Royalty Pharma Willing to Pay More for Elan, Depending on Investor Demands

Royalty Pharma announced Monday that it's willing increase the $11-per-share offer it made for Elan back in February, depending on the result of Elan's buyback.

The biotech recently announced plans to repurchase $1 billion worth of shares through a Dutch auction. As part of the auction, investors are given the option to sell their shares back to the company at a price between $11.25 and $13.00, specified by the shareholder. Elan would then buy back shares at the lowest price that allows it to purchase shares worth $1 billion in aggregate.

Royalty Pharma has tied its offer to the price Elan ends up paying at the Dutch offering. It'll pay the same amount as shareholders were given if the offer is for $11.25 or $11.50. If shareholders demand $11.75 or $12, Royalty Pharma is willing to pay $12 per share for the remaining share of Elan. If shareholders demand more than $12, Royalty Pharma is willing to pay only $11 per share, presumably because it believes at that level Elan is overpaying to buy back its shares.

Royalty Pharma also put a $1-per-share clause in the offer because it doesn't know exactly how much net cash Elan has. If the deal goes through, Elan can confirm that its balance sheet meets the requirements or Royalty Pharma will reduce the offer by $1 per share and pay all or some of that $1 through a net cash right, once it takes control.

Elan acknowledged Royalty Pharma's press release and said it would consider the offer but didn't hint at whether the increase was good enough.

The article Royalty Pharma Willing to Pay More for Elan, Depending on Investor Demands originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Brian Orelli and The Motley Fool have no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools don't all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.