AB InBev to Invest $300M to Strengthen U.S. Manufacturing Capabilities

By Zacks Equity Research | May 13, 2025, 12:10 PM

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV BUD, alias AB InBev, has been keen on making investments to drive overall growth. The company has been investing in developing a diverse portfolio of global, international, and crafts and specialty premium brands in its markets.

Lately, AB InBev’s American subsidiary intends to invest $300 million in its manufacturing operations in the United States in 2025. This funding will strengthen the company’s training centres and recruitment efforts to upgrade the workforce, alongside boosting local production.

This investment follows the company’s nearly $2-billion investment in its U.S. facilities in almost half a decade. It is quite focused on boosting the economy and reinforcing the local communities through sustaining jobs. Last year, BUD had unveiled a $14-million investment in its Houston brewery, which is a cornerstone of its U.S. operations.

Hence, the company’s investments look forward to strengthen and make advancements to its U.S. manufacturing facilities’ internal systems to boost brewery efficiency, and drive workforce and economic prosperity.

More on AB InBev

Recently, AB InBev reported first-quarter 2025 results. The company painted a mixed picture with robust earnings performance and soft sales results. Bottom-line growth reflected positive business momentum, owing to the strength of its diversified footprint and consumer demand for its megabrands. Megabrands revenues increased 4.4%, led by strong performance in the Corona brand.

AB InBev has been keen on making investments in its portfolio over the years and rapidly growing its digital platform, including BEES and Zé Delivery. Its digital transformation initiatives have been on track, with B2B digital platforms contributing about 72% to its revenues in first-quarter 2025. Its omnichannel, direct-to-consumer ecosystem of digital and physical products generated $275 million in revenues in first-quarter 2025.

BUD has been focused on expanding its Beyond Beer portfolio, which has also been aiding the top line. Notably, the Beyond Beer portfolio recorded a 16.6% revenue rise, driven by double-digit growth in key brands such as Cutwater and Nütrl in the United States, and Beats in Brazil.

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Over the past three months, BUD’s shares have gained 25.5% compared with the industry’s 18.9% growth. This current Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company’s pricing actions, ongoing premiumization and other initiatives have been yielding.

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NOMD delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 5%, on average. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Nomad Foods’ current financial-year earnings per share (EPS) indicates growth of 3.1% from the year-ago number.

United Natural Foods UNFI, which is a distributor of natural, organic and specialty food in the United States, currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

UNFI delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 408.7%, on average. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for UNFI’s current financial-year sales and EPS indicates growth of 1.9% and 485.7%, respectively, from the year-ago numbers.

Utz Brands UTZ manufactures salty snacks under popular brands and has a Zacks Rank of 2 at present. UTZ delivered a trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise of 8.8%.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for UTZ’s current financial-year sales and EPS implies growth of 1.2% and 10.4%, respectively, from the year-ago numbers.

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Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (BUD): Free Stock Analysis Report
 
United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI): Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Nomad Foods Limited (NOMD): Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Utz Brands, Inc. (UTZ): Free Stock Analysis Report

This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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