According to Zhitong Finance APP, Bio-Techne (TECH.US), a U.S. life sciences company, surged over 20% in pre-market trading on Thursday after Merck KGaA announced it had agreed to acquire the company for $73 per share in cash, valuing the transaction at approximately $11.3 billion (about €9.9 billion).

The acquisition offer represents a 36% premium over Bio-Techne's one-month volume-weighted average price. The transaction has been approved by the Bio-Techne board and the relevant decision-making bodies of Merck KGaA, and is expected to close by the end of 2026 or early 2027.

The acquisition funds will come from existing cash and a new debt financing package. The deal is expected to immediately enhance sales growth and EBITDA margins, with an increase in earnings per share anticipated in the third year post-closing.

Merck KGaA expects to achieve approximately €140 million in annual cost synergies, which are expected to be fully realized by the third year post-closing.

Kai Beckmann, Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO of Merck KGaA, stated: "This transaction is an important milestone in advancing our medium- to long-term strategic agenda. Bio-Techne is an excellent fit that directly supports our strategic direction—committed to providing cutting-edge products and solutions across the entire industry value chain, from laboratory customers to manufacturers in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors."

Founded in 1976 and headquartered in Minnesota, Bio-Techne is a leading global supplier of life science reagents and instruments, with products covering areas such as proteomics, genomics, diagnostics, and cell therapy. The company owns well-known brands such as R&D Systems, Novus Biologicals, and ProteinSimple. For the fiscal year 2025, the company is expected to generate approximately $1.2 billion in revenue and has about 3,100 employees worldwide.

Merck KGaA, headquartered in Darmstadt, Germany, operates across three major sectors: healthcare, life sciences, and electronics. This acquisition will significantly enhance its life sciences division—MilliporeSigma—in the critical reagents and bioprocess solutions space, particularly strengthening its position in rapidly growing submarkets such as protein analysis and cell culture media.

This transaction is also one of the largest acquisitions by Merck KGaA in recent years, reflecting the strategic trend of large life sciences and pharmaceutical companies to integrate industry resources through external mergers and acquisitions to build end-to-end solutions