Dive Brief:
- Anheuser-Busch InBev posted a 1.3% rise in organic profit for the third quarter, well below the 7% forecast by analysts.
- The world's largest brewer blamed a slowdown in markets across the globe for the disappointing results, as sales by volume slipped 2.7% globally.
- Particularly troublesome was a drop in sales in Russia and Ukraine caused by ongoing political turmoil, continuing weakness in China, and a decline in the U.S. of wholesaler inventories.
Dive Insight:
There's really not much good news at all in the latest numbers from the maker of Budweiser, Corona,Stella Artois, Beck's, and more.
If anything, the latest results simply make clear just what a侥幸the prior quarter's World Cup-driven 9.5% profit growth was, and will no doubt add to speculation that AB InBev mustbuy another companyquickly.
