Not at a premium?

Say a biotech company is losing market share and share price is falling and say the company is trading at $10, how common is it for companies like this to be bought out by a bigger company but not at a premium...and say the company's technology is really good, but it has not succeeded due to management. Is it possible for this company to not be acquired at a premium? and how common would this be in the HC sector?

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Best Response

I don't have any case studies to support your example but I am sure there are scenarios out there.

For small companies, personnel drama is a big issue. If the bigger company can promise the smaller company's management cushy / reliable jobs and the employees guaranteed employment contracts, the smaller company might acquiesce. Many of the equity-holders are comprised of management / employees so job security can be in itself a big premium.

Also, survival will be key for the smaller company so perhaps an equity-deal will still promise the stockholders of the smaller company sufficient upside... Suppose that the smaller company will go bankrupt with relative certainty but if it is bought out, the current research might pay off big in a few years (which will reward shareholders of the joint company).

And also obviously if this is a distressed situation...

 

thanks vancouver...yea it would be interesting to see how common this is...And specifically for biotech where they have to invest in R&D so much, not sure how they will raise cash for that unless they continue to have more public offerings and this will keep hitting the share price and not sure how investors would look at that since this method has to continue for a long time since it is still a small company. logically, it would seem like a big company can step in and say they will take over and they would have leverage since the company has no other options.

 

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