Beer maker Anheuser-Busch InBev reports better-than-expected Q4 earnings despite Bud Light backlash

By DAVID McHUGH
AP Business Writer

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Multinational beer and beverage company Anheuser-Busch InBev, maker of Budweiser, Bud Light, Stella Artois and Corona, has reported a 7% increase in operating profit for last year, even as as sales sagged in the United States due to a decline in demand for Bud Light. The company’s most popular brand there was hit by a backlash after it sent a commemorative can to a transgender activist. The earnings news came hours after the company reached a tentative agreement with the Teamsters union, avoiding a strike by 5,000 U.S. workers.