By Peter HoskinsBusiness reporter49 minutes agoImage supply, Getty ImagesThe maker of Marlboro cigarettes, Altria Group, says it can promote greater than $2.2bn (£1.7bn) of shares in AB InBev, the proprietor of the Bud Mild and Stella Artois beer manufacturers.The transfer will see Altria offloading 35 million AB InBev shares.The tobacco large presently owns round 10% of the world’s largest brewer, value about $12.7bn.The sale is “an opportunistic transaction that realises a portion of the substantial return on our long-term funding,” Altria’s chief govt, Billy Gifford, mentioned in an announcement.”Our continued funding displays ongoing confidence in ABI’s long-term methods, premium world manufacturers and skilled administration workforce,” he added.Belgium-based AB InBev additionally mentioned in a submitting with regulators that it had agreed to purchase $200m of its shares from Altria.In February, the corporate – which additionally owns a steady of different main beer manufacturers together with Beck’s, Corona and Leffe – mentioned its annual revenues within the US fell by 9.5% “primarily as a result of quantity decline of Bud Mild.”Nonetheless, globally AB InBev noticed whole revenues rise by 7.8% for the 12 months, which helped to spice up 2023 earnings to greater than $6.1bn.Bud Mild confronted a wave of criticism after it despatched a personalised can of beer to Ms Mulvaney for a web-based submit.Following Ms Mulvaney’s social media submit selling the beer along with her personalised can, many on the suitable criticised the corporate for going “woke”.Woke is an off-the-cuff time period from the US, which means alert to injustice and discrimination in society, significantly racism and sexism. It’s typically utilized by the suitable in a derogatory method in the direction of left-leaning views on matters from local weather change to assist for minorities.Musician Child Rock, NFL participant Trae Waynes and mannequin Bri Teresi all shared movies of themselves capturing Bud Mild cans.The corporate’s response to the criticism – which included placing two executives blamed for the connection on go away – was subsequently decried by many on the left.AB InBev’s US-listed shares fell by virtually 4% in prolonged buying and selling in New York.