BF.A vs. SJM: Brown-Forman vs. J. M. Smucker Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Brown-Forman (BF.A) and J. M. Smucker (SJM) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Brown-Forman (BF.A) and J. M. Smucker (SJM) both fall under the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group, but BF.A is classified in Beverages while SJM is classified in Food Products.

Company profile comparison for Brown-Forman (BF.A) and J. M. Smucker (SJM)
Profile Item	BF.A	SJM
Name	Brown-Forman Corporation Class A Common Stock	The J. M. Smucker Company
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Consumer Staples	Consumer Staples
GICS Industry Group	Food, Beverage & Tobacco	Food, Beverage & Tobacco
GICS Industry	Beverages	Food Products
GICS Sub-Industry	Distillers & Vintners	Packaged Foods & Meats
Market Capitalization	14.44 billion USD	13.95 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	May 3, 1973	October 31, 1994
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

BF.A

SJM

GSPC

Brown-Forman (BF.A) vs. J. M. Smucker (SJM), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

Loading price history…

Trailing total returns for Brown-Forman (BF.A) and J. M. Smucker (SJM). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…

Calendar-year total returns for Brown-Forman (BF.A) and J. M. Smucker (SJM). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Brown-Forman (BF.A) and J. M. Smucker (SJM)
Metric	BF.A	SJM
Total Return (1Y)	21.31%	29.86%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	-17.39%	11.19%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-12.15%	4.32%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

BF.A

SJM

GSPC

Brown-Forman (BF.A) vs. J. M. Smucker (SJM), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

Loading price history…

Distribution of monthly total returns for Brown-Forman (BF.A) and J. M. Smucker (SJM). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Brown-Forman (BF.A) and J. M. Smucker (SJM)
Metric	BF.A	SJM
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	38.10%	29.24%
Beta (5Y)	0.26	0.26
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-67.09%	-38.11%
Avg. Volume (3M)	138.95K	1.26M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

BF.A and SJM are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Brown-Forman (BF.A) and J. M. Smucker (SJM)
Metric	BF.A	SJM
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.45	0.87
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.68	1.47

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Brown-Forman (BF.A) at 18.12% sits in the top ROE quartile, while J. M. Smucker (SJM) at 3.93% is in the bottom quartile, showing a clear gap in returns on equity.

BF.A

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

18.12%

Max: 32.02%
BF.A: 18.12%
Q3: 16.61%
Median: 10.05%
Q1: 4.10%
Min: -10.50%

SJM

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

3.93%

Max: 32.02%
Q3: 16.61%
Median: 10.05%
Q1: 4.10%
SJM: 3.93%
Min: -10.50%

Brown-Forman (BF.A) vs. J. M. Smucker (SJM): A comparison of their ROE against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Brown-Forman (BF.A) at 18.42% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of J. M. Smucker (SJM) at 2.51%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

BF.A

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

18.42%

Max: 24.83%
BF.A: 18.42%
Q3: 11.22%
Median: 5.94%
Q1: 2.05%
Min: -11.49%

SJM

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

2.51%

Max: 24.83%
Q3: 11.22%
Median: 5.94%
SJM: 2.51%
Q1: 2.05%
Min: -11.49%

Brown-Forman (BF.A) vs. J. M. Smucker (SJM): A comparison of their net margin against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Brown-Forman (BF.A) at 27.55% and J. M. Smucker (SJM) at 17.90% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

BF.A

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

27.55%

Max: 34.91%
BF.A: 27.55%
Q3: 17.57%
Median: 11.06%
Q1: 4.15%
Min: -15.06%

SJM

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

17.90%

Max: 34.91%
SJM: 17.90%
Q3: 17.57%
Median: 11.06%
Q1: 4.15%
Min: -15.06%

Brown-Forman (BF.A) vs. J. M. Smucker (SJM): A comparison of their operating margin against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Brown-Forman (BF.A) and J. M. Smucker (SJM)
Metric	BF.A	SJM
ROE (TTM)	18.12%	3.93%
ROA (TTM)	8.63%	6.26%
Net Margin (TTM)	18.42%	2.51%
Operating Margin (TTM)	27.55%	17.90%
Gross Margin (TTM)	60.66%	37.95%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Brown-Forman (BF.A) at -1.18% and J. M. Smucker (SJM) at 3.72% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Brown-Forman (BF.A) vs. J. M. Smucker (SJM): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Brown-Forman (BF.A) reports EPS growth of -16.85%, ranked against its industry; J. M. Smucker (SJM) has no EPS growth figure this period.

Brown-Forman (BF.A) vs. J. M. Smucker (SJM): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Brown-Forman (BF.A) and J. M. Smucker (SJM)
Metric	BF.A	SJM
Revenue Growth (YoY)	-1.18%	3.72%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-2.42%	2.00%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-16.85%	--
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-2.09%	--

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Brown-Forman (BF.A) at 3.26 carries current ratio above its industry’s typical mid-range, while J. M. Smucker (SJM) at 0.87 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — different working-capital profiles, both worth examining.

BF.A

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

3.26

Max: 4.01
BF.A: 3.26
Q3: 2.35
Median: 1.53
Q1: 1.02
Min: 0.33

SJM

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

0.87

Max: 4.01
Q3: 2.35
Median: 1.53
Q1: 1.02
SJM: 0.87
Min: 0.33

Brown-Forman (BF.A) vs. J. M. Smucker (SJM): A comparison of their current ratio against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Brown-Forman (BF.A) at 0.62 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while J. M. Smucker (SJM) at 1.21 uses more debt funding than most peers.

BF.A

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

0.62

Max: 2.19
Q3: 1.11
Median: 0.68
BF.A: 0.62
Q1: 0.33
Min: 0.00

SJM

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

1.21

Max: 2.19
SJM: 1.21
Q3: 1.11
Median: 0.68
Q1: 0.33
Min: 0.00

Brown-Forman (BF.A) vs. J. M. Smucker (SJM): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Brown-Forman (BF.A) and J. M. Smucker (SJM)
Metric	BF.A	SJM
Current Ratio (MRQ)	3.26	0.87
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.62	1.21
Net Debt / EBITDA	1.80	3.05

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Brown-Forman (BF.A) at 2.89% and J. M. Smucker (SJM) at 3.32% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

BF.A

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

2.89%

Max: 9.38%
Q3: 3.77%
BF.A: 2.89%
Median: 1.76%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

SJM

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

3.32%

Max: 9.38%
Q3: 3.77%
SJM: 3.32%
Median: 1.76%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Brown-Forman (BF.A) vs. J. M. Smucker (SJM): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

J. M. Smucker (SJM) reports payout ratio above 100% at 205.61%, meaning dividends exceeded current-period earnings and sustainability needs extra context. Meanwhile Brown-Forman (BF.A) reports 59.32%, ranking against industry peers normally.

BF.A

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

59.32%

Max: 199.19%
Q3: 81.03%
BF.A: 59.32%
Median: 41.52%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

SJM

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

205.61%

SJM: 205.61%
Max: 199.19%
Q3: 81.03%
Median: 41.52%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Brown-Forman (BF.A) vs. J. M. Smucker (SJM): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Brown-Forman (BF.A) and J. M. Smucker (SJM)
Metric	BF.A	SJM
Dividend Yield (TTM)	2.89%	3.32%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	59.32%	205.61%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Brown-Forman (BF.A) at 20.30 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while J. M. Smucker (SJM) at 61.00 sits above its peer range — an unusually expensive price for SJM’s trailing earnings.

BF.A

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

20.30

Max: 52.52
Q3: 30.78
BF.A: 20.30
Median: 18.76
Q1: 12.77
Min: 4.72

SJM

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

61.00

SJM: 61.00
Max: 52.52
Q3: 30.78
Median: 18.76
Q1: 12.77
Min: 4.72

Brown-Forman (BF.A) vs. J. M. Smucker (SJM): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

J. M. Smucker (SJM) at 1.52 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Brown-Forman (BF.A) at 3.69 sits in the pricier quartile — BF.A costs more per dollar of sales.

BF.A

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

3.69

Max: 4.64
BF.A: 3.69
Q3: 2.27
Median: 1.17
Q1: 0.52
Min: 0.00

SJM

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

1.52

Max: 4.64
Q3: 2.27
SJM: 1.52
Median: 1.17
Q1: 0.52
Min: 0.00

Brown-Forman (BF.A) vs. J. M. Smucker (SJM): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

J. M. Smucker (SJM) at 2.43 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Brown-Forman (BF.A) at 3.64 carries an above-peer premium to book — BF.A is pricier on assets.

BF.A

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

3.64

Max: 6.35
BF.A: 3.64
Q3: 3.07
Median: 1.58
Q1: 0.82
Min: 0.00

SJM

Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group

2.43

Max: 6.35
Q3: 3.07
SJM: 2.43
Median: 1.58
Q1: 0.82
Min: 0.00

Brown-Forman (BF.A) vs. J. M. Smucker (SJM): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Food, Beverage & Tobacco industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Brown-Forman (BF.A) and J. M. Smucker (SJM)
Metric	BF.A	SJM
P/E Ratio (TTM)	20.30	61.00
P/S Ratio (TTM)	3.69	1.52
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	3.64	2.43
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	4.75%	10.50%