Investors are set to continue buying KLM stock today, but shares in Air France, which is paying a premium for KLM in the €784 million all-stock deal, were likely to stabilise around current levels, dealers said.
Air France's offer is valued at €16.74 per KLM share - a 24 per cent premium over yesterday's closing price.
Institutional investors, having digested the details of Air France's planned takeover of Dutch airline KLM to create Europe's biggest airline, are seen buying KLM shares as they look to the deal's completion next year, although they doubt the the benefits of the deal for the French operator.
News of the merger boosted the Dutch carrier's stock 12.5 per cent to €13.46 in the session but Air France closed down four percent at euro13.12.
Amsterdam dealers said short-term investors took profit on KLM's shares before the close of trade and so the stock ended 6.7 per cent off its intraday high of €14.42 - the highest level in four months.
With the enormous amount of information published by both airlines yesterday now fully digested, insititutional investors are seen starting to buy KLM again ahead of the closing of the proposed share exchange offer in April next year.