Possible Bid for Dunkin’ Donuts: Kingsbridge Capital...

Possible Bid for Dunkin’ Donuts: Kingsbridge Capital Group, which announced last month that it had acquired a 7.6% stake in Dunkin’ Donuts, said it wants to meet with Dunkin’s chairman to discuss acquiring the firm and may offer $42 a share, or $300 million. Shares of Dunkin’ Donuts, which has vowed to remain independent, shot up $5.25 a share to $40 on news of the announcement before closing at $39.875. Kingsbridge is a unit of Unicorp Canada Corp. An arbitrager said the company could be worth $55 a share in a takeover, noting that it holds a dominant position in its industry and has had 15 consecutive years of earnings gains. Dunkin’ Donuts has about 1,500 doughnut shop franchises in the United States that carry the firm’s name and 221 shops abroad.