UPDATE 1-Gavio, Vinci eye Brazil's EcoRodovias stake, sources say

(Adds background, details on Almeida family, share performance
in paragraphs 4-8)
By Tatiana Bautzer
SAO PAULO, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Italy's Gruppo Gavio and
France's Vinci SA SGEF.PA are interested in a stake in toll
road operator EcoRodovias Infraestrutura & Logística SA
ECOR3.SA , whose owner needs to raise cash to pay debt, five
sources with direct knowledge of the situation said.
Infrastructure companies Gavio, Vinci SGEF.PA and Atlantia
SpA ATL.MI are on a short list to present binding proposals
for the 63.99 percent that Brazil's Almeida family have in
EcoRodovias through investment holding company Primav, according
to the sources who requested anonymity because negotiations are
underway.
The Almeidas are considering either a partial sale of their
stake or their full exit, the sources added. Other parties that
have analyzed a deal include local rivals Arteris SA ARTR3.SA
and CCR SA CCRO3.SA and Canada's Brookfield Asset Management
Inc BAMa.TO , they added.
A potential sale of control in EcoRodovias and plans to
dispose of some assets could help stoke the company's shares,
according to analysts including JPMorgan (N:JPM) Securities' Fernando
Abdalla.
Shares of São Paulo-based EcoRodovias rallied 5.4 percent on
Tuesday. They had tumbled 48 percent this year.
Gavio confirmed it is analyzing the deal. Atlantia, Vinci,
Arteris, Brookfield, CCR and Primav, which holds the controlling
stake in Ecorodovias, did not comment.
The Almeidas are disposing of their stake to pay 2 billion
reais in bank loans they took to buy out Impregilo SpA SALI.MI
three years ago, they said. While the stake is worth 1.8 billion
reais ($467 million) at current market prices, the Almeidas want
a "substantial premium" for surrendering control of Brazil's No.
2 toll road operator, two sources said.
Italy's Gavio was a major shareholder in Impregilo when the
latter shared control of EcoRodovias with the Almeidas, and
still has a close relationship with the Brazilian family, one
source noted.
EcoRodovias owns some of the largest toll road operations in
São Paulo state, Brazil's wealthiest and most populous,
including the Anchieta/Imigrantes and the Ayrton Senna/Carvalho
Pinto highway systems. It also operates a 13.3 kilometer-long
(8.25 miles) bridge connecting Rio de Janeiro and the coastal
city of Niteroi.
Banco Bradesco BBI, Bank of America Merrill Lynch (N:BAC) and Grupo
BTG Pactual SA are advising the Almeidas and Primav on the sale.
($1 = 3.8490 Brazilian reais)