By Reuters Staff
2 Min Read
MILAN (Reuters) - Italian defence group Leonardo launched on Monday an initial public offering of its U.S. electronics unit DRS, which counts the U.S. military as a customer.
The parent company will offer about 31.9 million shares of Leonardo DRS, or a 22% stake, on the New York Stock Exchange for $20 to $22 per share, a filing showed, valuing the stake at up to $701.8 million.
The state-controlled group said last month that it aimed to complete the listing by the end of March.
Leonardo Chief Executive Alessandro Profumo has said the group would keep the majority of DRS - which it bought in 2008 in a deal valuing the U.S. defence company at $5.2 billion, including $1.27 billion in debt - to “maintain a significant exposure in this strategically important market”.