Bio-Techne Corporation shareholders voted Sept. 23, 2026, to approve and adopt the definitive merger agreement under which Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, proposes to acquire the Minneapolis-based life-science tools company, Bio-Techne said in a company release and AllSci (opens in new tab) reported independently the same day.
Under terms announced earlier, Merck KGaA is offering $73.00 per share in cash, valuing the deal at about $11.3 billion (roughly €9.9 billion), a premium of about 36% to Bio-Techne’s one-month average price before announcement, AllSci (opens in new tab) reported, citing the June agreement details. Bio-Techne CEO Kim Kelderman called the shareholder vote an “important milestone” toward completing the transaction.
The U.S. Hart-Scott-Rodino antitrust waiting period expired at 11:59 p.m. Eastern on Sept. 18, 2026, Bio-Techne said. Final certified vote tallies are to be filed in an SEC Form 8-K. Closing remains expected in late 2026 or early 2027, subject to remaining regulatory approvals and customary conditions, both sources said.
AllSci (opens in new tab) noted the acquisition would be Merck KGaA’s largest since the 2015 Sigma-Aldrich purchase and the first major deal under CEO Kai Beckmann, who framed it as advancing the company’s mid- to long-term strategy. Bio-Techne generated more than $1.2 billion in fiscal 2025 net sales and employs more than 3,000 people, the company said.