The U.S. government has filed a lawsuit seeking to stop Anheuser-Busch InBev SA from buying the half of Mexican brewer Grupo Modelo that it does not already own, saying the $20.1 billion deal could mean higher U.S. beer prices.The government's move calls into question the future of one of the biggest deals of 2012 and a related deal that was set to change the fortunes of the world's largest wine company, Constellation Brands Inc. Shares of all three companies fell sharply on the news.Despite a huge array of beers on store shelves, the beer market is dominated by two big players.The top seller is AB InBev, which has 200 brands ranging from big names like Budweiser and Stella Artois to craft-style beers like Shock Top and Goose Island. The No. 2 player is MillerCoors, a joint venture between SABMiller Plc and Molson Coors Brewing Co.
Anheuser Busch Inbev SA is a brewing company. The Company produces, markets, distributes and sells a balanced portfolio of approximately 200 beer brands. Shares of BUD fell by 5.88% or $-5.54/share to $88.60. In the past year, the shares have traded as low as $62.59 and as high as $94.49. On average, 885518 shares of BUD exchange hands on a given day and today's volume is recorded at 13491156.
Constellation Brands, Inc. is a wine company. The Company is a marketer of imported beer in the United States. Shares of STZ fell by 17.39% or $-6.81/share to $32.36. In the past year, the shares have traded as low as $18.50 and as high as $39.65. On average, 1917850 shares of STZ exchange hands on a given day and today's volume is recorded at 38135424.
Source
