Swedish buyout firm EQT nears deal for Qiagen, Bloomberg reports

what happened

Reuters, citing Bloomberg News, reports that Qiagen, a European maker of molecular testing and sample-preparation tools, is at an advanced stage of talks to be sold to buyout group EQT. According to the agency, EQT has put in a binding offer of more than $50 per share.

The Qiagen board is due to weigh the proposal this week, although people familiar with the matter stress that a deal is not guaranteed. US investor KKR is also named among the bidders.

Qiagen's US-listed shares climbed more than 6% in afternoon trading after the report. LSEG data puts the company's value at €8.57 billion. In January Qiagen said it was reviewing strategic options after renewed takeover interest, and over the summer EQT, Advent and KKR were all linked to a possible purchase. EQT and KKR had not yet answered requests for comment, while Qiagen declined to speculate publicly on the rumors.

why it matters

The report lifted Qiagen's stock, but the outcome of the talks is still unclear. Buyout funds' interest in diagnostics companies suggests private capital is increasingly looking at how such assets are valued, which could affect comparable listed names in the sector.

market impact

Qiagen shares: a possible takeover at a premium supports the stock, though the outcome of talks is unclear.

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