BASF Lifts Guidance After Earnings Rise

By Nina Kienle

BASF lifted its guidance for the year, despite market uncertainty, after second-quarter earnings rose.

The German chemical giant on Wednesday said it now expects earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization before special items in a range between 6.9 billion and 7.7 billion euros ($7.88 billion -$8.79 billion), in line with analysts' forecasts. BASF had previously targeted adjusted Ebitda of 6.2 billion euros to 7.0 billion euros, compared with the 6.6 billion euros it achieved in 2025.

BASF backed its outlook for free cash flow.

"The development of the global economy and regional chemical markets in the second half of 2026 remains highly uncertain," it said. An agreement between the U.S. and Iran regarding the access and use of the Strait of Hormuz would provide momentum for economic growth, it added.

For the second quarter, BASF said preliminary figures showed adjusted Ebitda came in at 2.4 billion euros, beating a Vara Research forecast of 2.1 billion euros, and ahead of the 1.6 billion euros it posted in the second quarter of 2025.

Earnings rose in all segments apart from surface technologies, BASF said.

Net profit jumped to 4.1 billion euros from 79 million euros, beating analysts' expectations of 2.4 billion euros, after the company benefited from a 3.9 billion euro disposal gain from its coatings division deal with Carlyle.

Write to Nina Kienle at nina.kienle@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

July 15, 2026 06:37 ET (10:37 GMT)