Short Interest in Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS) Decreases By 24.1%

Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS) saw a significant drop in short interest in the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,830,000 shares, a drop of 24.1% from the May 31st total of 2,410,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 519,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.5 days. Currently, 5.7% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Insider Transactions at Axcelis Technologies

In other news, Director John T. Kurtzweil sold 1,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.42, for a total transaction of $137,304.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 33,146 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,792,565.32. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.43% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Axcelis Technologies

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rakuten Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Axcelis Technologies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Axcelis Technologies by 109.4% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 266 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its holdings in Axcelis Technologies by 1,188.0% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 322 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 297 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in Axcelis Technologies by 100.7% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 305 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA raised its holdings in Axcelis Technologies by 627.9% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 313 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. 89.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Axcelis Technologies Stock Performance

ACLS opened at $142.19 on Friday. Axcelis Technologies has a 12-month low of $93.77 and a 12-month high of $201.00. The stock has a market cap of $4.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.78, a PEG ratio of 3.37 and a beta of 1.54. The business has a 50 day moving average of $118.86 and a 200-day moving average of $118.91. The company has a quick ratio of 2.87, a current ratio of 4.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05.

Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The semiconductor company reported $1.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.26 by $0.31. Axcelis Technologies had a return on equity of 30.22% and a net margin of 22.16%. The company had revenue of $252.37 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $242.55 million. On average, equities research analysts expect that Axcelis Technologies will post 6.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on ACLS shares. B. Riley increased their price objective on Axcelis Technologies from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, June 20th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. Craig Hallum upgraded Axcelis Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. Finally, Benchmark decreased their price target on Axcelis Technologies from $180.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $173.00.

About Axcelis Technologies

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.