This trader is up 105% after buying the wrong chip stock by accident

A hypothetical, statistically plausible, and rather distracted investor had a rare opportunity to profit far more than their more mindful peers in late July 2026 by failing to differentiate between chips of the electronic and potato variety. Specifically, between Monday, July 21, and Tuesday, July 22, a chip company manufacturing the latter type of product – Utz Brands Inc (NYSE: UTZ) – suddenly soared 88.72% from $7.45 to $14.06, bringing the total monthly rally to 105.26%.

Under the circumstances, even a distracted trader who attempted to find an undervalued chip stock amidst the ongoing artificial intelligence ( AI ) ‘boom’ while paying too little mind to whether the company is within the semiconductor industry could have generated profits far exceeding an investment in any of the major electronic chipmakers. Indeed, $1,000 invested in UTZ stock a month ago would have, by the latest close, risen to $2,052.60 for $1,052.60 in profits. For comparison, an equal Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA ) or Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ: AMD ) trade would have remained essentially flat, while buying Intel (NASDAQ: INTC ) shares would have resulted in the position losing a quarter of its value.

Why this chipmaker stock just soared 88% in a day Meanwhile, the sudden and rapid rise in the value of UTZ stock has relatively little to do with any recent business success of the chipmaker and is not, as has increasingly been the case in recent years, a result of traders from Reddit turning it into a meme stock. Instead, the rally was driven by a Monday press release that revealed that the German private company Intersnack Group is purchasing roughly half of the publicly traded snack firm’s equity. Overall, the deal amounts to $2.9 billion and will result in UTZ being taken private, while the sudden rally can largely be explained by the fact that the European company is paying a 91% premium relative to the July 20 closing price.