Shares in Whitman Corp. jumped on reports...

Shares in Whitman Corp. jumped on reports that a group including the Belzberg family of Canada will file for permission to acquire up to 15% of the diversified conglomerate’s stock. The stock gained $4.125 to $34.625 in brisk trading on the New York Stock Exchange. Late Monday, Whitman, formerly IC Industries Inc., said it had been advised by Barbados-based Zeus Partnership LP that the group was planning to seek government clearance to acquire more than $15 million worth of shares of Whitman’s stock. Chicago-based Whitman owns Whitman’s Sampler candies, Progresso soups and Midas car muffler repair shops, among other holdings. A spokesman for Whitman said the company was not for sale.