Aquatic Capital Management LLC Purchases New Stake in Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS)

Aquatic Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 12,947 shares of the semiconductor company's stock, valued at approximately $905,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Signaturefd LLC lifted its stake in Axcelis Technologies by 90.6% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 364 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 173 shares in the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 1,153.8% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 489 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the period. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 1,415.2% in the fourth quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 500 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 467 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 85.5% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 627 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 289 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Axcelis Technologies by 184.3% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 668 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 433 shares during the last quarter. 89.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Axcelis Technologies Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ACLS traded up $1.61 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $53.70. 445,893 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 637,764. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 4.05 and a current ratio of 5.41. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $51.44 and its 200 day simple moving average is $65.86. Axcelis Technologies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $40.40 and a fifty-two week high of $158.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.52 and a beta of 1.52.

Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The semiconductor company reported $1.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.29. Axcelis Technologies had a net margin of 19.75% and a return on equity of 21.02%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Axcelis Technologies, Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Axcelis Technologies announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, March 12th that authorizes the company to repurchase $100.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the semiconductor company to purchase up to 5.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on ACLS. B. Riley reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $50.00 price target (down from $80.00) on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a research report on Monday, April 21st. William Blair lowered Axcelis Technologies from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Craig Hallum dropped their price target on shares of Axcelis Technologies from $115.00 to $105.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $131.00.

Axcelis Technologies Profile

Axcelis Technologies, Inc designs, manufactures, and services ion implantation and other processing equipment used in the fabrication of semiconductor chips in the United States, Europe, and Asia Pacific. The company offers high energy, high current, and medium current implanters for various application requirements.