XPost: alt.fan.rush-limbaugh, comp.mobile.android, misc.consumers   
   XPost: talk.politics.guns   
   From: transheuser-busch@gmail.com   
      
   On 08 Dec 2021, Rudy Canoza  posted some   
   news:XnsADFAB014BB15FRuCanJKnet@5.199.143.50:   
      
   > "P. Coonan"  wrote in   
   > news:XnsADF9ED6A87037002CE8@144.76.35.252:   
   >   
   >> Fire the executive management because it's clear they have no idea   
   >> what they did, and who their customer base actually is.   
      
   Bud Light has been dethroned, relinquishing the crown after its two-decade   
   reign as America’s best-selling beer came to an end last week.   
      
   Its fall from grace is no surprise. The backlash from Bud Light’s   
   controversial partnership with Dylan Mulvaney has been plaguing the   
   company for months. Anheuser-Busch’s bungled response hasn’t helped.   
      
   Initially, the company made a massive blunder with its CEO’s flat response   
   that neither mentioned the controversy nor apologized for it. Since then,   
   it’s effectively doubled down on its "nothing to see here" strategy,   
   remaining virtually silent despite a persistent 25% drop in sales and   
   billions of dollars in lost market value.   
      
   But while the Clydesdales at Anheuser-Busch might be running from   
   customers, they can’t hide from shareholders. Next month, Anheuser-Busch   
   will be forced to answer shareholder concerns on its second quarter   
   earnings call. To avoid another gaffe, it must prepare now.   
      
   Company earnings calls are usually well-scripted affairs. CEOs highlight   
   the company’s business plans and give updates on how much they think the   
   company will earn.   
      
   Shareholders and Wall Street analysts take notes so they can update their   
   own predictions of how the company’s stock will perform. If projections go   
   up, stock prices usually increase; if sales fail to meet expectations, or   
   if expectations drop, stock prices typically decline.   
      
   But that’s not all that happens. Participants also get to ask questions   
   and ask questions they will. Shareholders can hold Bud Light accountable   
   in a way that its customers can’t. And they have the chance to do so   
   before Anheuser-Busch’s head-in-the-sand strategy causes more precipitous   
   declines.   
      
   There’s little doubt that the company is in jeopardy of failing to meet   
   its projections. In 2021, CEO Michel Doukeris told shareholders to expect   
   4-8% annual EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest Taxes Depreciation and   
   Amortization) growth from 2022-2025.   
      
   This was a relatively unambitious target, in line with the historical 6%   
   earnings growth in the five years pre-COVID-19, now barely outpacing   
   inflation. It should have been a layup.   
      
   In 2022, it was. Anheuser-Busch grew earnings 7.1%. Its stock outperformed   
   the S&P 500. Analysts expected 2023 to be even better, predicting 7.4%   
   earnings growth.   
      
   Anheuser-Busch was set to overdeliver again. In the first quarter of 2023,   
   earnings increased 13.6% over the prior year. Emerging markets like South   
   America, Africa, and Asia saw strong beer volume growth combined with   
   decreased commodity prices and shipping costs, boosting profits.   
      
   In the U.S., prices increased ahead of inflation, driving revenue and   
   earnings gains. Shareholders were rewarded as Anheuser-Busch’s stock price   
   grew 12% versus the S&P 500’s 7%.   
      
   On April 1, a single Instagram post changed everything. U.S. sales tanked   
   and haven’t recovered.   
      
   Anheuser-Busch’s stock declined over 10%. By comparison, the S&P 500 is up   
   7% and Molson Coors, Anheuser-Busch’s largest rival, is up almost 30%.   
      
   During the company’s first quarter earnings call in May, Doukeris   
   projected confidence that Anheuser-Busch could still deliver on its humble   
   2023 earnings goal. He also downplayed the Bud Light controversy, claiming   
   "[i]t’s too early to have a full view on the impact" and noted that the   
   company has navigated prior challenges, including temporary beer sales   
   bans in certain countries during COVID-19.   
      
   Such handwaving is unlikely to satisfy shareholders come July. To the   
   contrary, financial analysts will almost certainly demand more details on   
   how 2023 earnings growth is shaping up, as well as what Anheuser-Busch is   
   doing to right the ship.   
      
   Participants also get to ask questions and ask questions they will.   
   Shareholders can hold Bud Light accountable in a way that its customers   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)