Gotham Asset Management LLC Raises Stake in Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS)

Gotham Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS - Free Report) by 110.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 23,990 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after acquiring an additional 12,568 shares during the period. Gotham Asset Management LLC owned 0.07% of Axcelis Technologies worth $1,676,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Graham Capital Management L.P. grew its holdings in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 83.9% during the fourth quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. now owns 5,178 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $362,000 after buying an additional 2,363 shares during the last quarter. FORA Capital LLC bought a new position in Axcelis Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at about $904,000. Deutsche Bank AG lifted its position in Axcelis Technologies by 52.0% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 28,487 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $1,990,000 after acquiring an additional 9,741 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in Axcelis Technologies by 104.4% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 285,284 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $19,933,000 after purchasing an additional 145,701 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in Axcelis Technologies by 305.4% during the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 116,290 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $8,125,000 after purchasing an additional 87,602 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.98% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on ACLS. B. Riley reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $50.00 target price (down previously from $80.00) on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a research note on Monday, April 21st. William Blair downgraded shares of Axcelis Technologies from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $131.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Axcelis Technologies

In other news, Director John T. Kurtzweil sold 1,682 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.93, for a total transaction of $104,166.26. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 35,050 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,170,646.50. This represents a 4.58% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.48% of the company's stock.

Axcelis Technologies Stock Performance

ACLS traded up $0.02 during trading on Thursday, hitting $59.09. 70,859 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 647,831. Axcelis Technologies, Inc. has a one year low of $40.40 and a one year high of $158.61. The stock's fifty day moving average is $52.08 and its 200 day moving average is $63.77. The company has a quick ratio of 4.05, a current ratio of 5.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The firm has a market cap of $1.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.52 and a beta of 1.52.

Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS - Get Free Report) last released its 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 firm had revenue of $192.56 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $184.86 million. Axcelis Technologies had a net margin of 19.75% and a return on equity of 21.02%. The company's revenue was down 23.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.57 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Axcelis Technologies, Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

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.