Buyout groups confirm Stada bids, secure funding, sources say

By Patricia Weiss and Alexander Hübner

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - The two private equity consortia vying for Stada have made binding takeover offers each worth 4.7 billion euros ($5.0 billion) including debt, paving the way for a deeper look into the German generic drugmaker's books, several people familiar with the matter said.

The competing groups, Advent and Permira against Bain and Cinven, have also secured financing packages, which had been a precondition set by Stada before more business data could be provided, the sources added.

The non-executive supervisory board of Stada - a supplier of generic drugs, consumer care products, diagnostics kits and e-cigarettes for vaping - is due to meet on Wednesday to consider the offers, they said.

 

As part of the confirmed offers, worth 58 euros per share as before, shareholders stand to receive the full dividend of 0.72 euros per share for 2016, a payout level that was proposed by Stada's management two weeks ago.

The Financial Times late on Tuesday reported the confirmatory bids.

Reuters reported last week that confirmatory bids would likely be around the initial level of about 58 euros per share and that final bids could be up to 60 euros per share, depending on the more detailed due diligence assessment.

Reuters has also reported that China's Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical is looking into entering the bidding tussle.

($1 = 0.9401 euros)

(Writing by Ludwig Burger; Editing by Keith Weir)