According to a voting rights announcement on Monday, activist US investor Jeff Ubben’s Inclusive Capital Partners fund holds almost 8.2 million shares in the pharmaceutical and agrochemical group. This corresponds to a stake of 0.8 percent, it said. At the end of trading, Bayer stock was up 2.59 percent to EUR 51.86. They also left the 50-day moving average behind as a medium-term trend indicator. The average price is currently around 52 euros.
Bayer is an interesting target for activist investors who want to directly influence the fortunes of a company. The share price continues to be badly affected by the glyphosate legal disputes in the USA, although things are now looking much better here.
In addition, some industry experts repeatedly criticize the conglomerate structure of the group. The Singaporean state fund Temasek, which is one of the largest shareholders with more than three percent, is probably also putting pressure on it. Temasek Europe boss Uwe Krüger told the Handelsblatt last year that the company was in “constructive dialogue” with the Bayer supervisory board chairman regarding the “strategic focus and general structure of the company”.
According to earlier information, the Bayer management rejects a split and also refers to overlaps in pharmaceutical and agricultural research, for example with a view to genetic engineering. That could possibly change under a new CEO. The departure of Bayer boss Werner Baumann is planned for 2024.
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