West Fraser Timber (WFG) to Release Earnings on Tuesday

West Fraser Timber (NYSE:WFG) will issue its quarterly earnings data after the market closes on Tuesday, April 23rd. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of ($0.06) per share for the quarter.

West Fraser Timber (NYSE:WFG) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 14th. The company reported ($0.23) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.28) by $0.05. West Fraser Timber had a positive return on equity of 1.29% and a negative net margin of 2.59%. The company had revenue of $1.51 billion during the quarter. On average, analysts expect West Fraser Timber to post $4 EPS for the current fiscal year and $8 EPS for the next fiscal year.

West Fraser Timber Stock Performance

Shares of WFG stock opened at $78.53 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.45, a current ratio of 2.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The business has a 50 day moving average of $81.39 and a two-hundred day moving average of $78.35. West Fraser Timber has a 52 week low of $64.11 and a 52 week high of $90.17. The company has a market cap of $6.24 billion, a P/E ratio of -36.53 and a beta of 1.15.

West Fraser Timber Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 15th were paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 14th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.53%. West Fraser Timber’s payout ratio is currently -27.91%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WFG has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Scotiabank set a $100.00 price target on West Fraser Timber and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $97.00 price target on shares of West Fraser Timber in a report on Thursday, March 28th. Finally, Raymond James lifted their price target on West Fraser Timber from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 6th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $104.92.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On West Fraser Timber

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Eaton Vance Management bought a new stake in West Fraser Timber during the first quarter worth approximately $332,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its stake in shares of West Fraser Timber by 29.8% during the 1st quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,962 shares of the company’s stock worth $329,000 after acquiring an additional 910 shares in the last quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC bought a new stake in shares of West Fraser Timber during the 1st quarter worth $304,000. AXA S.A. boosted its stake in shares of West Fraser Timber by 5.3% during the 1st quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 3,846 shares of the company’s stock worth $274,000 after acquiring an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ossiam boosted its stake in shares of West Fraser Timber by 36.9% during the 4th quarter. Ossiam now owns 3,112 shares of the company’s stock worth $268,000 after acquiring an additional 838 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 40.23% of the company’s stock.

About West Fraser Timber

West Fraser Timber Co Ltd., a diversified wood products company, engages in manufacturing, selling, marketing, and distributing lumber, engineered wood products, pulp, newsprint, wood chips, and other residuals and renewable energy. It offers spruce-pine-fir, douglas fir-larch, hem-fir, and southern yellow pine lumber, treated wood products, medium density fiberboard panels and plywood, oriented strand board, and laminated veneer lumber wood products, as well as particleboards.