Chris Hughes, Columnist

Monsanto Endgame Is Risky Trade for Hedge Funds

Lawsuits still haunt Bayer since it bought Monsanto — putting them to rest is the key to unlocking long-term investment.

March 13, 2025 at 5:00 AM UTC

By Chris Hughes

Chris Hughes is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering deals. Previously, he worked for Reuters Breakingviews, the Financial Times and the Independent newspaper.

Bayer is bogged down by litigation linked to a weedkiller gained as part of the takeover of Monsanto.
Photographer: Alex Kraus/Bloomberg

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The battle between Bayer AG and the US legal profession over the safety of Roundup weed killer appears to be entering its endgame. Success for the German pharmaceutical company will mean becoming a viable investment for more than just the most risk-tolerant funds.

Bayer said last week that it would seek authorization at its forthcoming annual meeting to launch a potential large capital increase at some time over three years. Nothing imminent is planned. But the move could fund a settlement of outstanding legal claims alleging that glyphosate-based Roundup, which came with Bayer’s disastrous $63 billion acquisition of Monsanto in 2018, causes cancer.