West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. (WFG) - What Are Brokerages Saying About This Stock?

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is moderately positive: Six of nine analysts rate West Fraser Timber a buy, two a hold and one a sell; the average one-year price target is $83.80.
• Recent ratings were mixed: Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded the stock to buy, while Raymond James cut its price target from $85 to $80 but maintained an outperform rating.
• Quarterly results fell short of forecasts: West Fraser reported a loss of $1.03 per share versus the expected $0.84 loss, and revenue of $1.36 billion versus the $1.42 billion estimate.

West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. (NYSE:WFG - Get Free Report) has received a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the nine analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $83.80.

Several analysts recently issued reports on WFG shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of West Fraser Timber in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. Cantor Fitzgerald upgraded shares of West Fraser Timber to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce restated a "neutral" rating on shares of West Fraser Timber in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Raymond James Financial lowered their price target on West Fraser Timber from $85.00 to $80.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, TD Securities restated a "buy" rating on shares of West Fraser Timber in a research report on Friday, July 31st.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On West Fraser Timber

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in West Fraser Timber by 0.6% during the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 29,909 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,081,000 after buying an additional 164 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of West Fraser Timber by 72.2% in the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 439 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its holdings in shares of West Fraser Timber by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 3,670 shares of the company's stock worth $235,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. MGO One Seven LLC lifted its stake in West Fraser Timber by 1.0% in the third quarter. MGO One Seven LLC now owns 27,113 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,881,000 after purchasing an additional 272 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its holdings in West Fraser Timber by 0.8% during the first quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 47,750 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,115,000 after purchasing an additional 370 shares during the period. 40.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

West Fraser Timber Price Performance

NYSE:WFG traded up $0.20 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $66.06. 94,975 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 192,912. The business has a 50 day moving average of $68.14 and a 200 day moving average of $67.18. West Fraser Timber has a 1-year low of $57.83 and a 1-year high of $76.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 2.29 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The company has a market capitalization of $5.17 billion, a P/E ratio of -4.77 and a beta of 1.12.

West Fraser Timber (NYSE:WFG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 28th. The company reported ($1.03) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.84) by ($0.19). West Fraser Timber had a negative return on equity of 9.19% and a negative net margin of 20.39%. The firm had revenue of $1.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.42 billion. Research analysts forecast that West Fraser Timber will post -4.77 EPS for the current year.

West Fraser Timber Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, October 19th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 29th were issued a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 29th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. West Fraser Timber's dividend payout ratio is -9.25%.

West Fraser Timber Company Profile

West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. is an integrated forest products company headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia. Founded in 1955 as a sawmill in Quesnel, the company has grown into a producer of wood-based building materials and other forest products. Its products include lumber, oriented strand board (OSB), plywood, medium-density fibreboard, laminated veneer lumber, pulp, paper and related products. West Fraser also uses wood residuals to produce items such as wood chips and renewable energy.

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