BASF, at today’s virtual annual shareholders’ meeting, said it is alert to a possible risk of an unsolicited takeover approach or an attack from activist investors and was ready to react.
Speaking at the meeting, CEO Martin Brudermüller said he could not rule out unwanted attempts to take control of the company, given the decline in its market value.
Brudermüller was responding to a question posed by Ulrich Hocker, president of DSW, a German association for private investors, who wanted to know whether BASF has a defense strategy against hostile takeovers, especially from China, and how BASF assesses the current market situation.
“The risk that BASF, given its current market capitalization, could become the target of a takeover or of activist investors cannot be ruled out. Consequently, we monitor market developments and prepare ourselves for such situations. A successful, transparent corporate strategy that highlights future potential and the associated correct reflection of our value on the capital markets are the most effective instruments against unwanted external influence. In addition, we ensure that we achieve the best performance in the respective market environment and implement the strategic measures to improve performance consistently and quickly. At the same time, we are in continuous dialogue with all interest groups in order to take their demands and expectations into account and explain our strategy,” Brudermüller says.
BASF’s market value has lost more than 20% this year to €49 billion ($55 billion) as the COVID-19 pandemic reduced global demand for its products.
By: Natasha Alperowicz
Source: Chemical Week
INEOS Styrolution, the global leader in styrenics, has today announced the official opening of a new world-scale ABS[1] facility located in Ningbo, China, together with its joint venture partner SINOPEC. The facility has an annual nameplate capacity of 600,000 tonnes.
The merger of Röhm’s Acrylic Products business unit and SABIC’s Functional Forms business has resulted in the formation of Polyvantis. This new company will offer extruded products in the forms film, sheet, pipe and rod for markets that include building and construction, transportation and aviation, electrical and electronics, automotive and home and garden.
Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. (Adnoc) is considering plans to acquire upstream oil and gas company Wintershall DEA, an affiliate of BASF SE, according to a Bloomberg report citing people with knowledge of the matter. A deal to acquire Wintershall DEA could be worth more than €10 billion, the report said. BASF and Adnoc declined to comment on the report.
