Is Brown-Forman's Management Up to the Task?

Big investors like Warren Buffett have the clout, time, and resources to evaluate a potential investment's management face to face. You may not have quite such a mighty address book, but that shouldn't stop you from assessing the people in the executive suites.

When sizing up management's mettle, I always start with two simple measures: ownership and returns on invested capital. I want to know whether management has skin in the game, aligning its interests with mine. And I want to learn how well executives have allocated shareholders' hard-earned capital. If management owns a significant stake in the company and can generate value-creating returns on invested capital, I call that a win-win!

Recently, Brown-Forman (NYSE: BF-B  ) and its management team caught my eye. The table below will tell you why:

Company	Insider Ownership	ROIC
Brown-Forman	28.7%	16.7%
Constellation Brands (NYSE: STZ  )	10.9%	3%
Fortune Brands (NYSE: FO  )	0.4%	5.9%

Source: Capital IQ, a division of Standard & Poor's, and author calculations.

Insiders own 29% of the shares outstanding, and returns on invested capital have consistently exceeded 15%. Since the cost of capital for most companies is between 8% and 12%, depending on their capital structure, Brown-Forman is creating value for its shareholders.

Studies also show that competition erodes returns over time. Yet Brown-Forman has generated those impressive returns while vying with Constellation Brands and Fortune Brands. That impressive achievement suggests that management knows what it's doing.

Good execs? Check!
From the data above, it certainly looks like Brown-Forman's management has been creating value for its shareholders. Given its top-notch leadership, I'd suggest you give Brown-Forman a spot on your watch list.