The parent business of Bud Light is having a terrible year. Bill Gates’ foundation trust is one notable investor who supports Anheuser-Busch, though.
According to a regulatory filing, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Trust purchased 1.7 million Anheuser Busch shares last quarter for about $95 million, demonstrating its trust in the brewer despite a sharp decline in sales of one of its most popular brews.
Bud Light
When A-B released earnings that fully reflected the effects of Bud Light’s engagement with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, Gates’ foundation trust purchased the stock.Its choice to send her a personalized can prompted a reaction against trans people and alienated some of the business’s main clients. The LGBTQ community was subsequently upset by the company’s subsequent response.
However, Gates’ trust has so far seen a loss on his investment: Since the transaction, A-B’s stock has decreased by almost 2%. For the year, the stock has decreased by around 7%.
A-B said last month that declining sales of Bud Light contributed to a 10% decline in US revenue during the second quarter.
Sales to US retailers fell short of the overall beer market by 14%, primarily as a result of the company’s declining sales of Bud Light. In North America, revenue decreased $395 million during the period compared to the same period last year. This number showed sales in Canada, where revenue increased, indicating the United States was the only country seeing a decline.
A few weeks later, Modelo eclipsed Bud Light in sales at grocery and beer stores, according to NIQ data, marking Modelo’s first win of the year against. Through August 12, Modelo held an 8.34% share of dollars spent on beer compared to 8.28% for Bud Light, but the difference was marginal.
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