Investment in AB InBev/SABMiller

At December 31, 2017, Altria Group, Inc. had an approximate 10.2% ownership of AB InBev, consisting of approximately 185 million restricted shares of AB InBev (the “Restricted Shares”) and approximately 12 million ordinary shares of AB InBev. Altria Group, Inc. accounts for its investment in AB InBev under the equity method of accounting because Altria Group, Inc. has the ability to exercise significant influence over the operating and financial policies of AB InBev, including having active representation on AB InBev’s Board of Directors (“AB InBev Board”) and certain AB InBev Board Committees. Through this representation, Altria Group, Inc. participates in AB InBev policy making processes.

Altria Group, Inc. reports its share of AB InBev’s results using a one-quarter lag because AB InBev’s results are not available in time for Altria Group, Inc. to record them in the concurrent period.

Pre-tax earnings from Altria Group, Inc.’s equity investment in AB InBev were $532 million for the year ended December 31, 2017. As a result of the one-quarter lag and the timing of the completion of the Transaction, no earnings from Altria Group, Inc.’s equity investment in AB InBev were recorded for the year ended December 31, 2016.

On December 22, 2017, the U.S. Government enacted comprehensive tax legislation commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Reform Act”). Consistent with the one-quarter lag for recording AB InBev’s results, in the first quarter of 2018 Altria Group, Inc. will record its share of AB InBev’s recorded fourth quarter 2017 estimated effect of the Tax Reform Act.

Summary financial data of AB InBev is as follows:



(in millions)	For Altria Group, Inc.’s Year Ended December 31, 2017⁽¹⁾
Net revenues	$	56,004
Gross profit	$	34,376
Earnings from continuing operations	$	6,769
Net earnings	$	6,845
Net earnings attributable to AB InBev	$	5,473



(in millions)	At September 30, 2017 ⁽¹⁾		At October 10, 2016⁽¹⁾
Current assets	$	30,920	$	40,086
Long-term assets	$	213,696	$	223,701
Current liabilities	$	37,765	$	44,272
Long-term liabilities	$	134,236	$	139,112
Noncontrolling interests	$	10,639	$	9,177

⁽¹⁾ Reflecting the one-quarter lag: (i) summary financial data of AB InBev’s results for Altria Group, Inc.’s year ended December 31, 2017 include AB InBev’s results for the last three months of 2016 and the first nine months of 2017, and (ii) summary financial data of AB InBev’s financial position is disclosed at September 30, 2017 and October 10, 2016.

At December 31, 2017, Altria Group, Inc.’s carrying amount of its equity investment in AB InBev exceeded its share of AB InBev’s net assets attributable to equity holders of AB InBev by approximately $11.7 billion. Substantially all of this difference is comprised of goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets (consisting primarily of trademarks).

The fair value of Altria Group, Inc.’s equity investment in AB InBev is based on: (i) unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for AB InBev’s ordinary shares and was classified in Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy and (ii) observable inputs other than Level 1 prices, such as quoted prices for similar assets for the Restricted Shares, and was classified in Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy. Altria Group, Inc. may, in certain instances, pledge or otherwise grant a security interest in all or part of its Restricted Shares. In the event the pledgee or security interest holder forecloses on the Restricted Shares, the relevant Restricted Shares will be automatically converted, one-for-one, into ordinary shares. Therefore, the fair value of each Restricted Share is based on the value of an ordinary share. The fair value of Altria Group, Inc.’s equity investment in AB InBev at December 31, 2017 and 2016 was $22.1 billion and $20.9 billion, respectively, compared with its carrying value of $18.0 billion and $17.9 billion, respectively.

Prior to the completion of the Transaction on October 10, 2016, Altria Group, Inc. held an approximate 27% ownership of SABMiller that was accounted for under the equity method of accounting.

Pre-tax earnings from Altria Group, Inc.’s equity investment in SABMiller were $795 million and $757 million for the years ended December 31, 2016 and 2015, respectively. Altria Group, Inc.’s earnings from its equity investment in SABMiller for the year ended December 31, 2016 included a pre-tax non-cash gain of $309 million, reflecting Altria Group, Inc.’s share of SABMiller’s increase to shareholders’ equity, resulting from the completion of the SABMiller, The Coca-Cola Company and Gutsche Family Investments transaction, combining bottling operations in Africa. As a result of the timing of the completion of the Transaction, Altria Group, Inc.’s pre-tax earnings from its equity investment in SABMiller for the year ended December 31, 2016 included its share of approximately nine months of SABMiller’s earnings.

Summary financial data of SABMiller is as follows:



	For the Years Ended December 31,
(in millions)	2016 ⁽¹⁾		2015
Net revenues	$	14,543	$	20,188
Operating profit	$	2,099	$	3,690
Net earnings attributable to SABMiller	$	1,803	$	2,838

⁽¹⁾ As a result of the timing of the completion of the Transaction, summary financial data of SABMiller for the year ended December 31, 2016 included approximately nine months of SABMiller’s results.

▪AB InBev and SABMiller Business Combination: On October 10, 2016, Legacy AB InBev completed the Transaction, and AB InBev became the holding company for the combined SABMiller and Legacy AB InBev businesses. Under the terms of the Transaction, SABMiller shareholders received 45 British pounds (“GBP”) in cash for each SABMiller share held, with a partial share alternative (“PSA”), which was subject to proration, available for approximately 41% of the SABMiller shares. Altria Group, Inc. elected the PSA.

Upon completion of the Transaction and taking into account proration, Altria Group, Inc. received, in respect of its 430,000,000 SABMiller shares, (i) an interest that was converted into the Restricted Shares, representing a 9.6% ownership of AB InBev based on AB InBev’s shares outstanding at October 10, 2016, and (ii) approximately $4.8 billion in pre-tax cash as the cash component of the PSA. Additionally, Altria Group, Inc. received pre-tax cash proceeds of approximately $0.5 billion from exercising the derivative financial instruments discussed below, which, together with the pre-tax cash from the Transaction, totaled approximately $5.3 billion in pre-tax cash. Subsequently, Altria Group, Inc. purchased approximately 12 million ordinary shares of AB InBev for a total cost of approximately $1.6 billion, thereby increasing Altria Group, Inc.’s ownership of AB InBev to approximately 10.2% at December 31, 2016.

The Restricted Shares:


▪	are unlisted and not admitted to trading on any stock exchange;


▪	are subject to a five-year lock-up (subject to limited exceptions) ending October 10, 2021;


▪	are convertible into ordinary shares of AB InBev on a one-for-one basis after the end of this five-year lock-up period;


▪	rank equally with ordinary shares of AB InBev with regards to dividends and voting rights; and


▪	have director nomination rights with respect to AB InBev.

As a result of the Transaction, for the year ended December 31, 2016, Altria Group, Inc. recorded a pre-tax gain of approximately $13.9 billion, or $9.0 billion after-tax, which was based on the following:


▪	the Legacy AB InBev share price as of October 10, 2016;


▪	the book value of Altria Group, Inc.’s investment in SABMiller, including Altria Group, Inc.’s accumulated other comprehensive losses directly attributable to SABMiller, at October 10, 2016;


▪	the gains on the derivative financial instruments discussed below; and


▪	the impact of AB InBev’s divestitures of certain SABMiller assets and businesses in connection with Legacy AB InBev obtaining necessary regulatory clearances for the Transaction (“AB InBev divestitures”) that occurred by December 31, 2016.

For the year ended December 31, 2017, Altria Group, Inc. recorded pre-tax gains of $445 million related to the planned completion of the remaining AB InBev divestitures in gain on AB InBev/SABMiller business combination in Altria Group, Inc.’s consolidated statement of earnings.

Altria Group, Inc.’s gain on the Transaction was deferred for United States corporate income tax purposes, except to the extent of the cash consideration received.

▪ Derivative Financial Instruments: In November 2015 and August 2016, Altria Group, Inc. entered into a derivative financial instrument, each in the form of a put option (together the “options”) to hedge Altria Group, Inc.’s exposure to foreign currency exchange rate movements in the GBP to the United States dollar, in relation to the pre-tax cash consideration that Altria Group, Inc. expected to receive under the PSA pursuant to the revised and final offer announced by Legacy AB InBev on July 26, 2016. The notional amounts of the November 2015 and August 2016 options were $2,467 million (1,625 million GBP) and $480 million (378 million GBP), respectively. The options did not qualify for hedge accounting; therefore, changes in the fair values of the options were recorded as gains or losses in Altria Group, Inc.’s consolidated statements of earnings in the periods in which the changes occurred. For the year ended December 31, 2016, Altria Group, Inc. recorded pre-tax gains associated with the November 2015 and August 2016 options of $330 million and $19 million, respectively, for the changes in the fair values of the options in gain on AB InBev/SABMiller business combination in Altria Group, Inc.’s consolidated statement of earnings. For the year ended December 31, 2015, Altria Group, Inc. recorded a pre-tax gain of $20 million for the change in the fair value of the November 2015 option. Exercising the options in October 2016 resulted in approximately $0.5 billion in pre-tax cash proceeds.

The fair values of the options were determined using binomial option pricing models, which reflect the contractual terms of the options and other observable market-based inputs, and were classified in Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy.