Calcutta, Dec. 29: Fabric and chemicals maker NRC (formerly National Rayon Corporation) told stock exchanges today that its promoters — G.P. Goenka, his family and investment firms owned by him — had sold 15 lakh shares in the market recently.

The G. P. Goenka group’s holding in NRC stands pared at 62.94 per cent now. The group owned 67.15 per cent of NRC’s shares till December 19 when the sale began. The sale of 15 lakh shares took place in several tranches between December 19 and 24, the company said.

NRC had issued 47 lakh shares to Shubh Shanti Services — an investment firm owned by Goenka — earlier this month at Rs 19.75-a-share in a preferential allotment, raising his stake to 67.15 per cent from 62.16 per cent earlier. NRC was quoting at Rs 36.55 to Rs 38.65 on the National Stock Exchange between December 19 and 24, when the sale took place. The stock closed at Rs 37.85 on the bourse today.

A year ago, the company had issued 36 lakh shares to Shubh Shanti Services in a similar allotment deal, at Rs 10 apiece. The shares were issued in two tranches to the investment firm in compliance with the demand of the financial institutions that restructured NRC’s debts.

Other key stakeholders in NRC are Unit Trust of India’s now defunct scheme US-64, which holds 5.72 per cent, and Industrial Development Bank of India, which owns close to 1.6 per cent of its shares.

NRC, which earned close to Rs 300 crore in net revenues in the last financial year, owns a 450 acre-land in Kalyan near Mumbai. The company proposes to venture into the real estate business and has obtained shareholders’ approval to its plan.

Goenka pared his stake in Star Paper by 10.2 per cent earlier this month. He sold 15 lakh shares to improve the stock’s liquidity in the market.