Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS) Stock Position Cut by Invesco Ltd.

Invesco Ltd. lowered its stake in Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS) by 4.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 131,122 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 5,713 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. owned approximately 0.40% of Axcelis Technologies worth $9,161,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in ACLS. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Axcelis Technologies by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,396,134 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $307,158,000 after purchasing an additional 106,203 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in Axcelis Technologies by 37.8% during 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. Reinhart Partners LLC. boosted its stake in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 50.7% in the 4th quarter. Reinhart Partners LLC. now owns 1,036,112 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $72,393,000 after purchasing an additional 348,504 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Axcelis Technologies by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 897,750 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $62,738,000 after purchasing an additional 23,234 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Boston Trust Walden Corp raised its position in Axcelis Technologies by 61.9% in the 4th quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 820,116 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $57,302,000 after purchasing an additional 313,689 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. 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. Craig Hallum reduced their price objective on shares of Axcelis Technologies from $115.00 to $105.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, William Blair cut shares of Axcelis Technologies from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $131.00.

Axcelis Technologies Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ ACLS opened at $45.94 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $53.50 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $68.97. The company has a quick ratio of 4.05, a current ratio of 5.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The company has a market cap of $1.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.47, a P/E/G ratio of 4.52 and a beta of 1.59. Axcelis Technologies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $40.40 and a 52 week high of $158.61.

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

Axcelis Technologies announced that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Wednesday, March 12th that allows the company to repurchase $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the semiconductor company to repurchase up to 5.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors 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.