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Anheuser’s Profit Rises, Helped by Price Increases

Anheuser-Busch, which has agreed to be acquired by a rival Belgian brewery, InBev, reported higher quarterly profit on Wednesday, helped by price increases and the introduction of Bud Light Lime.

The company said that second-quarter profit rose nearly 2 percent to $689 million, or 95 cents a share, from $677 million, or 88 cents a share, a year ago.

Quarterly net sales rose 4.6 percent, to $4.72 billion, as the company sold 43.1 million barrels of beer.

Beer shipments to wholesalers increased 0.5 percent in the quarter. Sales from wholesalers to retailers, a better indicator of consumer demand, rose 0.4 percent.

Anheuser, the No. 1 American brewer, also raised its quarterly dividend 12 percent, to 37 cents a share. It is payable Sept. 9 to shareholders of record on Aug. 11.

Pending antitrust approval, the takeover is expected to be completed at the end of the year.

This month, Anheuser accepted a sweetened $52 billion takeover bid from InBev. The deal will create the world’s largest beer maker and end more than 150 years of independence for Anheuser, which is based in St. Louis. The combined Anheuser-InBev would have annual net sales of $36.4 billion and brew a quarter of the world’s beer.

Anheuser said it planned to raise prices again on most of its domestic portfolio this fall.

written on 25.07.2008 um 02:07.

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