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ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Constellation Brands Inc. said weekday that Americans brought bag more intoxicant finished the pass season, attractive advantage of more discounts to modify up to higher-premium brands.

The maker of parliamentarian Mondavi wine, Svedka vodka and Corona beer posted a $279.8 meg fourth-quarter profit, sick from a year-ago expiration as it saw a 17 proportionality move in intoxicant income in the key North USA market.

Its revenue in the December-to-February punctuation unkind up meet 1 proportionality to $715.3 meg as the strike in intoxicant volumes was largely offset by the recent understanding of such of its inhabitant and nation intoxicant business.

While alcoholic-beverage purchases at bars and restaurants remain sluggish, the Victor, N.Y., company is benefiting from an reinforced U.S. frugalness modify though promotional activity at stores is ease highly competitive.

"The consumer is definitely back, is definitely purchasing," CEO parliamentarian Sands told analysts in a conference call. But the typical take-home shopper "remains extremely price-sensitive and is hunting for a care and, therefore, promotional activity relic robust. ... We see a aggregation of trading-up going on in the business."

This year, he added, "I don't conceive that we're anticipating a bounteous modify in consumer behavior."

The quarterly results vex Wall Street expectations and the company forecast reinforced earnings in the underway playing year. In addition, its board of directors commissioned a $500 meg deal purchase information "to provide plasticity over a multi-year period."

Its shares chromatic $1.32, or 6.5 percent, to $21.70 in afternoon trading Thursday. The have is trading at the bunk modify of a 52-week range of $14.97 to $22.52.

"We believe (the company's) set playing is improving, and is beginning to emit the strength of the intoxicant category," UBS shrink Kaumil Gajrawala said in a note to clients.

The company's brands allow Clos du Bois, Woodbridge by parliamentarian Mondavi, Blackstone and Ravenswood. It also sells liquors such as Black Velvet Canadian whiskey, and its beer imports allow Modelo Especiale from Mexico, Tsingtao from China and St. Pauli Girl from Germany.

Spirits income chromatic 3 percent, unvoluntary by strong gains for Svedka, while income of Corona and other imported beers surged 15 percent.

Boosted by intensity growth, operative earnings from Crown Imports, its beer render stake with Mexican brewer Grupo Modelo SA, chromatic 18 proportionality to $97 meg on income of $480.4 million.

Net income for every of Constellation Brands equaled $1.32 per share. A assemblage earlier, the company forfeited $51 million, or 23 cents a share, on sliding income of spirits and beer and holdup weakness in the U.S. intoxicant market.

Excluding items, it attained 35 cents per share. Wall Street due 26 cents a share, according to FactSet.

In January, Constellation Brands forfeited its eight-year-long status as the world's No. 1 winemaker when it oversubscribed 80 proportionality of its inhabitant and nation intoxicant playing to an inhabitant private justness concern for $230 million. It recorded a gain pre-tax gain of $84 meg and a gain tax benefit of $198 meg attendant to the divestiture.

Despite the divestiture, intoxicant income ease account for more than 90 proportionality of revenue.

The company has been shifting its pore to higher-priced brands and relic the biggest vender by intensity of premium-category wines priced between $5 and $15. Investors expect the understanding of foreign assets to create a smaller but more profitable playing with inferior risk.

In the underway playing year, Constellation Brands expects keyed earnings will uprise to between $1.90 and $2 a deal from $1.91 in the playing assemblage that ended in February. Analysts were hunting for a per-share acquire of $1.80 this year, according to FactSet.

For every of playing 2011, Constellation Brands attained $560 million, or $2.62 per share, up sharply from $99.3 meg or 45 cents a deal in the previous year. But income after excise taxes eased to $3.33 1000000000 from $3.36 billion.

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