- Bayer (OTCPK:BAYRY +1.5%) and Monsanto (MON +0.5%) are within a week or two of closing on a deal, with MON telling Bayer that it is "close" on price, CNBC reports.
- MON also has agreed to open its books for Bayer to conduct due diligence checks on the company's business, Reuters reports.
- However, the two companies have yet to agree on a strategy on how to jointly tackle potential antitrust challenges, according to the CNBC report.
- Bayer has raised its bid for MON to $127.50/share, up from $125, but analysts disagree whether the offer is final; the Equinet brokerage says it infers from Bayer's statement that "failure to agree a deal at $127.50/share could imply a risk to Monsanto shareholders of either a hostile bid at a lesser consideration, or no deal at all," while analysts from Baader Helvea "still expect a bid per share in the $130-135 range before Monsanto comes to the table."