Tower Research Capital LLC TRC Sells 10,557 Shares of Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS)

Tower Research Capital LLC TRC cut its position in shares of Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS - Free Report) by 95.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 486 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after selling 10,557 shares during the quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC's holdings in Axcelis Technologies were worth $34,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Axcelis Technologies by 78,037.4% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 782,155 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $54,649,000 after purchasing an additional 781,154 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Axcelis Technologies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,050,000. Boston Trust Walden Corp boosted its position in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 61.9% in the fourth quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 820,116 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $57,302,000 after acquiring an additional 313,689 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in Axcelis Technologies by 37.8% in the fourth 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 period. Finally, Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC raised its stake in Axcelis Technologies by 54.1% during the fourth quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC now owns 764,069 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $53,386,000 after acquiring an additional 268,098 shares in the last quarter. 89.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ACLS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. B. Riley restated a "neutral" rating and set a $50.00 target price (down previously from $80.00) on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a report on Monday, April 21st. William Blair downgraded 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 report on Wednesday, February 12th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $131.00.

Axcelis Technologies Stock Performance

ACLS stock traded down $0.07 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $61.94. The stock had a trading volume of 12,255 shares, compared to its average volume of 647,084. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $51.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $63.81. The stock has a market cap of $1.99 billion, a PE ratio of 10.06, a P/E/G ratio of 4.52 and a beta of 1.52. Axcelis Technologies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $40.40 and a 52-week high of $158.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 4.05 and a current ratio of 5.41.

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

Axcelis Technologies declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, March 12th that authorizes the company to repurchase $100.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the semiconductor company to repurchase up to 5.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually 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.