Janus Henderson Group PLC Grows Stock Holdings in Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS)

Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its stake in shares of Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS - Free Report) by 167.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 90,508 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after acquiring an additional 56,654 shares during the quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC owned 0.28% of Axcelis Technologies worth $6,323,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its holdings 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 valued at $54,649,000 after purchasing an additional 781,154 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Axcelis Technologies during the fourth quarter worth $36,050,000. Boston Trust Walden Corp grew its position in 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 buying an additional 313,689 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in Axcelis Technologies by 37.8% in the fourth 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. Finally, Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC raised its position in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 54.1% in the fourth quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC now owns 764,069 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $53,386,000 after acquiring an additional 268,098 shares during the period. 89.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Axcelis Technologies Price Performance

NASDAQ:ACLS traded up $0.45 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $62.46. 424,929 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 649,926. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $51.99 and its 200 day moving average price is $63.81. Axcelis Technologies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $40.40 and a 52-week high of $158.61. The company has a market cap of $2.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.16, a P/E/G ratio of 4.52 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a current ratio of 5.41, a quick ratio of 4.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04.

Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The semiconductor company reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.65. Axcelis Technologies had a return on equity of 21.02% and a net margin of 19.75%. The firm had revenue of $192.56 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $184.86 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.57 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 23.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Axcelis Technologies, Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Axcelis Technologies declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Wednesday, March 12th that allows the company to repurchase $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the semiconductor company to repurchase up to 5.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ACLS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC restated a "hold" rating on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. William Blair downgraded Axcelis Technologies from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, B. Riley reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $50.00 target price (down previously from $80.00) on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus 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.