BF-B · NYSE · Consumer Defensive
Brown-Forman Corporation (BF-B) — Rank #216 by gross profitability (GP/assets 0.30) · ROE 18.0% · Piotroski F-Score 7 / 9.
As-of 2026-10-30 · CIK 0000014693 · all metrics point-in-time as of the filing date.
About
Brown-Forman Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures, distills, bottles, imports, exports, markets, and sells a variety of alcohol beverages.
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The company provides spirits, wines, whiskey spirits, whiskey-based flavored liqueurs, ready-to-drink cocktails, ready-to-pour products, vodkas, tequilas, gin, brandy, rum, bourbons, and liqueurs. The company offers its products primarily under the Jack Daniel's, Woodford Reserve, Old Forester, Gentleman Jack, Herradura, el Jimador, Fords Gin, The Glendronach, Chambord, Coopers' Craft, Diplomático, Benriach, Glenglassaugh, and Slane brands. It is also involved in the sale of used barrels, and bulk whiskey and wine; and provision of contract bottling services. The company serves retail customers and consumers through distributors and state governments; and retailers, wholesalers, and provincial governments directly. It operates in the United States, Germany, Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, Spain, France, Mexico, Poland, Brazil, Türkiye, and internationally.
Brown-Forman Corporation was founded in 1870 and is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky.
- Industry
- Beverages - Wineries & Distilleries
- Sector
- Consumer Defensive
- State
- DE
- Filer Category
- Large accelerated filer
- Fiscal Year End
- April 30
- Website
- brown-forman.com
Company Snapshot
P/E and dividend yield are the primary valuation lenses for mature businesses.
Market Cap
$13.27B
P/E (annual)
—
P/S (annual)
3.4
P/B
3.3
P/OCF (annual)
13.3
Shareholder Yield
4.5%
Employees
4,900
Industry
Beverages - Wineries & Distilleries
Exchange
NYSE
9/12
Flags passed
BF-B fails 2 critical flags
Passes 9 of 12 quality flags, 1 caution
- FAILRevenue declining YoY
Revenue contracted year over year
- FAILOperating margin declining
Operating margin lower than prior year
- CAUTIONDisclosure regression
A previously-disclosed line item is no longer reported — worth checking the filing for why
- PASSGross margin holding
- PASSDilution within 2%
- PASSFCF not negative from investment
- PASSFree cash flow intact
- PASSPasses safety gate
- PASSBalance sheet stable
- PASSNo competitive retreat
- PASSSBC not compressing margin
- PASSNo valuation convergence
Strengths Revenue growth accelerating · Sequential beat (rev + EPS)
A count of the 12 warning flags that could be evaluated. Unweighted: colour follows the worst flag.
Quality Profile
Profitability
1/1 passSafety
1/1 passCash Flow
3/3 passGrowth
1/2 passDividend yield and payout ratio are the primary reads at this stage (trailing P/E — see valuation above).
Profitability
Does it make money well?
Warning: Operating margin declining, Revenue declining YoY · GP/assets 0.30
Gross profitability (GP / assets)
0.30
Primary signal (Novy-Marx).
3rd of 13 SIC 20 peers
Return on equity
18.0%
Gross margin
60.5%
1st of 13 SIC 20 peers
Revenue growth (YoY)
-1.2%
Gross margin improving
Margin trend vs prior year.
Operating Leverage
| 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue vs COGS | ||||
| Revenue vs OpEx | ||||
| Op. Income vs Revenue |
Growth
Revenue CAGR (3Y)
-2.4%
Revenue CAGR (5Y)
2.6%
Earnings CAGR (3Y)
-3.0%
FCF CAGR (3Y)
25.0%
Cash Flow Health
Is the cash real?
No warning flags · FCF 25% above net income
Free cash flow
$893.00M
Operating cash flow minus capex.
Positive free cash flow
FCF vs net income
24.9%
(FCF − net income) ÷ |net income|. Positive: cash above earnings. Negative: below.
FCF not below net income
Fails when free cash flow is below net income (yellow flag).
Accruals healthy
Cash-backed earnings.
SBC / revenue
0.8%
Stock-based comp intensity.
Balance Sheet Strength
Can it survive a storm?
No warning flags · net debt $2.14B, F-Score 7/9
Balance-sheet safety
Composite anti-fragile check.
Debt / equity
0.97
10th of 13 SIC 20 peers (best = lowest)
Current ratio
3.26×
4th of 13 SIC 20 peers
Quick ratio
0.93×
Net cash
-$2.14B
Cash & equivalents minus total debt.
Piotroski F-Score
7 / 9
Fundamental-strength score (0-9).
Valuation
Is the price reasonable?
No warning flags
Dividend safety
Composite score
3.2 / 5
Capital allocation quality
Composite score
2.7 / 5
Lifecycle Phase History
Price History
Source filings on SEC EDGAR: 10-K annual reports · 10-Q quarterly reports