Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS) Given Consensus Rating of "Hold" by Analysts

Shares of Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS - Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of "Hold" from the seven brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $131.00.

ACLS has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. B. Riley reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $50.00 price target (down from $80.00) on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, William Blair lowered shares of Axcelis Technologies from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th.

Axcelis Technologies Stock Up 5.2%

ACLS opened at $63.51 on Monday. Axcelis Technologies has a 1-year low of $40.40 and a 1-year high of $158.61. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $53.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $61.80. The company has a current ratio of 5.41, a quick ratio of 4.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The stock has a market cap of $2.04 billion, a PE ratio of 10.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.52 and a beta of 1.52.

Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The semiconductor company reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.39 by $0.65. Axcelis Technologies had a net margin of 19.75% and a return on equity of 21.02%. The business had revenue of $192.56 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $184.86 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.57 earnings per share. Axcelis Technologies's revenue for the quarter was down 23.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Axcelis Technologies will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Axcelis Technologies declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Wednesday, March 12th that permits the company to repurchase $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the semiconductor company to reacquire up to 5.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Axcelis Technologies

In related news, Director John T. Kurtzweil sold 1,682 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $61.93, for a total transaction of $104,166.26. Following the transaction, the director now owns 35,050 shares in the company, valued at $2,170,646.50. The trade was a 4.58% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.48% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Signaturefd LLC increased its stake in Axcelis Technologies by 90.6% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 364 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in Axcelis Technologies by 118.7% during the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 584 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 317 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its stake in Axcelis Technologies by 160.5% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 581 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 358 shares in the last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC increased its stake in Axcelis Technologies by 1,415.2% during the 4th 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. Finally, Bayforest Capital Ltd bought a new stake in Axcelis Technologies during the 1st quarter valued at $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.98% of the company's stock.

About Axcelis Technologies

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.

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