BASF Buys Noble Seeds to Boost Indian Vegetable Seed Footprint

BASF SE’s BASFY vegetable seeds brand, Nunhems, operating under Nunhems India Pvt. Ltd., has officially agreed to acquire Noble Seeds Pvt. Ltd., a notable Indian vegetable seed company. The acquisition strengthens BASF Nunhems’ position in India and expands its coverage in the country.

The transaction is subject to statutory approvals and is slated to close by the end of the first quarter of 2026. The financial terms were not disclosed.

The acquisition will complement the existing portfolio by adding two important crops, cauliflower and radish, alongside the current crops like hot peppers, watermelons, gourds and tomatoes. It also drives the company’s vision of sustainability with innovation in the growing vegetable market.

Being one of India’s fastest-growing vegetable seed companies, Noble Seeds is known for breeding and supplying hybrids of key crops such as cauliflower, radish, tomato, hot pepper, watermelon, gourds, okra and cucumber and leads in the sale of cauliflower hybrid seeds in India.

With the combination of BASF Nunhems’ breeding expertise with Noble’s regional presence and market knowledge, a new milestone will be achieved. Together, the companies aim to become the market leader in India by strengthening the crop rotation portfolio as well as our connected offers in the fruits and vegetables market. To make the integration smooth, both companies will operate independently until integration is completed, ensuring continuity for customers and partners during the transition, and a dedicated integration team will guide the transition.

BASFY’s shares have gained 20.6% over the past year compared with the industry’s 14.3% decline.

BASFY’s Zacks Rank & Key Picks

BASFY currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Some better-ranked stocks in the Basic Materials space are Kinross Gold Corporation KGC, Fortuna Mining Corp. FSM and Equinox Gold Corp. EQX.

At present, KGC sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), while FSM and EQX carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) each. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for KGC’s current-year earnings is pegged at $1.67 per share, indicating a rise of 145.59%. Its earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the trailing four quarters while missing once, with an average surprise of 17.37%. KGC’s shares have gained 213.5% over the past year.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for FSM’s current fiscal-year earnings is pinned at 76 cents per share, indicating a 65.22% year-over-year increase. Its shares have surged 133.3% over the past year.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for EQX’s current-year earnings stands at 54 cents per share, implying a 170% 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 of 87%.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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