SOULARD - It's not a done deal.
Belgium-based InBev has raised its "firm" offer of 65 dollars a share to 70, and that has reportedly prompted top Anheuser-Busch executives to negotiate a sale of the St. Louis-based beer giant. Total cost: nearly 50 billion dollars.
But everything I've been reading and hearing is that it's not a done deal. Various things could happen and cause the talks to break down.
"It looks like it may be a done deal," says financial adviser Bob Hardcastle, still leaving the door open to failed talks.
But it's not a done deal, right?
"It is a done deal," says Bill Finnie, a former Anheuser-Busch executive who is now with Washington University in St. Louis.
All of this reminds me of the saying attributed to St. Louis' Yogi Berra: "It ain't over 'til it's over."
Finnie is confident, because the additional five dollars per share gives Anheuser-Busch shareholders more than three billion additional dollars, even if those dollars are signifcantly weaker than the inflated Euro.
Finnie says InBev would gain wide approval in the U.S. by making St. Louis the world headquarters for the combined company after the takeover.
He's right about that. St. Louis would love it.
But other than that reason, why would InBev make that move?
In its initial offer, InBev clearly said St. Louis would not be the world headquarters.
I've also heard two schools of thought about a possible beer boycott.
Would loyal Bud drinkers switch to a purely American brand (if they can find one)?
I like Yogi's view on this issue as well:
"When you come to a fork in the road, take it."

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