West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. (NYSE:WFG) Stock Now Rated “Moderate Buy” by Wall Street Brokerages

West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. (NYSE:WFG) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eight research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $84.80.

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. TD Securities reissued a “buy” rating on shares of West Fraser Timber in a report on Friday, July 31st. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of West Fraser Timber in a report on Friday, July 31st. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on West Fraser Timber from $83.00 to $81.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 16th. Zacks Research upgraded West Fraser Timber from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded West Fraser Timber from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d-)” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st.

West Fraser Timber Price Performance

West Fraser Timber stock opened at $70.03 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $5.48 billion, a PE ratio of -4.54 and a beta of 1.06. West Fraser Timber has a 52-week low of $57.34 and a 52-week high of $76.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 2.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The company’s 50 day moving average is $68.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $67.23.

West Fraser Timber (NYSE:WFG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The company reported ($0.78) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.70) by ($0.08). West Fraser Timber had a negative net margin of 22.98% and a negative return on equity of 10.84%. The company had revenue of $1.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.45 billion. On average, research analysts expect that West Fraser Timber will post -3.80 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Fraser Timber Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, October 19th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 29th were issued a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 29th. West Fraser Timber’s dividend payout ratio is -8.29%.

Institutional Trading of West Fraser Timber

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of West Fraser Timber by 72.2% during the first quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 439 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares during the last quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of West Fraser Timber by 177.0% in the 1st quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 579 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 370 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its stake in West Fraser Timber by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 47,750 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,115,000 after purchasing an additional 370 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC increased its stake in West Fraser Timber by 97.8% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 894 shares of the company’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 442 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. increased its stake in West Fraser Timber by 6.3% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 7,643 shares of the company’s stock worth $499,000 after purchasing an additional 453 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 40.23% of the company’s stock.

About West Fraser Timber

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.