Rhumbline Advisers Boosts Stock Position in Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS)

Rhumbline Advisers lifted its holdings in Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS - Free Report) by 6.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 96,647 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after acquiring an additional 5,805 shares during the quarter. Rhumbline Advisers owned 0.30% of Axcelis Technologies worth $4,800,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Signaturefd LLC raised its position in Axcelis Technologies by 90.6% in the 4th 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 increased its holdings in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 118.7% in the first 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. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC increased its holdings in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 1,415.2% in the fourth quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 500 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 467 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake 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 valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 433 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP boosted its holdings in Axcelis Technologies by 1,387.5% during the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 714 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 666 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.98% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 transaction of $104,166.26. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 35,050 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,170,646.50. This trade represents a 4.58% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.48% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Axcelis Technologies Stock Down 0.7%

Axcelis Technologies stock traded down $0.48 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $68.48. The stock had a trading volume of 468,744 shares, compared to its average volume of 656,658. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.63 and a beta of 1.52. Axcelis Technologies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $40.40 and a 12-month high of $158.61. The company has a quick ratio of 4.08, a current ratio of 5.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $56.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $61.58.

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, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.39 by $0.65. Axcelis Technologies had a net margin of 18.58% and a return on equity of 18.55%. The business had revenue of $192.56 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $184.86 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.57 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 23.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Axcelis Technologies, Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Axcelis Technologies announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Wednesday, March 12th that permits the company to repurchase $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the semiconductor company to repurchase up to 5.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company's management believes its stock is 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.