Ocular Therapeutix Inc. (OCUL) shares are climbing Thursday after reports emerged that Sanofi is working on a sweetened takeover bid for the biotech company.
Sanofi Returns With a Better Offer
According to multiple outlets citing French publication La Lettre, Sanofi is preparing an enhanced takeover proposal for Ocular Therapeutix after the company's board rejected an earlier offer. The pharmaceutical giant quietly approached Ocular in September with a $16-per-share bid, which was turned down. Since then, Sanofi CEO Paul Hudson and his management team have reportedly been busy crafting a more compelling offer.
The timing is interesting. Ocular shares were trading around $10.50 when Sanofi first came knocking, putting the company's market cap at roughly $2.2 billion. The stock jumped about 21% in premarket trading Thursday before cooling off a bit, suggesting investors think a deal might actually happen this time.
So what's Sanofi after? Access to the wet age-related macular degeneration market, apparently. Ocular's tyrosine kinase inhibitor Axpaxli is currently in late-stage development for wet AMD, with topline data from the SOL-1 study expected in the first quarter of 2026 and results from the SOL-R study anticipated in the first half of 2027. That's the kind of pipeline asset that could justify writing a big check.
This wouldn't be Sanofi's first major deal lately, either. In December, the company agreed to acquire Dynavax Technologies for nearly $2.2 billion, with that transaction expected to close in the first quarter of 2026. Hudson seems to be in acquisition mode.
What the Charts Say
From a technical perspective, Ocular is showing mixed signals. The stock is trading 1.7% above its 20-day simple moving average but sits 0.7% below its 50-day average. Over the past year, shares have gained approximately 48.34%, and the stock is positioned closer to its 52-week highs than lows.
The RSI sits at 39.46, which is neutral territory, while the MACD is below its signal line, indicating some bearish pressure. It's the kind of setup where the fundamentals (or M&A rumors) matter more than the technical indicators.