Company News: Anheuser-Busch InBev, Uralkali, Merck, McDonald's, Wendy's

• Anheuser-Busch InBev served investors some refreshing second-quarter gains, thanks to improving beer sales in Brazil and a thirst for the company’s pricier brews in the U.S. Shares of AB InBev surged almost 8 percent. The high-end beers sent profits up in North America, but sales volume there is still down despite (or possibly because of) the world’s biggest brewer’s new concoctions such as Bud Light Lime-A-Rita.

• Uralkali, the world’s No. 1 producer in the $20 billion market for a fertilizer nutrient called potash, is dropping out of one of the two largest ventures that have limited global supplies and kept prices high. The Russian company’s decision sent shares of potash producers—including Uralkali’s own stock—sliding as much as 27 percent, as investors anticipated a glut of fertilizer pouring into the market.