Wrap Text
Anheuser-Busch InBev reports fourth quarter and full year 2017 results
Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV
(Incorporated in the Kingdom of Belgium)
Register of Companies Number: 0417.497.106
Euronext Brussels Share Code: ABI
Mexican Stock Exchange Share Code: ANB
NYSE ADS Code: BUD
JSE Share Code: ANH
ISIN: BE0974293251
(“AB InBev” or the “Company”)
The enclosed information constitutes regulated information as defined in the Belgian Royal Decree of 14 November 2007 regarding the duties of issuers
of financial instruments which have been admitted for trading on a regulated market.
Except where otherwise stated, the comments below are based on organic growth figures and refer to 4Q17 versus the same period of last year and
FY17 versus the reference base for the same period of last year. For a description of the reference base and important disclaimers please refer to pages
21 and 22.
Anheuser-Busch InBev reports fourth quarter and full year 2017 results
HIGHLIGHTS
- Revenue: Revenue grew by 5.1% in FY17 and by 8.2% in 4Q17, with revenue per hl growth of 5.1%
in FY17 and 6.6% in 4Q17. On a constant geographic basis, revenue per hl grew by 5.1% in FY17 and
by 6.7% in 4Q17, driven by global premiumization and revenue management initiatives.
- Volume: Total volumes grew by 0.2% in FY17, with own beer volumes up 0.6% and non-beer volumes
down 3.1%. In 4Q17, total volumes increased by 1.6%, with own beer volumes up 2.3% and non-beer
volumes down 3.6%.
- Global Brands: Combined revenues of our three global brands, Budweiser, Stella Artois and Corona,
grew by 9.8% in FY17 and by 17.8% in 4Q17. Outside of their respective home markets, the global
brands grew by 16.8% in FY17 and by 29.0% in 4Q17.
- Cost of Sales (CoS): CoS increased by 2.6% in FY17 and by 2.6% on a per hl basis. On a constant
geographic basis, CoS per hl increased by 3.1% in FY17. In 4Q17, CoS increased by 4.6% and by
3.2% on a per hl basis. On a constant geographic basis, CoS per hl increased by 3.3% in 4Q17.
- EBITDA: EBITDA increased by 13.4% in FY17 to 22 084 million USD, as a result of strong top-line
growth and enhanced by synergy capture. EBITDA margin expanded by 288 bps to 39.1% in FY17. In
4Q17, EBITDA increased by 21.0% to 6 189 million USD with EBITDA margin expansion of 446 bps to
42.4%.
- Net finance results: Net finance costs (excluding non-recurring net finance results) were 5 814 million
USD in FY17 compared to 5 208 million USD in FY16. In 4Q17, net finance costs were 1 559 million
USD compared to 2 037 million USD in 4Q16.
- Income taxes: Income tax in FY17 was 1 920 million USD with a normalized effective tax rate (ETR)
of 22.9%, compared to 1 613 million USD in FY16 and a normalized ETR of 20.9%. In 4Q17, income
tax expense was positive by 568 million USD with a normalized ETR of 32.1%, compared to an income
tax expense of 553 million USD in 4Q16 and a normalized ETR of 28.6%.
- Profit: Normalized profit attributable to equity holders of AB InBev increased by 64.2% on a reported
basis from 4 853 million USD in FY16 to 7 967 million USD in FY17, due to stronger top-line growth
and synergy capture. Normalized profit attributable to equity holders of AB InBev increased by 123.5%
on a reported basis from 919 million USD in 4Q16 to 2 054 million USD in 4Q17.
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- Earnings per share: Normalized earnings per share (EPS) increased by 42.8% on a reported basis
from 2.83 USD in FY16 to 4.04 USD in FY17, and by 141.9% on a reported basis from 0.43 USD in
4Q16 to 1.04 USD in 4Q17.
- Dividend: The AB InBev Board proposes a final dividend of 2.00 EUR per share, subject to shareholder
approval at the AGM on 25 April 2018. When combined with the interim dividend of 1.60 EUR per share
paid in November 2017, the total dividend for FY17 would be 3.60 EUR per share. A timeline showing
the ex-coupon dates, the record dates, and the payment dates can be found on page 19.
- Combination with SAB: The business integration resulted in synergies and cost savings of 1 304
million USD in FY17, of which 381 million USD were delivered in 4Q17. We have now delivered 2 133
million USD of the expected 3.2 billion USD synergies and cost savings on a constant currency basis
as of August 2016.
- 2017 Full Year Financial Report is available on our website at www.ab-inbev.com.
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Figure 1. Consolidated performance (million USD)
FY16 FY16 FY17 Organic
Reported Reference Base growth
Total Volumes (thousand hls) 500 242 615 880 612 572 0.2%
AB InBev own beer 433 925 505 040 507 692 0.6%
Non-beer volumes 61 906 107 583 100 211 -3.1%
Third party products 4 412 3 257 4 669 15.8%
Revenue 45 517 53 942 56 444 5.1%
Gross profit 27 715 32 776 35 058 6.7%
Gross margin 60.9% 60.8% 62.1% 91 bps
Normalized EBITDA 16 753 19 633 22 084 13.4%
Normalized EBITDA margin 36.8% 36.4% 39.1% 288 bps
Normalized EBIT 13 276 15 520 17 814 16.5%
Normalized EBIT margin 29.2% 28.8% 31.6% 313 bps
Profit attributable to equity holders of AB InBev 1 241 7 996
Normalized profit attributable to equity holders of AB InBev 4 853 7 967
Earnings per share (USD) 0.72 4.06
Normalized earnings per share (USD) 2.83 4.04
4Q16 4Q17 Organic
growth
Total Volumes (thousand hls) 159 439 145 977 1.6%
AB InBev own beer 123 975 126 754 2.3%
Non-beer volumes 33 444 17 994 -3.6%
Third party products 2 020 1 228 10.7%
Revenue 14 202 14 600 8.2%
Gross profit 8 795 9 434 10.3%
Gross margin 61.9% 64.6% 121 bps
Normalized EBITDA 5 248 6 189 21.0%
Normalized EBITDA margin 37.0% 42.4% 446 bps
Normalized EBIT 4 148 5 073 26.3%
Normalized EBIT margin 29.2% 34.7% 501 bps
Profit attributable to equity holders of AB InBev 400 3 037
Normalized profit attributable to equity holders of AB InBev 919 2 054
Earnings per share (USD) 0.21 1.54
Normalized earnings per share (USD) 0.43 1.04
Figure 2. Volumes (thousand hls)
FY16 Scope Organic FY17 Organic growth
Reference growth Total Own beer
Base Volume volume
North America 116 890 423 -3 817 113 496 -3.3% -3.4%
Latin America West 108 995 - 98 1 729 110 625 1.6% 1.7%
Latin America North 119 757 - 25 - 358 119 374 -0.3% 1.6%
Latin America South 32 158 - 1 904 34 062 5.9% 8.4%
EMEA 134 821 -4 157 1 027 131 692 0.9% 2.3%
Asia Pacific 101 320 148 518 101 986 0.5% 0.3%
Global Export and Holding Companies 1 939 - 673 70 1 336 5.5% 5.5%
AB InBev Worldwide 615 880 -4 382 1 073 612 572 0.2% 0.6%
4Q16 Scope Organic 4Q17 Organic growth
growth Total Own beer
Volume volume
North America 26 539 75 - 383 26 231 -1.4% -1.5%
Latin America West 29 309 - 27 143 29 425 0.5% 1.0%
Latin America North 33 888 - 26 1 019 34 881 3.0% 5.8%
Latin America South 9 861 - 571 10 432 5.8% 7.0%
EMEA 41 204 -15 837 871 26 238 3.4% 4.4%
Asia Pacific 18 055 258 68 18 381 0.4% 0.2%
Global Export and Holding Companies 582 - 163 -31 388 -7.3% -7.3%
AB InBev Worldwide 159 439 -15 721 2 259 145 977 1.6% 2.3%
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MANAGEMENT COMMENTS
2017 was a transformative year for our company. We are well on our way to achieving our most successful
business integration ever and we delivered the best performance in three years. Our reshaped brand
portfolio is rising to every occasion to capture future growth.
Realizing the best of both worlds
The combination with SAB has exceeded our expectations. We have incorporated the best of both
companies by bringing together world-class talent, integrating best practices and deepening our
understanding of consumers and occasions across all markets.
Cost synergies are not only greater than originally expected, but they are also being delivered at a faster
pace. Revenue synergies, although not externally quantified, are well underway through the successful
launch of our global brands into new territories, among other activities.
We have also adopted a new way of looking at the beer category that recognizes different market maturities
and the role of brand portfolios in driving category growth. As we look forward, we are excited about the
growth opportunities in our expanded footprint for both developed and developing markets.
The combination has created something greater than the sum of its parts. This has only been possible
through our Dream-People-Culture platform, which has driven us in the past and will continue to drive
performance for the next 100+ years.
Achieving strong performance
For the five years ending 2017, our revenue CAGR of 4.6% exceeded that of all our global FMCG peers.
The structural change in our global footprint resulting from the combination with SAB positions us towards
higher growth markets, as evidenced by the accelerated momentum in 2017, with revenue growth of 5.1%.
The Chart relating to Organic Net Revenue Growth (5-year CAGR from 2012 FY to 2017 FY) can be viewed on
the Company's website.
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In addition to the synergy capture from one of the largest business combinations in history, we rebounded
in Brazil and continued to reshape the portfolio in the US in order to reach consumers in more occasions.
We achieved 5.1% revenue growth, up from 2.4% in 2016, and 13.4% EBITDA growth, up from -0.1% in
2016.
Our 2017 financial performance was our best in the past three years:
- We grew top-line in many of our new and established markets. Gaining momentum throughout
the year, we delivered particularly strong results in the fourth quarter. Our three global brands
led the way, with 2017 revenue growing by a combined 9.8%. Budweiser grew its global
revenue by 4.1% and remains the world’s most valuable beer brand according to
BrandZ™. According to Plato Logic in 2017, Budweiser extended its lead as the #1 beer brand
in ex-domestic sales volumes. Stella Artois continued its long-term growth trajectory, with
revenue up 12.8% driven by sales in North America, repatriation in Australia and its entry into
South Africa and other new markets. Corona grew its revenue by 19.9% globally, led by Mexico,
China, Australia and Argentina.
- We grew profitability in our two largest markets. In the US, EBITDA was up by 1.9%, and
Michelob Ultra remains the biggest share gainer in the country for the 11th straight quarter. We
continue to develop our high end brands while working closely with our wholesaler partners to
grow our total portfolio. We know we have work to do in the US to balance the share and
profitability equation and we remain committed to improving our share performance. In Brazil,
despite the challenging macroeconomic conditions, we outgrew the industry, with beer volumes
up by 0.7%. Strong revenue per hl growth of 6.2% supported our top-line and was enhanced
by our premium portfolio, which grew volumes by double-digits. In 2H17, EBITDA grew by
20.4%, rebounding from a -19.7% decline in 1H17, finishing the year up 1.7%.
- Deleveraging to around 2x remains our commitment. We are tracking in line with our internal
deleveraging targets, and we will prioritize debt repayment in order to meet this objective. Our
Net Debt to EBITDA ratio decreased from 5.5x on a reported basis in 2016 to 4.8x in 2017, or
4.7x when adjusted for the closing of pending disposals and the foreign exchange time
mismatch between the balance sheet and P&L translation. We will continue to proactively
manage our debt portfolio, of which 93% holds a fixed-interest rate, 42% is denominated in
currencies other than USD, and maturities are well-distributed across the next several years.
Our cash flow from operating activities increased by 52.6% from 10.1 billion USD in 2016 to
15.4 billion USD in 2017. In addition, we maintained over 20 billion USD in cash and revolving
credit facility liquidity.
Delivering top-line growth
Delivering consistent, profitable top-line growth remains our number one priority. We are building a
company to last, brewing beers that will continue to bring people together across generations and
communities.
Our portfolio now offers more than 500 brands and seven of the top 10 most valuable beer brands
worldwide, according to BrandZ™. Nineteen of our brands generate more than 1 billion USD in retail sales
annually. We distribute our beers to more than 100 countries, offering consumers a choice for every
occasion.
This scale, combined with the strength of our brands and the depth of our talent, allows us to use new
disruptive technologies to listen to and reach consumers with multiple platforms. ZX Ventures, our global
growth and innovation group, identifies exciting opportunities to pilot new products, channels, occasions
and retail experiences to offer more choice to consumers with the same great quality.
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By combining a deep understanding of different market maturities with analysis of changing consumer
habits and trends, we define the optimal portfolio for any market to drive long-term growth. Western Europe
and Australia are good examples of how the optimal portfolio – whether as an industry leader or as a
challenger – can become the source of consistent, profitable revenue growth, even in developed markets.
Driving long term category health and growth
We are a truly global brewer, embedded in communities around the world. We take our responsibility for
industry stewardship very seriously. We are brewers at heart – in 2017 our beers received 191 awards
globally, more than any other brewer. The natural ingredients that go into beer, combined with the humble,
but complex, craft of brewing, gives beer an advantage over other alcohol categories. Our passion for beer
and brewing heritage, united with our global footprint and our talented colleagues, positions us well to drive
category growth.
Our commercial priorities are as follows:
- Expand global brands: We continue to leverage the potential of our global brands by expanding
into new markets such as South Africa, Colombia and Australia. These brands are also addressing
consumer demand for premium and super premium choices. In 2017, we grew revenue of
Budweiser, Stella Artois and Corona by 4.1%, 12.8% and 19.9%, respectively, for a combined total
growth rate of 9.8%. Outside of their home markets, we grew our global brands by 16.8%.
- Premiumize and invigorate beer: We are bringing new vigor and energy to consumers’ experience
with beer and expanded options. Our High End Company, a business unit made up of our global,
specialty and craft brands, is now established in 22 markets that account for approximately 70% of
the High End opportunity worldwide. Our specialized teams are dedicated to accelerating our
growth rate versus historical performance with revenue of 4.6 billion USD in 2017 and 25.8% growth
versus 2016. We are also gaining share in virtually all relevant beer types and we introduced new
variants of our core brands to increase consumers’ beer choices.
- Elevate core lager: We employ a number of strategies to reinforce the quality heritage of core lager,
including leveraging social media, sponsoring events, using differentiated messaging and
developing unique packaging. Our goal is always to convey the unique character and quality of our
brands and connect with beer drinkers.
- Create new consumer experiences and occasions: To further develop the beer category, we have
broadened our approach beyond near beer products. We continue to respond to consumers’ desire
for more balanced lifestyles by increasing our selection of no- and low-alcohol beer products
(NABLAB) and near beer options that go well with a variety of experiences and occasions. Several
of these brands also support our Global Smart Drinking Goals to have NABLAB represent 20% of
our global beer volumes by 2025. In addition, we are creating new experiences and occasions that
bring people together and make beer more relevant.
Contributing to a better world
For centuries, the experience of sharing a beer has brought people and cultures together. Even in our
hyper-connected, always-on world, this simple act is as powerful today as it was generations ago.
To brew the highest-quality beers, we need a sustainable environment and thriving communities.
Sustainability is not just related to our business, it is our business. Consumers increasingly demand a
commitment to sustainability from the brands they purchase.
In 2018, we will announce a set of ambitious Sustainability Goals, which will include: clean energy, smart
agriculture, water conservation, recyclable packaging as well as safer workplaces and communities. We
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are investing in these goals globally and locally. Already in 2017, we committed to sourcing 100% of our
purchased electricity from renewable energy sources by 2025.
Smart drinking and road safety are equally critical to our future. As part of our commitment to make every
experience with beer positive and empower consumers to make smart choices, we are expanding our
portfolio of no- and low-alcohol beer products. To promote road safety and reduce the harmful use of
alcohol, we are continuing our focus on city pilots around the world, in partnership with local governments,
multilateral organizations, NGOs and other companies. We are also expanding programs such as the
Budweiser and Lyft ride share collaboration.
As a company of owners, we keep an entrepreneurial mindset and take performance personally. We not
only seek out opportunity in our own business, but also support growth among our partners and
communities for the long term. Knowing that brewing has sustained livelihoods and driven economic growth
for centuries, we have developed programs to support the economies of our communities, including our
SmartBarley program that helps local farmers increase crop quality and yields.
It is our Dream to Bring People Together for a Better World. As a category leader, it is our responsibility to
set the standard. Even as we celebrate our progress, we are never completely satisfied with our results.
For instance, we are committed to creating a more diverse workforce to benefit from a broader range of
perspectives. We are also committed to growing our business the right way. Integrity and ethics are
embedded in our company culture, and it is our expectation that all of our nearly 200,000 colleagues act
with the highest ethical standards.
Continuing our journey
As the world’s leading brewer, we take responsibility for the health and growth of the global beer category.
We are using our industry leading analytics, insights and brands to understand and address the evolving
needs of consumers around the world.
Our geographic diversity limits our dependence and exposure to any one region, and our global footprint
positions us for sustainable long-term growth. Furthermore, our robust portfolio of award-winning local,
regional and global brands, combined with continuous innovation, allows us to expand our offerings to
consumers across a broad range of occasions.
In the past year, as our integration with SAB has successfully progressed, our colleagues have amazed us
by humbly adopting and embracing what we like to call the “best of both” in everything we do across our
company. We have always been a company of owners, and we take results personally as we constantly
drive toward a better future. While we delivered solid results in 2017, this is only the beginning of our
combined company’s journey for the next 100 years and beyond.
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2018 OUTLOOK
(i) Overall Performance: While recognizing volatility in some of our key markets, we expect to continue
to deliver strong Revenue and EBITDA growth in FY18, driven by the solid performance of our brand
portfolio and strong commercial plans. Our growth model is now far more focused on category
development, and as a consequence, we expect to deliver net revenue per hl growth ahead of
inflation based on premiumization and revenue management initiatives, while keeping costs below
inflation. We expect a softer 1Q18 as a result of a tough comparable and the phasing of sales and
marketing initiatives, but are confident that growth will accelerate for the balance of the year.
(ii) Synergies: We maintain our 3.2 billion USD synergy and cost savings expectation on a constant
currency basis as of August 2016. From this total, 547 million USD was reported by former SAB as
of 31 March 2016, and 1 586 million USD was captured between 1 April 2016 and 31 December
2017. The balance of just over 1 billion USD is expected to be captured in the next two to three years.
(iii) Net Finance Costs: We expect the average net debt coupon in FY18 to be around 3.7%. Net pension
interest expenses and accretion expenses are expected to be approximately 30 and 100 million USD
per quarter, respectively. Other financial results will continue to be impacted by any gains and losses
related to the hedging of our share-based payment programs.
(iv) Effective Tax Rate: We expect the normalized ETR in FY18 to be in the range of 24% to 26%,
excluding any potential gains or losses on the hedging of our share-based payment programs. This
guidance includes the impact of the US tax reform which introduces a lower US corporate tax rate,
offset by a broader tax base and new limitations on certain business deductions. The ETR guidance
is based upon available interpretation of the US tax reform act and may change as the company
receives additional clarification and implementation guidance.
(v) Net Capital Expenditure: We expect net capital expenditure of between 4.0 and 4.5 billion USD in
FY18.
(vi) Debt: Approximately 42% of our gross debt is denominated in currencies other than the US dollar,
principally the euro. Our optimal capital structure remains a net debt to EBITDA ratio of around 2x.
(vii) Dividends: We continue to expect dividends to be a growing flow over time, although growth in the
short term is expected to be modest given the importance of deleveraging.
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BUSINESS REVIEW
United States
We estimate that industry Sales-to-Retailers (STRs) in the United States declined by 1.3% in FY17 and by
1.4% in 4Q17 on a selling-day adjusted basis. Our own STRs were down 3.0% in the full year and down
2.6% in 4Q17 also on a selling-day adjusted basis, while our Sales-to-Wholesales (STWs) were down 3.5%
in FY17 and down 1.5% in 4Q17. Our STWs caught-up in the fourth quarter from last quarter’s disruption
caused by major hurricanes, in line with our expectation that STRs (down 3.3% on a non-adjusted basis)
and STWs converge over time. Our revenues, which are based on our STWs, decreased by 2.0% in FY17
and grew by 0.5% in 4Q17. Revenue per hl grew by 1.5% in FY17 and by 2.1% in 4Q17 driven by revenue
management initiatives as well as brand mix.
Our Above Premium brand portfolio had a strong year, gaining 45 bps of share in FY17 and accelerating
its share gains in the fourth quarter, up 60 bps. Michelob Ultra led the growth in this segment, with volumes
up by double-digits, continuing its run as the top share gainer in the US for the eleventh consecutive quarter.
We continue to fuel the momentum behind Michelob Ultra, with two spots in last month’s Super Bowl
highlighting the balance between fit and fun, and we have recently launched a new line extension named
Pure Gold, which is brewed with organic grains. Stella Artois had a solid year as well, gaining share each
quarter and continuing to build on its partnership with Water.org to provide clean water to millions of people
in the developing world. Our regional craft portfolio also performed well this year, growing volume and
share.
In the Premium and Premium Light segments, we underperformed the industry. Budweiser lost 40 bps in
the full year and 35 bps in the fourth quarter, while Bud Light lost 85 bps of share in both the full year and
the fourth quarter.
Budweiser saw improved brand health and consideration trends, as it amplified key cultural moments
throughout the year. We launched the 1933 Repeal Reserve in the fourth quarter, which was positioned as
an Above Premium brand and sold out in less than four weeks. We will leverage this momentum in 2018,
solidifying Budweiser’s position as the “Great American Lager” with a focus on quality, while continuing to
build on the successful America platform and scaling up on sports and food occasions.
While we continue to face challenges on Bud Light, we are seeing some encouraging signs. In the second
half of 2017, the brand was prevalent across US pop-culture with its highly popular “Dilly-Dilly” campaign,
making it the leading beer in social conversation in 4Q17 and solidifying the brand’s “Famous Among
Friends” positioning. Heading into 2018, we will continue to leverage the popularity of the campaign,
augmenting it with quality messaging and innovation. We will continue to enhance our hyper-local
execution, building on our learnings from key test markets in 2017. We remain committed and focused on
stabilizing Bud Light within its segment and improving its volume performance.
Our Value brand portfolio showed improved trends this year, with the Busch brand family and Bud Ice
leading the way.
We continue to strengthen and expand our presence beyond traditional beer, with our recent bets in the
non-alcohol space and SpikedSeltzer gaining momentum, as we leverage our strong wholesaler network
to meet evolving consumer needs.
Overall, we estimate a decline in total market share of approximately 75 bps in FY17 and 55 bps in 4Q17,
demonstrating sequential improvement in trend since the second quarter of this year. Our premiumization
strategy, continued optimization of our commercial investments while maintaining share of voice, and
disciplined cost management enabled full year EBITDA growth of 1.9% with margin expansion of 159 bps
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to 41.2% and 4Q17 EBITDA growth of 6.1% with margin expansion of 213 bps to 39.9%. We also delivered
expansion of our gross profit margin for the eighth straight year, which grew by 66 bps to 61.4%.
We are not satisfied with our market share performance and are working hard to balance the share and
profitability equation. We will continue to focus on expanding and reshaping our portfolio of brands to meet
consumer needs across a wide spectrum of occasions. We believe we have the talent, brands and
resources in place to improve our share trends while maintaining profitability.
Mexico
Our business delivered another solid year in Mexico, with volumes up mid-single digits, revenues up high
single digits, and revenue per hl growth of mid-single digits.
Our full brand portfolio performed well throughout the year. Victoria built upon its strong momentum, driven
by the ongoing success of its Mexican heritage positioning. Corona also performed well, enhancing its
customer proposition through an improved brand look as well as by owning key dates and passion points.
Bud Light continued to grow volumes throughout the country, leveraging successful sports and music
activations. We also saw success from our premium portfolio, with Michelob Ultra and Stella Artois leading
the way.
EBITDA grew by 9.3% in FY17, with no change to the EBITDA margin of 43.5%. Strong top-line growth and
continued premiumization was partially offset by operating leverage constraints. These included the impact
of currency devaluation on our CoS, and elevated distribution costs caused by the combined effect of an
increase in fuel costs at the beginning of the year and pressure on the production grid to meet regional and
global demand. In 4Q17, EBITDA grew by 9.1% with margin expansion of 57 bps to 45.7%.
Colombia
Our revenue grew by 4.5% in FY17 with revenue per hl up 7.3%, benefitting from improved brand mix driven
by continued rapid growth of our global brands, especially Corona. In 4Q17, revenue grew by 10.8% with
revenue per hl improvement of 12.6%.
Our non-beer volumes performed very well, growing by 10.3% in the year and 2.1% in the quarter as a
result of commercial initiatives and a favorable comparable. Our beer volumes declined by 4.2% in the year
due to a challenging macroeconomic environment and tough comparable in 1H17. In 4Q17, beer volumes
declined by 2.0% and we estimate that the beer category gained a further 160 bps share of total alcohol.
Our EBITDA in Colombia grew by 13.1% in FY17, with almost 400 bps of margin expansion. This result
was driven by top-line growth and synergy capture, partially offset by increased SG&A largely due to
investments behind our global brand portfolio. In 4Q17, EBITDA grew by 34.2% with margin expansion of
1000 bps.
Brazil
Our business in Brazil recovered well throughout the year and delivered its strongest results in the fourth
quarter. Revenue grew by 5.6% in FY17, with revenue per hl growth of 6.2%. Our total volumes decreased
by 0.6% in FY17, with beer volumes up 0.7% whereas the beer industry was slightly negative, and with soft
drinks volumes down 4.3%. In 4Q17, revenue increased by 13.3%, with revenue per hl growth of 10.1%
benefitting from revenue management initiatives. Volumes were up 2.9%, with beer volume growth of 5.1%
and soft drink volume declines of 3.7%.
Our premium portfolio continued broad-based, double-digit growth this year fueled by our three global
brands, especially Budweiser.
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Brazil grew full year EBITDA by 1.7% with margin contraction of 168 bps to 43.1%. In 2H17, EBITDA grew
by 20.4%, rebounding from a 19.7% decline in 1H17. In 4Q17, EBITDA grew by 23.7%, with margin
expansion of 430 bps to 51.6%.
The macroeconomic climate in Brazil remains volatile, and we expect a difficult first quarter as a result of
an earlier Carnival and poor weather given lower temperatures and high rainfall. However, we believe our
business is in a much better position today, with a healthy portfolio of brands, including our premium brands,
and we have the commercial plans in place to further accelerate EBITDA growth, even if industry headwinds
persist. We continue to build our business for the long term, and will evolve our strategy to further develop
the health of the beer category in a sustainable way.
South Africa
Our beer revenues in South Africa grew by 6.0% in FY17, with revenue per hl growth of 5.0% and volume
growth of 0.9%. In the fourth quarter we saw a more muted performance, with beer revenues up 2.7%,
revenue per hl growth of 4.6% and volume declines of 1.8%, driven by challenging market conditions.
Our high end portfolio, led by Stella Artois, Corona and the recent seeding of Budweiser, showed consistent
growth in volumes and market share gains throughout FY17, finishing the year with triple-digit growth. In
the near beer segment, Flying Fish recorded over 60% growth during FY17. In the core plus segment,
Castle Lite had another year of consistent growth.
Continuously investing in innovation, we introduced several new packages and products this year. Some
especially noteworthy launches in 4Q17 include the one liter bottle, which establishes a new multi-serve
pack size at an attractive price point within the core brand segment, and Castle Free, enabling us to
compete in the non-alcohol beer segment with exciting implications for the image and health of the beer
category.
EBITDA grew by 21.1% this year with margin expansion of over 600 bps, with top-line growth in the beer
business enhanced by revenue and cost synergy capture. In 4Q17, EBITDA grew by 22.1% with margin
expansion of more than 800 bps.
China
Revenue in China grew by 7.3% in FY17 with continued premiumization driving 6.2% revenue per hl growth
and volume growth of 1.1%. In 4Q17, revenue growth of 6.6% was driven by strong revenue per hl growth
of 8.7%, partially offset by volume declines of 1.9% due to industry weakness.
Market share grew in an industry that declined by an estimated 0.9% for FY17 and by 3.4% in 4Q17. Our
brand portfolio again benefited from strong consumer preference for premium brands. In the core plus
segment, Harbin Ice outperformed the industry nationally, aided by the Baipi wheat extension. Budweiser
also grew nationally in FY17 with some notable successes this year, including establishing itself as the
leading beer brand in sales in e-commerce. Our super premium portfolio, led by Corona, Hoegaarden, and
Franziskaner, accelerated its growth throughout the year, with volumes almost doubling versus last year,
and we are now the market leader in all super premium beer styles in China.
EBITDA grew by 34.7% in FY17 with margin expansion of 591 bps to 28.9% with premiumization driving
top-line growth. In 4Q17, EBITDA resumed healthy year-over-year growth.
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Highlights from our other markets
The challenging industry environment in Canada continued into 4Q17, but our stable market share and
revenue per hl growth allowed us to deliver topline growth in FY17. We are now the market leader in every
category segment in the country. Bud Light remains the fastest growing brand in Canada, completing its
22nd consecutive year of market share growth. Our portfolio mix continues to improve, bolstered by growth
in our craft portfolio and Stella Artois, and we continue to lead the Near Beer segment with our cider brands
and ready-to-drink innovations.
Peru ended the year with revenue growth of 7.3% and volumes up by 0.4%. We successfully executed our
brands’ commercial plans, with Cristal leveraging a key cultural moment by capitalizing on the country’s
World Cup qualification. In Ecuador, revenues grew by 6.7% with volumes up by 0.8% in FY17. Through
packaging innovations as well as the launch of our three global brands, we gained share of total alcohol
this year and offered consumers more choice across a variety of price points.
Argentina delivered a very strong performance this year, with revenue growth of 41.4% and volume growth
of 7.5%. Our beer business in Argentina grew by double-digits, fueled by the repositioning of Brahma as
well as the successful launch of Quilmes Clásica, brewed using a classic recipe with no additives and
focusing on national pride. Our premium portfolio, led by Stella Artois, Corona and local craft brand
Patagonia, accelerated its growth and fueled positive mix. Our soft drink portfolio also performed well as a
result of a new commercial and portfolio strategy, growing volumes and achieving its best result in more
than six years.
Within EMEA, Western Europe performed very well, growing top-line by high single digits and achieving
market share gains in the majority of our markets. The UK finished the year delivering double-digit
top-line growth, helped in large part by the strong performances of our three global brands. In Eastern
Europe, revenues declined by low single digits this year driven by the ongoing headwind of the large PET
ban in Russia affecting the total industry. However, our global and premium brands performed well
throughout the year. In Africa excluding South Africa, our own beer volumes grew in the mid-teens this
year. Our own beer volumes grew double digit in the majority of the countries in which we operate, including
Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, as we continue to expand our offerings to consumers through both
affordability and premiumization strategies.
Australia grew revenue by low double-digits this year, as a result of several strong brand performances
across our portfolio. The Great Northern franchise became our number one brand in Australia by volume
this year as we continue to fuel growth by addressing shifting consumer preferences. We also expanded
our craft portfolio through the introduction of Goose Island from the US and the acquisitions of 4 Pines and
Pirate Life. Our global brands accelerated their growth throughout the year with volumes up in the mid-
teens, driven by distribution gains as well as commercial activations.
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CONSOLIDATED INCOME STATEMENT
Figure 3. Consolidated income statement (million USD)
FY16 FY16 FY17 Organic
Reported Reference Base growth
Revenue 45 517 53 942 56 444 5.1%
Cost of sales -17 803 -21 166 -21 386 -2.6%
Gross profit 27 715 32 776 35 058 6.7%
SG&A -15 171 -18 111 -18 099 1.6%
Other operating income/(expenses) 732 855 854 7.6%
Normalized profit from operations (normalized EBIT) 13 276 15 520 17 814 16.5%
Non-recurring items above EBIT - 394 - 662
Net finance income/(cost) -5 208 -5 814
Non-recurring net finance income/(cost) -3 356 - 693
Share of results of associates 16 430
Income tax expense -1 613 -1 920
Profit from continuing operations 2 721 9 155
Discontinued operations results 48 28
Profit 2 769 9 183
Profit attributable to non-controlling interest 1 528 1 187
Profit attributable to equity holders of AB InBev 1 241 7 996
Normalized EBITDA 16 753 19 633 22 084 13.4%
Normalized profit attributable to equity
holders of AB InBev 4 853 7 967
4Q16 4Q17 Organic
growth
Revenue 14 202 14 600 8.2%
Cost of sales -5 407 -5 166 -4.6%
Gross profit 8 795 9 434 10.3%
SG&A -4 811 -4 668 0.4%
Other operating income/(expenses) 163 307 122.9%
Normalized profit from operations (normalized EBIT) 4 148 5 073 26.3%
Non-recurring items above EBIT -117 -201
Net finance income/(cost) -2 037 -1 559
Non-recurring net finance income/(cost) - 510 - 658
Share of results of associates 10 217
Income tax expense - 553 568
Profit from continuing operations 941 3 441
Discontinued operations results 48 -
Profit 989 3 441
Profit attributable to non-controlling interest 589 404
Profit attributable to equity holders of AB InBev 400 3 037
Normalized EBITDA 5 248 6 189 21.0%
Normalized profit attributable to equity
holders of AB InBev 919 2 054
Revenue
Consolidated revenue grew by 5.1% in FY17, with revenue per hl growth of 5.1%. This result was driven
by our revenue management initiatives and brand mix, as we continue to implement our premiumization
strategies around the world. On a constant geographic basis, revenue per hl grew by 5.1%. In 4Q17,
revenue grew by 8.2% with revenue per hl growth of 6.6%. On a constant geographic basis revenue per hl
grew by 6.7%.
Cost of Sales (CoS)
Total CoS increased by 2.6% in FY17, and also by 2.6% on a per hl basis. This increase was driven primarily
by unfavorable transactional foreign exchange impacts, partially offset by synergy capture. On a constant
geographic basis, CoS per hl increased by 3.1% in FY17. In 4Q17, CoS increased by 4.6%, with a CoS per
hl increase of 3.2%, and 3.3% on a constant geographic basis.
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Selling, General & Administrative Expenses (SG&A)
SG&A expenses decreased by 1.6% in FY17, with incremental investments behind our global brands and
premium portfolio more than offset by synergy capture and optimization of our commercial investments. In
4Q17, SG&A expenses decreased by 0.4%.
Other operating income
Other operating income grew by 7.6% in FY17 due to the sale of non-core assets and a reduction in
operating expenses, and increased by 122.9% in 4Q17, due to phasing of government grants in China and
Brazil.
Non-recurring items above EBIT
Figure 4. Non-recurring items above EBIT (million USD)
4Q16 4Q17 FY16 FY17
Restructuring - 231 - 61 - 323 - 468
Acquisition costs / Business combinations - 265 - 112 - 448 - 155
Business and asset disposal (including impairment losses) 379 - 28 377 - 39
Impact on profit from operations - 117 - 201 - 394 - 662
Normalized profit from operations excludes negative non-recurring items of 662 million USD in FY17 and
201 million in 4Q17, primarily due to restructuring costs as well as costs related to the combination with
SAB.
Net finance income/(cost)
Figure 5. Net finance income/(cost) (million USD)
4Q16 4Q17 FY16 FY17
Net interest expense -1 091 - 949 -3 519 -4 005
Net interest on net defined benefit liabilities - 30 - 19 - 113 - 101
Accretion expense - 242 - 162 - 648 - 614
Other financial results - 674 - 429 - 928 -1 094
Net finance income/(cost) -2 037 -1 559 -5 208 -5 814
Net finance costs (excluding non-recurring net finance costs) were 5 814 million USD in FY17 compared
to 5 208 million USD in FY16. This increase was primarily driven by the annualization impact of the
additional debt related to the SAB combination as well as the legacy SAB debt. Other financial results in
FY17 include net losses on hedging instruments, foreign exchange losses, and a negative mark-to-market
adjustment of 291 million USD linked to the hedging of our share-based payment programs compared to a
loss of 384 million USD in FY16.
Net finance costs in 4Q17 include a negative mark-to-market adjustment of 397 million USD, linked to the
hedging of our share-based payment programs, compared to a negative mark-to-market adjustment of 633
million USD in 4Q16.
The number of shares covered by the hedging of our share-based payment programs, and the opening and
closing share prices, are shown in figure 6 below.
Figure 6. Share-based payment hedge
4Q16 4Q17 FY16 FY17
Share price at the start of the period (Euro) 116.60 101.30 114.40 100.55
Share price at the end of the period (Euro) 100.55 93.13 100.55 93.13
Number of equity derivative instruments at the end of the period (millions) 53.5 46.9 53.5 46.9
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Non-recurring net finance income/(cost)
Figure 7. Non-recurring net finance income/(cost) (million USD)
4Q16 4Q17 FY16 FY17
Mark-to-market (Grupo Modelo deferred share instrument) - 428 - 188 - 304 - 146
Mark-to-market (Portion of the FX hedging of the purchase price of the combination with SAB
266 - -2 693 -
that did not qualify for hedge accounting)
Other mark-to-market - 237 - 182 39 - 142
Other - 111 - 288 - 398 - 405
Non-recurring net finance income/(cost) - 510 - 658 -3 356 - 693
Non-recurring net finance costs were 693 million USD in FY17 compared to 3 356 million USD in FY16.
Non-recurring net finance costs in FY16 include a negative mark-to-market adjustment of 2 693 million
USD, related to the portion of the FX hedging of the purchase price of the combination with SAB that did
not qualify for hedge accounting under IFRS rules.
The FY17 result also includes mark-to-market losses on derivative instruments entered into to hedge the
deferred share instrument issued in a transaction related to the combination with Grupo Modelo of 146
million USD, and derivative instruments entered into to hedge part of the restricted shares issued in relation
to the combination with SAB of 142 million USD. The number of shares covered by the hedging of the
deferred share instrument and the restricted shares are shown in figure 8, together with the opening and
closing share prices.
Other non-recurring net finance costs of 405 million USD in FY17 mainly relate to non-cash foreign
exchange translation losses on intragroup loans that were historically reported in equity and were recycled
to profit and loss account, upon the reimbursement of these loans.
In 4Q17, non-recurring net finance costs were 658 million USD compared to 510 million USD in 4Q16.
Figure 8. Non-recurring equity derivative instruments
4Q16 4Q17 FY16 FY17
Share price at the start of the period (Euro) 116.60 101.30 114.40 100.55
Share price at the end of the period (Euro) 100.55 93.13 100.55 93.13
Number of equity derivative instruments at the end of the period (millions) 38.1 45.5 38.1 45.5
Income tax expense
Figure 9. Income tax expense (million USD)
4Q16 4Q17 FY16 FY17
Income tax expense 553 - 568 1 613 1 920
Effective tax rate 37.3% -21.4% 37.4% 18.0%
Normalized effective tax rate 28.6% 32.1% 20.9% 22.9%
Income tax expense in FY17 was 1 920 million USD, compared to an income tax expense of 1 613 million
USD in FY16. The normalized effective tax rate for FY17 reached 22.9% compared to 20.9% in FY16.
Income tax expense in 4Q17 was positive by 568 million USD with a normalized effective tax rate (ETR) of
32.1%, compared to an income tax expense of 553 million USD in 4Q16 and a normalized ETR of 28.6%.
The increase in the normalized ETR resulted from a higher profit during 4Q17 and the timing of certain
deductions during the year.
The 4Q17 income tax expense was positively impacted by a 1.8 billion USD adjustment following the US
tax reform enacted on 22 December 2017. This 1.8 billion USD adjustment results mainly from the
remeasurement of the deferred tax liabilities set up in 2008 in line with IFRS as part of the purchase price
accounting of the combination with Anheuser-Busch following the change in federal tax rate from 35% to
21%. The adjustment represents the company’s current best estimate of the deferred tax liability
remeasurement resulting from the US tax reform and is recognized as a non-recurring gain per 31
December 2017. The estimate will be updated in 2018 once the company will have analyzed all necessary
information to complete the exhaustive computation.
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Normalized Profit and Profit
Figure 10. Normalized Profit attribution to equity holders of AB InBev (million USD)
4Q16 4Q17 FY16 FY17
Profit attributable to equity holders of AB InBev 400 3 037 1 241 7 996
Non-recurring items, before taxes 117 201 394 662
Non-recurring finance (income)/cost, before taxes 510 658 3 356 693
Non-recurring taxes - 51 -1 697 - 77 - 830
Non-recurring non-controlling interest -9 - 145 - 13 - 526
Profit from discontinued operations - 48 - - 48 - 28
Normalized profit attributable to equity holders of AB InBev 919 2 054 4 853 7 967
Normalized profit attributable to equity holders of AB InBev was 7 967 million USD in FY17, compared to 4
853 million USD in FY16. Normalized profit attributable to equity holders of AB InBev increased to 2 054
million USD in 4Q17 from 919 million USD in 4Q16, which was mainly driven by an organic increase in
EBITDA, and lower net finance results partly offset by higher income taxes.
Normalized and Basic EPS
Figure 11. Earnings per share (USD)
4Q16 4Q17 FY16 FY17
Basic earnings per share 0.21 1.54 0.72 4.06
Non-recurring items, before taxes 0.06 0.10 0.23 0.34
Non-recurring finance (income)/cost, before taxes 0.23 0.33 1.96 0.35
Non-recurring taxes -0.03 -0.86 -0.04 -0.42
Non-recurring non-controlling interest -0.01 -0.07 -0.01 -0.27
Profit from discontinued operations -0.03 - -0.03 -0.01
Normalized earnings per share 0.43 1.04 2.83 4.04
Basic earnings per share increased from 0.72 USD in FY16 to 4.06 USD in FY17. The FY17 basic earnings
per share benefitted from a one-time deferred tax remeasurement following the US tax reform, partially
offset by the impact of the Brazilian Federal Tax Regularization Program entered into by Ambev. The FY16
basic earnings per share were negatively impacted by losses on foreign exchange hedges related to the
SAB combination that did not qualify for hedge accounting.
Normalized earnings per share (EPS) increased by 42.8% on a reported basis from 2.83 USD in FY16 to
4.04 USD in FY17, and by 141.9% on a reported basis from 0.43 USD in 4Q16 to 1.04 USD in 4Q17. This
is primarily due to the increased profit in FY17 and the pre-funding of the SAB transaction that occurred in
FY16, partially offset by higher net finance costs and increased income tax expenses in FY17.
Figure 12 provides the main drivers of our normalized EPS for FY17 and 4Q17 and the prior year period.
Figure 12. Key components - Normalized Earnings per share in USD
4Q16 4Q17 FY16 FY17
Normalized EBIT 2.16 2.62 7.72 10.38
Mark-to-market (Hedging of our share-based payment programs) -0.37 -0.23 -0.22 -0.17
Pre-funding of SAB transaction 0.03 - -0.71 -
Net finance cost -0.76 -0.57 -2.10 -3.22
Income tax expense -0.32 -0.61 -0.98 -1.60
Associates & non-controlling interest -0.31 -0.17 -0.88 -0.75
Share dilution - - - -0.60
Normalized EPS 0.43 1.04 2.83 4.04
Note: FY16 and FY17 before dilution calculated based upon w eighted average number of shares per FY16 of 1 717 million shares.
EPS after dilution based upon w eighted average number of shares per FY17 of 1 971 million shares.
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Reconciliation between profit attributable to equity holders and normalized EBITDA
Figure 13. Reconciliation of normalized EBITDA to profit attributable to equity holders of AB InBev (million USD)
4Q16 4Q17 FY16 FY17
Reported
Profit attributable to equity holders of AB InBev 400 3 037 1 241 7 996
Non-controlling interests 589 404 1 528 1 187
Profit 989 3 441 2 769 9 183
Discontinued operations results - 48 - - 48 - 28
Profit from continuing operations 941 3 441 2 721 9 155
Income tax expense 553 - 568 1 613 1 920
Share of result of associates - 10 - 217 - 16 - 430
Net finance (income)/cost 2 037 1 559 5 208 5 814
Non-recurring net finance (income)/cost 510 658 3 356 693
Non-recurring items above EBIT (incl. non-recurring impairment) 117 201 394 662
Normalized EBIT 4 148 5 073 13 276 17 814
Depreciation, amortization and impairment 1 100 1 116 3 477 4 270
Normalized EBITDA 5 248 6 189 16 753 22 084
Normalized EBITDA and normalized EBIT are measures utilized by AB InBev to demonstrate the
company’s underlying performance.
Normalized EBITDA is calculated excluding the following effects from profit attributable to equity holders of
AB InBev: (i) non-controlling interest; (ii) discontinued operations results; (iii) income tax expense; (iv) share
of results of associates; (v) net finance cost; (vi) non-recurring net finance cost; (vii) non-recurring items
above EBIT (including non-recurring impairment); and (viii) depreciation, amortization and impairment.
Normalized EBITDA and normalized EBIT are not accounting measures under IFRS accounting and should
not be considered as an alternative to profit attributable to equity holders as a measure of operational
performance, or an alternative to cash flow as a measure of liquidity. Normalized EBITDA and normalized
EBIT do not have a standard calculation method and AB InBev’s definition of normalized EBITDA and
normalized EBIT may not be comparable to that of other companies.
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FINANCIAL POSITION
Figure 14. Cash Flow Statement (million USD)
FY16 FY17
Operating activities
Profit 2 769 9 183
Interest, taxes and non-cash items included in profit 13 572 12 484
Cash flow from operating activities before changes in working capital
and use of provisions 16 341 21 667
Change in working capital 173 219
Pension contributions and use of provisions - 470 - 616
Interest and taxes (paid)/received -5 977 -5 982
Dividends received 43 142
Cash flow from operating activities 10 110 15 430
Investing activities
Net capex -4 768 -4 124
Acquisition of SAB, net of cash acquired -65 166 -
Net of tax proceeds from SAB transaction-related divestitures 16 342 8 248
Acquisition and sale of subsidiaries, net of cash acquired/disposed of - 792 - 556
Proceeds from the sale/(acquisition) of investment in short-term debt securities -5 583 4 337
Net of tax proceeds from the sale of assets held for sale 146 16
Other - 256 - 67
Cash flow from investing activities -60 077 7 854
Financing activities
Dividends paid -8 450 -9 275
Net (payments on)/proceeds from borrowings 62 675 -9 981
Other (including net finance cost other than interest) -3 494 -1 748
Cash flow from financing activities 50 731 -21 004
Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents 764 2 280
Our cash flow from operating activities increased by 52.6% from 10.1 billion USD in 2016 to 15.4 billion
USD in 2017, explained by a higher profit following the SAB combination in 4Q16.
Net cash from investing activities was 7.9 billion USD in FY17 as compared to expenditures of 60.1 billion
USD in FY16. The cash flow from investing activities mainly reflects the proceeds from the announced
divestitures completed during 2017, net of taxes paid in 2017 on prior year divestitures. The 2016 cash flow
from investing activities is mainly impacted by the payment associated with the combination with SAB net
of the cash acquired and the proceeds from the announced divestitures.
Our net capital expenditures amounted to 4.1 billion USD in FY17 and 4.8 billion USD in FY16. Out of the
total FY17 capital expenditures approximately 45% was used to improve our production facilities while 30%
was used for logistics and commercial investments and 25% was used for improving administrative
capabilities and purchase of hardware and software.
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The cash outflow from our financing activities amounted to 21.0 billion USD in FY17, as compared to a
cash inflow of 50.7 billion USD in FY16. The cash outflow in FY17 reflects dividends paid and net payments
on borrowings, as compared to the cash inflow in FY16 reflecting the funding of the combination with SAB.
Our net debt decreased to 104.4 billion USD as of 31 December 2017, from 108.0 billion USD as of 31
December 2016.
Deleveraging to around 2x remains our commitment. We are tracking in line with our internal deleveraging
targets, and we will prioritize debt repayment in order to meet this objective.
Our Net Debt to EBITDA ratio decreased from 5.5x on a reported basis in 2016 to 4.8x in 2017, or 4.7x
when adjusted for the closing of pending disposals and the foreign exchange time mismatch between the
balance sheet and P&L translation. The net debt to EBITDA calculation excludes the EBITDA from the SAB
Central and Eastern Europe business, the stake in Distell and CCBA for the 12-month period ending 31
December 2017.
We will continue to proactively manage our debt portfolio, of which 93% holds a fixed-interest rate, 42% is
denominated in currencies other than USD, and maturities are well-distributed across the next several
years.
In addition to a very comfortable debt maturity profile and strong cash flow generation, we maintained over
20 billion USD in cash and revolving credit facility liquidity, which consisted of 9.0 billion USD available
under committed long-term credit facilities and approximately 11.7 billion USD of cash, cash equivalents
and short-term investments.
Figure 15. Terms and debt repayment schedule as of 31 December 2017 (billion USD)
Figure 15 can be viewed on the Company's website 70.4 70.7
26.8
22.1
18.5
8.6 7.4 10.3 10.2 9.5 10.2
5.9 6.6 6.6 4.6
1 year or less 1-2 years 2-3 years 3-5 years More than 5 years
31 December 2015 31 December 2016 31 December 2017
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PROPOSED FINAL DIVIDEND
Dividend Timeline
Ex-coupon date Record date Payment date
Euronext: ABI 30 April 2018 02 May 2018 03 May 2018
MEXBOL: ANB 30 April 2018 02 May 2018 03 May 2018
JSE: ANH 02 May 2018 04 May 2018 07 May 2018
NYSE: BUD (ADR program) 01 May 2018 02 May 2018 30 May 2018
Restricted Shares 30 April 2018 02 May 2018 03 May 2018
The AB InBev Board proposes a final dividend of 2.00 EUR per share, subject to shareholder approval at
the AGM on 25 April 2018. When combined with the interim dividend of 1.60 EUR per share paid in
November 2017, the total dividend for the Fiscal Year 2017 would be 3.60 EUR per share.
RECENT EVENTS
1. 4.25 billion EUR Bond Issuance
On 23 January 2018, we completed the issuance of 1.5 billion EUR aggregate principal amount of
floating rate Notes due 15 April 2024, bearing interest at an annual rate of 30 basis points above three-
month EURIBOR, 2 billion EUR aggregate principal amount of 1.15% Notes due 22 January 2027 and
750 million EUR aggregate principal amount of 2.00% Notes due 23 January 2035.
2. Bond Redemption
On 15 February 2018, we announced that we are exercising our respective options to redeem in full
the entire outstanding principal amount of the following series issued by our subsidiary Anheuser-Busch
InBev Worldwide Inc. on 19 March 2018:
Title of Series of Notes
(collectively, the
Aggregate Principal Amount “Notes”) CUSIP Nos.
USD 3 143 000 7.750% Notes due 2019 03523TAB4 / U03597AB4
USD 2 496 857 000 7.750% Notes due 2019 03523TBE7
The total principal amount of the notes that will be retired is 2.5 billion USD and the redemption of the
notes will be financed with cash. For more information on the calculation of the redemption price of the
notes, see our press release issued on 15 February 2018.
3. Ordinary share delivery under deferred share instruments
We will deliver 23,076,922 Ordinary Shares on 21 May 2018, that are due under deferred share
instruments.
The deferred share entitlements had been issued by AB InBev in connection with the closing of the
Grupo Modelo acquisition in June 2013. Under such entitlements, selected former Grupo Modelo
shareholders committed upon tendering of their shares in Grupo Modelo, to invest USD 1.5 billion of
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their proceeds from the tender offer into ordinary shares of AB InBev, and acquired an aggregate of
23,076,922 ordinary shares, to be delivered within five years. The consideration for the acquisition of
such ordinary shares was paid by such former Grupo Modelo shareholders to AB InBev on 5 June
2013.
The deferred share entitlements provided for the delivery of these ordinary shares no later than 5 June
2018. Such delivery obligation will be met through the use of part of AB InBev’s outstanding treasury
shares.
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NOTES
AB InBev’s 4Q17 and 4Q16 and FY17 and FY16 reported numbers are based on audited consolidated financial statements prepared
in accordance with IFRS (except for the Reference Base and volume information). Unless otherwise indicated, amounts are presented
in million USD.
To facilitate the understanding of AB InBev’s underlying performance, the analyses of growth, including all comments in this press
release, unless otherwise indicated, are based on organic growth and normalized numbers. In other words, financials are analyzed
eliminating the impact of changes in currencies on translation of foreign operations, and scope changes. Scope changes represent
the impact of acquisitions and divestitures, the start or termination of activities or the transfer of activities between segments,
curtailment gains and losses and year over year changes in accounting estimates and other assumptions that management does not
consider as part of the underlying performance of the business.
All references per hectoliter (per hl) exclude US non-beer activities. To eliminate the effect of geography mix, i.e. the impact of stronger
volume growth coming from countries with lower revenue per hl, and lower Cost of Sales per hl, we are also presenting, where
specified, organic growth per hectoliter figures on a constant geographic basis. When we make estimations on a constant geographic
basis, we assume each country in which we operate accounts for the same percentage of our global volume as in the same period of
the previous year.
Whenever presented in this document, all performance measures (EBITDA, EBIT, profit, tax rate, EPS) are presented on a
“normalized” basis, which means they are presented before non-recurring items and discontinued operations. Non-recurring items are
either income or expenses which do not occur regularly as part of the normal activities of the Company. They are presented separately
because they are important for the understanding of the underlying sustainable performance of the Company due to their size or
nature. Normalized measures are additional measures used by management, and should not replace the measures determined in
accordance with IFRS as an indicator of the Company’s performance. The results of the CEE business are presented as “discontinued
operations result”. Values in the figures and annexes may not add up, due to rounding.
Given the transformational nature of the transaction with SAB that closed on 10 October 2016, and to facilitate the understanding of
AB InBev’s underlying performance, AB InBev has updated its 9M16 and FY16 segment reporting for purposes of this results
announcement and internal review by senior management. This presentation (referred to as the “Reference Base”) includes, for
comparative purposes, the results of the SAB business as if the combination had taken place at the beginning of 4Q15, but excluding
the results of (i) those business sold since the combination was completed, including the joint venture stakes in MillerCoors and CR
Snow, and the sale of the Peroni, Grolsch and Meantime brands and associated businesses in Italy, the Netherlands, the UK and
internationally and (ii) the Central and Eastern Europe business and the stake in Distell. The changes, effective 1 October 2016,
include the former SAB geographies. Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Honduras and El Salvador are reported together with Mexico as Latin
America West, Panama is reported within Latin America North, Africa is reported together with Europe as EMEA, and Australia, India
and Vietnam are reported within APAC.
4Q17 and FY17 EPS is based upon a weighted average of 1 971 million shares compared to a weighted average of 1 943 million
shares for 4Q16 and 1 717 million shares for FY16. The variance in the weighted averaged between 4Q16 and FY16 is a result of the
restricted shares issued in connection with the combination with SAB in 4Q16.
Legal Disclaimer
This release contains “forward-looking statements”. These statements are based on the current expectations and views of future
events and developments of the management of AB InBev and are naturally subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances.
The forward-looking statements contained in this release include, among other things, statements relating to AB InBev’s business
combination with ABI SAB Group Holdings Limited and other statements other than historical facts. Forward-looking statements
include statements typically containing words such as “will”, “may”, “should”, “believe”, “intends”, “expects”, “anticipates”, “targets”,
“estimates”, “likely”, “foresees” and words of similar import. All statements other than statements of historical facts are forward-looking
statements. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which reflect the current views of the
management of AB InBev, are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties about AB InBev and are dependent on many factors, some
of which are outside of AB InBev’s control. There are important factors, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes and
results to be materially different, including the ability to realize synergies from the business combination with ABI SAB Group Holdings
Limited, the risks and uncertainties relating to AB InBev described under Item 3.D of AB InBev’s Annual Report on Form 20-F (“Form
20-F”) filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on 22 March 2017. Other unknown or unpredictable factors
could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements.
The forward-looking statements should be read in conjunction with the other cautionary statements that are included elsewhere,
including AB InBev’s most recent Form 20-F and other reports furnished on Form 6-K, and any other documents that AB InBev has
made public. Any forward-looking statements made in this communication are qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements
and there can be no assurance that the actual results or developments anticipated by AB InBev will be realized or, even if substantially
realized, that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, AB InBev or its business or operations. Except as required
by law, AB InBev undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise.
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The Fourth Quarter 2017 (4Q17) and Full Year 2017 (FY17) financial data set out in Figure 1 (except for the Reference Base and
volume information), Figures 3 to 5, 7, 9, 10, 13 to 14 of this press release have been extracted from the group’s audited consolidated
financial statements as of and for the twelve months ended 31 December 2017, which have been audited by our statutory auditors
Deloitte Bedrijfsrevisoren BCVBA in accordance with International Standards on Auditing as applied in Belgium and resulted in an
unqualified audit opinion. Financial data included in Figures 6, 8, 11, 12 and 15 have been extracted from the underlying accounting
records as of and for the twelve months ended 31 December 2017 (except for the volume information).
The 2016 Reference Base information is based in part on certain assumptions that AB InBev believes are reasonable under the
circumstances. The 2016 Reference Base information is presented for illustrative purposes only and does not necessarily reflect the
results of operations or the financial position of the combined former AB InBev and SAB groups that would have resulted had the
combination occurred on 8 October 2015, or project the results of operations or financial position of the combined group for any future
date or period. The 2016 Reference Base information is not pro forma financial information, and has not been prepared in accordance
with Article 11 of Regulation S-X promulgated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. It is therefore not consistent in terms
of content and presentation with pro forma financial information that would be included in reports filed under Sections 13(a) or 15(d)
of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
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CONFERENCE CALL AND WEBCAST
Press Conference:
10.30 am CET – Global Headquarters, Leuven, Belgium
Investor Conference call and Webcast on Thursday, March 1, 2018:
3.00pm Brussels / 2.00pm London / 9.00am New York
Registration details
Webcast (listen-only mode):
http://event.on24.com/wcc/r/1584926-1/EF61B68A0EE7F2B951B3C492C8482D86
Conference call (with interactive Q&A):
http://www.directeventreg.com/registration/event/2386444
ANHEUSER-BUSCH INBEV CONTACTS
Media Investors
Marianne Amssoms Henry Rudd
Tel: +1-212-573-9281 Tel: +1-212-503-2890
E-mail: marianne.amssoms@ab-inbev.com E-mail: henry.rudd@ab-inbev.com
Aimee Baxter Mariusz Jamka
Tel: +1-718-650-4003 Tel: +32-16-27-68-88
E-mail: aimee.baxter@ab-inbev.com E-mail: mariusz.jamka@ab-inbev.com
Peter Dercon Lauren Abbott
Tel: +32-16-27-68-23 Tel: +1-212-573-9287
E-mail: peter.dercon@ab-inbev.com E-mail: lauren.abbott@ab-inbev.com
1 March 2018
JSE Sponsor: Deutsche Securities (SA) Proprietary Limited
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About Anheuser-Busch InBev
Anheuser-Busch InBev is a publicly traded company (Euronext: ABI) based in Leuven, Belgium, with secondary listings on the Mexico (MEXBOL: ANB)
and South Africa (JSE: ANH) stock exchanges and with American Depositary Receipts on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BUD). Our Dream is
to bring people together for a better world. Beer, the original social network, has been bringing people together for thousands of years. We are committed
to building great brands that stand the test of time and to brewing the best beers using the finest natural ingredients. Our diverse portfolio of well over
500 beer brands includes global brands Budweiser®, Corona® and Stella Artois®; multi-country brands Beck’s®, Castle®, Castle Lite®, Hoegaarden®
and Leffe®; and local champions such as Aguila®, Antarctica®, Bud Light®, Brahma®, Cass®, Chernigivske®, Cristal®, Harbin®, Jupiler®, Klinskoye®,
Michelob Ultra®, Modelo Especial®, Quilmes®, Victoria®, Sedrin®, Sibirskaya Korona® and Skol®. Our brewing heritage dates back more than 600
years, spanning continents and generations. From our European roots at the Den Hoorn brewery in Leuven, Belgium. To the pioneering spirit of the
Anheuser & Co brewery in St. Louis, US. To the creation of the Castle Brewery in South Africa during the Johannesburg gold rush. To Bohemia, the first
brewery in Brazil. Geographically diversified with a balanced exposure to developed and developing markets, we leverage the collective strengths of
nearly 200,000 employees based in more than 50 countries worldwide. For 2017, AB InBev’s reported revenue was 56.4 billion USD (excluding JVs and
associates).
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Annex 1
AB InBev Worldwide FY16 Scope Currency Organic FY17 Organic
Reference Base translation growth growth
Total volumes (thousand hls) 615 880 -4 382 - 1 073 612 572 0.2%
of which AB InBev own beer 505 040 - 603 - 3 255 507 692 0.6%
Revenue 53 942 - 784 601 2 685 56 444 5.1%
Cost of sales -21 166 521 - 211 - 529 -21 386 -2.6%
Gross profit 32 776 -263 390 2 155 35 058 6.7%
SG&A -18 111 - 58 - 217 288 -18 099 1.6%
Other operating income/(expenses) 855 - 94 36 58 854 7.6%
Normalized EBIT 15 520 - 415 208 2 501 17 814 16.5%
Normalized EBITDA 19 633 - 373 255 2 569 22 084 13.4%
Normalized EBITDA margin 36.4% 39.1% 288 bps
North America FY16 Scope Currency Organic FY17 Organic
Reference Base translation growth growth
Total volumes (thousand hls) 116 890 423 - -3 817 113 496 -3.3%
Revenue 15 698 145 22 - 277 15 588 -1.8%
Cost of sales -5 858 - 95 -7 183 -5 777 3.1%
Gross profit 9 841 49 16 - 94 9 811 -1.0%
SG&A -4 438 - 66 -9 152 -4 361 3.4%
Other operating income/(expenses) 39 - - -3 36 -7.4%
Normalized EBIT 5 441 - 16 7 54 5 486 1.0%
Normalized EBITDA 6 250 - 10 8 81 6 329 1.3%
Normalized EBITDA margin 39.8% 40.6% 124 bps
Latin America West FY16 Scope Currency Organic FY17 Organic
Reference Base translation growth growth
Total volumes (thousand hls) 108 995 - 98 - 1 729 110 625 1.6%
Revenue 8 595 - 13 14 642 9 238 7.5%
Cost of sales -2 488 7 3 - 77 -2 555 -3.1%
Gross profit 6 107 -5 17 565 6 683 9.3%
SG&A -2 842 - 53 1 17 -2 876 0.6%
Other operating income/(expenses) 105 - 50 - 33 89 59.3%
Normalized EBIT 3 370 - 107 18 615 3 896 18.9%
Normalized EBITDA 3 983 - 109 18 620 4 512 16.0%
Normalized EBITDA margin 46.3% 48.8% 358 bps
Latin America North FY16 Scope Currency Organic FY17 Organic
Reference Base translation growth growth
Total volumes (thousand hls) 119 757 -25 - - 358 119 374 -0.3%
Revenue 8 630 -3 624 524 9 775 6.1%
Cost of sales -3 239 1 - 236 - 269 -3 744 -8.3%
Gross profit 5 391 -3 389 254 6 031 4.7%
SG&A -2 701 - 42 - 201 - 116 -3 060 -4.2%
Other operating income/(expenses) 330 -2 25 7 361 2.1%
Normalized EBIT 3 020 - 46 213 145 3 332 4.9%
Normalized EBITDA 3 790 - 46 267 170 4 180 4.5%
Normalized EBITDA margin 43.9% 42.8% -63 bps
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Latin America South FY16 Scope Currency Organic FY17 Organic
Reference Base translation growth growth
Total volumes (thousand hls) 32 158 - - 1 904 34 062 5.9%
Revenue 2 850 - - 230 743 3 363 26.1%
Cost of sales - 927 - 73 - 354 -1 207 -38.2%
Gross profit 1 923 - - 157 389 2 156 20.2%
SG&A - 704 -8 57 - 126 - 781 -17.7%
Other operating income/(expenses) 20 - -1 -6 13 -29.6%
Normalized EBIT 1 240 -8 - 101 257 1 388 20.9%
Normalized EBITDA 1 431 -8 - 115 287 1 595 20.1%
Normalized EBITDA margin 50.2% 47.4% -234 bps
EMEA FY16 Scope Currency Organic FY17 Organic
Reference Base translation growth growth
Total volumes (thousand hls) 134 821 -4 157 - 1 027 131 692 0.9%
of which AB InBev own beer 86 512 883 - 1 973 89 369 2.3%
Revenue 9 700 - 128 207 565 10 344 6.3%
Cost of sales -4 381 - 19 - 73 - 136 -4 609 -3.5%
Gross profit 5 319 - 147 134 429 5 735 8.6%
SG&A -3 197 -4 - 80 - 54 -3 336 -1.8%
Other operating income/(expenses) 42 -2 5 63 108 154.7%
Normalized EBIT 2 163 - 153 58 438 2 507 21.8%
Normalized EBITDA 2 903 - 112 74 485 3 349 17.9%
Normalized EBITDA margin 29.9% 32.4% 331 bps
Asia Pacific FY16 Scope Currency Organic FY17 Organic
Reference Base translation growth growth
Total volumes (thousand hls) 101 320 148 - 518 101 986 0.5%
Revenue 7 250 44 - 36 546 7 804 7.5%
Cost of sales -3 293 - 36 28 99 -3 201 3.0%
Gross profit 3 958 8 -8 645 4 603 16.3%
SG&A -2 747 - 61 24 49 -2 735 1.7%
Other operating income/(expenses) 163 -1 -3 8 168 4.8%
Normalized EBIT 1 374 - 53 14 701 2 035 53.0%
Normalized EBITDA 2 114 - 64 2 643 2 695 31.2%
Normalized EBITDA margin 29.2% 34.5% 625 bps
Global Export and Holding FY16 Scope Currency Organic FY17 Organic
Companies Reference Base translation growth growth
Total volumes (thousand hls) 1 939 - 673 - 70 1 336 5.5%
Revenue 1 218 - 828 - - 58 332 -14.8%
Cost of sales - 980 663 -1 25 - 292 8.0%
Gross profit 238 - 165 -1 - 33 40 -42.4%
SG&A -1 482 174 -9 367 - 950 28.9%
Other operating income/(expenses) 155 - 41 9 - 44 79 -38.9%
Normalized EBIT -1 089 - 31 - 290 - 830 26.9%
Normalized EBITDA - 837 - 24 1 283 - 577 34.4%
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Annex 2
AB InBev Worldwide 4Q16 Scope Currency Organic 4Q17 Organic
translation growth growth
Total volumes (thousand hls) 159 439 -15 721 - 2 259 145 977 1.6%
of which AB InBev own beer 123 975 - 34 - 2 813 126 754 2.3%
Revenue 14 202 - 868 172 1 094 14 600 8.2%
Cost of sales -5 407 502 - 36 - 225 -5 166 -4.6%
Gross profit 8 795 - 366 136 869 9 434 10.3%
SG&A -4 811 185 - 62 20 -4 668 0.4%
Other operating income/(expenses) 163 - 33 17 160 307 122.9%
Normalized EBIT 4 148 - 215 91 1 049 5 073 26.3%
Normalized EBITDA 5 248 - 222 107 1 057 6 189 21.0%
Normalized EBITDA margin 37.0% 42.4% 446 bps
North America 4Q16 Scope Currency Organic 4Q17 Organic
translation growth growth
Total volumes (thousand hls) 26 539 75 - - 383 26 231 -1.4%
Revenue 3 616 26 19 21 3 682 0.6%
Cost of sales -1 376 - 18 -6 10 -1 390 0.8%
Gross profit 2 239 7 13 32 2 292 1.4%
SG&A -1 054 - 20 -7 10 -1 072 1.0%
Other operating income/(expenses) -3 - - 16 14 579.0%
Normalized EBIT 1 182 - 13 6 58 1 234 5.0%
Normalized EBITDA 1 393 - 11 7 68 1 457 4.9%
Normalized EBITDA margin 38.5% 39.6% 166 bps
Latin America West 4Q16 Scope Currency Organic 4Q17 Organic
translation growth growth
Total volumes (thousand hls) 29 309 - 27 - 143 29 425 0.5%
Revenue 2 311 - 12 72 207 2 578 9.0%
Cost of sales - 648 9 - 20 - 18 - 677 -2.9%
Gross profit 1 662 -2 52 189 1 901 11.4%
SG&A - 722 - 18 - 23 23 - 740 3.1%
Other operating income/(expenses) 5 10 1 42 59 267.1%
Normalized EBIT 946 - 10 30 254 1 219 27.1%
Normalized EBITDA 1 087 - 12 35 267 1 377 24.8%
Normalized EBITDA margin 47.0% 53.4% 679 bps
Latin America North 4Q16 Scope Currency Organic 4Q17 Organic
translation growth growth
Total volumes (thousand hls) 33 888 - 26 - 1 019 34 881 3.0%
Revenue 2 730 -3 54 353 3 134 13.0%
Cost of sales - 973 1 -1 - 34 -1 008 -3.5%
Gross profit 1 757 -3 53 319 2 127 18.2%
SG&A - 763 - 10 -9 - 132 - 914 -17.1%
Other operating income/(expenses) 43 - 3 83 129 191.1%
Normalized EBIT 1 037 - 13 47 270 1 341 26.3%
Normalized EBITDA 1 247 - 13 47 294 1 576 23.8%
Normalized EBITDA margin 45.7% 50.3% 435 bps
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Latin America South 4Q16 Scope Currency Organic 4Q17 Organic
translation growth growth
Total volumes (thousand hls) 9 861 - - 571 10 432 5.8%
Revenue 942 - - 82 215 1 076 22.9%
Cost of sales - 287 - 25 - 92 - 354 -31.9%
Gross profit 655 - - 56 124 722 18.9%
SG&A - 209 -5 18 - 17 - 212 -7.8%
Other operating income/(expenses) 11 - -1 -2 8 -14.5%
Normalized EBIT 457 -5 - 39 106 518 23.4%
Normalized EBITDA 515 -5 - 43 104 570 20.3%
Normalized EBITDA margin 54.7% 53.0% -113 bps
EMEA 4Q16 Scope Currency Organic 4Q17 Organic
translation growth growth
Total volumes (thousand hls) 41 204 -15 837 - 871 26 238 3.4%
of which AB InBev own beer 22 891 174 - 1 026 24 092 4.4%
Revenue 2 909 - 784 70 127 2 322 6.0%
Cost of sales -1 320 454 - 21 - 66 - 954 -7.9%
Gross profit 1 589 - 330 49 61 1 369 4.7%
SG&A - 915 175 - 24 33 - 731 4.4%
Other operating income/(expenses) 28 -3 1 7 34 26.0%
Normalized EBIT 701 - 157 27 100 671 17.4%
Normalized EBITDA 918 - 176 37 112 891 15.2%
Normalized EBITDA margin 31.6% 38.4% 302 bps
Asia Pacific 4Q16 Scope Currency Organic 4Q17 Organic
translation growth growth
Total volumes (thousand hls) 18 055 258 - 68 18 381 0.4%
Revenue 1 483 7 38 198 1 726 13.4%
Cost of sales - 694 -4 - 13 11 - 701 1.5%
Gross profit 789 3 25 208 1 025 26.5%
SG&A - 714 - 31 -7 25 - 727 3.4%
Other operating income/(expenses) -4 - 1 70 66 1,483.8%
Normalized EBIT 71 - 29 18 304 364 719.4%
Normalized EBITDA 263 - 27 20 273 528 116.2%
Normalized EBITDA margin 17.7% 30.6% 1437 bps
Global Export and Holding 4Q16 Scope Currency Organic 4Q17 Organic
Companies translation growth growth
Total volumes (thousand hls) 582 - 163 - -31 388 -7.3%
Revenue 212 - 104 - - 27 81 -25.2%
Cost of sales - 108 61 - - 35 - 82 -83.0%
Gross profit 104 - 41 - - 63 -1 -95.0%
SG&A - 434 94 -9 77 - 272 23.9%
Other operating income/(expenses) 83 - 40 12 - 56 -2 -133.1%
Normalized EBIT - 247 12 2 - 42 - 275 -19.7%
Normalized EBITDA - 175 22 5 - 61 - 210 -44.8%
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Date: 01/03/2018 08:15:00 Produced by the JSE SENS Department. The SENS service is an information dissemination service administered by the JSE Limited ('JSE').
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