West Fraser Timber reports Q2 EPS (38c) vs. 46c last year

Reports Q2 revenue $1.53B, consensus $1.54B. “Demand for many of our wood-based building products slowed in the second quarter as spring building activity fell short of our expectations. This was more acute in our NA EWP segment, which experienced further easing of demand as the quarter progressed, consistent with government data pointing to softer U.S. new home construction,” said CEO Sean McLaren. “However, while uncertainty for wood building products demand persists given ongoing housing affordability challenges and the lingering prospects of higher lumber duties and tariffs on many of our products, it is important to note that we are taking action to ensure our operations are flexible, sized to meet the needs of our customers, and that they continue to be managed with a strong focus on controlling costs. Further, we continue to evaluate mill investments that upgrade our portfolio and generate returns above our cost of capital, all while maintaining strong liquidity and a balance sheet that allows us to pursue a balanced capital allocation strategy and opportunistic growth objectives should they meet our long-term strategy.”