Beckman to Enlarge Its Board to 12 Directors, Bolster Shareholders’ Voice : Management: The Bass Group, with 5.3% of the company, wanted a majority of independent members elected.

Beckman Instruments Inc., nearly a month after a group led by Texas investor Lee Bass called for a greater shareholder voice in the international medical company, said Monday that four independent members will be appointed to its board.

The company, based in Fullerton, said it will select the four new directors in the next year, bringing the number of board members to 12.

The Bass Group, owner of a 5.3% stake in Beckman, had planned to suggest at a meeting with Beckman officials later this month that a majority of independent directors be elected to the board, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

“The company had been planning some of these kinds of actions anyhow,” said Jay Steffenhagen, director of investor relations for Beckman. “This expands on that.”

Already, two of Beckman’s eight board members are independent directors, meaning that they are not employees of the company, Steffenhagen said. Another four members are affiliated with or were previously employed by SmithKline Beckman Corp., the health-care giant that spun off its Beckman subsidiary in 1989.

The company said the board will seek the advice “of interested stockholders, among other constituencies” in selecting the new members. A committee composed of non-management directors will nominate the new members, the company said.

The Bass Group also was critical of the inability of individual shareholders to influence corporate policy or the board’s composition.

But Beckman officials said that once selected, the new directors, along with six other current directors not involved in management, will study Beckman’s charter and by-law provisions for shareholder protection.

“These steps are consistent with developing practice in corporate governance,” the company said in a statement. “Beckman is confident they will benefit all stockholders.”

Officials from the Bass Group could not be reached Monday for comment. The meeting is still scheduled for Jan. 27, Steffenhagen said.

Though the Bass family is known for taking over companies and shaking up management, analysts on Monday were cautious about identifying the same motive in this case.

“This is a positive thing where a majority shareholder is stepping forward to make sure the board is responsive,” said James S. Schmitt, a research analyst at Westcountry Financial in Moorpark. “They are being responsible shareholders.”

The company’s performance has been improving, even in a tough market for makers of laboratory instruments. In October, Beckman reported a third-quarter profit of $11.4 million, up 10% from the same period a year earlier. Beckman had a 1991 profit of $38.1 million, up 5% from the previous year, on annual revenue of $857 million.

The company’s stock price also has risen steadily from $20 a share in the past 12 months after several years of lackluster performance, Schmitt said. In Monday’s trading on the New York Stock Exchange, the shares closed at $24.125 apiece, unchanged.

Another analyst praised the company for expanding its board, saying that such a move is part of a growing trend of more openness between directors and shareholders.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if we see more of this happen,” said Jonathan Osgood, a research analyst for Alex. Brown & Sons in Boston. “This is all designed to improve the company’s performance over the long run.”