activist investing

Air Liquide shares surge as Elliott builds stake, pushes for higher margins

Activist investor Elliott Investment Management has built a stake in Air Liquide L'Air Liquide S.A. and is pressing the French industrial gas giant to narrow a persistent profitability gap with its rivals, according to reports from Reuters and the Financial…

Merck KGaA to buy Bio-Techne for $11.3 billion

Germany's Merck KGaA has reached an agreement to acquire Bio-Techne, a Minneapolis-based life sciences tools company, in a cash deal valued at approximately $11.3 billion (€9.9 billion). The offer of $73 per share represents a premium of roughly 36% over…