What is Scotiabank’s Estimate for WFG Q1 Earnings?

West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. (NYSE:WFG) – Equities researchers at Scotiabank issued their Q1 2026 EPS estimates for shares of West Fraser Timber in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, February 12th. Scotiabank analyst B. Isaacson forecasts that the company will post earnings of ($1.07) per share for the quarter. The consensus estimate for West Fraser Timber’s current full-year earnings is $4.45 per share.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of West Fraser Timber in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Zacks Research lowered West Fraser Timber from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce downgraded West Fraser Timber from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 9th. TD Securities lowered their target price on West Fraser Timber from $90.00 to $88.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Raymond James Financial upgraded West Fraser Timber from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating and set a $75.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, West Fraser Timber presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $87.00.

West Fraser Timber Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WFG opened at $73.49 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $66.27 and its 200-day moving average price is $67.20. West Fraser Timber has a 1-year low of $57.34 and a 1-year high of $82.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.59 billion, a P/E ratio of -6.03 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a current ratio of 2.13, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05.

Institutional Trading of West Fraser Timber

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Donald Smith & CO. Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of West Fraser Timber in the fourth quarter valued at about $91,014,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its stake in West Fraser Timber by 31,861.9% in 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 during the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp lifted its position in shares of West Fraser Timber by 89.5% during the 3rd quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 1,720,094 shares of the company’s stock worth $116,910,000 after buying an additional 812,474 shares in the last quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 799,422 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of West Fraser Timber in the second quarter valued at approximately $56,870,000. Institutional investors own 40.23% of the company’s stock.

West Fraser Timber Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. West Fraser Timber’s dividend payout ratio is presently -38.21%.

Trending Headlines about West Fraser Timber

Here are the key news stories impacting West Fraser Timber this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS beat consensus (reported loss per share smaller than expected) and company disclosures that accompanied results — helped sentiment despite a negative quarter. Report showed EPS of ($2.42) vs. analyst estimate ($2.71) and included a slide deck for investors. Press Release / Slide Deck
• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly dividend declared: $0.32 per share (record Mar 13, payable Apr 2), signaling management willingness to return cash to shareholders and supporting sentiment for income‑oriented investors.
• Positive Sentiment: Balance sheet & technicals supportive — very low debt-to-equity (~0.05), current/quick ratios above 1, and the stock trading above both its 50‑day and 200‑day moving averages on increased volume, which can attract momentum buyers.
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call materials and presentation released — management discussed strategic investments and outlook; these items provide context but contain no major surprise that would materially change the near‑term thesis until guidance detail is parsed. Earnings Presentation Call Transcript Call Highlights
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term analyst outlook is weak — Scotiabank projects Q1 2026 EPS of ($1.07), signaling expectations for continued losses into the next quarter which can cap upside.
• Negative Sentiment: Underlying fundamentals still strained: Q4 produced a negative net margin (~-4.35%) and negative ROE (~-2.63%), and revenue slightly missed estimates ($1.17B vs. ~$1.18B), highlighting operational pressure in current end markets. Press Release

West Fraser Timber Company Profile

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.