Louisville, Kentucky-based Brown-Forman Corporation (BF.B) manufactures, distills, bottles, imports, exports, markets, and sells various alcoholic beverages. Valued at $12 billion by market cap, the company’s products include branded whiskey, vodka, wines, tequila, bourbon, and gin. The spirits giant is expected to announce its fiscal first-quarter earnings for 2027 in the near term.
Ahead of the event, analysts expect Brown-Forman to report a profit of $0.38 per share on a diluted basis, up 5.6% from $0.36 per share in the year-ago quarter. The company missed the consensus estimates in three of the last four quarters while surpassing the forecast on another occasion.
For the full year, analysts expect Brown-Forman to report EPS of $1.71, up 11.8% from $1.53 in fiscal 2026. Its EPS is expected to rise 1.2% year over year to $1.73 in fiscal 2028.
BF.B stock has notably underperformed the S&P 500 Index’s ($SPX) 16.5% gains over the past 52 weeks, with shares down 16.3% during this period. Similarly, it underperformed the State Street Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR ETF’s (XLP) 3.4% gains over the same time frame.
BF.B’s stock has underperformed primarily due to a broader post-pandemic pullback in spirits demand, persistent inflation causing consumers to trade down or cut back, and notable volume drops across key product categories like tequila and non-branded barrel sales. These macro and segment-specific headwinds have resulted in flat-to-declining organic sales growth and cautious financial outlooks, while operational friction from distributor realignments and changes to international route-to-market strategies have further weighed on investor sentiment.
Analysts’ consensus opinion on BF.B stock is cautious, with a “Hold” rating overall. Out of 17 analysts covering the stock, one advises a “Strong Buy” rating, 12 give a “Hold,” one recommends a “Moderate Sell,” and three advocate a “Strong Sell.” BF.B’s average analyst price target is $27.15, indicating a potential upside of 4.1% from the current levels.
