By Heide Oberhauser-Aslan
Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA (FRE.XE) hasn't given up on
acquiring private hospital operator Rhoen-Klinikum AG (RHK.XE)
despite failing in an attempt last year, Chief Executive Ulf
Schneider told Dow Jones in an interview.
The global health care company isn't embarrassed by the offer,
since it was "a good and feasible proposal, any way you look at
it," Mr. Schneider said.
Last year, Fresenius failed to secure 90% of Rhoen-Klinikum's
shares, a condition made necessary by Rhoen-Klinikum's bylaws,
which require strategic decisions to be supported by 90% of
shareholders.
Mr. Schneider said he didn't know how the hospital operator and
its complicated shareholding structure will develop. "I don't know
how it will move forward, but we are watching with interest," he
said.
Fresenius holds a 5% stake in Rhoen-Klinikum. The federal cartel
office will rule Friday on whether another shareholder, Asklepios,
will be allowed to raise its share in Rhoen-Klinikum to 10%. Both
Asklepios and Sana, another shareholder, have expressed concerns
about the strength of a combined Rhoen-Klinikum and Helios, a unit
of Fresenius, and want to keep Rhoen-Klinikum independent.
Continued cooperation and consent between Rhoen-Klinikum and
Fresenius is crucial, Mr. Schneider said.
"I'm assuming that Rhoen-Klinikum will continue to prefer our
plan for a tie-up and the logic behind it, and...that's more
important to me than a concrete stake increase," Mr. Schneider
said.
Write to Heide Oberhauser-Aslan at
heide.oberhauser@dowjones.com
Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires