Bio-Techne shareholders approve Merck KGaA acquisition

Bio-Techne Corporation announced that its shareholders voted to approve and adopt the definitive agreement under which Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany proposes to acquire Bio-Techne at a special meeting held on September 23, 2026.¹

According to the company's related Form 8-K, shareholders gathered at the special meeting to vote on proposals tied to the Agreement and Plan of Merger dated June 25, 2026, among Bio-Techne, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, and EMD Holdings NewCo, Inc., a wholly-owned merger subsidiary of Merck KGaA that will merge into Bio-Techne, leaving Bio-Techne as the surviving, wholly-owned subsidiary.¹

On the record date of August 11, 2026, there were 156,800,296 shares of Bio-Techne common stock outstanding and entitled to vote.¹ At the meeting, holders of 78.55% of those shares were present or represented by proxy, forming a quorum.¹

On the primary merger proposal, 121,929,544 votes were cast in favor, 1,208,817 against, and 30,610 abstained.¹ A separate, non-binding vote on executive compensation tied to the merger saw 25,912,275 votes in favor and 96,412,306 against, with 844,390 abstentions.¹ Because a quorum was present and the merger proposal already had enough votes, a proposed adjournment item was not put to a vote.¹

The company noted that the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act expired at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on September 18, 2026.¹ Bio-Techne said it still anticipates the deal will be completed sometime between late 2026 and early 2027, pending remaining regulatory clearances and other standard conditions.