GAMMA Investing LLC Increases Position in Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS)

GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS - Free Report) by 9,286.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 78,280 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after acquiring an additional 77,446 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC owned 0.24% of Axcelis Technologies worth $3,888,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Axcelis Technologies by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,396,134 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $307,158,000 after buying an additional 106,203 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in 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 valued at $74,069,000 after buying an additional 290,678 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Axcelis Technologies by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 897,750 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $62,738,000 after buying an additional 23,234 shares in the last quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC increased its position in Axcelis Technologies by 54.1% during the 4th quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC now owns 764,069 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $53,386,000 after buying an additional 268,098 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in Axcelis Technologies by 11.0% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 724,585 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $50,628,000 after buying an additional 71,631 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.98% of the company's stock.

Axcelis Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of ACLS stock traded down $3.84 on Friday, reaching $65.07. The stock had a trading volume of 776,624 shares, compared to its average volume of 657,324. The stock has a market cap of $2.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.52 and a beta of 1.52. Axcelis Technologies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $40.40 and a 1 year high of $158.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 4.05 and a current ratio of 5.41. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $55.38 and a 200 day simple moving average of $61.65.

Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The semiconductor company reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.39 by $0.65. Axcelis Technologies had a return on equity of 21.02% and a net margin of 19.75%. The company had revenue of $192.56 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $184.86 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.57 EPS. Axcelis Technologies's revenue for the quarter was down 23.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities 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 authorized a stock buyback program on Wednesday, March 12th that authorizes the company to buyback $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the semiconductor company to purchase up to 5.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Axcelis Technologies

In other 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 sale, the director now directly owns 35,050 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,170,646.50. The trade was a 4.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.48% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, B. Riley reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $50.00 target price (down from $80.00) on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Axcelis Technologies has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $131.00.

Axcelis Technologies 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.