BUSINESS MEMO: ANHEUSER-BUSCH EARNINGS

Anheuser-Busch Cos., headquartered in St. Louis, reported last week that its third-quarter earnings rose 13 percent on strong growth in domestic beer sales.

The maker of Budweiser, Bud Light, Michelob and other beers earned $462 million, or 97 cents a share, on sales of $3.22 billion. That was up from earnings of $408 million, or 84 cents a share, on sales of $3.12 billion in the third quarter of 1998."Domestic beer industry fundamentals are the best we have seen in this decade," chairman August A. Busch III said. "Improving demographics, high capacity utilization and an improved pricing environment are creating opportunities for margin enhancement and earnings growth."Busch said the company expects earnings to be strong again in the fourth quarter.

For the first nine months, Anheuser-Busch reported earnings of $1.21 billion, or $2.53 a share, compared with income of $1.06 billion, or $2.18 a share in 1998. Sales for the nine months were $8.99 billion, up from $8.64 billion in the year earlier period.