Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS) Shares Bought by Commonwealth Equity Services LLC

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC grew its stake in Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS) by 10.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,686 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,008 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Axcelis Technologies were worth $747,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of ACLS. Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Axcelis Technologies by 1,153.8% in the 4th 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 last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC boosted its stake in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 1,415.2% in the fourth quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 500 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 467 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position 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 purchasing an additional 289 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Axcelis Technologies by 184.3% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 668 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 433 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Palouse Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Axcelis Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at $79,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.98% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Craig Hallum reduced their target price 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. William Blair downgraded shares of Axcelis Technologies from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $154.00.

Axcelis Technologies Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of Axcelis Technologies stock opened at $50.96 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $60.54 and a 200 day moving average of $75.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 4.05 and a current ratio of 5.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.29, a PEG ratio of 4.52 and a beta of 1.62. Axcelis Technologies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $47.23 and a fifty-two week high of $158.61.

Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The semiconductor company reported $1.54 earnings per share 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%. As a group, research analysts predict that Axcelis Technologies, Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Axcelis Technologies announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, March 12th that authorizes the company to repurchase $100.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the semiconductor company to buy up to 5.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Axcelis Technologies 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.