Jack Daniel's parent Brown-Forman tops profit expectations but misses on sales
Jack Daniel's parent Brown-Forman Corp. reported Wednesday a fiscal third-quarter profit that topped expectations but sales that missed. Net income for the quarter to Jan. 31 rose to $227 million, or 47 cents a share, from $190 million, or 39 cents a share, in the year-ago period. The FactSet EPS consensus was 45 cents. Sales grew 3% to $904 million, but was below the FactSet consensus of $911 million. The alcoholic beverage company estimates that sales growth was reduced by one percentage point because of lower net prices to distributors in certain markets to offset tariff costs. For the fiscal year to date, Jack Daniel's brand sales rose 2% on a reported basis, super-premium American whiskey brand sales increased 21%, Herradura sales grew 9% and el Jimador sales rose 11%. The company expects 2019 EPS of $1.65 to $1.75, surrounding the FactSet consensus of $1.69. The Class B shares, which were still inactive in premarket trade, have lost 8.1% over the past 12 months while the S&P 500 has gained 2.3%.
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