Avon Protection - Refocused Protection set to resume growth

Avon Protection should be well positioned to recover strongly following the value destruction caused by the relatively small Armor activity, which now faces a managed closure over the next two years. Future growth rates are diminished by the exit but remain healthy in the further focused core of Respiratory and Head Protection. Management needs to restore investor confidence as it continues with its growth strategy, in order to regain the historical premium rating to its UK defence peers. In this note, we reset our forecasts and valuation to reflect the revised shape of the business.