The share price of 3D printer company Stratasys Inc. (Nasdaq: SSYS) closed at a record $128.17 on Friday giving a market cap of $5.6 billion. The share price has risen 57% since the start of 2013 and 250% since Stratasys's merger with Israel's Objet in April 2012. At the time Stratasys was a US company, which moved its headquarters to Rehovot. Some of Stratasys's Israeli shareholders have been cashing in on the share's record price.
Stratasys's market cap is half of Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (Nasdaq: CHKP), a high-tech veteran of 20 years, but double that of NICE Systems Ltd. (Nasdaq: NICE; TASE: NICE) and three times Israel Discount Bank (TASE: DSCT).
At the end of last week Samson Capital, one of the 3D printing company's parties at interest filed a request with the US Securities Exchange Commission to sell a tranche of 800,000 shares for $96 million. As far as is known, the sale went through and Samson is preparing to sell more shares. Samson is one of seven companies through which four individuals own Stratasys shares: Allen (Elchanan) Jaglom, chairman, Roy Zuckerberg, Michael Jaglom, and Phillip Stone.
Allen Jaglom has sold shares worth $7.1 million, Zuckerberg sold shares worth $70.8 million, Stratasys CEO David Reis has sold shares worth $32 million and former Objet chairman Ilan Levin has sold shares worth $25.5 million.
Another prominent Stratasys shareholder is Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE: TEVA; TASE: TEVA) acting CEO Eyal Desheh who was appointed an external director of the 3D printer company after last year's merger. He was given 17,259 share options which today have a value of about $2 million.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on December 22, 2013
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