Pfizer
back for AstraZeneca? Year-end move seen most likely
Shares in drugmaker
AstraZeneca have climbed more than 7 percent this week, fueled by speculation
of renewed takeover interest from Pfizer, following an abortive $118 billion
(71 billion pounds) takeover attempt in May.
But while British takeover
rules mean deal talks could be back on the cards as early as Aug. 26, following
the ending of the first of a two-stage cooling-off period, many investors and
analysts see the year-end as a more likely time for any return.
"I'm not expecting
anything next week," said Dan Mahony, a fund manager at Polar Capital, who
increased his stake in AstraZeneca last year. "I know the stock is
rallying on anticipation but I suspect if anything is going to happen it is
more likely to happen in November or December."
Pfizer Chief Executive Ian
Read has made clear he is still considering big deals to revive his firm's
pipeline and cut its tax bill - something buying AstraZeneca would allow it to
do via a so-called inversion that would shift its tax base to Britain.
However, Read has little
leverage right now. Pfizer cannot take the initiative and launch a public bid
until Nov. 26 - six months from when it walked away after AstraZeneca rejected
its last offer - though AstraZeneca can invite it back from Aug. 26.
British rules also allow
Pfizer to make a single offer via a private phone call to AstraZeneca. But this
single offer option is rarely used in takeover situations as the bidder has no
way to take things further if the target simply says "no".
As a result, Pfizer would
need to make a knockout offer at a big premium to its last bid of 55 pounds a
share, which many analysts view as unlikely given Read's reluctance to close
the gap in May to the 58.85 pounds AstraZeneca indicated it wanted.
CANCER DRUG HOPES
The one factor that could
force AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot back to the table this month would be
sustained pressure from his shareholders, a number of whom are disgruntled that
he let Pfizer's offer slip away.
Yet there has been no
high-profile investor rebellion so far - and Soriot has been steadily building
up hopes for his company's new cancer drugs, adding respiratory medicines
through a deal with Almirall and putting behind him a damaging U.S. investigation
into heart drug Brilinta.
AstraZeneca aims to
present more convincing evidence for its experimental medicines at a cancer
conference in Madrid in late September, and Soriot intends to highlight the
potential of the full line-up of new drugs at an investor day on Nov. 18.
The decision to time that
investor event just one week before Pfizer has a free hand to renew its
approaches suggests AstraZeneca is "very unlikely" to invite Pfizer
to make a new offer once the three-month cooling off period ends next week,
according to analysts at Jefferies.
Political uncertainty has
also played into the British group's hands to some extent, with recent U.S.
threats to clamp down on tax inversions provoking fears that such tax-saving deals
may in future be blocked.
Following the failure to
buy AstraZeneca in May, healthcare bankers says Pfizer has been looking at
other targets.
Ireland-based Actavis
would represent one good alternative, according to analysts at Leerink, and
Berenberg believes Pfizer could even contemplate buying AstraZeneca's larger
British rival GlaxoSmithKline.
But neither offers as good
a fit as AstraZeneca, whose pipeline of immune system-boosting cancer drugs
would complement Pfizer's currently narrow oncology portfolio.
AstraZeneca shares were
2.2 percent high at 43.79 pounds by 1.50 p.m. BST, outperforming a 0.6 percent
gain in the European drugs sector.
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