Merck Recommends Rejection of TRC Capital’s “Mini-Tender” Offer
22 November 2024 - 10:17PM
Business Wire
Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and
Canada, has been notified that TRC Capital Investment Corporation
(TRC Capital) has commenced an unsolicited “mini-tender” offer,
dated November 12, 2024, to purchase up to 1,000,000 shares of
Merck common stock at $96.38 per share. The offer price is
approximately 4.32% below the closing price of the Merck common
stock on November 11, 2024 ($100.73), the last trading day before
the date of the offer, and approximately 3.48% below the closing
price of the Merck common stock on November 21, 2024 ($99.86), the
day prior to this release.
Merck does not endorse TRC Capital’s offer and recommends that
Merck shareholders reject the offer and not tender their shares in
response to TRC Capital’s unsolicited mini-tender offer. This
mini-tender offer is at a price below the closing price for Merck’s
shares (as of the day prior to this release) and is subject to
numerous conditions, including TRC Capital’s ability to obtain
financing. Merck is not associated in any way with TRC Capital, its
mini-tender offer or the offer documentation.
TRC Capital has made similar unsolicited mini-tender offers for
shares of other publicly traded companies. Mini-tender offers seek
to acquire less than 5% of a company's outstanding shares. This
lets the offering company avoid many of the disclosure and
procedural requirements the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
(SEC) requires for tender offers. As a result, mini-tender offers
do not provide investors the same level of protections as provided
by larger tender offers under U.S. federal securities laws.
On its website, the SEC advises that the people behind mini
tender-offers “frequently use mini-tender offers to catch
shareholders off guard” and that investors “may end up selling at
below-market prices.” The SEC's website also contains important
tips for investors regarding mini-tender offers.
Like TRC Capital’s other offers, this one puts individual
investors at risk because they may not realize they are selling
their shares at a discount. Merck urges shareholders to obtain
current stock quotes for their shares of Merck common stock, to
review the terms and conditions of the offer, to consult with their
brokers or financial advisers, and to exercise caution with respect
to TRC Capital’s mini-tender offer.
Merck shareholders who have already tendered are advised they
may withdraw their shares by following the procedures for
withdrawal described in the TRC Capital offer documents prior to
the expiration of the offer, which is currently scheduled for 11:59
a.m. EST on December 11, 2024.
Merck encourages brokers, dealers, and other investors to review
the SEC’s letter regarding broker-dealer mini-tender offer
dissemination and disclosure.
Merck requests that a copy of this news release be included with
all distribution of materials related to TRC Capital’s offer for
shares of Merck common stock.
About Merck At Merck, known as MSD outside of the United
States and Canada, we are unified around our purpose: We use the
power of leading-edge science to save and improve lives around the
world. For more than 130 years, we have brought hope to humanity
through the development of important medicines and vaccines. We
aspire to be the premier research-intensive biopharmaceutical
company in the world – and today, we are at the forefront of
research to deliver innovative health solutions that advance the
prevention and treatment of diseases in people and animals. We
foster a diverse and inclusive global workforce and operate
responsibly every day to enable a safe, sustainable and healthy
future for all people and communities. For more information, visit
www.merck.com and connect with us on X (formerly Twitter),
Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.
Forward-Looking Statement of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway,
N.J., USA This news release of Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway,
N.J., USA (the “company”) includes “forward-looking statements”
within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S.
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements
are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of the
company’s management and are subject to significant risks and
uncertainties. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or risks
or uncertainties materialize, actual results may differ materially
from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.
Risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to, general
industry conditions and competition; general economic factors,
including interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations;
the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulation and health care
legislation in the United States and internationally; global trends
toward health care cost containment; technological advances, new
products and patents attained by competitors; challenges inherent
in new product development, including obtaining regulatory
approval; the company’s ability to accurately predict future market
conditions; manufacturing difficulties or delays; financial
instability of international economies and sovereign risk;
dependence on the effectiveness of the company’s patents and other
protections for innovative products; and the exposure to
litigation, including patent litigation, and/or regulatory
actions.
The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any
forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise. Additional factors that could cause
results to differ materially from those described in the
forward-looking statements can be found in the company’s Annual
Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 and the
company’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission
(SEC) available at the SEC’s Internet site (www.sec.gov).
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241122275388/en/
Media Contacts:
Robert Josephson (203) 914-2372 robert.josephson@merck.com
Michael Levey (215) 872-1462 michael.levey@merck.com
Investor Contacts:
Peter Dannenbaum (732) 594-1579 peter.dannenbaum@merck.com
Steven Graziano (732) 594-1583 steven.graziano@merck.com
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