BASF's Portfolio Overhaul: Mining Exit, Louisiana MDI Start-Up and a FairWild Nod — All Under a Fresh Downgrade
Published on 11/13/2026 at 20:50 | Editorial boerse-global.de
BASF has packed a remarkable amount of corporate activity into a single week, and the market's response has been decidedly mixed. On Wednesday the chemicals giant officially commissioned a new MDI production facility at its Geismar integrated site in Louisiana, a roughly USD 1 billion investment that lifts the site's annual MDI capacity to around 600,000 tonnes. The same day, Jefferies cut its rating on the stock from "Hold" to "Underperform," keeping a price target of EUR 44.
Analyst Priyanka Patel pointed to eroding margins, overcapacity, higher gas prices and a demand recovery that has yet to materialize. The shares were up 0.3% today, a modest counterpoint to the broker's gloomier stance.
Mining unit heads to SNF
A day earlier, BASF signed an agreement to divest its global mining business to France's SNF. The deal covers roughly 140 employees and the Cork production site in Ireland, with completion expected in 2027, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary conditions.
The transaction fits a broader pattern of portfolio pruning at the Ludwigshafen-based group. Alongside the divestment, BASF said it will produce suitable Oppanol B and Glissopal polyisobutene products for external European customers entirely with renewable electricity from January 2027. Product specifications and article numbers are to remain unchanged.
Should investors sell immediately? Or is it worth buying BASF?
A sustainability seal for a shea-based ingredient
On the sustainability front, BASF has secured FairWild certification for Cegesoft SB 45 TR, a shea butter-based care active. According to the company, the independent certification confirms compliance with ecological and social standards as well as responsible sourcing practices, and applies specifically to that ingredient.
Evonik talks and a second broker turning cautious
Speculation continues to swirl around BASF's ambitions regarding Evonik. Reuters reported that the chief executives and finance chiefs of the two companies met on 7 November, citing a BASF offer of EUR 24.00 per share that Evonik had previously rejected.
Deutsche Bank Research had already trimmed its view. On 26 October the bank lowered its BASF price target from EUR 60 to EUR 53 and downgraded the stock from "Buy" to "Hold," with analyst Virginie Boucher-Ferte citing uncertainty surrounding the prospective Evonik takeover.
BASF at a turning point? This analysis reveals what investors need to know now.
For investors, the picture is one of a company reshaping its asset base while simultaneously facing a more skeptical sell-side. The Geismar ramp-up and the mining exit are strategic moves in their own right, but with two brokers now more cautious and questions lingering over Evonik, the market is clearly weighing execution against near-term headwinds.
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BASF Stock: New Analysis - 13 November
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