Avio Spazio, the space propulsion company controlled by private equity Cinven, is considering an initial public offering on the Italian stock market, three sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday. Cinven, which owns around 80 percent of Avio, has kicked off a beauty contest to find the banks to help Avio list on the Milan bourse, two of the sources said.
A third source said a listing was an option but added no decision had as yet been taken. Italian state-controlled defence conglomerate Finmeccanica holds a stake of around 15 percent in Avio. Cinven and Finmeccanica declined to comment. In 2014 Avio Spazio posted revenues of 224.5 million euros ($249 million).