Novartis CEO: Roche Stake Would No Longer Have to Be Sold at Premium

By Denise Roland

Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis AG (NVS) Chief Executive Joe Jimenez has softened his stance on selling the company's $15 billion stake in crosstown rival Roche Holding AG (ROG.VX), saying he is no longer convinced that the shares need to be sold at a premium to the market price.

Mr. Jimenez told investors at the company's Capital Markets Day Thursday that the rally in Roche's stock relative to the broader market meant that fetching a premium for the stake was no longer a prerequisite for Novartis to sell it, according to analysts at Morgan Stanley. A company spokesman confirmed Mr. Jimenez's comments, which mark a shift from last year, when the he said the stake was "worth something more than the market price."

The same Morgan Stanley note also quoted Chairman Joerg Reinhardt as saying that a sale of the Roche stake was "not a burning topic at the moment," and the company spokesman stressed the company was in no rush to sell the stake.

Novartis' sizeable stake in Roche--which represents around a third of voting shares--dates back to a period in the early 2000s when former Chairman Daniel Vasella built up the holding while eyeing a possible merger between the Swiss pharmaceutical companies.

A spokeswoman for Roche declined to comment.

Write to Denise Roland at [e-mail]

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