West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. (NYSE:WFG) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. (NYSE:WFG) have been assigned an average rating of “Hold” from the eight research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have given a hold recommendation and four have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $83.20.

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on West Fraser Timber from $85.00 to $83.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 31st. Raymond James Financial lowered West Fraser Timber from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $85.00 to $75.00 in a report on Thursday, April 23rd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of West Fraser Timber from a “strong sell” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 1st. Fraser Mackenzie cut their price target on shares of West Fraser Timber from $88.00 to $86.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, TD Securities reiterated 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

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its position in West Fraser Timber by 72.2% during the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 439 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 184 shares during the period. EFG International AG purchased a new stake in shares of West Fraser Timber in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its position in West Fraser Timber by 177.0% during the first quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 579 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 370 shares during the last quarter. Aegis Financial Corp acquired a new position in West Fraser Timber in the first quarter valued at $205,000. Finally, Jain Global LLC acquired a new stake in shares of West Fraser Timber in the third quarter worth $224,000. 40.23% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

West Fraser Timber Stock Performance

NYSE WFG opened at $70.21 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 2.06 and a quick ratio of 0.83. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $67.94 and its 200-day simple moving average is $66.79. The company has a market cap of $5.50 billion, a PE ratio of -4.55 and a beta of 1.00. West Fraser Timber has a 1-year low of $57.34 and a 1-year high of $76.99.

West Fraser Timber (NYSE:WFG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported ($0.78) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.70) by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $1.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.45 billion. West Fraser Timber had a negative net margin of 22.98% and a negative return on equity of 10.84%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that West Fraser Timber will post -3.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Fraser Timber Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 25th were issued a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 25th. West Fraser Timber’s dividend payout ratio is currently -8.29%.

About West Fraser Timber

West Fraser Timber Co Ltd. (NYSE: WFG) is a leading North American diversified wood products company headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia. The company operates a broad portfolio of manufacturing facilities that produce lumber, engineered wood products such as laminated veneer lumber (LVL), oriented strand board (OSB) and plywood, as well as medium density fibreboard (MDF), particleboard, pulp and paper. West Fraser’s integrated production model spans harvesting, milling and finishing, allowing it to serve a wide range of residential, commercial and industrial construction markets.

Founded in 1955 as West Fraser Mills, the company has grown through both organic investment and strategic acquisitions to become one of the largest lumber producers in the world.