On Wednesday, Citi reiterated a Neutral rating with a steady price target of $48.00 on Brown Forman (NYSE:BFb) (NYSE:BF-B) stock, a leading producer of alcoholic beverages.
The company's fourth-quarter earnings per share (EPS) were reported at $0.56, which adjusts to approximately $0.27 after accounting for an approximately $177 million gain from the sale of Sonoma-Cutrer. This adjusted figure falls short of the consensus estimate of $0.42 and Citi's projection of $0.41.
Brown Forman's performance reflected weaker organic sales growth, which decreased by 5% year-over-year, contrasting with Citi's forecast of a 1.4% decline and the consensus estimate of a 0.6% drop. The downturn was attributed to inventory normalization and decelerating category trends within the U.S. market and other international markets.
The company also provided its initial fiscal year 2025 guidance, anticipating 2-4% growth in both organic topline and organic operating profit. This forecast is below Brown Forman's long-term targets.
Analysts are awaiting further details to be disclosed in the earnings call, which will include more insight into the guidance's timing, foundational assumptions for the initial fiscal year 2025 outlook, and commentary on inventory levels in the U.S. and other significant markets.
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