Inclusive Capital Partners sold a stake worth about 0.9 % of the company.
An activist investor appears to be making a move away from Bayer.
Inclusive Capital Partners sold off a significant stake in Bayer, resulting in a brief dip in the company’s stock. According to a report from Reuters,1 news of the transaction first surfaced yesterday when the activist investment firm initially put the stake up for sale.
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The offering included about 8.5 million shares of Bayer, which is about 0.9% of the company. Initial reports stated that the offering was worth about $380.17 million. According to a report from Investing.com, the shares eventually sold for about $378.67 million.2
The sale reportedly triggered a 3% dip in Bayer’s overall stock price. However, at the time of publication, the stock price had partially recovered, although it remains lower than it was during the past week.
Inclusive Capital is considered to be an activist investment firm and is led by Jeff Ubben, who has not yet made any public statements regarding the stock sale.
Ubben first became involved with Bayer in 2023, when his firm first took its stake in the company and helped to oust the company’s CEO at the time, Werner Baumann. Ubben has also pushed for Bayer to break up, although that does not appear to be in the works.
Bill Anderson succeeded Baumann as CEO of Bayer. When the announcement was first made in February 2023,3 Anderson said, “Bayer is an innovative company that is already delivering tremendous benefits for the nutrition, health and environmental protection of the world. Its leading R&D investments in agriculture, medicines and consumer health hold the promise for additional breakthroughs. I look forward to working with the people of Bayer to accelerate innovation, increase performance, advance sustainability and unleash the full potential of the company.”
In the same announcement, Bayer’s chairman of the supervisory board Prof. Dr. Norbert Winkeljohann said, “We are very excited to welcome Bill Anderson as new CEO of Bayer. He is the ideal candidate to lead Bayer together with the team into a new, successful chapter at a time of a disruptive innovation cycle in biology, chemistry and artificial intelligence. Bill has an outstanding track record of building strong product pipelines and turning biotech breakthroughs into products. Beyond that, he is a truly transformational leader who creates a culture that propels innovation, boosts productivity and performance, and allows people to thrive. Bill Anderson’s mission is clear: enable Bayer to realize its full potential and create sustainable value for our shareholders, farmers, patients, consumers, employees, and all stakeholders of the company.”
Recently, however, Anderson delivered the company’s 2026 earning’s report, which set targets lower than expectations.4
In a press release issued at the time, Anderson said, “That outlook is emblematic of the company’s current strategic position: strong signs of progress, but still working on a comprehensive turnaround. We’ve made major gains across the company, but that work is not yet complete. We have a clear picture of what needs to be done in every area.”
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