These pages provide information on our business development in the 3rd Quarter of 2017.
BASF Group sales and earnings grow considerably in third quarter of 2017
- Sales up 9% to €15.3 billion
- EBIT before special items increased by 16% to €1.8 billion
- Outlook for 2017: BASF continues to expect considerable growth in sales, EBIT before special items and EBIT

Key Figures
BASF Group 3rd Quarter 2017
On the cover: A team of researchers monitor plant health effects on various crops in the greenhouse facility at Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.
3rd Quarter January – September
2017 2016 Change in % 2017 2016 Change in %
Sales million € 15,255 14,013 9 48,376 42,704 13
Income from operations before depreciation, amortization
and special items million € 2,793 2,490 12 9,591 8,007 20
Income from operations before depreciation
and amortization (EBITDA) million € 3,007 2,437 23 9,742 8,039 21
Amortization and depreciation1 million € 1,049 973 8 3,152 2,991 5
Income from operations (EBIT) million € 1,958 1,464 34 6,590 5,048 31
Special items million € 198 (52) . 122 (81) .
EBIT before special items million € 1,760 1,516 16 6,468 5,129 26
Financial result million € (185) (283) 35 (511) (648) 21
Income before taxes and minority interests million € 1,773 1,181 50 6,079 4,400 38
Net income million € 1,336 888 50 4,541 3,367 35
EBIT after cost of capital million € 693 180 285 2,364 1,058 123
Earnings per share € 1.45 0.97 49 4.94 3.67 35
Adjusted earnings per share € 1.40 1.10 27 5.15 4.04 27
Research and development expenses million € 455 426 7 1,347 1,324 2
Personnel expenses million € 2,709 2,509 8 7,918 7,432 7
Number of employees (September 30) 115,319 112,055 3 115,319 112,055 3
Assets (September 30) million € 76,023 73,103 4 76,023 73,103 4
Investments including acquisitions2 million € 982 992 (1) 2,695 2,958 (9)
Equity ratio (September 30) % 43.9 40.7 8 43.9 40.7 8
Net debt (September 30) million € 12,268 12,296 0 12,268 12,296 0
Cash provided by operating activities million € 3,795 2,501 52 7,597 5,840 30
Free cash flow million € 2,831 1,565 81 4,991 2,925 71

1 Amortization of intangible assets and depreciation of property, plant and equipment (including impairments and write-ups)
2 Additions to intangible assets and property, plant and equipment

Outlook
We have adjusted our expectations for the global economic environment in 2017 as follows (forecast from the Half-Year
Financial Report 2017 in parentheses):
––Growth of gross domestic product: 2.8% (2.5%)
––Growth in industrial production: 3.1% (2.5%)
––Growth in chemical production: 3.4% (3.4%)
––Average euro/dollar exchange rate of $1.10 per euro
($1.10 per euro)
––Average Brent blend oil price for the year of $50 per barrel
($50 per barrel)

The statements on opportunities and risks made in the BASF Report 2016 continue to apply. For the fourth quarter of 2017, we continue to expect considerable risks from currency and margin volatility. There is still a risk of a global economic slowdown – due in part to the increased tendency toward
protectionism – as well as a risk of escalating geopolitical conflicts. Our overall assessment of opportunities and risks remains principally valid. Sales and earnings development1 in the Chemicals segment in the third quarter of 2017 exceeded our expectations. As a result, we now expect the BASF Group’s EBIT before special items for the second half of 2017 to considerably exceed the
level of the second half of 2016.
With the exception of the forecast for EBIT after cost of capital, we are maintaining our 2017 forecast for the BASF Group (previous forecast from the Half-Year Financial Report 2017 in parentheses):
––Considerable sales increase (considerable increase)
––Considerable increase in EBIT before special items and EBIT (considerable increase)
––Significant premium on cost of capital with considerable increase in EBIT after cost of capital2 (slight increase in EBIT after cost of capital)

see and read more on
http://report.basf.com/2017/q3/en/servicepages/downloads/files/entire_basf_ir3_17.pdf