Scotiabank Has Optimistic Outlook of WFG FY2026 Earnings

West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. (NYSE:WFG) – Scotiabank upped their FY2026 earnings estimates for West Fraser Timber in a report released on Thursday, February 19th. Scotiabank analyst B. Isaacson now anticipates that the company will post earnings per share of ($1.20) for the year, up from their prior estimate of ($1.99). The consensus estimate for West Fraser Timber’s current full-year earnings is $4.45 per share. Scotiabank also issued estimates for West Fraser Timber’s FY2027 earnings at $0.31 EPS.

West Fraser Timber (NYSE:WFG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported ($2.42) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($2.71) by $0.29. West Fraser Timber had a negative return on equity of 5.69% and a negative net margin of 17.15%.The firm had revenue of $1.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.18 billion.

WFG has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on West Fraser Timber from $91.00 to $85.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of West Fraser Timber in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Zacks Research lowered shares of West Fraser Timber from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Raymond James Financial raised shares of West Fraser Timber from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating and set a $75.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce downgraded shares of West Fraser Timber from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $82.67.

West Fraser Timber Stock Down 6.3%

West Fraser Timber stock opened at $67.19 on Monday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $67.30 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $67.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 2.13. The company has a market cap of $5.11 billion, a PE ratio of -5.52 and a beta of 1.12. West Fraser Timber has a fifty-two week low of $57.34 and a fifty-two week high of $80.73.

West Fraser Timber Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. West Fraser Timber’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -10.51%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On West Fraser Timber

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. acquired a new stake in West Fraser Timber in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $91,014,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its position in shares of West Fraser Timber by 31,861.9% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 896,852 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,968,000 after buying an additional 894,046 shares in the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp grew its stake in West Fraser Timber by 89.5% in the 3rd quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 1,720,094 shares of the company’s stock valued at $116,910,000 after acquiring an additional 812,474 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in West Fraser Timber by 28.6% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 3,613,139 shares of the company’s stock worth $220,799,000 after acquiring an additional 802,477 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Manning & Napier Advisors LLC increased its holdings in West Fraser Timber by 91.6% in the 3rd quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC now owns 1,671,846 shares of the company’s stock worth $113,656,000 after acquiring an additional 799,422 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 40.23% of the company’s stock.

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.