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

Key Points

• Axcelis Technologies has been given a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from six brokerages, with four advising a hold and two recommending a buy, while the average 12-month target price is $90.00.
• While the company's stock price fell 2.9% to $75.72, it reported a quarterly earnings per share of $1.13, exceeding analysts' estimates by $0.40.
• Institutional investors hold 89.98% of Axcelis Technologies shares, with Vanguard Group and other firms increasing their stakes recently.

Shares of Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS - Get Free Report) have received a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the six research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $90.00.

ACLS has been the subject of a number of research reports. DA Davidson increased their target price on shares of Axcelis Technologies from $75.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. B. Riley increased their target price on shares of Axcelis Technologies from $58.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th.

Insider Activity at Axcelis Technologies

In related news, Director John T. Kurtzweil sold 1,682 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the director directly owned 35,050 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,170,646.50. This represents a 4.58% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.48% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Axcelis Technologies

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 118.7% in the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 584 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 317 shares during the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its holdings in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 160.5% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 581 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 358 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its holdings in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 50.3% in the 2nd quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 481 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd bought a new position in shares of Axcelis Technologies in the 1st quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 129.0% during the 2nd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 545 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 307 shares during the last quarter. 89.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Axcelis Technologies Stock Down 0.1%

ACLS stock traded down $0.09 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $79.42. The stock had a trading volume of 389,989 shares, compared to its average volume of 564,812. Axcelis Technologies has a one year low of $40.40 and a one year high of $117.57. The company has a quick ratio of 4.26, a current ratio of 6.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The company's 50 day moving average is $70.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $61.42. The company has a market capitalization of $2.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.24 and a beta of 1.58.

Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The semiconductor company reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.40. Axcelis Technologies had a net margin of 17.69% and a return on equity of 16.26%. The firm had revenue of $194.54 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $185.15 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.55 EPS. The company's revenue was down 24.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Axcelis Technologies will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Axcelis Technologies Company 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.