Exmar shareholders believe executive chairman Nicolas Saverys’ family vehicle Saverex will need to raise its offer if wants to buy out the 51% of publicly held stock to return the company to private ownership.

Bart Goemaere, who is editor-in-chief at Belgian investment magazine BeursTips/TuyauxBourse, which also holds Exmar stock, said: “There is a lot of resistance from investors in Belgium and abroad as the offer price is too low.”