NEW YORK, April 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- WeissLaw LLP is investigating possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of law by the Board of Directors of C. R. Bard, Inc. ("BCR" or the "Company")(NYSE: BCR) in connection with the proposed merger of the Company with Becton, Dickson and Company ("BDX")(NYSE: BDX).  Under the terms of the agreement, the Company's shareholders will receive $222.93 in cash and 0.5077 of a share of BDX for each share of BCR they own, representing consideration of $317.00 based on BDX's April 21 closing price.  

WeissLaw is investigating whether BCR's Board acted to maximize shareholder value prior to entering into the agreement.  Notably, upon closing of the transaction, BCR shareholders will own a meager 15% of the combined companies.  Additionally, the deal will position the combined company as an industry leader, while also accelerating its global footprint by leveraging BCR's strong product portfolio of specialty devices.  Finally, on April 23, 2017, the same day as the acquisition announcement, BCR reported a 7% increase in net sales in the first quarter of 2017 to $938.8 million, and an impressive 54% increase in earnings per share on a diluted basis to $2.37. 

Given these facts, WeissLaw is investigating whether BCR's Board acted in the best interests of BCR's public shareholders to maximize shareholder value prior to entering into the agreement.  If you own BCR shares and would like more information about your rights or our investigation, or if you have information to share with us, please contact Joshua Rubin by telephone at (888) 593-4771 or by email at [email protected]. 

WeissLaw LLP has litigated hundreds of stockholder class and derivative actions for violations of corporate and fiduciary duties.  We have recovered over a billion dollars for defrauded clients and obtained important corporate governance relief in many of these cases.  If you have information or would like legal advice concerning possible corporate wrongdoing (including insider trading, waste of corporate assets, accounting fraud, or materially misleading information), consumer fraud (including false advertising, defective products, or other deceptive business practices), or anti-trust violations, please email us at [email protected] or fill out the form on our website, http://www.weisslawllp.com/c-r-bard-inc/

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SOURCE WeissLaw LLP