Brown-Forman (BF.B) Competitors

Brown Forman (NYSE:BF.A) and Brown-Forman (NYSE:BF.B) are both large-cap consumer staples companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, media sentiment, risk, valuation, profitability, earnings, analyst recommendations and institutional ownership.

Is BF.A or BF.B a better dividend stock?

Brown Forman pays an annual dividend of $0.91 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.2%. Brown-Forman pays an annual dividend of $0.90 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.1%. Brown Forman pays out 42.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Brown-Forman pays out 48.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Brown Forman is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Which has more risk and volatility, BF.A or BF.B?

Brown Forman has a beta of 0.53, indicating that its share price is 47% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Brown-Forman has a beta of 0.55, indicating that its share price is 45% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Do insiders and institutionals hold more shares of BF.A or BF.B?

3.8% of Brown Forman shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 34.7% of Brown-Forman shares are held by institutional investors. 4.0% of Brown Forman shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 2.7% of Brown-Forman shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Does the media refer more to BF.A or BF.B?

In the previous week, Brown Forman had 1 more articles in the media than Brown-Forman. MarketBeat recorded 2 mentions for Brown Forman and 1 mentions for Brown-Forman. Brown-Forman's average media sentiment score of 0.50 beat Brown Forman's score of 0.00 indicating that Brown-Forman is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Brown Forman	0 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral
Brown-Forman	0 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Is BF.A or BF.B more profitable?

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Brown Forman	21.86%	23.19%	10.63%
Brown-Forman	21.86%	23.19%	10.63%

Which has stronger valuation & earnings, BF.A or BF.B?

Brown Forman is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Brown-Forman, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Brown Forman	$3.98B	3.39	$869M	$2.12	13.46
Brown-Forman	$3.98B	3.42	$869M	$1.84	15.61

Do analysts prefer BF.A or BF.B?

Brown-Forman has a consensus target price of $40.25, indicating a potential upside of 40.10%. Given Brown-Forman's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Brown-Forman is more favorable than Brown Forman.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Brown Forman	0 Sell rating(s)	0 Hold rating(s)	0 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	0.00
Brown-Forman	2 Sell rating(s)	9 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.14

Summary

Brown-Forman beats Brown Forman on 9 of the 14 factors compared between the two stocks.