By Rupert Hargreaves Today, the tobacco group Imperial Brands has hiked its shareholder returns for the year as net debt has continued to decline. In a pre-close period trading update, the company said it was trading “in line with expectations” for the year, with growth at both its tobacco and next generation product (NGP) lines. The company added that it had seen “strong growth” in NGP net revenue with a “further reduction in operating losses.” NGP revenue is expected to grow 20 per cent to 30 per cent at constant currency rates. Imperial Brands added that earnings per share growth is “accele…