Emerson Electric near deal to acquire National Instruments – Bloomberg

Emerson Electric (New York Stock Exchange: EMR(Advance talks to buy National Instruments)Nasdaq: NattyAfter beating a competing bid from Fortive Corp. (FTV).

Emerson (EMR) is discussing paying about $60 a share to National Instruments (NATI), according to a bloomberg report, which cited familiar people. A deal for the metering equipment maker could be announced as soon as this week, though plans could change.

A potential deal comes after Emerson (EMR) competes with Fortive (FTV) and Keysight Technologies (KEYS) for National Instruments (NATI), according to media reports. Keysight may have had issues with its display due to potential antitrust issues with the National Instruments (NATI) group.

Emerson (EMR) offered a $53 cash stake to National Instruments (NATI) in January.

National Instruments (NATI) said in January that its board had begun evaluating strategic alternatives and that it had been approached by potential acquirers.

The company in January sought more potential acquirers after Emerson (EMR) said it would challenge the company’s board of directors if it did not negotiate a takeover. Emerson (EMR) backed out of those plans after the bidding process began.