On September 23, 2026, Bio-Techne Corporation held a special meeting of shareholders to vote on the proposed acquisition by Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. The meeting was called to consider the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated June 25, 2026, under which Merck KGaA will acquire Bio-Techne through a merger where Bio-Techne will continue as the surviving corporation.
At the meeting, 78.55% of the outstanding shares of Bio-Techne common stock, which totaled 156,800,296 shares as of the record date of August 11, 2026, were represented by proxy or remote communication. The shareholders voted on three proposals: the Merger Agreement, a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation related to the merger, and an adjournment proposal.
The final voting results for the Merger Agreement Proposal were as follows: 121,929,544 votes were cast in favor, 1,208,817 were cast against, and 30,610 were abstentions. The Adjournment Proposal was not submitted because a quorum was present and sufficient votes existed to approve the merger.
In addition to shareholder approval, the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act expired on September 18, 2026. Bio-Techne stated that it expects the transaction to close by late 2026 or early 2027, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including the receipt of remaining regulatory approvals.
