Shareholders Overwhelmingly Back Bio-Techne's $73/Share Sale to Merck KGaA
TECH sits 68% above its 52-week low of $43.195.
Summary
Bio-Techne shareholders approved the $73 per share all-cash acquisition by Merck KGaA with 99% of votes cast in favor. The compensation advisory proposal was rejected, but the merger itself is now cleared to proceed toward closing.
Key Events · M&A and Partnerships · TECH
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Merger Agreement Approved
Shareholders approved the $73 per share all-cash acquisition by Merck KGaA with 121,929,544 votes for (99.0% of votes cast) versus 1,208,817 against.
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Compensation Advisory Vote Rejected
The non-binding advisory proposal on executive compensation was rejected: 96,412,306 votes against versus 25,912,275 for. This does not block the merger.
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HSR Waiting Period Expired
The Hart-Scott-Rodino antitrust waiting period expired at 11:59 p.m. ET on September 18, 2026, clearing a key regulatory condition.
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Closing Expected Late 2026/Early 2027
Bio-Techne continues to expect the transaction to close by late 2026 or early 2027, subject to remaining regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.
Analysis · TECH · Life Sciences
The final major hurdle for the $73 per share all-cash acquisition by Merck KGaA has been cleared, with Bio-Techne shareholders voting overwhelmingly in favor—121.9 million votes for versus just 1.2 million against, a 99% approval margin. The deal, announced in June, had faced a shareholder lawsuit seeking to block the vote, but the decisive result suggests the litigation did not derail the process. Notably, the non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation was rejected by a wide margin (96.4 million against vs 25.9 million for), though this does not block the merger. With the HSR waiting period having expired on September 18, only remaining regulatory approvals stand before closing, which the company expects by late 2026 or early 2027.
How filings like this one have moved
In the 30 days to Oct 16, 2026, 36.8% of the 988 measured filings Wiseek scored 8 moved their stock by 5% or more by the next session's close. The median move was -0.55%. These are measured outcomes after filings of this importance, not a forecast for this one.
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At the time of this filing, TECH was trading at $72.52 on NASDAQ in the Life Sciences sector, with a market capitalization of approximately $11.4B. The 52-week trading range was $43.20 to $72.69. This filing was assessed with positive market sentiment and an importance score of 8 out of 10.