AB InBev remains confident after strong Q4 | Progresiv
Anheuser-Busch InBev has offered a confident forecast for the 2019 fiscal year after ending last year with a strong fourth quarter. 
For the three months to 31 December 2018, revenue was up 5.3% to 14.25 billion dollars on an organic basis, with adjusted operating profit up 12.4% to $5.1bn, and underlying net profit up 1.9% to 2.5 billion dollars.
Overall volumes edged up 0.3% for the period on an organic basis, as a 1.2% increase in beer offset a 4.9% slide in non-beer volumes and a 19.1% drop in third-party products volumes.
The results meant full-year revenue was up 4.8% to 54.6 billion dollars on an organic basis, with adjusted operating profit up 9% to $17.8bn, and underlying net profit up 4.7% to 8.6 billion dollars.
Overall volumes edged up 0.3% for the period on an organic basis, with a 0.8% increase in beer and a 3.1% rise in third-party products offsetting a 3.6% decline in non-beer volumes.
AB InBev said it registered market share growth in key countries such as Mexico, China, Colombia, Nigeria, and across Western Europe. Meanwhile, in the US, it achieved its “best market share trend performance since 2012”. However, it continued to face weakness in Argentina, Brazil, and South Africa, while profits were partially hurt by increased commodity costs.
The group also continued to boost its bottomline by delivering an additional 805 million dollars in synergies from its merger with SAB (taking the overall total to 2.9 billion dollars).
For fiscal 2019, AB InBev said it expects to deliver “strong” revenue and EBITDA growth, without offering specific figures. It also expects costs to grow by a slower rate. (www.kamcity.com)
