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Constellation Brands, Inc.: Q1 FY2027 earnings call

What management said about Q1 FY2027, from the documents filed with the SEC on 30 June 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 2 raised, 1 lowered, 11 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Reported EPS rose 31%: Reported diluted EPS was $3.79 against $2.90 a year earlier. Comparable EPS was $3.43, up 7% from $3.22 a year earlier. Source
  • Operating income rose 18%: Operating income was $845.3 million against $713.8 million, with operating margin of 34.7% compared with 28.4%. Source
  • Beer net sales up 2%: Beer net sales rose 2% to $2,283.5 million from $2,234.5 million, driven by shipment growth and pricing. Source
  • Organic wine net sales up 8%: Organic net sales rose 8% to $149.2 million from $138.5 million, excluding the divested volumes from the prior-year base. Source
  • Free cash flow up 9%: Operating cash flow was $661.8 million, up from $637.2 million; free cash flow was $484.6 million after $177.2 million of capital expenditures. Source

“Our portfolio continues to benefit from the strength of our brands, disciplined commercial execution, and our ability to connect with consumers across a broad range of occasions.”

Nicholas Fink - President & CEO

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Reported EPS SourceFiscal 2027 (year ending February 28, 2027)$11.50 - $12.20Raised from $11.10 - $11.80
Comparable EPS SourceFiscal 2027$11.20 - $11.90Kept
Operating income (GAAP) SourceFiscal 2027$2,833 - $2,983 millionRaised from $2,814 - $2,964 million
Net sales (GAAP) SourceFiscal 2027$8,910 - $9,090 millionKept
Operating cash flow SourceFiscal 2027$2.4 - $2.5 billionKept
Free cash flow SourceFiscal 2027$1.6 - $1.7 billionKept
Capital expenditures SourceFiscal 2027~$800 millionKept
Tax rate SourceFiscal 2027Reported ~17%; comparable ~20%Lowered from Reported and comparable ~20%
Enterprise organic net sales growth SourceFiscal 2027(1)% - 1%Kept
Beer net sales growth SourceFiscal 2027(1)% - 1%Kept
Wine and Spirits organic net sales growth SourceFiscal 2027(1)% - 1%Kept
Enterprise operating margin SourceFiscal 202732% - 33% (reported and comparable)Kept
Beer operating margin SourceFiscal 202737% - 38%Kept
Wine and Spirits operating margin SourceFiscal 20275% - 6%Kept

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance raised: Reported EPS guidance raised to $11.50 - $12.20 from $11.10 - $11.80 for fiscal 2027. Source
  • Guidance raised: GAAP operating income guidance for fiscal 2027 raised to $2,833 - $2,983 million from $2,814 - $2,964 million. Source
  • Guidance lowered: Reported tax rate guidance lowered to about 17% from about 20%; comparable tax rate remains about 20%. Source
  • New: Nicholas Fink is listed as President & CEO; the previous release named Bill Newlands in that role. Garth Hankinson is listed as EVP and CFO in both releases. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Reported EPS rose 31%: Reported diluted EPS was $3.79 against $2.90 a year earlier. Comparable EPS was $3.43, up 7% from $3.22 a year earlier. Source
  • Net sales down 3%, organic up 3%: Reported net sales were $2,432.7 million against $2,515.0 million. Excluding $142.0 million of prior-year divested sales, organic net sales rose 3% to $2,432.7 million from $2,373.0 million. Source
  • Operating income rose 18%: Operating income was $845.3 million against $713.8 million, with operating margin of 34.7% compared with 28.4%. Source
  • Comparable operating income up 6%: Comparable operating income was $834.2 million against $785.4 million, with comparable operating margin of 34.3% against 33.1%. Source

Beer business results

  • Beer net sales up 2%: Beer net sales rose 2% to $2,283.5 million from $2,234.5 million, driven by shipment growth and pricing. Source
  • Beer operating income up 2%: Beer operating income was $891.4 million against $873.4 million, with segment operating margin of 39.0% compared with 39.1%. Source
  • Beer margin flat on unfavorable mix: Management said shipment growth and favorable pricing were offset by unfavorable mix and higher marketing and other SG&A spend. Source
  • Beer depletions down 0.3%: Depletions fell 0.3%: Modelo Especial declined about 2% and Corona Extra over 5%, while Pacifico, Victoria and the Modelo Chelada brands grew about 21%, 14% and 6%. Source

“Our strong free cash flow generation enabled us to execute against our capital allocation priorities, including returning over $400 million to shareholders through share repurchases and dividends”

Garth Hankinson - Executive Vice President & CFO

Wine and spirits results

  • Wine net sales down 47%: Wine and Spirits net sales were $149.2 million against $280.5 million. Management ties the decline to a 64.1% fall in shipment volumes from the 2025 Wine Divestitures. Source
  • Organic wine net sales up 8%: Organic net sales rose 8% to $149.2 million from $138.5 million, excluding the divested volumes from the prior-year base. Source
  • Wine segment margin improved: Segment operating loss was $1.1 million against $6.0 million; operating margin was (0.7%) against (2.1%) a year earlier. Source
  • Kim Crawford and Mi CAMPO depletions up: Kim Crawford and Mi CAMPO Tequila drove depletion growth, up about 4% and 62% respectively. Source

Brands and market share

  • Beer led dollar share gains: The Beer Business ranked #1 dollar share gainer across Circana U.S. tracked channels, with five of the top 15 dollar share gaining brands in the U.S. beer category. Modelo Especial stayed the #1 brand by dollar sales. Source
  • Pacifico and Victoria ranked high: Pacifico ranked second and Victoria fourteenth among dollar share gainers; Modelo Especial was seventh and Corona Familiar eleventh within its brand family. Source
  • Wine portfolio outpaced its category: The wine portfolio was the #2 dollar share gainer in the total wine category, and the wine and spirits portfolio outpaced the total category in dollar and volume sales. Source

“we believe that we remain well positioned to drive sustainable organic growth while maintaining healthy investment in our brands”

Nicholas Fink - President & CEO

Costs, margins and charges

  • Gross profit up 4%: Gross profit was $1,320.6 million against $1,266.6 million; cost of product sold fell to $1,112.1 million from $1,248.4 million. Source
  • SG&A and impairment charges fell: SG&A expenses were $457.0 million against $500.7 million; asset impairment and related expenses were $18.3 million against $52.1 million. Source
  • Commodity derivative gain excluded: Net gain on undesignated commodity derivative contracts was $49.3 million against a $17.7 million loss a year earlier. Comparable results exclude this item. Source

Cash flow and shareholder returns

  • Free cash flow up 9%: Operating cash flow was $661.8 million, up from $637.2 million; free cash flow was $484.6 million after $177.2 million of capital expenditures. Source
  • Year-to-date buybacks reach $324 million: Treasury stock purchases were $223.8 million in the quarter. Source
  • Quarterly dividend held at $1.03: The company declared $1.03 per share, against $1.02 a year earlier; dividends paid in the quarter totalled $178.7 million. Source
  • Senior notes redeemed, costs written off: Principal payments on long-term debt were $601.1 million; the company wrote off unamortized discount and issuance costs on redeemed senior notes. Source
  • Third brewery at Veracruz advancing: Management said the company continues to progress on the build-out of its third brewery at Veracruz, Mexico. Source

Coming up, as management said on 30 June 2026

  • Quarterly dividend payable August 13: The $1.03 dividend is payable August 13, 2026, to holders of record at the close of July 30, 2026. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Beer shipments (24-pack, 12-ounce case equivalents) Source113.3 million, up 1.8%
Beer depletions Sourcedown 0.3%
Wine and spirits shipments (9-liter case equivalents) Source1.4 million, down 64.1%; organic up 7.7%
Wine and spirits depletions Sourceup 6.6%

Risks management discussed

  • Demand: Management cited a discerning, value-conscious consumer environment as a factor for the quarter. Source
  • Financial: Management recorded an impairment on assets held for sale tied to a divestiture during the quarter. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Not stated: Management said it is holding comparable net leverage to its target of about 3.0x while returning cash to shareholders. Source
  • Not stated: Management said it remains committed to a disciplined and balanced capital allocation approach that balances growth investment with shareholder returns. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.