LONDON: Anheuser-Busch InBev NV, the world’s largest brewer, cut its dividend in half as it seeks to pay down its US$109bil debt mountain, much of it taken on to acquire rival SABMiller Plc in 2016.
The Budweiser maker justified its move by pointing to the plunge in emerging-market currencies, which is crimping its cash flow. Third-quarter profit missed analysts’ expectations and sales growth slowed to the weakest pace in more than a year. The stock plunged as much as 9.2% amid a global sell-off.
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