Brewing Giant AB InBev Strikes $3 Billion Deal to Reacquire Minority Stake in US Metal Container Plants

06:21 AM EST, 01/06/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Anheuser-Busch InBev (ABI.BR, ANH.JO), d/b/a AB InBev, is regaining full control of its metal container plants in the US by reacquiring a 49.9% stake for an estimated price of $3 billion. The Belgian brewer, which owns brands including Stella Artois, Budweiser and Corona, said Tuesday it will exercise its right to buy back the minority stake from a consortium of institutional investors led or advised by affiliates of private equity firm Apollo Global Management. "Our US-based metal container plant operations include seven facilities across six states and are a strategic component of our business, ensuring quality, cost efficiency, speed of innovation and supply security for our brands, while providing industry-leading manufacturing jobs and driving economic growth in communities across the U.S.," AB InBev said in its statement. The company will fund the repurchase with cash on hand, with the transaction expected to close in the first quarter. The deal is also anticipated to be accretive to AB InBev's EPS in the first year. In December 2020, the brewing giant reached an agreement to sell the minority stake to Apollo to bolster shareholder value and help repay debt, a deal that included an option to reacquire the shareholding at pre-determined financial terms starting from the fifth year of deal completion. The initial sale was completed in January 2021, with AB InBev retaining a 50.1% interest in the production plants. As of Tuesday midday, AB InBev shares were trading almost 1% lower in Brussels.