This Growing Company Yields Four Times the Competition
Anheuser-Busch InBev moved its American Depositary Receipts from the Pink Sheets to the New York Stock Exchange and now carries the ticker “BUD.”
InBev’s a great company with strong global brands, the largest brewer in the world. But for income investors, it just doesn’t pay to own this beer behemoth’s ADRs (securities that represent ownership of its stock, which trades in Brussels). The company has a teeny yield of about 0.9%.
Compania Cervecerias Unidas — or “United Breweries Co.” — is a Chilean brewer that also lists its ADRs on the NYSE, under the ticker “CCU.” It’s the largest brewer in Chile and the second-largest in Argentina. The company is the distributor for Anheuser-Busch, PepsiCo, Guinness, Schweppes and several other big-name drink makers.
Since 2004, the company’s dividend has grown by +79%. During the past twelve months, CCU has paid $1.30 in dividends, giving it a yield of just under 4%. I expect that number to continue to grow with revenue. In the first half of 2009, revenue is up more than +10% from the first half of 2008’s figures, and net income jumped +40%.
The company has a strong 86% share of the beer market in Chile, which comes from the country’s top beer, Cristal. CCU’s market share of the Argentinean beer market is a more modest 20%. It’s largely fueled by international brands such as Heineken and Budweiser.
But the company is more than beer. The company also distributes soft drinks, sports drinks, wine, spirits, mineral water and other beverages in both countries. CCU has a 65% share of the mineral-water market in Chile and a 45% share of the market for pisco, a popular brandy-like liquor.
CCU’s weighted market share in all businesses it participates in continues to grow. In 2002, market share was 26.5%. It had grown to 30.6% in 2008.
Although the company sold slightly less beer in Chile in the first half of 2009 compared with the first half of 2008 (-1.1%), CCU was still able to increase revenue in this area by +3.7%. Volumes of beer sold in Argentina rocketed +18.2% from the same periods, while wine popped +14.5%. These numbers are impressive and show me that in good times and bad, the company can increase sales and revenue in these key areas the company competes in.
CCU has dominant market shares and very high profit margins in its primary markets. Although competition in Chile and Argentina is tough, the company’s well-established brands and excellent distribution make it all but impossible for competitors eat away at its market share.
High-Yield International subscribers have known about this stock since December 2008, and they’re already up more than +40%. To see how you can join them, go here.