BASF targets partial listing of agriculture division
Adds CEO remarks in paragraphs 3 and 9
FRANKFURT, Sept 25 (Reuters) -BASF BASFn.DE is planning a partial listing of its agricultural business because the stock market is underestimating the unit's earnings prospects within the group, the German chemicals giant's new CEO told staff on Wednesday.
Markus Kamieth also said on a global call that BASF would consider strategic options for its coatings business, which mainly caters to the car industry, including a potential joint venture or looking into having a different owner for the unit, according to a recording of the call made available to Reuters.
Both businesses are highly successful earnings and cash flow generators, but "the capital market views it differently sometimes and they are undervalued as part of BASF", Kamieth added.
A person familiar with the matter told Reuters that BASF did not have any potential buyers for the coatings business lined up. BASF, which is due to hold a capital markets day on Thursday, declined to comment.
Kamieth has continued his predecessor's push to cut costs in Europe and reduce the group's reliance on subdued markets there, while building a 10-billion-euro ($11 billion) chemical complex in southern China to tap into faster growth in Asia.
Kamieth told employees, however, that he was more optimistic about the Ludwigshafen chemical complex in Germany, where BASF is headquartered, than for many years.
The site is competitive "in its core" but about 15-20% of the plants at the complex, which are "rather peripheral", would have to be monitored for their competitiveness over the next few years.
In December last year, BASF announced plans to turn its agriculture, battery materials and coatings businesses into autonomous units in a bid to boost earnings. Its catalytic converter business had previously been made more independent.
The CEO told employees on Wednesday that the four units would be regarded as "standalone", as opposed to the remaining "core" businesses that are technically and commercially more closely integrated with each other.
BASF's Agricultural Solutions unit had about 10 billion euros in sales last year, competing with Bayer, Corteva CTVA.N and China's Syngenta.
($1 = 0.8941 euros)
Reporting by Reuters staff; Writing by Ludwig Burger; Editing by Mark Potter Kirsten Donovan
Related Assets
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
