Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS) PT Lowered to $170.00 at Benchmark

Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS) had its price objective reduced by Benchmark from $180.00 to $170.00 in a report issued on Friday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the semiconductor company’s stock.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Craig Hallum upgraded Axcelis Technologies from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $130.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday. B. Riley Financial lowered their price target on shares of Axcelis Technologies from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 9th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a hold rating on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a research note on Friday. Finally, B. Riley lowered their target price on shares of Axcelis Technologies from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $169.00.

Axcelis Technologies Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ACLS opened at $113.43 on Friday. Axcelis Technologies has a twelve month low of $93.77 and a twelve month high of $201.00. The company has a market capitalization of $3.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.64. The company has a current ratio of 4.00, a quick ratio of 2.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $107.85 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $120.76.

Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The semiconductor company reported $1.57 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.24 by $0.33. Axcelis Technologies had a net margin of 22.16% and a return on equity of 30.22%. The business had revenue of $252.37 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $242.61 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.43 EPS. The company’s revenue was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Axcelis Technologies will post 6.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Douglas A. Lawson acquired 500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $111.04 per share, with a total value of $55,520.00. Following the purchase, the executive vice president now directly owns 19,648 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,181,713.92. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 1.14% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Axcelis Technologies

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp raised its holdings in Axcelis Technologies by 1.1% in the first quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 28,606 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $3,190,000 after buying an additional 317 shares during the period. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new position in shares of Axcelis Technologies in the 1st quarter valued at $594,000. Blackhawk Capital Partners LLC. purchased a new position in shares of Axcelis Technologies in the 1st quarter valued at $766,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its stake in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 143.3% in the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 29,006 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $3,235,000 after acquiring an additional 17,084 shares during the period. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its stake in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 24.6% in the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 127,950 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $14,269,000 after acquiring an additional 25,228 shares during the period. 89.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.