West Fraser Timber Co Ltd experienced a price increase of 5.96% as it crossed above the 5-day SMA, aligning with broader market strength where the Nasdaq-100 rose 1.12% and the S&P 500 gained 0.78%.
The stock's movement comes amid the company's announcement of a projected $409 million non-cash goodwill impairment in Q4 2025, primarily due to prolonged economic downturns affecting its U.S. lumber operations. This impairment reflects significant market pressures and a reassessment of operational assumptions, indicating challenges in maintaining revenue streams. Despite these challenges, West Fraser has provided operational guidance for 2026, aiming to stabilize shipments and optimize capital expenditures.
The anticipated impairment highlights the ongoing vulnerabilities in the lumber market, necessitating effective strategies from West Fraser to navigate these economic challenges while positioning itself for potential recovery in the future.
Wall Street analysts forecast WFG stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for WFG is 80.70 USD with a low forecast of 69.11 USD and a high forecast of 88.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
3 Analyst Rating
Wall Street analysts forecast WFG stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for WFG is 80.70 USD with a low forecast of 69.11 USD and a high forecast of 88.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
2 Buy
1 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 69.640
Low
69.11
Averages
80.70
High
88.00
Current: 69.640
Low
69.11
Averages
80.70
High
88.00
RBC Capital
Paul Quinn
Outperform
downgrade
$91 -> $85
2025-12-18
Reason
RBC Capital
Paul Quinn
Price Target
$91 -> $85
AI Analysis
2025-12-18
downgrade
Outperform
Reason
RBC Capital analyst Paul Quinn lowered the firm's price target on West Fraser Timber to $85 from $91 and keeps an Outperform rating on the shares as part of a broader research note previewing 2026 for Paper & Forest Products. 2025 was a challenging year for much of the forest products group, and with demand conditions seemingly remaining tepid into early 2026, the firm continues to prefer exposure to names where a supply response has either already played out to a significant degree - such as the containerboard group - or is seemingly in progress - such as lumber producers, the analyst tells investors in a research note.
CIBC
Outperformer -> Neutral
downgrade
$96
2025-12-09
Reason
CIBC
Price Target
$96
2025-12-09
downgrade
Outperformer -> Neutral
Reason
CIBC downgraded West Fraser Timber to Neutral from Outperformer with a C$96 price target.
Unlock Full Analyst Thesis, Get the complete breakdown of rating reason for WFG
Unlock Now
TD Securities
Sean Steuart
Buy
downgrade
$90 -> $88
2025-10-24
Reason
TD Securities
Sean Steuart
Price Target
$90 -> $88
2025-10-24
downgrade
Buy
Reason
TD Securities analyst Sean Steuart lowered the firm's price target on West Fraser Timber to $88 from $90 and keeps a Buy rating on the shares. The company's Q3 results were "weak" but are nearing an expected cyclical trough, the analyst tells investors in a research note. The firm sees steady returns of capital to shareholders and moderating spending for West Fraser in 2026.
CIBC
Outperformer -> NULL
downgrade
$122 -> $119
2025-09-10
Reason
CIBC
Price Target
$122 -> $119
2025-09-10
downgrade
Outperformer -> NULL
Reason
CIBC lowered the firm's price target on West Fraser Timber to C$119 from C$122 and keeps an Outperformer rating on the shares.
About WFG
West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. is a Canada-based diversified wood products company. The Company is engaged in manufacturing, selling, marketing and distributing lumber, engineered wood products such as oriented strand board (OSB), laminated veneer lumber (LVL), medium-density fiberboard (MDF), plywood, particleboard, pulp, newsprint, wood chips and other residuals. Its products are used in home construction, repair and remodeling, industrial applications, paper and tissue. Its segments include Lumber, North America engineered wood products (NA EWP), Pulp & Paper and Europe EWP. The Company’s business comprises lumber mills, OSB facilities, plywood facilities, MDF facilities, particleboard facilities, LVL facilities, veneer facilities, and pulp and paper mills. The Company operates approximately 58 facilities in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.