Kennedy Capital Management LLC Sells 33,033 Shares of Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS)

Kennedy Capital Management LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS - Free Report) by 38.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 53,881 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after selling 33,033 shares during the quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.17% of Axcelis Technologies worth $3,765,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its position in Axcelis Technologies by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 4,540 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $317,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in Axcelis Technologies by 90.6% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 364 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 173 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in Axcelis Technologies by 85.5% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 627 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 289 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its holdings in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 28,623 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $2,054,000 after acquiring an additional 383 shares during the period. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 184.3% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 668 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 433 shares during the last quarter. 89.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on ACLS shares. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. William Blair lowered shares of Axcelis Technologies from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Craig Hallum cut their price objective on shares of Axcelis Technologies from $115.00 to $105.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Axcelis Technologies currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $154.00.

Axcelis Technologies Price Performance

ACLS traded up $0.16 on Friday, hitting $44.78. 448,938 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 637,032. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.28, a PEG ratio of 4.52 and a beta of 1.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 5.41 and a quick ratio of 4.05. Axcelis Technologies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $40.40 and a 12 month high of $158.61. The business has a 50-day moving average of $54.73 and a two-hundred day moving average of $70.50.

Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The semiconductor company reported $1.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.29. Axcelis Technologies had a net margin of 19.75% and a return on equity of 21.02%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Axcelis Technologies, Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Axcelis Technologies declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Wednesday, March 12th that authorizes the company to repurchase $100.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the semiconductor company to reacquire up to 5.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company's management believes its shares are 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.