Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS) Shares Acquired by Royce & Associates LP

Royce & Associates LP increased its holdings in Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS) by 21.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 333,426 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after acquiring an additional 59,755 shares during the quarter. Royce & Associates LP owned approximately 1.03% of Axcelis Technologies worth $23,296,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. State Street Corp grew its position in Axcelis Technologies by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,233,282 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $129,310,000 after buying an additional 18,101 shares during the last quarter. Reinhart Partners LLC. grew its position in 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 buying an additional 348,504 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Axcelis Technologies by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 874,516 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $91,708,000 after buying an additional 28,141 shares during the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp grew 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 valued at $57,302,000 after buying an additional 313,689 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its position 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 buying an additional 781,154 shares during the last quarter. 89.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Axcelis Technologies Price Performance

Axcelis Technologies stock opened at $58.47 on Monday. Axcelis Technologies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $53.67 and a 52 week high of $158.61. 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 firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $64.98 and its 200 day simple moving average is $79.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.88 billion, a PE ratio of 9.51, a P/E/G ratio of 4.52 and a beta of 1.62.

Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The semiconductor company reported $1.54 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.29. Axcelis Technologies had a net margin of 19.75% and a return on equity of 21.02%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Axcelis Technologies, Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Axcelis Technologies announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase 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 stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on ACLS shares. William Blair lowered shares of Axcelis Technologies from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Craig Hallum decreased their target price on shares of Axcelis Technologies from $115.00 to $105.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Axcelis Technologies has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $154.00.

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.