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Steelmaker Thyssenkrupp Soars as Defense Gains Add to IPO Merits

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(Bloomberg) -- Shares of Thyssenkrupp AG jumped the most in four and a half years as investors focused on the German steelmaker’s plans to conduct an initial public offering of its submarine-making unit at a time when Europe is trying to boost military spending.

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Shares in Thyssenkrupp were up as much as 20% on Monday amid a broad rally in Europe’s defense stocks. The US is turning up the pressure on the bloc to do more to shoulder the cost of any peace deal between Ukraine and Russia.

While the IPO of Marine Systems — which supplied 70% of NATO’s current non-nuclear submarine fleet — would likely see strong demand, Bank of America analysts said the sale would also help Thyssenkrupp attract a broader pool of shareholders.

Investors would be freed from environmental, social, and governance rules that stop them from holding Thyssenkrupp’s shares because it owns defense assets in addition to its main steelmaking business, according to BofA’s Jason Fairclough.

The marine unit, which makes ships and submarines, could be worth around 50% of its parent company’s current market cap, according to Fairclough’s estimates. There’s a particular opportunity if the market assigns a defense multiple rather than a steel multiple to value the assets, he said.

Read More, from November: Thyssenkrupp Plans Marine IPO Within a Year, Division Head Says

--With assistance from Paul Jarvis and James Cone.

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