Reuters talks to portfolio managers and strategists to find what's on the horizon. Learn how to position your portfolio in the year ahead. Full Coverage
InBev to let Modelo decide its fate: report
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Belgian-Brazilian brewer InBev NV INTB.BR has told Grupo Modelo (GMODELOC.MX) that the Mexican brewer will be allowed to decide its own future, CNBC television reported on Friday.
This comes a day after the Wall Street Journal reported that Anheuser-Busch Cos Inc (BUD.N) was engaged in preliminary talks with Modelo, which it half-owns, in hopes of crafting a deal that would thwart an unsolicited $46.3 billion takeover bid Anheuser received from InBev.
Citing people close to Modelo, a reporter on CNBC said there have been no meetings between InBev and Modelo, but that InBev, whose beers include Stella Artois and Beck's, has reached out to the maker of Corona Extra and indicated that if it takes control of Anheuser, it would be happy to let Modelo decide its own fate.
CNBC said InBev indicated that it would be happy to keep Anheuser's 50-percent stake, sell it back to Modelo, or buy Modelo outright with InBev stock.
A spokeswoman for InBev declined to comment, while Modelo was not immediately available.
(Reporting by Martinne Geller, editing by Phil Berlowitz)
