Directa Plus PLC (LON:DCTA) revealed in a filing after the market close on Thursday that it was notified that Indaco Venture Partners SGR, Italy’s largest independent venture capital asset management firm, had sold a holding of 8.06% in the graphene products developer.
The announcement followed similar filings late on Wednesday that showed three US investors had all sold their holdings in the company in transactions on Monday, with William Cate, Paul Calarco, and Robert Mercuri disposing of stakes totalling 3.69% each in the company.
READ: Placing and open offer brings in £3.45mln for Directa Plus
On Wednesday afternoon, Directa Plus also announced that American billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong now holds 18.95% of the graphene company following a deal on Friday last week.
Soon-Shiong, a California-based investor, is the owner of the Los Angeles Times and The San Diego Union-Tribune and has been a minority owner of the LA Lakers basketball team since 2010.
His stake in Directa Plus is held via his holding company, Nant Capital. In September 2018, a Soon-Shiong company, NantEnergy announced the development of a zinc air-breathing battery which broke the US$100 per kilowatt-hour cost barrier.
Back in January, Directa Plus announced that it had raised a total of £3.45mln through a share placing and open offer to fund an investment drive to grow in its markets.
The firm raised around £3.15mln through the placing of 6.3mln new shares at 50p each in December.
The company said it raised a further £0.30mln through an open offer at the same price, with Directa Plus’s chief executive Giulio Cesareo and chairman Sir Peter Middleton among the directors taking part.