Recap: Bud Light parent Anheuser-Busch’s stock has lost $27B over Dylan Mulvaney

Bud Light parent Anheuser-Busch’s stock has lost $27B over Dylan Mulvaney

By

Shannon Thaler

June 2, 2023 10:15am

Bud Light maker Anheuser-Busch InBev has lost a whopping $27 billion in market value in the wake of its star-crossed partnership with Dylan Mulvaney — most recently slammed by a 5% stock drop this week.

AB InBev’s market capitalization fell to $107.44 billion through the end of May — down more than $27 billion from the $134.55 billion value the company had on March 31, the day before Mulvaney’s partnership went live, according to Dow Jones Market Data Group.

May was the third-worst month on record for the company’s shares.

The stock is headed towards an official bear market — a 20% drop — as the boycott continues.

Shares of AB InBev stooped to $53.81 as of Thursday’s closing bell.

That’s off more than 5% from their close last Friday and off 19% from March 31, when the beer maker enjoyed a share price of $66.73.

The stock was recently up 0.8% at $54.26 in early Friday trades.

The Post has reached out to AB In Bev for comment.

In the wake of Bud Light's disastrous partnership with Dylan Mulvaney, the beer's parent company, Anheuser-Busch, has lost $27 billion in value.

In the wake of Bud Light’s disastrous partnership with Dylan Mulvaney, Anheuser-Busch, has lost $27 billion in value.

Bud Light’s now-infamous promo with Mulvaney, 26, was posted on April 1, when the trans social media star shared a photo of a personalized beer can the brand sent her to celebrate her “365 Days of Girlhood.”

The post, which was shared with Mulvaney’s millions of Instagram followers, sparked a nationwide boycott of Bud Light and other beers in Anheuser-Busch’s portfolio, including Budweiser and Michelob Ultra, resulting in six straight weeks of plunging sales.

Last week, sales of Bud Light, America’s No. 1 beer, dropped 25.7%, according to data obtained by The Post, which followed a 24.6% decline the previous week.

Sales of Michelob Ultra, the nation’s No. 3 beer, were off 2.9% versus a year ago in the week ended May 13, in line with a drop a week earlier, according to a Bump Williams analysis of NielsenIQ data.

Sales of Budweiser, last year’s No. 7 beer with more than $1.8 billion in sales, were down 9.7% in each of the two most recent weeks.

Anheuser-Busch has scrambled to rebuild its brand since the boycott began, giving away rebates that made 15-pack cases of Bud Light and Budweiser free in honor of Memorial Day weekend, and buying back unsold cases of beer that have gone past their expiration date as they’ve collected dust on liquor store shelves following the disastrous partnership.

Bud Light customers raised eyebrows again when conservative social media critics flagged Bud Light as a sponsor of the Cincinnati Pride Parade last week.

A glance at the list of sponsors on the event’s website reveals that the Anheuser-Busch brand is lending its name to the annual event, which will be held on June 24.

The image on the page shows a rainbow-colored bottle of Bud Light next to a glass of beer under the heading “Together in Pride.”

The Bud Light marketing executive associated with the Mulvaney partnership, meanwhile, has refused to speak on the controversial marketing deal.

In a scramble to rebuild its brand, Anheuser-Busch has offered hefty rebates and has been buying back unsold cases of beer from liquor stores.

Alissa Heinerscheid, 39, refused to speak when approached for comment on Mulvaney’s promo — before her friend cut in to say that “she’s not supposed to talk about it.”

Heinerscheid took a leave of absence from Bud Light as the brand began hemorrhaging billions of dollars over the partnership, which saw Mulvaney touting a March Madness promotion while dolled up as Holly Golightly and then frolicking in a bubble bath in April.

It remains unclear whether Heinerscheid has since returned to work or remains on leave.

Followed by:

Target’s stock loses $13.8B, sinks to lowest level since 2020 over boycotts

By

Shannon Thaler and

Lisa Fickenscher

May 31, 2023 10:17am

Target’s stock has lost a whopping $13.8 billion over the past two weeks, hitting its lowest levels in nearly three years as the “cheap chic” discount retailer continues to face backlash over LGBTQ-friendly kids clothing.

Shares of the embattled chain sank 2.2% at $130.93 on Wednesday after dropping for eight straight sessions — the stock’s longest losing streak since November 2018 — giving the company a market capitalization of $60.4 billion.

That’s off 19% from two weeks earlier on May 18, when the stock was trading at $160.96 on the eve of the crisis.

It’s also the lowest levels Target shares have hit since the company was recovering from the depths of the pandemic in mid-2020.

The ongoing losses are a result of an ongoing 14-day boycott that was triggered by Target’s release of “PRIDE,” an LGBTQ-friendly line that includes clothing for children and “tuck-friendly” women’s swimwear with “extra crotch coverage.”

Wall Street is worried that Target will suffer the same fate as Anheuser-Busch, whose Bud Light sales have fallen by more than 25% since the brand tapped transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney to promote the beer on April 1.

“Investors are concerned that Target may be experiencing a sales decline because it’s alienated some of its core customers,” said Edward Jones analyst Brian Yarbrough.

In the wake of a boycott triggered by the release of its “PRIDE” collection, Target’s market capitalization has tanked a whopping $12.4 billion in the span of 14 days.

Investors are selling their shares on the “assumption that Target might have to lower its earnings guidance because its sales and profitability has been impacted,” Yarbrough said, adding that sales could suffer for the next nine to 12 months.

Still, Yarbrough and other Wall Street analysts have not changed their ratings on Target, he said, because “we think this will be an afterthought long term.”

Target’s shares started falling after May 17 when it reported mixed first quarter earnings, warning that sales would slow down this year as consumers spend less on discretionary items.

The Post has reached out to Target for comment.

Other items in Target’s LGBTQ-friendly line include a onesie for infants that say “Bien Proud,” a children’s book titled “‘Twas the Night Before Pride” and a handful of T-shirts donning LGBTQ-friendly slogans, like “live laugh lesbian.”

Customers have accused Target of grooming children with the items — most recently alt-right rapper Forgiato Blow who’s topping iTunes chart with his new rap song, “Boycott Target.”

The song’s lyrics address an LGBTQ “agenda” that the rapper sings has gone “too far.”

Target’s “PRIDE” collection includes clothing for infants, including onesies that say “Bien Proud!” and “Just be you and feel the love.”

“Attention all shoppers, there’s a clean up on every aisle. Target is targeting your kids,” Blow says in the track’s opening line.

As a result of the incessant backlash, the retailer said it would remove items from the “PRIDE” collection — citing “volatile circumstances” and “significant confrontational behavior” — but did not specify which ones.

Among the ones that garnered the most attention were “tuck-friendly” women’s swimsuits that allow trans women who have not had gender-affirming operations to conceal their genitalia, as well as rainbow-themed children’s clothing.

Target has also announced that would move its Pride section to the back of its stores in some Southern outposts after displays were knocked over by protestors who also confronted workers.

Target reported a $10 billion loss in market valuation earlier this week, just 10 days into the Pride line-induced boycott.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, however, has said that he doubts the backlash against Target would be as impactful as that of Bud Light.

Sales of America’s once-most-popular beer suffered a 25.7% fall on Tuesday, its worst week ever.

Cruz said on his podcast on Friday that while multiple alternatives exist to replace Anheuser-Busch’s brands, the same is not so for Target, which boasts more than 2,000 locations nationwide

Target customers were particularly outraged over a “tuck-friendly” women’s swimsuit that provides “extra crotch coverage” for trans women that have not had gender confirming surgery.

Before Target’s share price nosedived, CEO Brian Cornell defended the retailer’s “PRIDE” line, saying on a podcast earlier this month that putting out an LGBTQ-friendly line ahead of Pride Month in June is a “good business decision.”

He added: “It’s the right thing for society, and it’s the great thing for our brand.”

Very good news! All very good news!!

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I love it when woke backfires , bankrupt the bitches !!!

What do you think the stock holders are saying ? :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

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Stock holders are selling hence the loss in market cap.

As far as Target same thing and a down grade from analysts.

Seems analysts disagree with managements comment:
Before Target’s share price nosedived, CEO Brian Cornell defended the retailer’s “PRIDE” line, saying on a podcast earlier this month that putting out an LGBTQ-friendly line ahead of Pride Month in June is a “good business decision.”

He added: “It’s the right thing for society, and it’s the great thing for our brand.”

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200+ Gay Groups Order Target to Restock all Pride Merch

In the wake of Target’s decision to tone down its Pride participation, more than 200 LGBTQ groups are demanding that the retail giant restock all the Pride merchandise it pulled from store shelves and online and release a public statement “reaffirming their commitment” to the community.

The Human Rights Campaign, along with GLAAD, GLSEN and other groups, released a statement Monday calling on Target and other businesses to “reject and speak out against anti-LGBTQ+ extremism going into Pride Month.”

“Recent pushback against businesses such as Anheuser-Busch and Target, blatantly organized by extremist groups, serves as a wake up call for all businesses that support the LGBTQ+ community,” the statement read. “Businesses must continue to lead and respond with unwavering support for LGBTQ+ employees, shareholders, customers, allies — and the broader community. When values of diversity, equity and inclusion are tested, businesses must defend them unequivocally.”

The statement was signed by more than 200 other progressive and LGBTQ organizations.

Stating a three-fold demand, the organizations call on Target to release a public statement in the next 24 hours “reaffirming their commitment to the LGBTQ+ community,” restock all the Pride merchandise both in stores and online, and ensure the safety of Target employees.

“When it comes to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion, there is no such thing as neutrality,” the LGBTQ coalition said.

The coalition indicated that it would close the gap to support Target and other businesses that pushed back against potential consumer backlash.

“Target, and all businesses, can leverage the support of LGBTQ+ organizations to navigate this hate, so that together, we can let extremists know unequivocally that, just as with every other failed anti-LGBTQ+ campaign of the past, fear will not win,” the statement reads.

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Target displays LGBTQ-themed merchandise annually during the month of June, but the company came under fire from consumers this year for selling “tuck-friendly” women’s swimsuits for transgender people and Pride products for children and infants.

The retail giant responded by moving some Pride merchandise to less prominent sections of the store and removing some items completely.

Progressives and LGBTQ groups then accused Target of caving to “violent political extremists” and said the company “betrayed” LGBTQ customers.

Target has released one public statement addressing the controversy thus far.

“For more than a decade, Target has offered an assortment of products aimed at celebrating Pride Month,” the company said in a May 24 release. “Since introducing this year’s collection, we’ve experienced threats impacting our team members’ sense of safety and well-being while at work. Given these volatile circumstances, we are making adjustments to our plans, including removing items that have been at the center of the most significant confrontational behavior. Our focus now is on moving forward with our continuing commitment to the LGBTQIA+ community and standing with them as we celebrate Pride Month and throughout the year.”

LOL! Sports Illustrated is dead from wokeism. This is what happens when you put males on the swimsuit cover.

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I saw this too! This is done on purpose in order to destroy American culture!

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