up 89% of total Net Sales. Source
  • Gross margin rose 200 bps: Gross profit margin rose 200 bps to 25.4%, and adjusted gross margin rose 210 bps to 30.8%. Productivity savings more than offset supply chain cost inflation. Source
  • Adjusted free cash flow improved: Adjusted Free Cash Flow was $(25.9) million against $(58.2) million a year earlier. Cash flow used in operations was $12.2 million against $20.2 million. Source
  • Net leverage down to 3.6x: Net debt was $780.3 million, giving a Net Leverage Ratio of 3.6x on trailing twelve-month Adjusted EBITDA of $219.3 million. Total liquidity was $196.1 million. Source
  • All 2026 guidance reaffirmed: Management reaffirmed all aspects of 2026 guidance, including organic net sales growth of 2% to 3% and Adjusted EBITDA growth of 5% to 8%. Source

“The category has demonstrated signs of continued improvement with solid growth in the first quarter.”

Howard Friedman, Chief Executive Officer of Utz

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Organic net sales growth Sourcefiscal 20262% to 3%Kept
Reported net sales from 53rd week Sourcefourth quarter of 2026approximately $20 millionKept
Productivity savings Sourcefiscal 2026approximately 4% of Adjusted COGSKept
Adjusted EBITDA growth Sourcefiscal 20265% to 8%, with Adjusted EBITDA margin expansionKept
53rd week benefit to Adjusted EBITDA Sourcefourth quarter of 2026approximately $3 millionKept
Adjusted EPS change Sourcefiscal 20263% to 6% declineKept
53rd week benefit to Adjusted EPS Sourcefourth quarter of 20262 centsKept
Adjusted Free Cash Flow Sourcefiscal 2026$60 and $80 millionKept
Effective tax rate Sourcefiscal 202617-19%Kept
Interest expense Sourcefiscal 2026$47 to $49 millionKept
Depreciation and amortization Sourcefiscal 2026$93 to $97 millionKept
Capital expenditures Sourcefiscal 2026$60 to $65 millionKept
Net Leverage Ratio Sourcefiscal year-end 20263.0x - 3.2xKept

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance kept: Management reaffirmed all aspects of 2026 guidance; the figures match the February 2026 release. Source
  • New: Certain charges and gains are now grouped under new supply chain transformation and corporate transformation categories; prior periods were reclassified. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Net sales rose 2.6%: Net Sales rose 2.6% to $361.3 million from $352.1 million. Price added 3.7 points and volume/mix subtracted 1.1 points. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA rose 6.2%: Adjusted EBITDA rose 6.2% to $47.9 million, and its margin rose 50 bps to 13.3%, as adjusted gross margin expansion more than offset higher adjusted SG&A. Source
  • Net loss against prior-year income: The company reported a net loss of $2.4 million, against net income of $5.7 million a year earlier, which included an $11 million warrant remeasurement gain. Source
  • Adjusted EPS fell 6.3%: Adjusted EPS was $0.15 against $0.16, and GAAP diluted EPS was $(0.02). Management tied the adjusted decline to higher depreciation and amortization. Source

Segments, category and volumes

  • Branded Salty Snacks grew 5.2%: Branded Salty Snacks organic net sales rose 5.2%, led by the Power Four Brands, and made up 89% of total Net Sales. Source
  • Non-branded sales fell 14.3%: Non-Branded & Non-Salty Snacks organic net sales fell 14.3%, which management attributed mainly to accelerated removal of low-margin items. Source
  • Gains in core and expansion areas: The company said retail sales rose in both its Core and Expansion Geographies. Source
  • Retail sales ahead of category: Branded Salty Snacks retail sales rose 4.6% against 2.4% for the Salty Snack category overall. The two-year stack rose 4.6% against 0.7%. Source
  • Retail volumes fell 3.0%: Company retail volumes fell 3.0%, which management tied to lapping Bonus Packs, while category volume rose 1.5%. The two-year stack was up 2.7%. Source

“We believe the flexibility of our model will allow us to succeed in an evolving consumer and category backdrop.”

Howard Friedman, Chief Executive Officer of Utz

Costs, margins and pricing

  • Gross margin rose 200 bps: Gross profit margin rose 200 bps to 25.4%, and adjusted gross margin rose 210 bps to 30.8%. Productivity savings more than offset supply chain cost inflation. Source
  • SG&A rose on marketing and capability: Adjusted SG&A rose to 17.6% of Net Sales from 15.9%, reflecting higher marketing and capabilities added for geographic expansion and growth initiatives. Source
  • Volume and price excluding promotion: Excluding the Bonus Packs promotion, which had a net neutral 2.7 point effect on volume/mix and price in the prior-year quarter, volume/mix rose 1.6% and net price rose 1.0%. Source

Cash, leverage and capital returns

  • Adjusted free cash flow improved: Adjusted Free Cash Flow was $(25.9) million against $(58.2) million a year earlier. Cash flow used in operations was $12.2 million against $20.2 million. Source
  • Capital spending and dividends: Capital expenditures were $13.8 million, against $38.8 million a year earlier, and dividends and distributions paid were $9.7 million. Source
  • Net leverage down to 3.6x: Net debt was $780.3 million, giving a Net Leverage Ratio of 3.6x on trailing twelve-month Adjusted EBITDA of $219.3 million. Total liquidity was $196.1 million. Source
  • No buybacks in the quarter: No shares were repurchased in the quarter, and $50 million remains under the stock repurchase program adopted in February 2026. Source

“Adjusted Free Cash Flow improved sharply in the first quarter with our focus on working capital management and normalizing capital expenditures,”

BK Kelley, EVP and Chief Financial Officer of Utz

Guidance for fiscal 2026

  • All 2026 guidance reaffirmed: Management reaffirmed all aspects of 2026 guidance, including organic net sales growth of 2% to 3% and Adjusted EBITDA growth of 5% to 8%. Source
  • Adjusted EPS guided to decline: Adjusted EPS is guided to fall 3% to 6%, mainly from higher depreciation and amortization, higher interest expense and a higher tax rate, together about 12 cents. Source
  • Productivity savings target held: Productivity savings are expected at about 4% of Adjusted COGS, which management ties to Adjusted Gross Margin expansion and improved product mix. Source

Non-GAAP presentation changes

  • Charge categories regrouped: Certain charges and gains are now grouped under supply chain transformation and corporate transformation. Prior periods were reclassified and totals are unchanged. Source
  • Reconciliation layout revised: Reconciliations of adjusted measures to GAAP were also revised, which management says gives investors helpful context on the impacts of the adjustments. Source
  • Share counts used for EPS: Adjusted EPS used 143.9 million fully diluted shares on an as-converted basis. GAAP diluted EPS used 88.3 million weighted-average Class A shares. Source

Coming up, as management said on 6 May 2026

  • 53rd week in fourth quarter: The fourth quarter of 2026 will contain a 53rd week, and guidance figures include its effect where appropriate. Source

In management's words

“Leverage at 3.6x was down considerably from a year ago, and we expect leverage to improve further as we progress through 2026.”

BK Kelley, EVP and Chief Financial Officer of Utz

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Company retail volume growth Source-3.0%
Branded Salty Snacks retail sales growth Source4.6%
Salty Snack category retail sales growth Source2.4%
Power Four Brands retail sales growth Source6.7%
Branded Salty Snacks share of Net Sales Source89%

Risks management discussed

  • Demand: Organic net sales guidance assumes a flat Salty Snacks category at the midpoint, so category performance bears on that figure. Source
  • External: Management expects the operating environment to stay dynamic for the rest of 2026. Source
  • Financial: Higher depreciation and amortization, higher interest expense and a higher tax rate are cited as headwinds to 2026 Adjusted EPS. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Not stated: Management restated that it is reaffirming all aspects of 2026 guidance and gave no progress status on individual items. Source
  • Not stated: Management said it remains committed to a playbook of Branded Salty Snacks growth, productivity and reinvestment in marketing and geographic expansion. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.