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?


Trackback
3 comments so far
[...] Roche will have to pay up for Genentech (DNA), the only question is how much? (Global Investing) [...]
- Posted by Friday links: dividends matter « Abnormal Returns[...] 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. [...]
- Posted by Deal Journal - WSJ.com : Afternoon Reading: The Genentech Price Wars$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
- Posted by Corporation Financial