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Georg Fischer Makes €2.1 Billion Bid to Buy Finnish Peer Uponor

Finnish plastic pipe extruder Uponor has a new suitor, and this one might make it all the way to the altar. Swiss industrial group Georg Fischer has made a €2.1 billion ($2.26 billion) bid to buy the company, which received a thumb’s up from Uponor’s largest shareholder, Oras Invest Oy.

Belgium-based Aliaxis made an unsolicited €1.9 billion offer to buy Uponor in April with the aim of forming a “global leader in water management.” That offer was rejected by Oras Invest, which has just over a 25% stake in the company. It said at the time that the amount did “not reflect the full potential value of the group.”

Uponor’s board of directors, as well as Oras Invest, have recommended that the shareholders accept the offer from Georg Fischer, according to Bloomberg based on comments made by Schaffhausen-based Georg Fischer. “The two companies have complementary products and geographical footprints, similar cultures, and a common ESG commitment,” said Yves Serra, chair of Georg Fischer’s board of directors, as reported by Bloomberg.

However, Aliaxis is not out of the running yet, according to Juho Saarinen, an analyst at OP Group in Helsinki, cited by Bloomberg. “It is still possible that there will be new offers for the company,” he said in a note.

Reporting from Reuters concurs. Georg Fischer’s “offer of €28.85 ($31) per share valued Uponor at 2.1 billion euros, a 12% premium to Aliaxis’ €25.75 ($27.67) bid, but the Finnish group’s shares rose further to €29.38 ($31.57), suggesting more bids may still come,” writes Reuters.

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