Beiersdorf to P&G?

Beiersdorf AG’s stock price rose the most in nearly a month in Frankfurt as some investors bet that Procter & Gamble Co. may want to buy a stake in the German maker of Nivea skin creams.

Beiersdorf gained as much as 2.9%, the biggest intraday increase since Dec. 7.

“Some investors are speculating that P&G may want to buy a stake in Beiersdorf, though I think it is very unlikely that the majority owners want to sell,” said Klaus Kraenzle, a consumer-industry analyst at Silvia Quandt & Cie. in Frankfurt. Beiersdorf, based in Hamburg, is controlled by Germany’s Herz billionaire family through Maxingvest AG.

Robert McDonald, chief executive officer of Cincinnati-based P&G, said in September that Beiersdorf has a “terrific global brand” in Nivea skin cream. The CEO, asked whether he would consider buying Beiersdorf, said that the German company’s owners would have to approach him.

Maxingvest considers Beiersdorf a “long-term investment,” Arnd Liedtke, a spokesman for the investor, said today in an interview.