Merck KGaA agreed to acquire Minneapolis-based Bio-Techne Corporation for $73 per share in cash, valuing the life-sciences tools supplier at an enterprise value of approximately $11.3 billion.
The offer represents a 36% premium to Bio-Techne’s one-month volume weighted average trading price, the company said
Bio-Techne stock rose about 20% in premarket trading following the announcement, according to CNBC. Bio-Techne, which trades on Nasdaq under the ticker TECH, its product catalog includes proteins, antibodies, reagents, and analytical instruments, serving customers that range from academic scientists and pharmaceutical developers to clinical diagnostic laboratories. The company employs more than 3,000 people across 34 global locations and generated more than $1.2 billion in net sales in fiscal year 2025, the company said.
The acquisition would add Bio-Techne’s ProteinSimple automated protein detection instruments and its RNAscope in situ hybridization technologies — used in spatial biology and diagnostics — to Merck’s life science portfolio, the company said. Wilson Wolf Corporation, a cell-culture device manufacturer in which Bio-Techne holds a 19.9% stake, is also part of the transaction; Merck said it intends to exercise an existing option to acquire the remaining interest by the end of 2027. Merck expects to save about 140 million euros per year, with the full benefit coming within three years after the deal closes.