Industrials

Dow, DuPont Merger Review Halted Again in Europe

Thinkstock

The proposed merger between Dow Chemical Co. (NYSE: DOW) and E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co. (NYSE: DD) ran into another snag on Thursday when European regulators suspended their review of the deal. This marks the second time regulators have stopped the clock on deal.

The European Commission (EC) had an original deadline of December 20, 2016, to reach a decision on the proposed merger, but a September delay pushed the decision date out to February 6, 2017.

This latest delay is the result of the companies not providing “an important piece of information” requested by the EC, according to a report from Bloomberg. Once the information is provided, the clock will begin running again and the EC’s decision deadline will be adjusted again to take account of this delay.

Shareholders of the two companies have already approved the $59 billion merger. U.S. regulators are still examining the merger, as are regulators in China and elsewhere.

EC competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager said in August:

The livelihood of farmers depends on access to seeds and crop protection at competitive prices. We need to make sure that the proposed merger does not lead to higher prices or less innovation for these products.

The impact on stock prices for Dow and DuPont has been slight. Dow’s stock traded down about 0.2% late Friday morning, at $53.14 in a 52-week range of $40.26 to $57.10. DuPont shares also traded down about 0.2%, at $68.37 in a 52-week range of $50.71 to $75.72.

Take This Retirement Quiz To Get Matched With A Financial Advisor (Sponsored)

Take the quiz below to get matched with a financial advisor today.

Each advisor has been vetted by SmartAsset and is held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests.

Here’s how it works:
1. Answer SmartAsset advisor match quiz
2. Review your pre-screened matches at your leisure. Check out the
advisors’ profiles.
3. Speak with advisors at no cost to you. Have an introductory call on the phone or introduction in person and choose whom to work with in the future

Take the retirement quiz right here.

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.