West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. (NYSE:WFG) Stock Has Average Target Price of $85.20 According to Brokerages

Key Points

• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus on West Fraser Timber, with five buy, two hold and one sell rating. The average 12-month price target is $85.20, above the stock’s reported $70.77 opening price.
• West Fraser’s latest quarterly results fell short of expectations, with an adjusted loss of $0.78 per share versus the $0.70 expected and revenue of $1.43 billion versus $1.45 billion forecast. The company reported a negative net margin of 22.98% and analysts expect a full-year loss.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.32 per share, equivalent to $1.28 annually and a 1.8% yield. Institutional investors and hedge funds own approximately 40.23% of the stock.

West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. (NYSE:WFG - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the eight brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $85.20.

A number of analysts have issued reports on WFG shares. Wall Street Zen raised West Fraser Timber from a "strong sell" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 1st. Zacks Research upgraded West Fraser Timber from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on West Fraser Timber from $85.00 to $83.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 31st. Weiss Ratings lowered West Fraser Timber from a "sell (d)" rating to a "sell (d-)" rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Finally, TD Securities restated a "buy" rating on shares of West Fraser Timber in a report on Friday, July 31st.

West Fraser Timber Stock Down 3.1%

West Fraser Timber stock opened at $70.77 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 2.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.58 and a beta of 1.00. West Fraser Timber has a fifty-two week low of $57.34 and a fifty-two week high of $76.99. The stock's fifty day moving average is $69.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $66.71.

West Fraser Timber (NYSE:WFG - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported ($0.78) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.70) by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $1.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.45 billion. West Fraser Timber had a negative net margin of 22.98% and a negative return on equity of 10.84%. Analysts predict that West Fraser Timber will post -3.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Fraser Timber Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, October 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 29th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 29th. West Fraser Timber's dividend payout ratio is currently -8.29%.

Institutional Trading of West Fraser Timber

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. acquired a new position in shares of West Fraser Timber during the 2nd quarter worth $110,334,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new stake in West Fraser Timber in the second quarter worth $86,416,000. Atlas FRM LLC bought a new stake in West Fraser Timber in the second quarter worth $50,090,600. Norges Bank acquired a new position in West Fraser Timber during the fourth quarter worth $39,660,000. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in West Fraser Timber by 171.7% during the second quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 736,913 shares of the company's stock valued at $49,836,000 after buying an additional 465,694 shares in the last quarter. 40.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About West Fraser Timber

West Fraser Timber Co Ltd. is a diversified forest products company headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia. Founded in 1955, the company has grown from a regional lumber producer into an international manufacturer and marketer of wood products, pulp and paper.

West Fraser produces dimensional lumber, engineered wood products, oriented strand board, plywood, pulp, newsprint and specialty papers. Its products are used in residential and commercial construction, repair and remodeling, packaging, printing and other industrial applications.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.