BASF Group releases preliminary figures for fourth quarter of 2020 and full year 2020

• Sales expected to be €15,905 million (Q4 2019: €14,686 million), above the prior-year quarter and above analyst consensus
• EBIT before special items expected to be €1,113 million (Q4 2019: €842 million), above the prior-year quarter and above analyst consensus
• EBIT expected to be €932 million (Q4 2019: €579 million), above the prior-year quarter and above analyst consensus
  Full year 2020:
• Sales expected to be €59,149 million (2019: €59,316 million), below the prior year, above analyst consensus and above BASF forecast
• EBIT before special items expected to be €3,560 million (2019: €4,643 million), below the prior year, above analyst consensus and above BASF forecast
• EBIT expected to be –€191 million (2019: €4,201 million), below the prior year and above analyst consensus

BASF has released preliminary figures for the fourth quarter of 2020 and the full year 2020. Sales increased by 8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2020 to €15,905 million (Q4 2019: €14,686 million). This was mainly driven by higher volumes and prices; negative currency effects had an offsetting effect. Full year 2020 sales declined by €167 million to €59,149 million (2019: €59,316 million) and were thus above the €57 billion to €58 billion range forecast in October 2020.

The BASF Group’s operating business performed better than expected in the fourth quarter of 2020. EBIT before special items amounted to an expected €1,113 million, an increase of 32 percent compared with the prior-year quarter (Q4 2019: €842 million) and slightly above the highest analyst estimate. Compared with the third quarter of 2020, EBIT before special items rose by an expected €532 million in the fourth quarter of 2020 (Q3 2020: €581 million).

The Materials, Chemicals and Industrial Solutions segments considerably exceeded average analyst estimates for EBIT before special items in the fourth quarter of 2020. EBIT before special items fell slightly short of average analyst estimates in the Surface Technologies and Nutrition & Care segments and was considerably below analyst consensus in the Agricultural Solutions segment, mainly due to negative currency effects. In Other, EBIT before special items was less negative than expected by analysts on average.

In the full year 2020, EBIT before special items of the BASF Group amounted to an expected €3,560 million and was thus above the €3.0 billion to €3.3 billion range forecast in October 2020 and slightly above the highest analyst estimate. This corresponds to a decline of 23 percent compared with EBIT before special items for the prior year (2019: €4,643 million). The year-on-year decrease in the BASF Group’s EBIT before special items was primarily due to the considerably lower earnings contributions from the Chemicals, Surface Technologies, Materials and Agricultural Solutions segments. The Nutrition & Care segment recorded slightly lower EBIT before special items compared with the prior-year figure; in the Industrial Solutions segment, it was on a level with the previous year. The EBIT before special items of Other was significantly more negative than in 2019.

The BASF Group’s EBIT amounted to an expected €932 million in the fourth quarter of 2020, above the figure for the prior-year quarter (Q4 2019: €579 million) and above analyst consensus. In the full year 2020, EBIT declined to –€191 million (2019: €4,201 million), mainly due to the non-cash-effective impairments and provisions for restructuring in the third quarter of 2020, but was better than expected by analysts on average.

Further information

The overview of analyst estimates, which is compiled monthly on behalf of BASF, can be found at: www.basf.com/….

On Friday, February 26, 2021 at 7:00 a.m. CET, the company will publish the BASF Report 2020 and will comment on the figures at the conference call for journalists (from 9:00 a.m. CET) and the conference call for analysts and investors (from 11:00 a.m. CET).

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.