Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Acquires 71,631 Shares of Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS - Free Report) by 11.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 724,585 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after acquiring an additional 71,631 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 2.23% of Axcelis Technologies worth $50,628,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on ACLS shares. B. Riley reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $50.00 price objective (down from $80.00) on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a report on Monday, April 21st. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Craig Hallum decreased their target price 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. Finally, William Blair lowered shares of Axcelis Technologies from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $131.00.

Axcelis Technologies Trading Up 6.5 %

Shares of ACLS opened at $52.30 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.50, a PEG ratio of 4.52 and a beta of 1.52. Axcelis Technologies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $40.40 and a twelve month high of $158.61. The company has a quick ratio of 4.05, a current ratio of 5.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $51.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $66.53.

Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The semiconductor company reported $1.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, research analysts anticipate that Axcelis Technologies, Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Axcelis Technologies declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, March 12th that allows the company to buyback $100.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the semiconductor company to buy up to 5.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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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