AMERICAN BRANDS <AMB> SEES HIGHER 1ST QTR NET
American Brands Inc said it expects
first quarter net earnings to exceed the record 118.7 mln dlrs
or 1.05 dlrs a share it earned for the year-ago quarter.
    The company also said it believes sales in the first
quarter will surpass record sales of 2.1 billion dlrs last
year.
    The company said unit sales of American Tobacco's Lucky
Strike Filter line rose 20 pct last year, which led to a gain
for he Lucky franchise.
    American Brands said it will introduce a new low-priced
brand of cigarettes called Malibu.
    The company's U.K.-based Gallaher Ltd unit had a strong
performance in 1986 and became the second-largest contributor
to operating earnings, American Brands said.
 Reuter
