Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS) Receives Average Rating of "Hold" from Analysts

Shares of Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS - Get Free Report) have received a consensus rating of "Hold" from the seven research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $136.00.

Separately, B. Riley raised their price objective 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

In related news, Director John T. Kurtzweil sold 1,682 shares of Axcelis Technologies stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.93, for a total value of $104,166.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 35,050 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,170,646.50. The trade was a 4.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.48% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Axcelis Technologies

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Signaturefd LLC increased its position in Axcelis Technologies by 90.6% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 364 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its position in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 118.7% during 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 period. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its position in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 160.5% during 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 period. Bayforest Capital Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Axcelis Technologies during the 1st quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 97.5% during the 1st quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 796 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 393 shares during the period. 89.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Axcelis Technologies Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of NASDAQ ACLS opened at $72.25 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 5.56, a quick ratio of 4.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. Axcelis Technologies has a one year low of $40.40 and a one year high of $158.61. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $61.86 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $61.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.32 billion, a PE ratio of 13.23, a PEG ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 1.57.

Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The semiconductor company reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.39 by $0.65. The business had revenue of $192.56 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $184.86 million. Axcelis Technologies had a net margin of 18.58% and a return on equity of 18.55%. The firm's revenue was down 23.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.57 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Axcelis Technologies will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Axcelis Technologies declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, March 12th that permits the company to repurchase $100.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the semiconductor company to purchase up to 5.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

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.

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