SABMiller shares rise on takeover talk, AB InBev cited

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LONDON, May 7 (Reuters) - Shares (Berlin: DI6.BE - news) of brewer SABMiller rose more than 3 percent on Thursday, with traders citing a revival of talk of a possible takeover bid from rival Anheuser-Busch InBev.

Two London-based traders said billionaire Warren Buffett and investment firm 3G Capital (Other OTC: CGHC - news) were also cited as potential bidders.

Officials for SABMiller (Xetra: BRW1.DE - news) , ABI and 3G declined to comment. An official for Berkshire Hathaway (Sao Paolo: BERK34.SA - news) , Warren Buffett's company, was not immediately available to comment.

A possible takeover of the world's second-largest beer maker by its bigger rival has been speculated on for years and resurfaces frequently.

Yet several analysts have recently said any such deal was now less likely in the near term, given the March announcement that 3G-backed Heinz was buying Kraft Foods (Sao Paolo: KFGI34.SA - news) in conjunction with Warren Buffett.

The global beer industry has seen a wave of consolidation as regional brewers join forces to gain scale advantage in an industry where sales have slowed.

(Reporting by Alasdair Pal, Sudip Kar-Gupta and Martinne Geller; Editing by Lionel Laurent and David Evans)