Vident Advisory LLC Has $2.47 Million Stake in Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS)

Vident Advisory LLC lifted its position in shares of Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS - Free Report) by 51.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 35,410 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after purchasing an additional 12,060 shares during the period. Vident Advisory LLC owned about 0.11% of Axcelis Technologies worth $2,474,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 10.7% in the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 7,630 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $533,000 after buying an additional 738 shares during the last quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 1,153.8% in the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 489 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 85.5% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 627 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 289 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV increased its stake in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 46.8% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,371 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $96,000 after buying an additional 437 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 78,037.4% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 782,155 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $54,649,000 after buying an additional 781,154 shares during the last quarter. 89.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director John T. Kurtzweil sold 1,682 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 represents a 4.58% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.48% of the company's stock.

Axcelis Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of Axcelis Technologies stock traded down $0.73 during trading on Friday, hitting $58.32. 326,436 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 650,708. The stock's fifty day moving average is $52.12 and its 200 day moving average is $63.40. The stock has a market cap of $1.87 billion, a PE ratio of 9.48, a P/E/G ratio of 4.52 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 4.05 and a current ratio of 5.41. Axcelis Technologies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $40.40 and a 12 month high of $158.61.

Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS - Get Free Report) last released 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. The business had revenue of $192.56 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $184.86 million. Axcelis Technologies had a net margin of 19.75% and a return on equity of 21.02%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 23.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.57 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Axcelis Technologies, Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on ACLS shares. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. William Blair lowered shares of 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 note on Monday, April 21st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $131.00.

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.