NEW YORK (CNN/Money) -
How's this for a great recipe for the end of summer?
A glass of Jack Daniel's Tennessee whiskey and a gourmet meal served on Lenox china... just before you depart for a cruise to the Caribbean with your Hartmann luggage?
That, at least, is the dream of executives at 134 year-old consumer goods maker Brown-Forman Corp.
The Louisville, Ky.-based company, most well known for its Jack Daniel's and Southern Comfort brands of whiskey, also owns Korbel champagne and Finlandia vodka and has a sizeable consumer products business that includes the Lenox, Dansk and Gorham lines of tableware as well as Hartmann.
However, while its alcoholic beverage sales are going strong, led by Jack Daniel's market share gains, Brown-Forman's consumer durables business is sagging. In July, the company cautioned that it expects both the Hartmann and Lenox units to continue to face tough times due to the uncertain economic outlook.
And even though Brown-Forman's stock has outperformed the broader market over the past two years, the shares have started to cool in recent months.
So should investors stock up on Brown-Forman (BFB: Research, Estimates), which reported better-than-expected results for the latest quarter Thursday, while its 'spirits' are high, or should they hold off until the excess baggage is sorted out?
Find out what we think in this week's Buy What You Know? »»
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