Brown-Forman Corporation
06/12/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 06/12/2026 14:02
Annual Report for Fiscal Year Ending April 30, 2026 (Form 10-K)
Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Introduction
This Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (MD&A) is intended to help the reader better understand Brown-Forman, our operations, our financial results, and our current business environment. Please read this MD&A in conjunction with our Consolidated Financial Statements and the accompanying Notes contained in "Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data" (Consolidated Financial Statements).
Our MD&A is organized as follows:
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| Significant developments |
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| Results of operations |
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Presentation Basis
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
We report our financial results in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Additionally, we use some financial measures in this report that are not measures of financial performance under GAAP. These non-GAAP measures, defined below, should be viewed as supplements to (not substitutes for) our results of operations and other measures reported under GAAP. Other companies may define or calculate these non-GAAP measures differently.
"Organic change" in measures of statements of operations. We present changes in certain measures, or line items, of the statements of operations that are adjusted to an "organic" basis. We use "organic change" for the following measures: (a) organic net sales; (b) organic cost of sales; (c) organic gross profit; (d) organic advertising expenses; (e) organic selling, general, and administrative (SG&A) expenses; (f) organic other expense (income), net; (g) organic operating expenses1; and (h) organic operating income. To calculate these measures, we adjust, as applicable, for (1) acquisitions and divestitures, (2) impairment charges, (3) other items, and (4) foreign exchange. We explain these adjustments below.
•"Acquisitions and divestitures." This adjustment removes (a) the gain or loss recognized on the sale of divested brands and certain assets, (b) any non-recurring effects related to our acquisitions and divestitures (e.g., transaction, transition, and integration costs), (c) the effects of operating activity related to acquired and divested brands, including certain divested agency brands, for periods not comparable year over year (non-comparable periods), and (d) fair value changes to contingent consideration liabilities. Excluding non-comparable periods allows us to include the effects of acquired and divested brands only to the extent that results are comparable year over year. For the periods presented, we had the following acquisitions and divestitures adjustments:
During fiscal 2023, we acquired the Gin Mare brand (Gin Mare). The purchase price consisted of cash paid at the acquisition date plus contingent consideration that is payable in cash upon exercise by the sellers no later than July 2027. We recognized $43 million and $15 million in favorable fair value adjustments to Gin Mare's contingent consideration liability during fiscal 2025 and fiscal 2026, respectively. This adjustment removes the fair value impact from our other expense (income), net and operating income for the periods presented.
During fiscal 2024, we sold our Finlandia vodka and Sonoma-Cutrer wine businesses and entered into transition services agreements (TSAs) related to distribution services in certain markets for these businesses. This adjustment removes the net sales, cost of sales, operating expenses, and operating income recognized pursuant to the TSAs for the non-comparable period, which is activity from fiscal 2025.
During fiscal 2025, we recognized a gain of $12 million on the sale of the Alabama cooperage. This adjustment removes the gain from our other expense (income), net and operating income.
1Operating expenses include advertising expenses, SG&A expenses, restructuring and other charges, other intangible assets impairment, and other expense (income), net.
During fiscal 2026, we ended our sales, marketing, and distribution relationship with Korbel Champagne Cellars (Korbel relationship), effective June 30, 2025. This adjustment removes the net sales, cost of sales, operating expenses, and operating income for the non-comparable period, which is activity from July through April of fiscal 2025 and fiscal 2026.
See Notes 5, 14, and 16 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for more information.
•"Impairment Charges." This adjustment removes the impact of impairment charges from our results of operations.
During fiscal 2025, we recognized a non-cash impairment charge of $47 million for the Gin Mare brand name. During fiscal 2026, we recognized non-cash impairment charges of $45 million and $87 million for the Gin Mare and Diplomático brand names, respectively. See "Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates" below and Notes 4 and 16 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for more information.
•"Other Items." Other Items include the additional items outlined below.
"Franchise tax refund." During fiscal 2025, we recognized a $13 million franchise tax refund due to a change in franchise tax calculation methodology for the state of Tennessee. This modification lowered our annual franchise tax obligation and was retroactively applied to franchise taxes paid during fiscal 2020 through fiscal 2023. This adjustment removes the franchise tax refund from our other expense (income), net and operating income.
"Restructuring initiative." During fiscal 2025, our Board of Directors approved a plan to reduce our structural cost base and realign resources toward future sources of growth. This included reducing our workforce by approximately 12% and closing the Louisville-based Brown-Forman Cooperage. We also offered a special, one-time early retirement benefit to qualifying U.S. employees. In fiscal 2025, we incurred $63 million1 in charges related to the restructuring initiative. During fiscal 2026, we incurred $19 million in restructuring and other charges associated with this initiative and completed the sale of Brown-Forman Cooperage facility and related assets. This adjustment removes the restructuring initiative impact from our cost of sales, operating expenses and operating income for the periods presented. See Note 6 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for more information.
"Substitution drawback claims." During fiscal 2026, we recognized a net benefit of $18 million related to the collection of substitution drawback claims filed with the U.S. Government between fiscal 2016 and fiscal 2019. As of the first quarter of fiscal 2026, all claims had been collected. Comparatively, we recognized an immaterial net benefit in fiscal 2025 related to the collection of substitution drawback claims. This adjustment removes the benefit from our other expense (income), net and operating income for the periods presented.
•"Foreign exchange." We calculate the percentage change in certain line items of the statements of operations in accordance with GAAP and adjust to exclude the cost or benefit of currency fluctuations. Adjusting for foreign exchange allows us to understand our business on a constant-dollar basis, as fluctuations in exchange rates can distort the organic trend both positively and negatively. (In this report, "dollar" means the U.S. dollar unless stated otherwise.) To eliminate the effect of foreign exchange fluctuations when comparing across periods, we translate current-year results at prior-year rates and remove transactional and hedging foreign exchange gains and losses from current- and prior-year periods.
We use the non-GAAP measure "organic change," along with other metrics, to: (a) understand our performance from period to period on a consistent basis; (b) compare our performance to that of our competitors; (c) calculate components of management incentive compensation; (d) plan and forecast; and (e) communicate our financial performance to the Board of Directors, stockholders, and the investment community. We provide reconciliations of the "organic change" in certain line items of the statements of operations to their nearest GAAP measures in the tables under "Results of Operations - Fiscal 2026 Brand Highlights," "Results of Operations - Fiscal 2026 Market Highlights," and "Results of Operations - Year-Over-Year Comparisons." We have consistently applied the adjustments within our reconciliations in arriving at each non-GAAP measure. We believe these non-GAAP measures are useful to readers and investors because they enhance the understanding of our historical financial performance and comparability between periods. When we provide guidance for organic change in certain measures of the statements of operations, we do not provide guidance for the corresponding GAAP change, as the GAAP measure will include items that are difficult to quantify or predict with reasonable certainty, such as foreign exchange, which could have a significant impact to our GAAP income statement measures.
"Return on average invested capital." This measure refers to the sum of net income and after-tax interest expense, divided by average invested capital. Average invested capital equals assets less liabilities, excluding interest-bearing debt, and is calculated using the average of the most recent five quarter-end balances. After-tax interest expense equals interest expense multiplied by one minus our effective tax rate. We use this non-GAAP measure because we consider it to be a meaningful indicator of how effectively and efficiently we invest capital in our business.
1This amount comprises $60 million of costs included in restructuring and other charges and $3 million of restructuring-related inventory charges included in cost of sales.
Definitions
Aggregations.
From time to time, to explain our results of operations or to highlight trends and uncertainties affecting our business, we aggregate markets according to stage of economic development as defined by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and we aggregate brands by beverage alcohol category. Below, we define the geographic and brand aggregations used in this report.
Geographic Aggregations.
In "Results of Operations - Fiscal 2026 Market Highlights," we provide supplemental information for our top markets ranked by percentage of reported net sales. In addition to markets listed by country name, we include the following aggregations:
•"Developed International" markets are "advanced economies" as defined by the IMF, excluding the United States. Our top developed international markets were Germany, Australia, the United Kingdom, France, and Spain. This aggregation represents our net sales of branded products to these markets.
•"Spain" includes Spain and certain other surrounding territories.
•"Emerging" markets are "emerging and developing economies" as defined by the IMF. Our top emerging markets were Mexico, Poland, Brazil, and Türkiye. This aggregation represents our net sales of branded products to these markets.
•"Brazil" includes Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and certain other surrounding territories.
•"Travel Retail" represents our net sales of branded products to global duty-free customers, other travel retail customers, and the U.S. military, regardless of customer location.
•"Non-branded and bulk" includes net sales of used barrels, contract bottling services, and non-branded bulk whiskey, regardless of customer location.
Brand Aggregations.
In "Results of Operations - Fiscal 2026 Brand Highlights," we provide supplemental information for our top brands ranked by percentage of reported net sales. In addition to brands listed by name, we include the aggregations outlined below.
Beginning in fiscal 2025, we aggregated the "Wine" and "Vodka" product categories with "Rest of Portfolio," due to the divestitures of Sonoma-Cutrer and Finlandia. Please refer to the new definition of "Rest of Portfolio" for more information.
•"Whiskey" includes all whiskey spirits and whiskey-based flavored liqueurs. The brands included in this category are the Jack Daniel's family of brands (excluding the "Ready-to-Drink" products defined below), the Woodford Reserve family of brands (Woodford Reserve), the Old Forester family of brands (Old Forester), The Glendronach, Benriach, Glenglassaugh, and Slane Irish Whiskey.
•"American whiskey" includes the Jack Daniel's family of brands (excluding the "Ready-to-Drink" products defined below), Woodford Reserve, and Old Forester.
•"Super-premium American whiskey" includes Woodford Reserve, Gentleman Jack, and other super-premium Jack Daniel's expressions.
•"Ready-to-Drink" includes all ready-to-drink (RTD) and ready-to-pour (RTP) products. The brands included in this category are Jack Daniel's RTD and RTP products (JD RTD/RTP), New Mix, and other RTD/RTP products.
•"Jack Daniel's RTD/RTP" products include all RTD line extensions of Jack Daniel's, such as Jack Daniel's & Coca-Cola RTD, Jack Daniel's & Cola, Jack Daniel's Double Jack, Jack Daniel's Country Cocktails (JDCC)1, and other malt- and spirit-based Jack Daniel's RTDs, along with Jack Daniel's Winter Jack RTP.
•"Jack Daniel's & Coca-Cola RTD" includes all Jack Daniel's & Coca-Cola RTD products and Jack Daniel's bulk whiskey shipments for the production of these products.
•"Tequila" includes el Jimador, the Herradura family of brands (Herradura), and other tequilas.
1As announced on March 2, 2026, we agreed to conclude our relationship with Pabst Brewing Company for flavored malt beverages within the United States. We will assume management of the supply, sales, marketing, and distribution of JDCC, effective July 7, 2026.
•"Rest of Portfolio" includes Diplomático, Gin Mare, Chambord, other agency brands (brands we do not own, but sell in certain markets), Korbel California Champagnes and Korbel Brandy1, Fords Gin, Finlandia Vodka (which was divested on November 1, 2023), and Sonoma-Cutrer (which was divested on April 30, 2024).
•"Non-branded and bulk" includes net sales of used barrels, contract bottling services, and non-branded bulk whiskey.
•"Jack Daniel's family of brands" includes Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey (JDTW), JD RTD/RTP, Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey (JDTH), Gentleman Jack, Jack Daniel's Tennessee Apple (JDTA), Jack Daniel's Tennessee Blackberry (JDTB), Jack Daniel's Tennessee Fire (JDTF), Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Collection (JDSB), Jack Daniel's Bonded Series, Jack Daniel's Sinatra Select, Jack Daniel's 10-Year-Old Tennessee Whiskey, Jack Daniel's American Single Malt, Jack Daniel's 14-Year-Old Tennessee Whiskey, Jack Daniel's 12-Year-Old Tennessee Whiskey, and other Jack Daniel's expressions.
Other Metrics.
•"Shipments." We generally record revenues when we ship or deliver our products to our customers. In this report, unless otherwise specified, we refer to shipments when discussing volume.
•"Depletions." This metric is commonly used in the beverage alcohol industry to describe volume. Depending on the context, depletions usually means either (a) where Brown-Forman is the distributor, shipments directly to retail or wholesale customers or (b) where Brown-Forman is not the distributor, shipments from distributor customers to retailers and wholesalers. We believe that depletions measure volume in a way that more closely reflects consumer demand than our shipments to distributor customers do.
•"Consumer takeaway." When discussing trends in the market, we refer to consumer takeaway, a term commonly used in the beverage alcohol industry that refers to the purchase of product by consumers from retail outlets, including products purchased through e-commerce channels, as measured by volume or retail sales value. This information is provided by outside parties, such as Nielsen and the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association (NABCA). Our estimates of market share or changes in market share are derived from consumer takeaway data using the retail sales value metric.
•"Estimated net change in distributor inventories." We generally recognize revenue when our products are shipped or delivered to customers. In the United States and certain other markets, our customers are distributors that sell downstream to retailers and consumers. We believe that our distributors' downstream sales more closely reflect actual consumer demand than do our shipments to distributors. Our shipments increase distributors' inventories, while distributors' depletions (as described above) reduce their inventories. Therefore, it is possible that our shipments do not coincide with distributors' downstream depletions and merely reflect changes in distributors' inventories. Because changes in distributors' inventories could affect our trends, we believe it is useful for investors to understand those changes in the context of our operating results.
We perform the following calculation to determine the "estimated net change in distributor inventories":
•For both the current-year period and the comparable prior-year period, we calculate a "depletion-based" amount by (a) dividing the organic dollar amount (e.g., organic net sales) by the corresponding shipment volumes to arrive at a shipment-per-case amount, and (b) multiplying the resulting shipment-per-case amount by the corresponding depletion volumes. We subtract the year-over-year percentage change of the "depletion-based" amount from the year-over-year percentage change of the organic amount to calculate the "estimated net change in distributor inventories."
•A positive difference is interpreted as a net increase in distributors' inventories, which implies that organic trends could decrease as distributors reduce inventories; whereas a negative difference is interpreted as a net decrease in distributors' inventories, which implies that organic trends could increase as distributors rebuild inventories.
1The Korbel relationship ended effective June 30, 2025.
Significant Developments
Below, we discuss the significant developments in our business during fiscal 2025 and fiscal 2026. These developments relate to divestitures, brand name impairments and earn-out valuation, the restructuring initiative, the United States distributor evolution, innovation, and capital deployment.
Divestitures
During fiscal 2024, we sold the Sonoma-Cutrer wine business and entered into a TSA, which ended in August 2024. During fiscal 2026, we ended the Korbel relationship, effective June 30, 2025. The absence of these brands negatively impacted our net sales and operating income, but positively impacted our gross margin for fiscal 2026.
Brand Name Impairments and Earn-out Valuation
During fiscal 2025, we recognized a non-cash impairment charge of $47 million for the Gin Mare brand name. During fiscal 2026, we recognized non-cash impairment charges of $45 million and $87 million for the Gin Mare and Diplomático brand names, respectively. These brand name impairments over the past two fiscal years largely reflect a decline in our forecast assumptions due to the softening category outlook and challenging macroeconomic environment in many of our top markets for these brands. Given this, during fiscal 2025 and fiscal 2026, we also lowered the financial forecast assumptions used to estimate the fair value of Gin Mare's contingent consideration liability, which is remeasured to fair value on a recurring basis. As a result, we recognized $43 million and $15 million in favorable fair value adjustments to Gin Mare's contingent consideration liability during fiscal 2025 and fiscal 2026, respectively. The net impact of these non-cash impairment charges and fair value adjustments negatively impacted our operating expenses and operating income for fiscal 2025 and 2026. See Notes 4 and 16 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for more information.
Restructuring Initiative
During fiscal 2025, our Board of Directors approved a plan to reduce our structural cost base and realign resources toward future sources of growth. This included reducing our workforce by approximately 12% and closing the Louisville-based Brown-Forman Cooperage. We also offered a special, one-time early retirement benefit to qualifying U.S. employees. During fiscal 2026, we incurred additional restructuring charges associated with this initiative and completed the sale of the Brown-Forman Cooperage facility and related assets. While these actions negatively impacted our operating expenses and operating income for fiscal 2026, we benefited from lower restructuring costs when compared to the same prior-year period. See Note 6 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for more information.
United States Distributor Evolution
During fiscal 2026, we transitioned our portfolio distribution in the state of California, effective May 1, 2025, and in 13 additional markets across the United States, effective August 1, 2025. We further advanced this strategic realignment by transitioning our distribution in 11 U.S. control states, effective June 1, 2026. In fiscal 2026, our net sales benefited from higher net pricing across the portfolio as a result of changes to our distributor relationship terms.
Innovation
•Jack Daniel's family of brands. Innovation within the Jack Daniel's family of brands has contributed to our growth in the last two fiscal years as described below.
◦In fiscal 2025, we launched Jack Daniel's 14-Year-Old Tennessee Whiskey in the United States.
◦In fiscal 2026, we launched Jack Daniel's Tennessee Blackberry in the United States and in certain developed international and emerging markets. We also launched Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Heritage Barrel in the United States.
•In fiscal 2025, we launched Woodford Reserve Double Double Oaked in the United States.
•In fiscal 2026, we launched New Mix in the United States.
Capital Deployment
We have focused our capital deployment initiatives on investing fully in our existing business and returning cash to our stockholders.
•Investments. During fiscal 2025 and fiscal 2026, our capital expenditures totaled $274 million and focused on enabling the growth of our whiskey and tequila brands. This included completing a $50 million expansion of our scotch-making capacity in Scotland. Additionally, we constructed additional barrel warehouses for Jack Daniel's, Woodford Reserve, Glenglassaugh, Diplomatico, and our tequilas.
•Cash returned to stockholders. During fiscal 2025 and fiscal 2026, we returned a total of $1.2 billion to our stockholders through $847 million in regular dividends and $400 million in share repurchases.
Executive Summary
Unless otherwise indicated, all related commentary is on a reported basis.
During fiscal 2026, the operating environment remained challenging due to ongoing macroeconomic pressures and geopolitical instability, which we believe negatively impacted consumer behavior and beverage alcohol consumption, particularly within developed markets.
Fiscal 2026 Highlights
•We delivered net sales of $3.9 billion, a decrease of 1% compared to fiscal 2025. The decrease was driven by the negative effect of acquisitions and divestitures, partially offset by the positive effect of foreign exchange and higher volumes.
◦From a brand perspective, net sales declines were driven by the end of the Korbel relationship, the decline of used barrel sales, and lower volumes of JDTW, partially offset by the launch of JDTB and the growth of New Mix.
◦From a geographic perspective, net sales declines in the United States were more than offset by growth in Emerging markets and the Travel Retail channel, while Developed International markets were flat. In addition, our results were negatively impacted by declines in used barrel sales.
•We delivered gross profit of $2.4 billion, an increase of 2% compared to fiscal 2025. Gross margin increased to 60.5% in fiscal 2026, up 1.6 percentage points from 58.9% in fiscal 2025. The increase in gross margin was driven by the positive effect of acquisitions and divestitures, the positive effect of foreign exchange, and lower costs.
•We delivered operating income of $1.0 billion, a decrease of 10% compared to fiscal 2025. The decrease was primarily due to higher non-cash impairment charges, higher SG&A expenses, and the unfavorable year-over-year Gin Mare earn-out valuation adjustments. These decreases were partially offset by lower restructuring initiative costs compared to the prior year.
•We delivered diluted earnings per share of $1.53, a decrease of 17% compared to fiscal 2025, driven by lower operating income and the absence of the gain on the sale of our investment in The Duckhorn Portfolio, Inc. (Duckhorn).
•Our return on average invested capital decreased to 11.9% in fiscal 2026, compared to 14.4% in fiscal 2025. This decrease was driven by lower operating income and the absence of the gain on the sale of our investment in Duckhorn, partially offset by the benefit of a lower effective tax rate.
Summary of Operating Performance Fiscal 2025 and Fiscal 2026
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| Fiscal year ended April 30, | 2025 | 2026 | Reported Change |
Organic Change1
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| Net sales | $ | 3,975 | $ | 3,928 | (1 | %) | - | % | |||||||||||||||
| Cost of sales | $ | 1,632 | $ | 1,550 | (5 | %) | - | % | |||||||||||||||
| Gross profit | $ | 2,343 | $ | 2,378 | 2 | % | - | % | |||||||||||||||
| Advertising | $ | 484 | $ | 462 | (4 | %) | (5 | %) | |||||||||||||||
| SG&A | $ | 744 | $ | 807 | 9 | % | 7 | % | |||||||||||||||
| Restructuring and other charges | $ | 60 | $ | 19 |
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| Other intangible assets impairment | $ | 47 | $ | 132 |
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| Other expense (income), net | $ | (99) | $ | (43) |
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| Operating income | $ | 1,107 | $ | 1,001 | (10 | %) | (2 | %) | |||||||||||||||
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Total operating expenses2
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$ | 1,236 | $ | 1,378 | 12 | % | 3 | % | |||||||||||||||
| Equity method investment income and gain on sale | $ | (83) | $ | - |
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As a percentage of net sales3
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| Gross profit | 58.9 | % | 60.5 | % | 1.6 | pp | |||||||||||||||||
| Operating income | 27.9 | % | 25.5 | % | (2.4 | pp) | |||||||||||||||||
| Interest expense, net | $ | 105 | $ | 89 | (15 | %) | |||||||||||||||||
| Effective tax rate | 19.6 | % | 19.3 | % | (0.3 | pp) | |||||||||||||||||
| Diluted earnings per share | $ | 1.84 | $ | 1.53 | (17 | %) | |||||||||||||||||
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Return on average invested capital1
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14.4 | % | 11.9 | % | (2.5 | pp) | |||||||||||||||||
| Note: Results may differ due to rounding | |||||||||||||||||||||||
1See "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" above for details on our use of "organic change" and "return on average invested capital," including how we calculate these measures and why we think this information is useful to readers.
2Operating expenses include advertising expenses, SG&A expenses, restructuring and other charges, other intangible assets impairment, and other expense (income), net.
3Year-over-year changes in percentages are reported in percentage points (pp).
4Percentage change is not meaningful.
Results of Operations
Fiscal 2026 Market Highlights
The following table shows net sales results for our top markets, summarized by geographic area, for fiscal 2026 compared to fiscal 2025. We discuss results of the markets most affecting our performance below the table. Unless otherwise indicated, all related commentary is on a reported basis.
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Top Markets
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Net Sales % Change vs. Fiscal 2025
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Geographic area1
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% of Fiscal 2026 Net Sales
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Reported | Acquisitions and Divestitures | Foreign Exchange |
Organic2
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| United States | 42 | % | (7 | %) | 7 | % | - | % | - | % | ||||||||||||||||
| Developed International | 28 | % | - | % | - | % | (3 | %) | (3 | %) | ||||||||||||||||
| Germany | 6 | % | (2 | %) | - | % | (5 | %) | (7 | %) | ||||||||||||||||
| Australia | 5 | % | 1 | % | - | % | - | % | - | % | ||||||||||||||||
| United Kingdom | 4 | % | (6 | %) | - | % | (3 | %) | (9 | %) | ||||||||||||||||
| France | 3 | % | (2 | %) | - | % | (5 | %) | (7 | %) | ||||||||||||||||
| Spain | 1 | % | - | % | 1 | % | (5 | %) | (4 | %) | ||||||||||||||||
| Rest of Developed International | 8 | % | 7 | % | - | % | (3 | %) | 4 | % | ||||||||||||||||
| Emerging | 25 | % | 14 | % | 1 | % | (3 | %) | 12 | % | ||||||||||||||||
| Mexico | 8 | % | 20 | % | - | % | (7 | %) | 13 | % | ||||||||||||||||
| Poland | 3 | % | 7 | % | 6 | % | (11 | %) | 2 | % | ||||||||||||||||
| Brazil | 3 | % | 13 | % | - | % | (2 | %) | 12 | % | ||||||||||||||||
| Türkiye | 2 | % | (4 | %) | - | % | 22 | % | 19 | % | ||||||||||||||||
| Rest of Emerging | 9 | % | 16 | % | - | % | (2 | %) | 15 | % | ||||||||||||||||
| Travel Retail | 5 | % | 6 | % | - | % | (2 | %) | 5 | % | ||||||||||||||||
| Non-branded and bulk | 1 | % | (68 | %) | - | % | - | % | (68 | %) | ||||||||||||||||
| Total | 100 | % | (1 | %) | 3 | % | (2 | %) | - | % | ||||||||||||||||
| Note: Results may differ due to rounding | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1See "Definitions" above for definitions of market aggregations presented here.
2See "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" above for details on our use of "organic change" in net sales, including how we calculate this measure and why we believe this information is useful to readers.
The United States' net sales declined 7%, driven by (a) the end of the Korbel relationship; (b) the absence of the Sonoma-Cutrer prior-year TSA; (c) lower volumes of JDTW, our tequilas, and JDTH; and (d) unfavorable portfolio mix. These declines were partially offset by (a) new product launches, including JDTB, Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Heritage Barrel, and New Mix; (b) higher volumes of Woodford Reserve; (c) higher net pricing across the portfolio as a result of changes to our distributor relationship terms; and (d) favorable timing of distributor ordering patterns.
Developed International
•In a challenging economic environment, Germany's net sales declined 2%, led by lower volumes of JDTW and unfavorable timing of retailer ordering patterns. These declines were partially offset by the positive effect of foreign exchange and the launch of JDTB.
•Australia's net sales increased 1%, driven by the el Jimador RTD launch, partially offset by lower volumes of el Jimador.
•The United Kingdom's net sales decreased 6%, driven by JDTW and JDTH declines, reflecting soft consumer demand for the whiskey category impacted by macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty, as well as the absence of wholesaler and retailer purchases from the prior-year period. These declines were partially offset by the positive effect of foreign exchange and the launch of JDTB.
•France's net sales declined 2%, driven by lower volumes of JDTW and Diplomático, partially offset by the positive effect of foreign exchange and the launch of JDTB.
•Spain's net sales were flat as the positive effect of foreign exchange and higher volumes of JDTA offset JDTW declines.
•Net sales in the Rest of Developed International increased 7%, driven by growth in Italy benefiting from the transition to owned distribution on May 1, 2025, the positive effect of foreign exchange, and the distribution of new agency brands in Japan. These increases were partially offset by volumetric declines of our American whiskey portfolio and JD RTD/RTP products in Canada due to the continued absence of American-made beverage alcohol from retail shelves in most of its provinces.
Emerging
•Mexico's net sales increased 20%, driven by higher volumes and prices of New Mix, the positive effect of foreign exchange, and the distribution of new agency brands. These increases were partially offset by declines of Herradura and el Jimador.
•Poland's net sales increased 7%, led by the positive effect of foreign exchange, higher volumes of JDTW, and the launch of JDTB. These increases were partially offset by the absence of the Finlandia prior-year TSA.
•Brazil's net sales increased 13%, driven by higher volumes of JDTA and JDTW, reflecting continued distribution expansion and favorable timing of retailer ordering patterns.
•Türkiye's net sales declined 4%, driven by the negative effect of foreign exchange, partially offset by higher prices in response to inflation and volumetric gains of JDTW.
•Net sales in the Rest of Emerging increased 16% due to broad-based volume gains of the Jack Daniel's family of brands, led by the United Arab Emirates and the rest of Latin America, in addition to an estimated net increase in distributor inventories and the positive effect of foreign exchange.
Travel Retail's net sales grew 6%, largely due to increased passenger traffic leading to higher volumes of JDTW, as well as the positive effect of foreign exchange.
Non-branded and bulk's net sales decreased 68%, driven by the decline of used barrel sales as demand and pricing adjusted to levels that reflect the current challenging and uncertain operating environment for our industry.
Fiscal 2026 Brand Highlights
The following table highlights the global results of our top brands for fiscal 2026 compared to fiscal 2025. We discuss results of the brands most affecting our performance below the table. Unless otherwise indicated, all related commentary is on a reported basis.
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Top Brands
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Net Sales % Change vs. Fiscal 2025
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Product category / brand family / brand1
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Reported | Acquisitions & Divestitures | Foreign Exchange |
Organic2
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| Whiskey | 3 | % | - | % | (1 | %) | 1 | % | |||||||||
| JDTW | (2 | %) | - | % | (1 | %) | (4 | %) | |||||||||
| JDTH | (3 | %) | - | % | (2 | %) | (5 | %) | |||||||||
| Gentleman Jack | (1 | %) | - | % | (1 | %) | (2 | %) | |||||||||
| JDTA | 12 | % | - | % | (2 | %) | 10 | % | |||||||||
| JDTF | (7 | %) | - | % | (1 | %) | (8 | %) | |||||||||
| Woodford Reserve | 4 | % | - | % | - | % | 4 | % | |||||||||
| Old Forester | 5 | % | - | % | - | % | 5 | % | |||||||||
| Rest of Whiskey | 61 | % | - | % | (1 | %) | 60 | % | |||||||||
| Ready-to-Drink | 11 | % | - | % | (4 | %) | 7 | % | |||||||||
| JD RTD/RTP | (3 | %) | - | % | (3 | %) | (5 | %) | |||||||||
| New Mix | 41 | % | - | % | (8 | %) | 33 | % | |||||||||
| Tequila | (4 | %) | - | % | (1 | %) | (6 | %) | |||||||||
| el Jimador | (2 | %) | - | % | (1 | %) | (2 | %) | |||||||||
| Herradura | (9 | %) | - | % | (1 | %) | (10 | %) | |||||||||
| Rest of Portfolio | (31 | %) | 53 | % | (4 | %) | 18 | % | |||||||||
| Non-branded and bulk | (68 | %) | - | % | - | % | (68 | %) | |||||||||
| Note: Results may differ due to rounding | |||||||||||||||||
1See "Definitions" above for definitions of brand aggregations presented here.
2See "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" above for details on our use of "organic change" in net sales, including how we calculate this measure and why we believe this information is useful to readers.
Whiskey
•Net sales for JDTW declined 2%, driven by lower volumes in the United States and our developed international markets, led by Germany, the United Kingdom, and Canada. These declines were partially offset by broad-based volumetric growth across our emerging markets, led by the United Arab Emirates and Türkiye, as well as the positive effect of foreign exchange.
•Net sales for JDTH declined 3%, driven by lower volumes in the United States, partially offset by the positive effect of foreign exchange.
•Net sales for Gentleman Jack declined 1%, driven by lower volumes in the United States, partially offset by higher volumes in Türkiye and the positive effect of foreign exchange.
•Net sales for JDTA increased 12%, driven by growth in Brazil benefiting from continued distribution expansion and the positive effect of foreign exchange.
•Net sales for JDTF declined 7%, driven by lower volumes in the United States, partially offset by the positive effect of foreign exchange.
•Woodford Reserve's net sales increased 4%, driven by the United States, which benefited from higher net pricing related to the distributor transitions and an estimated net increase in distributor inventories.
•Old Forester's net sales increased 5%, driven by the United States due to timing of the distributor ordering patterns in our transition markets and favorable mix resulting from a shift to higher-priced brands within the family.
•Net sales for Rest of Whiskey increased 61%, driven by the launches of JDTB and Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Heritage Barrel in the United States, which benefited from an estimated net increase in distributor inventories. These increases were partially offset by lower volumes of the rest of our other super-premium Jack Daniel's expressions.
Ready-to-Drink
•The JD RTD/RTP brands net sales decreased 3%, driven by declines in the United States and Canada. These declines were partially offset by the positive effect of foreign exchange.
•Net sales for New Mix increased 41%, driven by strong growth in Mexico with market share gains in a growing category, the launch in the United States, and the positive effect of foreign exchange.
Tequila
•el Jimador's net sales decreased 2%, driven by declines in the United States and Mexico, partially offset by higher volumes in the rest of Latin America and the positive effect of foreign exchange. An estimated net increase in distributor inventories, led by the United States, positively impacted net sales.
•Herradura's net sales declined 9%, driven by lower volumes in the United States and Mexico, partially offset by higher net pricing in the United States and the positive effect of foreign exchange.
Net sales for Rest of Portfolio declined 31%, driven by the end of the Korbel relationship and the absence of Sonoma-Cutrer and Finlandia prior-year TSAs. These declines were partially offset by growth of Gin Mare and Diplomático, led by Italy, which benefited from the transition to owned distribution on May 1, 2025; the distribution of new agency brands in Japan and Mexico; and the positive effect of foreign exchange.
Non-branded and bulk's net sales decreased 68%, driven by the decline of used barrel sales as demand and pricing adjusted to levels that reflect the current challenging and uncertain operating environment for our industry.
Year-Over-Year Comparisons
Commentary below compares fiscal 2026 to fiscal 2025 results. A comparison of fiscal 2025 to fiscal 2024 results may be found in "Part II, Item 7, Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2025 (2025 Form 10-K).
|
Net Sales
|
|||||||||||
| 2026 | |||||||||||
| Percentage change versus the prior fiscal year ended April 30 | Volume | Price/mix | Total | ||||||||
| Change in reported net sales | 2 | % | (3 | %) | (1 | %) | |||||
| Acquisitions and divestitures | 3 | % | - | % | 3 | % | |||||
| Foreign exchange | - | % | (2 | %) | (2 | %) | |||||
| Change in organic net sales | 5 | % | (5 | %) | - | % | |||||
| Note: Results may differ due to rounding | |||||||||||
Net sales of $3.9 billion decreased 1%, or $47 million, in fiscal 2026 compared to fiscal 2025, driven by unfavorable price/mix, partially offset by higher volumes. Volume increased 2% driven by New Mix and the launch of JDTB, due in part to a net increase in distributor inventories in the United States, partially offset by the end of the Korbel relationship and the Sonoma-Cutrer prior-year TSA, as well as lower volumes of JDTW and JD RTD/RTP. Price/mix declined 3% driven by unfavorable portfolio mix from New Mix and lower sales of used barrels and JDTW, partially offset by the positive effect of foreign exchange and the positive portfolio mix impact from JDTB, JD RTD/RTP, and Woodford Reserve. See "Results of Operations - Fiscal 2026 Market Highlights" and "Results of Operations - Fiscal 2026 Brand Highlights" above for details on the factors contributing to the change in reported net sales for fiscal 2026.
|
Cost of Sales
|
|||||||||||
| 2026 | |||||||||||
| Percentage change versus the prior fiscal year ended April 30 | Volume | Cost/mix | Total | ||||||||
| Change in reported cost of sales | 2 | % | (7 | %) | (5 | %) | |||||
| Acquisitions and divestitures | 3 | % | 3 | % | 6 | % | |||||
| Foreign exchange | - | % | (1 | %) | (1 | %) | |||||
| Change in organic cost of sales | 5 | % | (5 | %) | - | % | |||||
| Note: Results may differ due to rounding | |||||||||||
Cost of sales of $1.6 billion decreased $82 million, or 5%, in fiscal 2026 compared to fiscal 2025, driven by favorable cost/mix, partially offset by higher volumes. Volume increased 2% driven by New Mix and the launch of JDTB, partially offset by the end of the Korbel relationship and the Sonoma-Cutrer prior-year TSA, as well as lower volumes of JDTW and JD RTD/RTP. Cost/mix declined 7% driven by the end of the Korbel relationship, the absence of the Sonoma-Cutrer prior-year TSA, favorable portfolio mix from New Mix, the timing of cost fluctuations, and lower agave costs. These declines were partially offset by higher wood costs, the negative effect of foreign exchange, and unfavorable fixed cost absorption related to decreased production of our full-strength portfolio.
|
Gross Profit
|
|||||
| Percentage change versus the prior fiscal year ended April 30 | 2026 | ||||
| Change in reported gross profit | 2 | % | |||
| Acquisitions and divestitures | 1 | % | |||
| Foreign exchange | (2 | %) | |||
| Change in organic gross profit | - | % | |||
| Note: Results may differ due to rounding | |||||
|
Gross Margin
|
||||||||
| Fiscal year ended April 30 | 2026 | |||||||
| Prior year gross margin | 58.9 | % | ||||||
| Price/mix | (0.1 | %) | ||||||
|
Cost
|
0.2 | % | ||||||
| Acquisitions and divestitures | 1.3 | % | ||||||
|
Other items1
|
0.1 | % | ||||||
| Foreign exchange | 0.2 | % | ||||||
| Change in gross margin | 1.6 | % | ||||||
| Current year gross margin | 60.5 | % | ||||||
| Note: Results may differ due to rounding | ||||||||
1"Other items" includes "restructuring initiative." See "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" above for additional details.
Gross profit of $2.4 billion increased $35 million, or 2%, in fiscal 2026 compared to fiscal 2025. Gross margin increased to 60.5% in fiscal 2026, up 1.6 percentage points from 58.9% in fiscal 2025. The increase in gross margin was driven by the positive effect of acquisitions and divestitures, the positive effect of foreign exchange, and lower costs.
|
Operating Expenses
|
||||||||||||||||||||
| Percentage change versus the prior fiscal year ended April 30 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2026 | Reported | Acquisitions & Divestitures | Impairment |
Other Items1
|
Foreign Exchange | Organic | ||||||||||||||
| Advertising | (4 | %) | 2 | % | - | % | - | % | (2 | %) | (5 | %) | ||||||||
| SG&A | 9 | % | - | % | - | % | - | % | (2 | %) | 7 | % | ||||||||
|
Total operating expenses2
|
12 | % | (3 | %) | (7 | %) | 3 | % | (3 | %) | 3 | % | ||||||||
| Note: Results may differ due to rounding | ||||||||||||||||||||
1"Other items" includes "restructuring initiative," "substitution drawback claims," and "franchise tax refund." See "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" above for additional details.
2Total operating expenses include advertising expenses, SG&A expenses, restructuring and other charges, other intangible assets impairment, and other expense (income), net.
Operating expenses totaled $1.4 billion, an increase of $143 million, or 12%, in fiscal 2026 compared to fiscal 2025. The increase in operating expenses was driven by (a) non-cash impairment charges, (b) higher SG&A expenses, (c) the negative effect of foreign exchange, and (d) the unfavorable year-over-year Gin Mare earn-out valuation adjustments. These increases were partially offset by lower restructuring initiative costs as compared to the same prior-year period, lower advertising expenses, and the benefit of the substitution drawback claims.
•Advertising expenses decreased 4% in fiscal 2026, driven by lower spend for the Jack Daniel's family of brands, as declines for super-premium Jack Daniel's expressions and JDTW more than offset the increased investment for the launch of JDTB. The decreases were also driven by the end of the Korbel relationship, partially offset by the negative effect of foreign exchange.
•SG&A expenses increased 9% in fiscal 2026, driven by costs associated with the contemplated business transaction discussions, higher compensation-and-benefit-related expenses, and the negative effect of foreign exchange.
|
Operating Income
|
|||||
| Percentage change versus the prior fiscal year ended April 30 | 2026 | ||||
| Change in reported operating income | (10 | %) | |||
| Acquisitions and divestitures | 5 | % | |||
| Impairment charges | 8 | % | |||
|
Other items1
|
(4 | %) | |||
| Foreign exchange | (1 | %) | |||
| Change in organic operating income | (2 | %) | |||
| Note: Results may differ due to rounding | |||||
1"Other items" includes "restructuring initiative," "substitution drawback claims," and "franchise tax refund." See "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" above for additional details.
Reported operating income was $1.0 billion in fiscal 2026, a decrease of $106 million, or 10%, compared to fiscal 2025. Operating margin decreased 2.4 percentage points to 25.5% in fiscal 2026 from 27.9% in fiscal 2025, primarily due to higher operating expenses, partially offset by gross margin expansion.
Interest expense (net) decreased $16 million, or 15%, in fiscal 2026 compared to fiscal 2025, due to a lower average debt balance and lower average interest rates on short-term borrowings.
Our effective tax rate for fiscal 2026 was 19.3% compared to 19.6% in fiscal 2025. The decrease in our effective tax rate was driven primarily by (a) the lower impact from valuation allowances in the current period, (b) the beneficial impact from tax rate changes, and (c) increased tax credits. These decreases were partially offset by (a) the negative tax impact from foreign operations, (b) the unfavorable year-over-year impact from a change in tax classification in the prior period, and (c) increased non-deductible expenses. See Note 13 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for details.
Diluted earnings per share were $1.53 in fiscal 2026, a decrease of 17% compared to fiscal 2025, driven by lower operating income and the absence of the gain on the sale of our investment in Duckhorn.
Fiscal 2027 Outlook
Below we discuss our outlook for fiscal 2027, which reflects the trends, developments, and uncertainties (including those described above) that we expect to affect our business.
We anticipate the operating environment for fiscal 2027 to remain challenging, as macroeconomic pressures and geopolitical instability continue to negatively impact consumer behavior and beverage alcohol consumption, particularly within developed markets. We remain committed to building our business for the long term while focusing intensely on the variables within our control. We believe we will benefit in fiscal 2027 from our previously announced restructuring initiative and U.S. distributor changes, and continued new product innovation, such as the expansion of Jack Daniel's Tennessee Blackberry. Considering these factors, we expect the following in fiscal 2027:
•Organic net sales to be approximately flat.
•Organic operating income decline in the 3% to 5% range.
•Our effective tax rate to be in the range of approximately 20% to 22%.
•Capital expenditures planned to be in the range of $60 to $70 million.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
We generate strong cash flows from operations, which enable us to meet current obligations, fund capital expenditures, and return cash to our stockholders through regular dividends and, from time to time, through share repurchases and special dividends. We believe our investment-grade credit ratings (A2 by Moody's, which was downgraded from A1 in November 2025, and A- by Standard & Poor's) provide us with financial flexibility when accessing global debt capital markets and allow us to reserve adequate debt capacity for investment opportunities and unforeseen events.
Our operating cash flows are supplemented by cash and cash equivalent balances, as well as access to other liquidity sources. Cash and cash equivalents were $444 million at April 30, 2025, and $308 million at April 30, 2026. As of April 30, 2026, approximately 59% of our cash and cash equivalents were held by our foreign subsidiaries whose earnings we expect to reinvest indefinitely outside of the United States. We continue to evaluate our future cash deployment and may decide to repatriate additional cash held by our foreign subsidiaries. This may require us to provide for and pay additional taxes.
We have a $900 million commercial paper program that we use, together with our cash flow from operations, to fund our short-term operational needs. See Note 8 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for outstanding commercial paper balances, interest rates, and days to maturity at April 30, 2025 and April 30, 2026. The average balances, interest rates, and original maturities during the last two fiscal years are presented below.
| (Dollars in millions) | 2025 | 2026 | |||||||||
| Average commercial paper | $ | 373 | $ | 263 | |||||||
| Average interest rate | 5.13 | % | 4.26 | % | |||||||
| Average days to maturity at issuance | 41 | 27 | |||||||||
Our commercial paper program is supported by available commitments under our undrawn $900 million bank credit facility, which was extended for an additional year and expires on May 26, 2029. Although unlikely, under extreme market conditions, one or more participating banks may not be able to fund its commitments under our credit facility. To manage this counterparty credit risk, we partner with banks that have investment grade credit ratings, limit the amount of exposure we have with each bank, and monitor each bank's financial conditions.
Our most significant short-term cash requirements relate primarily to funding our operations (such as expenditures for raw materials, production and distribution, advertising and promotion, and current taxes), repayment of our notes maturing in July 2026, dividend payments, and capital investments. Our most significant longer-term cash requirements primarily include payments related to our long-term debt, employee benefit obligations, and deferred tax liabilities (see Notes 8, 11, and 13 to the Consolidated Financial Statements).
While we expect to meet our planned short-term liquidity needs largely through cash generated from operations and borrowings under our commercial paper program, a sustained market deterioration resulting in declines in net sales and profit could require us to evaluate alternative sources of liquidity. If we have additional liquidity needs, we believe that we could access financing in the debt capital markets.
We believe our current liquidity position, supplemented by our ability to generate positive cash flows from operations in the future, and our ample debt capacity enabled by our strong short-term and long-term credit ratings, will be sufficient to meet all of our future financial commitments.
Cash Flow Summary
The following table summarizes our cash flows for each of the last two fiscal years:
|
Cash Flow Summary
|
||||||||||||||
| (Dollars in millions) | 2025 | 2026 | ||||||||||||
| Cash flows from operating activities | $ | 598 | $ | 1,000 | ||||||||||
| Investing activities: | ||||||||||||||
|
Proceeds from sale of equity method investment
|
350 | - | ||||||||||||
| Additions to property, plant, and equipment | (167) | (107) | ||||||||||||
| Other | 66 | 36 | ||||||||||||
| Net cash flows from investing activities | $ | 249 | $ | (71) | ||||||||||
| Financing activities: | ||||||||||||||
| Net change in short-term borrowings | $ | (117) | $ | (244) | ||||||||||
| Repayment of long-term debt | (300) | - | ||||||||||||
| Acquisition of treasury stock | - | (400) | ||||||||||||
| Dividends paid | (420) | (427) | ||||||||||||
| Other | (6) | (3) | ||||||||||||
| Net cash flows from financing activities | $ | (843) | $ | (1,074) | ||||||||||
Cash provided by operating activities of $1,000 million during fiscal 2026 increased $402 million from fiscal 2025. The increase was largely attributable to lower working capital requirements, including lower cash paid for income taxes, partially offset by lower earnings.
Cash used for investing activities was $71 million during fiscal 2026, compared to $249 million in cash provided by investing activities during fiscal 2025. The $320 million decrease largely reflects (a) the absence of $350 million in proceeds from the sale of our investment in Duckhorn in December 2024 and (b) an $18 million decrease in proceeds from cooperage asset sales year-over-year ($51 million from the sale of our Alabama cooperage assets in May 2024; $33 million from the sale of our Brown-Forman Cooperage assets in May 2025), partially offset by a $60 million decline in capital expenditures.
Cash used for financing activities was $1,074 million during fiscal 2026, compared to $843 million in cash used for financing activities during fiscal 2025. The $231 million increase largely reflects a $400 million increase in share repurchases and a $127 million increase in net repayments of short-term borrowings, partially offset by our prior-year repayment of the $300 million principal amount of 3.50% notes that matured in April 2025.
A discussion of our cash flows for fiscal 2025 compared to fiscal 2024 may be found in "Part II, Item 7, Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations," of our 2025 Form 10-K.
Dividends
In November 2025, our Board of Directors approved a 2% increase in the quarterly cash dividend on our Class A and Class B common stock from $0.2265 per share to $0.2310 per share, effective with the regular quarterly dividend paid on January 2, 2026. As a result, the indicated annual cash dividend increased from $0.9060 per share to $0.9240 per share.
On May 28, 2026, our Board of Directors declared a regular quarterly cash dividend on our Class A and Class B common stock of $0.2310 per share. The dividend is payable on July 1, 2026, to stockholders of record on June 10, 2026.
Share Repurchases
On October 1, 2025, the Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to $400 million (excluding brokerage fees and excise taxes) of outstanding shares of Class A and Class B common stock from October 1, 2025, through October 1, 2026 (the Repurchase Program), subject to market and other conditions. Under the Repurchase Program, we could repurchase shares of Class A and Class B common stock for cash in open market purchases, block transactions, purchases made in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act, and privately negotiated transactions, in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.
The Repurchase Program did not obligate us to repurchase a minimum number of shares of common stock and prior to its completion, could be modified, suspended, or terminated by us at any time without prior notice.
Under the Repurchase Program, we repurchased 705,139 Class A shares at an average price of $28.10 per share and 13,348,510 Class B shares at an average price of $28.48 per share, for a total cost (excluding brokerage fees and excise taxes) of $400 million. The program was completed in December 2025.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
Our financial statements reflect some estimates involved in applying the following critical accounting policies that entail uncertainties and subjectivity. Using different estimates or policies could have a material effect on our operating results and financial condition.
Brand Names and Trademarks
When we acquire a business, we allocate the purchase price to the assets and liabilities of the acquired business, including intangible brand names and trademarks (brand names), based on estimated fair value. We do not amortize our brand names, all of which we consider to have indefinite lives.
We assess our brand names for impairment at least annually, or more frequently if circumstances indicate the carrying amount may be impaired. Our annual impairment assessment is performed as of the first day of our fourth fiscal quarter. A brand name is impaired when its carrying amount exceeds its estimated fair value, in which case we write down the brand name to its estimated fair value. We estimate the fair value of a brand name using the relief-from-royalty method. We also consider market values for similar assets when available. Considerable management judgment is necessary to estimate fair value, including making assumptions about net sales projections, discount rates, and royalty rates.
We have the option, before quantifying the fair value of a brand name, to evaluate qualitative factors to assess whether it is more likely than not that the brand name is impaired. If we determine that is not the case, then we are not required to quantify the fair value. That assessment also takes considerable management judgment.
In our annual brand names assessment, we performed a quantitative impairment test for the Gin Mare and Diplomático brand names. When using the quantitative assessment, the estimated fair values of the brand names are calculated based on the relief-from-royalty method, using significant assumptions, such as net sales projections, discount rates, and royalty rates. This assessment indicated the carrying amounts of the Gin Mare and Diplomático brand names exceeded their estimated fair values, resulting in impairments of $45 million and $87 million, respectively, during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026. The brand name impairments largely reflect a decline in our forecast assumptions due to the softening category outlook and challenging macroeconomic environment in many of our top markets for these brands.
As of April 30, 2026, the carrying amounts of the Gin Mare and Diplomático brand names remain near their fair values. Reasonably possible changes in the significant assumptions discussed above could result in future incremental impairments of either or both of those brands. For example, we estimate that, all else equal, a 15% decline in projected net sales would result in incremental impairment charges of $36 million and $34 million for the Gin Mare and Diplomático brand names, respectively. We also estimate that, all else equal, a 1 percentage point increase in the discount rate would result in incremental impairment charges of $42 million and $45 million for the Gin Mare and Diplomático brand names, respectively.
We estimate that the fair values of our other brand names substantially exceed their carrying amounts.
Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits
We sponsor various defined benefit pension plans and postretirement plans providing retiree health care and retiree life insurance benefits. Benefits are based on factors such as years of service and compensation level during employment. We expense the benefits expected to be paid over employees' expected service. This requires us to make assumptions to determine the net benefit costs and obligations, such as discount rates, return on plan assets, the rate of salary increases, expected service, and health care cost trend rates. We review these assumptions annually and modify them based on current rates and trends when appropriate. The assumptions also reflect our historical experience and management's best judgment regarding future expectations. We believe the discount rates and expected return on plan assets are the most significant assumptions.
The discount rate used to measure the benefit obligations is determined at the beginning of each fiscal year using a yield curve based on the interest rates of high-quality debt securities with maturities corresponding to the expected timing of our benefit payments. The service cost and interest cost components are measured by applying the specific spot rates along that yield curve. The expected return on pension plan assets reflects expected capital market returns for each asset class that are based on historical returns, adjusted for the expected effects of diversification.
The following table compares the assumed discount rates and expected return on assets used in determining net periodic benefit cost for fiscal 2026 to those to be used in determining that cost for fiscal 2027.
| Pension Benefits |
Medical and Life Insurance Benefits |
||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2026 | 2027 | 2026 | 2027 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Discount rate for service cost | 5.66 | % | 5.94 | % | 5.84 | % | 5.97 | % | |||||||||||||||
| Discount rate for interest cost | 5.06 | % | 5.19 | % | 4.97 | % | 5.02 | % | |||||||||||||||
| Expected return on plan assets | 6.75 | % | 6.75 | % | n/a | n/a | |||||||||||||||||
Using these assumptions, we estimate our pension and other postretirement benefit cost for fiscal 2027 will be approximately $20 million (excluding any potential settlement or curtailment charges), compared to $18 million (excluding settlement charges of $23 million) for fiscal 2026. Decreasing/increasing the assumed discount rates by 50 basis points would increase/decrease the total fiscal 2027 cost by approximately $3 million. Decreasing/increasing the assumed return on plan assets by 50 basis points would also increase/decrease the total fiscal 2027 cost by approximately $3 million.
Income Taxes
Significant judgment is required in evaluating our tax positions. We establish liabilities when some positions are likely to be challenged and may not succeed, despite our belief that our tax return positions are fully supportable. We adjust these liabilities in light of changing circumstances, such as the progress of a tax audit. We believe these liabilities are appropriate for all known contingencies, but the assessment of our positions could change.
Years can elapse before we can resolve a particular matter for which we may have established a tax liability. Although predicting the final outcome or the timing of resolution of any particular tax matter can be difficult, we believe our liabilities reflect the likely outcome of known tax contingencies. Unfavorable settlement of any particular issue could require use of our cash and increase our effective tax rate. Conversely, a favorable resolution could result in reduced cash tax payments, the reversal of previously established liabilities, or some combination of these results, which could reduce our effective tax rate.
Brown-Forman Corporation published this content on June 12, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via EDGAR on June 12, 2026 at 20:02 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]