Roche Caves on $6.7 Billion Illumina Offer

Updated to include additional analyst comments, share prices and added data throughout.

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- After extending a $5.7 billion January hostile bid for Illumina(ILMN) multiple times in March, Roche has upped its bid for the genomics machinery company by 15% to $6.7 billion -- or $51 a share -- as many investors and analysts expected.

The proposal by Roche is its third hostile bid in the U.S. pharmaceuticals sector after taking a previous $46.8 billion offer for Genentech and a $3 billion bid for Ventana Medical Systems directly to shareholders. With Thursday's offer price increase, Roche has come back to the table with a higher bid in all three instances.

Still, Roche may need to add to its amended offer for Illumina.

"While we were expecting a raised offer, we were not expecting a raised bid so soon after the initial bid. We still anticipate a higher bid, potentially mid-year, to take advantage of anticipated weakness in the space surrounding 2013 National Institute of Health funding," wrote Mizuho Securities analyst Peter Lawson in a note reacting to the bid. Lawson gives Illumina shares a price target of $62.

"We view today's move as the next step, rather than the final step, in the process that we still ultimately believe will lead to a deal... The important question is whether or not the increased bid is enough to bring Illumina to the negotiating table and allow Roche to learn more about Illumina's closely guarded pipeline," noted JPMorgan analyst Tycho W. Peterson, who rated shares "overweight" with a $70 a share price target. Analysts give Illumina an average price target of $55.38, according to consensus estimates polled by Bloomberg.