SECURITIES

RJR Says Icahn Wants to Buy Stake: The financier filed earlier this month for clearance under federal antitrust laws to buy up to $15 million in RJR Nabisco Holdings Corp. stock, the company said. The report set off speculation on Wall Street that the maker of Winston and Camel cigarettes would face increasing pressure to spin off its remaining 80.5% interest in the Nabisco food business. A $15-million purchase would represent only a fraction of a percent of RJR’s 330 million fully diluted shares, but it would give Icahn a foot in the door. Icahn did not return calls seeking comment on his plans. Another financier, Bennett LeBow, recently received clearance to buy up to 15% of RJR stock. It is not clear whether Icahn and LeBow are cooperating, but analysts suspect they may be. Calls to LeBow and his spokesmen were not returned. Stock in New York-based RJR climbed $2.125 to $33 a share on the New York Stock Exchange.