Barclays PLC Acquires 5,360 Shares of Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS)

Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS - Free Report) by 7.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 73,471 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,360 shares during the period. Barclays PLC owned about 0.23% of Axcelis Technologies worth $5,132,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Reinhart Partners LLC. lifted its position in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 50.7% during the 4th quarter. Reinhart Partners LLC. now owns 1,036,112 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $72,393,000 after buying an additional 348,504 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 61.9% during the fourth quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 820,116 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $57,302,000 after acquiring an additional 313,689 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 45.6% in the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 87,825 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $6,136,000 after purchasing an additional 27,497 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 188,559 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $13,175,000 after purchasing an additional 7,476 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LPL Financial LLC increased its position in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 36.1% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 60,834 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $4,250,000 after purchasing an additional 16,152 shares in the last quarter. 89.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Axcelis Technologies Price Performance

Shares of ACLS traded up $3.24 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $52.35. 189,952 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 635,903. 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 capitalization of $1.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.51, a PEG ratio of 4.52 and a beta of 1.52. The business has a 50-day moving average of $51.79 and a 200 day moving average of $66.84. Axcelis Technologies, Inc. has a one year low of $40.40 and a one year high of $158.61.

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

Axcelis Technologies declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, March 12th that allows the company to repurchase $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the semiconductor company to buy up to 5.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ACLS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Craig Hallum reduced 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. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. William Blair lowered Axcelis Technologies from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, B. Riley reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $50.00 price objective (down previously from $80.00) on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Axcelis Technologies presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $131.00.

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.