CONVERGENT, 3COM FAIL IN MERGER PLAN

The proposed merger between Convergent Technologies and the 3Com Corporation has fallen apart at the last minute, the companies said today.

The agreement was ended after Robertson, Colman & Stephens, investment banker for 3Com, Tuesday night withdrew its opinion that the merger was fair to 3Com shareholders, the companies said.

Without the fairness opinion, the merger could not go through.

Convergent, a computer maker, and 3Com, which makes communications networks to link computers, had announced their intent in November to merge in a deal under which each share of 3Com would be exchanged for one share of Convergent. The merger would have helped the combined company sell complete computer and communications systems.

Both companies had scheduled special shareholder meetings for Thursday to ratify the merger, followed by a meeting for analysts and reporters to present the new strategy of the combined company, which would have been called Convergent Inc.

Robertson, Colman's decision was apparently changed when Convergent issued a forecast last week of first-quarter earnings that were less than analysts had been anticipating.

In over-the-counter trading today, Convergent shares closed at $9.50, down 62.5 cents, while 3Com shares closed at $9.75, down 50 cents.

Although an effort was made to renegotiate the share exchange ratio, it proved unsuccessful. Joseph Furlong, head of mergers and acquisitions at Robertson, Colman, said the firm would not comment.

''It's not a happy day down here,'' said Convergent's chief executive, Paul C. Ely Jr. ''We felt it was fair, and I still feel that way.'' L. William Krause, chief executive of 3Com, said he, too, was disappointed.