AVP Avon Products Inc

Securities regulators on Thursday sued a firm calling itself PTG Capital Partners Ltd. and several others over an apparently bogus takeover offer for Avon Products Inc. filed last month that rattled traders and raised questions about the U.S. public securities filing system.

The Securities and Exchange Commission said PTG and other firms had "coordinated attempts to fraudulently manipulate" the price of Avon stock and securities of Tower Group International Ltd. and Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Inc.

The suit was filed in Manhattan federal court.

Write to Aruna Viswanatha at aruna.viswanatha@wsj.com

Access Investor Kit for Avon Products, Inc.

Visit http://www.companyspotlight.com/partner?cp_code=P479&isin=US0543031027

Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires