We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience.
This includes personalizing content and advertising.
By pressing "Accept All" or closing out of this banner, you consent to the use of all cookies and similar technologies and the sharing of information they collect with third parties.
You can reject marketing cookies by pressing "Deny Optional," but we still use essential, performance, and functional cookies.
In addition, whether you "Accept All," Deny Optional," click the X or otherwise continue to use the site, you accept our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service, revised from time to time.
You are being directed to ZacksTrade, a division of LBMZ Securities and licensed broker-dealer. ZacksTrade and Zacks.com are separate companies. The web link between the two companies is not a solicitation or offer to invest in a particular security or type of security. ZacksTrade does not endorse or adopt any particular investment strategy, any analyst opinion/rating/report or any approach to evaluating individual securities.
If you wish to go to ZacksTrade, click OK. If you do not, click Cancel.
BASFY Wraps Up OBA Transfer to Catexel, Advances Portfolio Shift
Read MoreHide Full Article
Key Takeaways
BASF closed the sale of its Optical Brightening Agent business to Catexel in February 2026.
The divested unit included Monthey operations and about 80 employees who joined Catexel.
The move advances BASFY's Winning Ways strategy to focus on higher-growth core segments.
BASF SE (BASFY - Free Report) recently announced the completion of the divestment of its Optical Brightening Agent (OBA) business to Catexel. The transaction was closed at the end of February 2026. The financial details of the deal, which was signed in December 2025, remain undisclosed. The sale marks a further step in BASF’s ongoing portfolio optimization strategy.
The business was part of BASF’s Care Chemicals division and focused on the production of specialty optical brighteners used in laundry detergent formulations. The deal consists of international operations, including the manufacturing facility at Monthey, Switzerland, along with approximately 80 employees who transferred to Catexel upon closing.
This transaction is a continuation of BASF’s longstanding “Winning Ways” portfolio transformation strategy to manage and prioritize its businesses actively, enabling the company to focus on higher-growth core segments.
The transaction underscores the broader trend within the care chemicals industry toward portfolio specialization and operational optimization. The acquisition meaningfully strengthens Catexel’s specialty chemicals portfolio and enhances its production capabilities in detergent and cleaning ingredients.
Shares of BASFY are down 8% over the past year compared with the industry’s 11.7% decline.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ALB’s current-year earnings is pegged at $7.87 per share, indicating a 1,096.2% year-over-year increase. Its earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the trailing four quarters and missed once, with the average earnings surprise being 58%.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for DD’s current fiscal-year earnings stands at $2.28 per share, reflecting a 36% year-over-year increase. Its earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, with the average earnings surprise being 6.5%.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for APD’s current fiscal-year earnings is pegged at $13.01 per share, indicating a 8.15% year-over-year increase. Its earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in two of the trailing four quarters and missed twice, with the average earnings surprise being 0.44%.
Zacks' 7 Best Strong Buy Stocks (New Research Report)
Valued at $99, click below to receive our just-released report
predicting the 7 stocks that will soar highest in the coming month.
View the Zacks #1 Rank List
Image: Bigstock
BASFY Wraps Up OBA Transfer to Catexel, Advances Portfolio Shift
Key Takeaways
BASF SE (BASFY - Free Report) recently announced the completion of the divestment of its Optical Brightening Agent (OBA) business to Catexel. The transaction was closed at the end of February 2026. The financial details of the deal, which was signed in December 2025, remain undisclosed. The sale marks a further step in BASF’s ongoing portfolio optimization strategy.
The business was part of BASF’s Care Chemicals division and focused on the production of specialty optical brighteners used in laundry detergent formulations. The deal consists of international operations, including the manufacturing facility at Monthey, Switzerland, along with approximately 80 employees who transferred to Catexel upon closing.
This transaction is a continuation of BASF’s longstanding “Winning Ways” portfolio transformation strategy to manage and prioritize its businesses actively, enabling the company to focus on higher-growth core segments.
The transaction underscores the broader trend within the care chemicals industry toward portfolio specialization and operational optimization. The acquisition meaningfully strengthens Catexel’s specialty chemicals portfolio and enhances its production capabilities in detergent and cleaning ingredients.
Shares of BASFY are down 8% over the past year compared with the industry’s 11.7% decline.
BASFY’s Zacks Rank & Key Picks
BASFY carries a Zacks Rank of #4 (Sell).
Better-ranked stocks in the Basic Materials space include Albemarle Corporation (ALB - Free Report) , DuPont de Nemours, Inc. (DD - Free Report) , and Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (APD - Free Report) . ALB and DD sport a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy), while APD carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ALB’s current-year earnings is pegged at $7.87 per share, indicating a 1,096.2% year-over-year increase. Its earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the trailing four quarters and missed once, with the average earnings surprise being 58%.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for DD’s current fiscal-year earnings stands at $2.28 per share, reflecting a 36% year-over-year increase. Its earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, with the average earnings surprise being 6.5%.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for APD’s current fiscal-year earnings is pegged at $13.01 per share, indicating a 8.15% year-over-year increase. Its earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in two of the trailing four quarters and missed twice, with the average earnings surprise being 0.44%.