Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS) Shares Sold by New York State Common Retirement Fund

New York State Common Retirement Fund lowered its stake in Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS - Free Report) by 37.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 39,661 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after selling 23,261 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund owned 0.12% of Axcelis Technologies worth $5,144,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund increased its position in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 19,633 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $2,546,000 after acquiring an additional 724 shares in the last quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 65,797 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $8,533,000 after purchasing an additional 2,348 shares in the last quarter. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 66.7% during the fourth quarter. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. now owns 10,500 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $1,362,000 after buying an additional 4,200 shares during the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its holdings in Axcelis Technologies by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 7,000 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $908,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC raised its position in Axcelis Technologies by 20.7% in the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,557 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $202,000 after buying an additional 267 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.98% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Douglas A. Lawson bought 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $111.04 per share, with a total value of $55,520.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the executive vice president now owns 19,648 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,181,713.92. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.43% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. B. Riley reduced their price target on shares of Axcelis Technologies from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Benchmark lowered their price target on Axcelis Technologies from $180.00 to $170.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. B. Riley Financial cut their price objective on Axcelis Technologies from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 9th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a report on Friday. Finally, Craig Hallum raised shares of Axcelis Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $130.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Axcelis Technologies presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $169.00.

Axcelis Technologies Price Performance

Axcelis Technologies stock traded up $4.81 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $111.45. The stock had a trading volume of 763,595 shares, compared to its average volume of 536,798. Axcelis Technologies, Inc. has a one year low of $93.77 and a one year high of $201.00. The company has a current ratio of 4.00, a quick ratio of 2.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.64. The firm's 50 day moving average is $107.79 and its 200 day moving average is $120.99.

Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The semiconductor company reported $1.57 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.24 by $0.33. Axcelis Technologies had a return on equity of 30.22% and a net margin of 22.16%. The business had revenue of $252.37 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $242.61 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.43 earnings per share. The business's revenue was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Axcelis Technologies, Inc. will post 6.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.