Scotiabank Lifts Earnings Estimates for West Fraser Timber

West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. (NYSE:WFG) – Investment analysts at Scotiabank upped their FY2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of West Fraser Timber in a note issued to investors on Friday, April 17th. Scotiabank analyst B. Isaacson now expects that the company will earn ($1.14) per share for the year, up from their prior estimate of ($1.20). The consensus estimate for West Fraser Timber’s current full-year earnings is ($2.50) per share.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of West Fraser Timber from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Raymond James Financial upgraded West Fraser Timber from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating and set a $75.00 target price for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $81.00 target price on West Fraser Timber in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of West Fraser Timber in a research report on Monday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, West Fraser Timber currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $81.33.

West Fraser Timber Price Performance

Shares of WFG stock opened at $64.97 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $65.79 and a two-hundred day moving average of $64.95. The company has a current ratio of 2.13, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. West Fraser Timber has a 12 month low of $57.34 and a 12 month high of $78.55. The company has a market capitalization of $4.94 billion, a P/E ratio of -5.33 and a beta of 1.09.

West Fraser Timber (NYSE:WFG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported ($2.42) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($2.71) by $0.29. The business had revenue of $1.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.18 billion. West Fraser Timber had a negative return on equity of 5.69% and a negative net margin of 17.15%.

West Fraser Timber Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th were paid a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 13th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. West Fraser Timber’s payout ratio is currently -10.51%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On West Fraser Timber

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of WFG. EFG International AG acquired a new position in West Fraser Timber in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of West Fraser Timber by 75.8% during the third quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 552 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 238 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its position in shares of West Fraser Timber by 212.0% during the third quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 780 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 530 shares during the last quarter. Jain Global LLC bought a new stake in shares of West Fraser Timber during the third quarter worth $224,000. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of West Fraser Timber during the fourth quarter worth $229,000. 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.