Czech gun company Colt announces Amsterdam IPO to take place Wednesday

Czech firearms manufacturer Colt CZ Group will begin trading on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange this week, with shares set to become tradable on the Damrak starting Wednesday.

The Amsterdam debut is intended to give Colt CZ access to a broader investor base, likely benefiting from rising interest in defense-related equities as European countries plan to increase defense spending in the coming years.

The listing is not a standard initial public offering but a secondary listing for Colt CZ, which has been publicly traded in Prague since 2020. The company is not issuing new shares as part of the move. In January, Czech defense conglomerate Czechoslovak Group (CSG) also made its debut on Beursplein 5.

Colt CZ owns the historic Colt brand, the U.S. firearms maker known for rifles such as the M4 and M16. The brand, founded in the 19th century, was acquired by the Czech firearms group CZ in 2021.

The group employs more than 4,500 people across manufacturing sites in the Czech Republic, the United States, Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, and Hungary.