Northern Trust Corp Sells 18,817 Shares of Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS)

Northern Trust Corp decreased its holdings in Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS - Free Report) by 4.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 392,078 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after selling 18,817 shares during the quarter. Northern Trust Corp owned 1.21% of Axcelis Technologies worth $27,394,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Axcelis Technologies by 78,037.4% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 782,155 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $54,649,000 after buying an additional 781,154 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Axcelis Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,050,000. Reinhart Partners LLC. increased its stake in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 50.7% during the fourth quarter. Reinhart Partners LLC. now owns 1,036,112 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $72,393,000 after acquiring an additional 348,504 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp boosted its stake in Axcelis Technologies by 61.9% during the fourth quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 820,116 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $57,302,000 after buying an additional 313,689 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 37.8% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,060,096 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $74,069,000 after purchasing an additional 290,678 shares during the last quarter. 89.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on ACLS. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. B. Riley restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $50.00 target price (down previously from $80.00) on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a report on Monday, April 21st. William Blair cut Axcelis Technologies from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Craig Hallum dropped their price objective on shares of Axcelis Technologies from $115.00 to $105.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Axcelis Technologies presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $131.00.

Axcelis Technologies Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of ACLS stock traded down $0.11 on Wednesday, hitting $62.75. The company's stock had a trading volume of 542,323 shares, compared to its average volume of 648,236. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.20, a P/E/G ratio of 4.52 and a beta of 1.52. Axcelis Technologies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $40.40 and a fifty-two week high of $158.61. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $51.76 and its 200-day moving average price is $64.72. 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 (NASDAQ:ACLS - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The semiconductor company reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.65. The company 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 firm's revenue was down 23.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.57 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Axcelis Technologies, Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Axcelis Technologies declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, March 12th that permits the company to repurchase $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the semiconductor company to buy up to 5.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is 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.