Another downgrade Don't expect 3$ anytime soon!
* CIBC World Markets analyst Hamir Patel lowered his Western Forest Products Inc. target to $2 from $2.50 with a “neutral” rating. The average is $2.53.
“We expect the impact of BC old growth protection initiatives to be larger than consensus assumptions,” he said. “Although some observers have pointed to affected old growth being situated throughout the province, our trade contacts estimate 80 per cent of the impact will be felt on the Coast (WEF’s operating area). At the same time, we suspect environmental groups will be much more vocal about pushing the government to follow through with its plans on the Coast given the nature of protests to date. While WEF has strong liquidity ($385-million), the company has been slow to pursue geographic diversity outside of British Columbia and would now face peak vendor expectations if it moves to become more aggressive on the M&A front.”