Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS) Short Interest Up 140.8% in October

Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in the month of October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 4,310,000 shares, an increase of 140.8% from the October 15th total of 1,790,000 shares. Currently, 13.5% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 603,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 7.1 days.

Institutional Trading of Axcelis Technologies

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ACLS. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Axcelis Technologies during the 1st quarter valued at $791,000. Sei Investments Co. increased its position in Axcelis Technologies by 42.3% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 144,752 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $16,143,000 after buying an additional 43,020 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC increased its position in Axcelis Technologies by 19.1% in the 1st quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 11,597 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,293,000 after buying an additional 1,861 shares in the last quarter. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. boosted its holdings in Axcelis Technologies by 51.4% in the first quarter. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. now owns 1,325 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $148,000 after acquiring an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. grew its stake in Axcelis Technologies by 38.7% in the first quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 423,151 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $47,190,000 after acquiring an additional 118,149 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 89.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on ACLS. Benchmark downgraded shares of Axcelis Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, B. Riley lowered their price objective on Axcelis Technologies from $190.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $167.33.

Axcelis Technologies Stock Down 3.0 %

Axcelis Technologies stock opened at $82.73 on Wednesday. Axcelis Technologies has a 52-week low of $80.87 and a 52-week high of $158.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 3.26 and a current ratio of 4.45. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $96.43 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $113.25. The firm has a market cap of $2.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.62, a PEG ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 1.60.

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.