Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS) Shares Sold by Nuveen Asset Management LLC

Nuveen Asset Management LLC trimmed its holdings in Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS - Free Report) by 45.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 167,570 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after selling 139,753 shares during the period. Nuveen Asset Management LLC owned 0.52% of Axcelis Technologies worth $11,708,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ACLS. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,396,134 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $307,158,000 after purchasing an additional 106,203 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 37.8% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,060,096 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $74,069,000 after purchasing an additional 290,678 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 897,750 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $62,738,000 after purchasing an additional 23,234 shares during the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp boosted its stake in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 61.9% during the 4th quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 820,116 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $57,302,000 after purchasing an additional 313,689 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 78,037.4% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 782,155 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $54,649,000 after purchasing an additional 781,154 shares during the last quarter. 89.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Axcelis Technologies Trading Down 3.1%

NASDAQ ACLS traded down $1.81 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $56.19. The company's stock had a trading volume of 728,817 shares, compared to its average volume of 652,531. Axcelis Technologies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $40.40 and a 52-week high of $158.61. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $52.24 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $62.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 5.41 and a quick ratio of 4.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.52 and a beta of 1.52.

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

Axcelis Technologies announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, March 12th that permits the company to repurchase $100.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the semiconductor company to reacquire up to 5.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at Axcelis Technologies

In other Axcelis Technologies news, Director John T. Kurtzweil sold 1,682 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $61.93, for a total value of $104,166.26. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 35,050 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,170,646.50. This trade represents a 4.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.48% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on ACLS shares. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. B. Riley reiterated 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. Finally, William Blair lowered shares of Axcelis Technologies from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Axcelis Technologies presently has an average 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.