Dulux paint maker AkzoNobel struck down a €12.5 billion ($14.6 billion) cash takeover offer from rivals Nippon Paint and Sherwin-Williams on Wednesday, sending its shares 20% higher. The offer price of €73 per share represented a premium of 39% to AkzoNobel's last closing price of €52.52 per share. The shares jumped to €63 by 1241 GMT, firmly on track for their best trading day since at least October 2008.
AkzoNobel said the non-binding proposal undervalued its business, lacked deal certainty regarding regulatory clearances and would have split the company between the two suitors. The Dutch company's board continues to recommend the planned merger with U.S. coatings maker Axalta.