Article: United States: Altria, PMI May Offer to Buy Imperial.

Byline: pinto03

Altria Group Inc. and Philip Morris International Inc. may bid for Imperial Tobacco Group Plc, Europe's second-largest cigarette maker, with a view to breaking up the company, Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. said.

Altria's Philip Morris USA unit and PMI are a ``potential suitor'' for Bristol, England-based Imperial, David Hayes, an analyst at Lehman in London, wrote today in a research report. He resumed coverage of Imperial with an ``overweight'' rating.

A takeover would be a ``final round of consolidation'' in the tobacco industry, according to Hayes. Imperial, which bought Gauloises cigarettes maker Altadis SA this year, might ...

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