Globally, ABI said revenue grew 4.5% in the third quarter, while volume grew 0.5%. ABI\s own beer volumes were up 0.5%, but non-beer volumes were down 2.4%. The company reports “good growth in own beer volumes in Europe, Mexico and many African markets” in the first 9 months. But Brazil and Argentina were both down.
The company’s global earnings plunged 37.5%, leading the company to “rebase” (translation: cut) its dividend 50%.
In announcing the dividend cut, ABIT said its priorities are (1) “invest behind our brands,” (2) deleverage to two times EBITDA and prioritize debt repayment, (3) make “suitable M&A when the opportunities arise,” and (4) return excess cash to shareholders via dividends and share buybacks.
A spokesperson told us the “rebasing” was made in light of “recent currency volatility.”
Dividends are expected to grow again “over the long term, ABI said, but “growth in the short-term is expected to be modest given the importance of deleveraging.”
Why did earnings plunge? The company’s announcement this morning doesn’t directly address that question. But it does note that while earnings fell, EBITDA grew 7.5% in the third quarter, and margin expanded 116 basis points to 40.3%.
The culprit, it appears is a 57% increase in interest expense and a quadrupling of “non-recurring net finance cost” — “mark-to-market losses on derivative instruments entered into to hedge the shares issued in relation to the Grupo Modelo and SAB combinations.”