US: Fortune Brands Q1 earnings to exceed expectations
By Anne Brockhoff Fortune Brands Inc., the maker of Jim Beam bourbon, told investors on Tuesday that it expects first-quarter earnings to exceed 53 cents a share, the top end of the current range of analyst estimates. Sales of Absolut vodka, which Fortune began distributing in the US last June, and stronger demand for cabinets, tool storage products and Moen faucets, will all contribute to the higher-than-expected earnings, chief executive Norm Wesley said during a presentation to investors in