West Fraser Timber (NYSE:WFG) Stock Price Breaks Below Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. (NYSE:WFG)’s stock price crossed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Friday. The stock has a 200-day moving average of $67.31 and traded as low as $65.76. West Fraser Timber shares last traded at $67.09, with a volume of 225,876 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WFG has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of West Fraser Timber in a research report on Thursday. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on West Fraser Timber from $83.00 to $81.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 16th. Raymond James Financial decreased their target price on shares of West Fraser Timber from $85.00 to $80.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of West Fraser Timber in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of West Fraser Timber from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $83.80.

West Fraser Timber Price Performance

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 firm has a 50-day moving average of $68.32 and a 200-day moving average of $67.31. The stock has a market cap of $5.25 billion, a PE ratio of -4.85 and a beta of 1.06.

West Fraser Timber (NYSE:WFG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The company reported ($1.03) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.84) by ($0.19). West Fraser Timber had a negative return on equity of 9.10% and a negative net margin of 20.39%. The business had revenue of $1.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.42 billion. Research analysts predict that West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. will post -3.44 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. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 29th were given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date 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 currently -9.25%.

Institutional Trading of West Fraser Timber

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its stake in 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 in the last quarter. MGO One Seven LLC grew its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of West Fraser Timber by 177.0% in the first quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 579 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 370 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its position in shares of West Fraser Timber by 0.8% in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC increased its holdings in shares of West Fraser Timber by 97.8% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 894 shares of the company’s stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 442 shares during the last quarter. 40.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

West Fraser Timber Company Profile

West Fraser Timber Co Ltd. is a diversified wood products company that manufactures and sells building materials for residential, commercial and industrial applications. Its principal products include lumber, oriented strand board, laminated veneer lumber and other engineered wood products used in construction, remodeling and manufacturing.

The company operates wood product manufacturing facilities and manages timber resources across Canada and the United States, with a significant presence in Western Canada and the U.S.