diff --git a/bfd/ChangeLog b/bfd/ChangeLog
index dac73e77f70..b475a139078 100644
--- a/bfd/ChangeLog
+++ b/bfd/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,8 @@
+2016-05-19  Alan Modra  <amodra@gmail.com>
+
+	* elf64-ppc.c (ppc64_elf_branch_reloc): Check for NULL owner
+	before dereferencing.
+
 2016-05-18  Nick Clifton  <nickc@redhat.com>
 
 	* po/sv.po: Updated Swedish translation.
diff --git a/bfd/elf64-ppc.c b/bfd/elf64-ppc.c
index 95d98eb49c1..4f610d2308d 100644
--- a/bfd/elf64-ppc.c
+++ b/bfd/elf64-ppc.c
@@ -2570,6 +2570,7 @@ ppc64_elf_branch_reloc (bfd *abfd, arelent *reloc_entry, asymbol *symbol,
       elf_symbol_type *elfsym = (elf_symbol_type *) symbol;
 
       if (symbol->section->owner != abfd
+	  && symbol->section->owner != NULL
 	  && abiversion (symbol->section->owner) >= 2)
 	{
 	  unsigned int i;