To be clear: this is no relation to “our” US Merck. This is the German company, separated by the Treaty of Versailles, after WWI. And it is the largest M&A deal (now under new leadership) in over eleven years, from Darmstadt. And this Minneapolis area company is surely a good bet — even if the price looks… a lil’… rich.
Here’s the morning’s most capable reporting on it all, from FiercePharma:
…Merck KGaA has agreed to put up $73 per share in cash to acquire Bio-Techne Corporation, which works out to a total consideration of roughly $11.3 billion for the Minneapolis-based provider and manufacturer of life sci tools, analytical technologies and consumables. The deal marks a 36% premium on Bio-Techne’s one-month average trading price, Merck KGaA said in a June 25 release….
Merck KGaA is set to gain a number of assets and capabilities through the purchase, including a well-known portfolio of cytokines, growth factors, antibodies and immunoassay kits. The German healthcare and electronics firm is also gaining access to Bio-Techne’s ProteinSimple line of automated protein detection and analysis instruments, plus additional tools that could bolster Merck KGaA’s positioning in spatial biology and diagnostics.
Bio-Techne’s established position as a provider of materials, analytics and process technologies to cell therapy developers is also set to bolster the combined companies’ bottom line, in Merck’s estimation….
Now you know — onward, into the sunshine of perfect June morning, here. Biking at the lake, ahead. [Maybe the Germans are paying a very full price, since these Minnesota operations will allow them to avoid any future tariffs the KGaA might face if Tangerine 2.0 goes stupid — again.] Smile….
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