Aug 1 (Reuters) - Brazilian brewer Ambev SA ( ABEV )

on Thursday reported a slightly lower-than-expected second

quarter net profit of 2.45 billion reais ($433.05 million), down

5.6% from a year earlier as sales volumes edged up 0.4%, led by

Brazil and Central America and the Caribbean.

Analysts expected a net profit of 2.50 billion reais, based

on LSEG data.

($1 = 5.6575 reais)