Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the seven analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $131.00.

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. William Blair cut Axcelis Technologies from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. B. Riley reaffirmed 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. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th.

Axcelis Technologies Price Performance

ACLS opened at $62.01 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $51.99 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $63.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.99 billion, a PE ratio of 10.08, a P/E/G ratio of 4.52 and a beta of 1.52. Axcelis Technologies 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) last posted 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 business had revenue of $192.56 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 period last year, the company earned $1.57 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Axcelis Technologies will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Axcelis Technologies declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Wednesday, March 12th that authorizes the company to repurchase $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the semiconductor company to buy up to 5.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Axcelis Technologies

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in ACLS. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in Axcelis Technologies by 10.7% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 7,630 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $533,000 after purchasing an additional 738 shares during the period. Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 1,153.8% during the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 489 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 450 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 85.5% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 627 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 289 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV raised its position in Axcelis Technologies by 46.8% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,371 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $96,000 after buying an additional 437 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Axcelis Technologies by 78,037.4% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 782,155 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $54,649,000 after acquiring an additional 781,154 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.98% of the company’s stock.

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.