BASF's Quiet Reshaping: Coatings Windfall, Texas LNG Rollout, and a Countdown to October
Published on 09/20/2026 at 03:20 | Editorial boerse-global.de
BASF has spent much of 2026 doing two things at once: shedding businesses that no longer fit and planting flags in markets it intends to own. With third-quarter figures due on 28 October 2026, the Ludwigshafen-based chemicals group is offering investors a progress report of sorts through its dealmaking alone.
The single largest piece of that story remains the disposal of the Coatings division. BASF closed the sale to a consortium backed by Carlyle Group and the Qatar Investment Authority at the end of June, a transaction carrying an enterprise value of EUR 7.7 billion. Cash proceeds before tax came to roughly EUR 5.8 billion, and the group booked a post-tax gain of EUR 3.5 billion in the second quarter. BASF did not walk away entirely — it retains a 40 percent stake in the coatings business, which now trades under the name Surventis. Brussels had cleared the deal earlier after the buyer offered concessions in aerospace sealants.
Elsewhere in the portfolio, the silicate business and its Düsseldorf/Holthausen site are set to change hands in the second half of 2026, following a May agreement with PQ. Meanwhile, the agricultural unit is being groomed for a separate life: banks have been mandated for a planned Frankfurt listing as a Societas Europaea, targeted for mid-2027. That division has also been expanding — BASF completed the full takeover of biocontrol specialist AgBiTech on 31 March 2026 and rolled out its xarvio CONNECT 2.0 data-transfer device for digital farming in North America on 13 August.
Texas, Zhanjiang, and the Industrial Bet
On the technology side, BASF's Durasorb LNG MAX gas-purification system went into operation on 9 September at Cheniere Energy's Corpus Christi facility in Texas. Installation across several production trains has been underway since 2025, with completion of all trains scheduled for the end of 2027.
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The US partnership sits alongside a far larger capital commitment in Asia. BASF inaugurated its new Verbund site in Zhanjiang, southern China, on 26 March, a project finished on schedule at an investment volume of around EUR 8.7 billion. More than 2,000 employees work at the site serving customers in transport, electronics, and consumer goods.
Continuity at the top is meant to keep the transformation on track. The supervisory board extended the contracts of board members Dr. Katja Scharpwinkel and Anup Kothari through the 2030 annual general meeting.
Guidance and the Share Price
Management raised its full-year outlook a little over a month ago after a volume-driven second quarter, guiding for EBITDA before special items of between EUR 6.9 billion and EUR 7.7 billion.
The stock closed Friday's session at EUR 51.53. That leaves it up 16 percent since the start of the year and 6.4 percent below its 52-week high of EUR 55.05. The next verified look at operating performance arrives with the third-quarter statement on 28 October 2026.
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