Global Investing
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What will Roche end up paying for Genentech?
The first lawsuits are flying but Roche’s experienced dealmakers are unlikely to put more cash on the table just yet.
While it seems clear $89 a share won’t do it – the market has already pushed Genentech stock to $95 and some analysts are talking well over $100 – the Basel-based drugs giant can afford to bide its time. With 56 percent of the biotech company already in his pocket, Chairman Franz Humer is ready to play a long game.
Genentech, which says Roche’s bid for the remaining 44 percent is “unsolicited and unexpected”, has formed a special committee of its three independent directors to assess the proposal. They will be engaging outside advisors, suggesting a lengthy process ahead.
At the end of the day, most analysts believe a deal looks inevitable and Roche will end up sweetening its current $43.7 billion offer.
The question is, by how much?
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[...] Roche will have to pay up for Genentech (DNA), the only question is how much? (Global Investing) [...]
[...] Throw in the inevitable lawsuit, saying that Roche’s $89-a-share offer is unfair and inadequate and the fact that Genentech’s shares are trading at $95.51 this morning, and it would seem Roche needs to sweeten its offer, according to Reuters’s DealZone. [...]
$95 a share seems like a long way off in today’s market. Any acquisition should have been delayed until the price had collapsed. Genetics companies have fluxuated in price during times of stock market uncertainty