Adnoc Said to Proceed in Covestro Talks Before Possible Bump - Bloomberg

Adnoc Said to Proceed in Covestro Talks Before Possible Bump - Bloomberg

Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. is inching toward an improved bid for Covestro AG after finding a potential way to resolve the impasse over its €11.3 billion ($12.1 billion) pursuit of the German chemical maker, people familiar with the matter said.

Adnoc is working with a consulting firm that’s sent dozens of questions to Covestro about the details of its operations, according to the people. The responses could give the Abu Dhabi-based energy giant enough information to improve its bid to slightly more than €60 per share, the people said, asking not to be identified because the information is private.

Shares of Covestro jumped as much as 8.1% in late Frankfurt trading Thursday. They were up 4.8% at 5:35 p.m. in Germany, giving the company a market value of about €9.4 billion.

In December, Adnoc improved its non-binding offer to €60 per share, up from previous proposals of €57 and €55, Bloomberg News has reported. The latest increase wasn’t enough to win over some parts of Covestro’s supervisory board, which thus hasn’t granted Adnoc full access to its data room, the people said.

While Adnoc executives were struggling to justify another bump without access to proper due diligence, Covestro’s responses to the latest questions may help bridge the gap, the people said. It’s still unclear how much Adnoc may be willing to increase its bid and whether it will be enough to win over Covestro.

Deliberations are ongoing, and there’s no certainty they will lead to a deal. Representatives for Adnoc and Covestro declined to comment.

Adnoc has been pursuing Covestro since the middle of last year, part of the Abu Dhabi company’s push to diversify internationally. Its overtures come as the European chemical industry struggles with the region’s anemic growth and a weaker-than-expected rebound in China.

Producers including Lanxess AG and BASF SE warned of disappointing earnings last year. Covestro will announce its full-year results on Feb. 29, when investors also expect it to provide an outlook for the current year and beyond.

Covestro indicated in November it’s on track to generate about €1.4 billion in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization in 2024, well below the €2.8 billion it said it could achieve under average market conditions.