Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc., the maker of Budweiser beer, announced on January 8, its shipments of beer to U.S. wholesalers hit an all-time high in 2002, and it reiterated its earnings growth estimates for 2002 and 2003, Reuters reported.

Domestic beer shipments to wholesalers grew to 101.8 million barrels in 2002, up 2.1 percent over 2001, the company said. Anheuser-Busch backed its prior estimate for 2002 earnings growth of 14 percent a share and 18.5 percent growth in the fourth quarter.

Analysts currently expect earnings of 32 cents per share on average for the fourth quarter, compared with 27 cents, a year earlier, according to Thomson First Call. For 2002, they expect $2.20 a share on average, while in 2003 they see $2.47 a share on average. Anheuser-Busch will announce fourth-quarter and full-year 2002 results on Feb. 5.

09 January, 2003