Weyerhaeuser Company (WY Quick QuoteWY - Free Report) has entered into a national partnership with Be Pro Be Proud, a licensed initiative led by the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce and the Associated Industries of Arkansas (ASCC/AIA).

This strategic partnership aligns with the company’s commitment to rural communities and workforce development, highlighted in its 3 by 30 Sustainability Ambition.

The Initiative in Detail

As part of the partnership, Weyerhaeuser will support this initiative’s educational outreach and recruiting activities, which include tours, mobile workshops and learning modules. This carefully designed process will provide students with both virtual and hands-on experiences with careers in skilled trades.

The partnership will primarily target middle and high-school students, and raise awareness among them about career paths available in the skilled workforce, comprising opportunities in forestry and the forest products industry. Also, it will offer annual "Draft Days" that align high-school seniors with prospective employers for job interviews. The 2024 Draft Day Series is set to begin in Arkansas in March 2024.

Moreover, WY will collaboratively work with Be Pro Be Proud in developing a new learning module for careers in forestry and forest products to be used in 2024. During 2024, Be Pro Be Proud expects to engage nearly 140,000 students at 850 tour stops across Arkansas, Georgia, New Mexico, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

Following the partnership news, shares of WY inched down 0.1% in the after-hours trading session on Feb 13.

Price Performance

Shares of this Washington-based forest product company have increased 3.6% in the past three months compared with the Zacks Building Products - Wood industry’s 12.1% growth. Although shares of the company have underperformed its industry, improvement in the new-home market, high demand for carbon/ESG-related projects and a focus on operational excellence are likely to be beneficial in the upcoming period.

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Meanwhile, earnings estimates for this currently Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company for 2024 are pegged at $1.05 per share, indicating 2.9% growth from a year ago. Weyerhaeuser has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 35.4%, on average. Such an uptrend depicts analysts’ optimism about the stock’s growth potential.

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