Guidant Endorses J&J; Bid to Stockholders

Guidant Corp. asked shareholders to approve a $21.5-billion takeover offer by Johnson & Johnson, but it still plans to review a higher offer from Boston Scientific Corp.

Guidant set a Jan. 31 shareholder meeting for a vote on the Johnson & Johnson offer. The Indianapolis company said it might still agree to a tentative $25-billion bid by Boston Scientific, which hasn’t completed a due-diligence review.