The Iress Ltd (ASX: IRE) share price has been struggling this month amid rumours its takeover is increasingly unstable.
Iress received its latest takeover offer of an implied $15.91 per share from EQT Fund Management on 11 August. The offer values Iress at around $3.1 billion.
However, reports that EQT is hesitating on the much-anticipated takeover and is considering lowering its offer have emerged today.
Right now, the Iress share price is $13.50. That's 1.68% lower than its previous close and 11.4% lower than it was this time last month. It's also 15% lower than EMT's part-cash-part-scrip offer.
Let's take a closer look at the pickle facing the software provider.
A quick refresher
The latest takeover offer posed to Iress by EQT is the third.
The fund manager offered $14.80 per share for the software company on 18 June. The bid was swiftly rejected.
Then, EQT pushed an offer of between $15.30 and $15.50 per share. That was once more rejected by Iress' board. However, Iress did agree to allow EQT access to information that could allow it to put in a more suitable bid. The Iress share price shot up 13.9% on the day it announced EQT's second offer.
Of course, that led to EQT's latest $15.91 per share offer, which Iress agreed to grant EQT a 30-day period of exclusivity. The Iress share price gained 5% on the back of the initially successful takeover offer.
However, the period of exclusivity was recently extended for another 10 days to allow EQT to complete its due diligence.
Today's rumours
The Iress share price is in the red again today amid reports stating that EQT is second guessing its plan to takeover Iress altogether.
EQT is apparently rumoured to be considering abandoning the takeover or lowering its offer once more.
Further, according to reporting by The Australian, EQT might be working to bring BGH Capital on board to partner in its purchase of Iress.
The market will likely soon find out whether the rumours are true. The extended period of exclusivity is set to end on Sunday evening.
Iress share price snapshot
Despite the poor month's performance, the Iress share price is still having a good year on the ASX.
Right now, it's 25% higher than it was at the start of 2021. It has also gained 37% since this time last year.
