BASF announced it will begin a share buyback program of up to €1.5 billion in November 2025. This accelerated buyback will run through the end of June 2026 and is part of a larger €4 billion buyback program planned through 2028.

The company plans to cancel the repurchased shares. The announcement followed better-than-expected third-quarter earnings and a recent deal to sell its coatings business

The share buyback program is based on the authorization granted by the Annual Shareholders’ Meeting of BASF SE on April 29, 2022, 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 28, 2027. 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).

In the mid term, BASF is committed to keeping the overall distribution to shareholders at least on the level of the last years through a combination of dividends and share buybacks. In this way, BASF aims to distribute at least €12 billion to shareholders from 2025 to 2028. Specifically, the company strives to pay a dividend of at least €2.25 per share or around €2 billion per year. The aggregate dividend payment of around €8 billion in the four-year period will be complemented by share buybacks in the amount of at least €4 billion. These share buybacks were originally scheduled to begin by 2027 at the latest. Part of them will now be brought forward.

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 reduce net debt to strengthen its balance sheet. The maturity profile of outstanding bonds will allow considerable deleveraging in 2026.