Nastassia Samal
Life sciences company Danaher Corporation (New York Stock Exchange:DHR) has expressed interest in acquiring contract manufacturer Catalent (NYSE:CTLT), Bloomberg reported on Saturday, citing people familiar with the matter.
According to sources, recent moves by the Washington-based company have valued catalento (CTLT) with a significant premium. It is not clear how Catalent (CTLT) will respond to Danaher (RHD) proposals or if you are interested in a takeover bid.
A deal between the two companies, which have played a key role during the pandemic, is not imminent, said the people, who asked to remain anonymous as the matter remains private.
“As a matter of company policy, Catalent does not comment on market rumors or speculation,” a company spokesperson said, while Danaher (DHR) did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Catalent (CTLT) helped produce COVID-19 vaccines as a contract manufacturer for companies including Moderna (MRNA) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) during the pandemic.
After rising in value during the early stages of the pandemic, the company’s shares have lost about 60% since the September 2021 peak.
Meanwhile, Danaher (DHR) has yet to announce a major M&A transaction since 2021, when it acquired Aldevron, a private company focused on the production of nucleic acids and proteins, for $6.9 billion in cash.
Felix Fung, seeking Alpha collaborator, recently argued that Danaher’s (DHR) latest earnings show very little top-line growth and (their) guidance indicates a further slowdown in overall growth due to strong headwinds from COVID-related products”.
