Full-Year 2016 Reporting on February 24, 2017

BASF on the capital market

BASF share performance
Stock markets in 2016 were again marked by a high level of volatility. Particularly contributing to this were fluctuating economic figures in China, crude oil prices and the referendum in the United Kingdom on E.U. membership. On December 30, 2016, Germany’s benchmark index, the DAX 30, reached a year’s high of 11,481 points, as did the BASF share price at €88.31. This equates to a 24.9% rise in the value of BASF shares compared with the previous year’s closing price. Assuming that dividends were reinvested, BASF shares gained 30.1% in value in 2016. The BASF share thus outperformed the German and European stock markets, whose benchmark indexes DAX 30 and DJ EURO STOXX 50 gained 6.9% and 3.7% over the same period, respectively. As for the global industry indexes, DJ Chemicals increased 10.8% in 2016 and MSCI World Chemicals 11.2%.
Viewed over a five and ten-year period, the long-term performance of BASF shares still clearly surpasses these indexes. The assets of an investor who invested €1,000 in BASF shares at the end of 2006 and reinvested the dividends in additional BASF shares would have increased to €3,538 by the end of 2016. This represents an annual yield of 13.5%, placing BASF shares above the returns for the DAX 30 (5.7%), EURO STOXX 50 (0.9%) and MSCI World Chemicals (7.0%) indexes.
BASF Stock Chart

Proposed dividend of €3.00 per share
At the Annual Shareholders’ Meeting, the Board of Executive Directors and the Supervisory Board will propose a dividend payment of €3.00 per share. We stand by our ambitious dividend policy and plan to pay out nearly €2.8 billion to our shareholders. Based on the year-end share price for 2016, BASF shares offer a high dividend yield of 3.4%. BASF is part of the DivDAX share index, which contains the fifteen companies with the highest dividend yield in the DAX 30. We aim to increase our dividend each year, or at least maintain it at the previous year’s level.
More information on dividend

BASF a sustainable investment
In September 2016, BASF shares were included in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World) for the sixteenth year in succession. As one of the most well-known sustainability indexes, the DJSI World represents the top 10% of the 2,500 largest companies in the S&P Global Broad Market Index based on economic, environmental and social criteria.
BASF has participated in CDP’s environmental data reporting program since 2004. The CDP represents more than 820 institutional investors who manage over $100 trillion in assets. The CDP’s indexes serve as assessment tools for investors. In 2016, BASF achieved a rating of A- and gained leadership status once again. In an analysis of the largest 350 enterprises in Germany, Austria and Switzerland by market capitalization, CDP named BASF among five companies whose efforts have contributed significantly to a reduction in environmental emissions. In addition, BASF was one of 24 companies in 2016, out of a total of 607 assessed by CDP, to receive the top grade of “A” for sustainable water management, putting it among the world’s leading enterprises in this area.
More information

Analysts’ recommendations
Around 30 financial analysts regularly publish studies on BASF. At the end of 2016, 43% recommended buying our shares (end of 2015: 32%) and 39% recommended holding them (end of 2015: 40%), while 18% had a sell rating (end of 2015: 28%). The average target share price ascribed to BASF by analysts was €79.65 in December 2016.
Current analyst estimates