Business & Financial News | July 29, 2026

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BASF to begin new share buyback program in August 2026

  • Own shares with a volume of up to €1.0 billion to be repurchased from August 2026 until April 2027
  • Program is part of the €4 billion share buyback announced in September 2024 until the end of 2028
  • BASF will also significantly reduce its net debt

The Board of Executive Directors of BASF SE has today, July 29, 2026, resolved on a share buyback program. The program, which has a volume of up to €1.0 billion, is scheduled to start in August 2026 and be concluded by the end of April 2027. It is part of the share buyback announced in September 2024, with a total volume of €4 billion until the end of 2028. BASF SE will cancel the repurchased shares and reduce the share capital accordingly.

The share buyback program of up to €1.0 billion is based on the authorization granted by the Annual Shareholders’ Meeting of BASF SE on April 30, 2026, authorizing the Board of Executive Directors to purchase up to 10 percent of the issued shares at the time of the resolution (10 percent of the company’s share capital) until April 29, 2031. The purchase shall be conducted making use of the safe-harbor exemption for buyback programs in accordance with Article 5 of the EU Market Abuse Regulation (MAR).

As announced as part of its “Winning Ways” strategy in September 2024, BASF has set itself the target of distributing at least €12 billion to shareholders from 2025 to 2028 through a combination of dividends and share buybacks. Specifically, the company intends to pay a dividend of at least €2.25 per share or around €2 billion each year. The total dividend distribution of around €8 billion over the four-year period will be supplemented by share buybacks of at least around €4 billion. Between November 2025 and June 2026, shares with a total value of around €1.5 billion have already been repurchased. BASF SE will cancel the 31,600,261 repurchased shares, corresponding to approximately 3.5 percent of the share capital on announcement of the program, and reduce the share capital accordingly.

Through the share buyback, available capital will be returned to shareholders, the company’s capital structure optimized and earnings per share increased.

BASF will also significantly reduce net debt to strengthen its balance sheet. The maturity profile of outstanding bonds will allow considerable deleveraging in 2026; in addition, the company will repay bonds and loans with a nominal volume of €1.6 billion in the third quarter of 2026, ahead of their maturity.

BASF continues to strive for a single A credit rating, which ensures unrestricted access to financial and capital markets. The company currently has a rating of A/F1/outlook stable from Fitch, of A3/P-2/outlook stable from Moody’s and A-/A-2/outlook stable from Standard & Poor’s.


About BASF

At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. Our ambition: We want to be the preferred chemical company to enable our customers’ green transformation. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Around 95,000 employees in the BASF Group contribute to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio comprises, as core businesses, the segments Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, and Nutrition & Care; our standalone businesses are bundled in the segments Surface Technologies and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of around €60 billion in 2025. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the United States. Further information at www.basf.com.


 

Forward-looking statements and forecasts

This release contains forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current estimates and projections of the Board of Executive Directors and currently available information. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of the future developments and results outlined therein. These are dependent on a number of factors; they involve various risks and uncertainties; and they are based on assumptions that may not prove to be accurate. BASF does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements contained in this release above and beyond the legal requirements.

P-26-142

Jens Fey
Director, Corporate Media Relations
Dr. 
Stefanie Wettberg
Senior Vice President Investor Relations
Last UpdateJuly 29, 2026