Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS) Stake Lessened by First Trust Advisors LP

First Trust Advisors LP lowered its holdings in shares of Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS - Free Report) by 75.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 26,295 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after selling 80,597 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned approximately 0.08% of Axcelis Technologies worth $1,837,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in ACLS. Tidal Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 420.1% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 8,858 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $929,000 after purchasing an additional 7,155 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 45.6% in the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 87,825 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $6,136,000 after purchasing an additional 27,497 shares in the last quarter. Reinhart Partners LLC. lifted its holdings in Axcelis Technologies by 50.7% during the 4th quarter. Reinhart Partners LLC. now owns 1,036,112 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $72,393,000 after buying an additional 348,504 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in Axcelis Technologies by 10.7% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 7,630 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $533,000 after purchasing an additional 738 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 1,153.8% in the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 489 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. 89.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on ACLS. B. Riley restated a "neutral" rating and set a $50.00 target price (down from $80.00) on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Craig Hallum cut their price target on Axcelis Technologies from $115.00 to $105.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, William Blair lowered Axcelis Technologies from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Axcelis Technologies has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $131.00.

Axcelis Technologies Stock Down 2.1%

Axcelis Technologies stock traded down $1.22 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $57.64. 552,727 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 647,574. Axcelis Technologies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $40.40 and a fifty-two week high of $158.61. The company has a market cap of $1.85 billion, a PE ratio of 9.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.52 and a beta of 1.52. 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 company's fifty day moving average price is $51.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $64.93.

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

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

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.