DSM May Sell or Spin Off Underperforming Assets

Dutch food and chemicals group DSM may sell or spin off lower-performing units, CEO Feike Sijbesma told journalists in a telephone conference to report third-quarter results.

Assets potentially up for grabs include composite resins and polymer intermediates, to which acrylonitrile and polyamide feedstock caprolactam belong. The businesses, Sijbesma said, are too cyclical.

The company is under pressure from US activist investor Third Point - the hedge fund that is also pressuring Dow Chemical - to break up and focus on more profitable nutrition offerings.

"All three businesses do not fit with the resilient portfolio that DSM is building. We want to reduce our cyclicality and those three businesses are all less performing or have a cyclical character," the CEO added. He did not provide details as to when any transactions might take place, but said the value of the units under consideration was in the range of €1.5-2 billion.

DSM's shares have been volatile recently, partly as a result of speculation that peers such as Germany's Evonik might make a bid for the company. The German chemical producer has said, however, it is not in a hurry to make acquisitions.

Sijbesma declined to comment on the Evonik rumours. He said, however, that DSM itself is not contemplating any major acquisitions, but rather focusing on improving operational performance. A day after the briefing, a news agency quoted sources saying that DSM is in advanced talks with Ineos about a deal for caprolactam and acrylonitrile operations.

Commenting on third quarter results, Sijbesma said DSM expects to meet analysts' expectations for full 2014, but warned of volatile currencies, increasing macro-economic uncertainty and low consumer confidence.

Quarterly figures show the Dutch company's EBITDA at €315 million euros, down 8%, on revenues down 1% at €2.3 Billion.