Short Interest in Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS) Rises By 140.8%

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Signaturefd LLC grew its position in Axcelis Technologies by 348.9% during the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 211 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 164 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in Axcelis Technologies by 223.8% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 272 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 188 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Axcelis Technologies during the second quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Isthmus Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Axcelis Technologies by 87.3% in the second quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 33,270 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 15,507 shares during the period. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Axcelis Technologies in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $69,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.98% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ACLS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a report on Friday, November 8th. Benchmark cut shares of Axcelis Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Finally, B. Riley cut their price target on shares of Axcelis Technologies from $190.00 to $165.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Axcelis Technologies currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $167.33.

Axcelis Technologies Stock Performance

NASDAQ:ACLS traded down $3.29 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $79.44. The company's stock had a trading volume of 503,701 shares, compared to its average volume of 631,435. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 4.45 and a quick ratio of 3.29. Axcelis Technologies has a fifty-two week low of $79.07 and a fifty-two week high of $158.61. The firm's 50 day moving average is $96.43 and its 200-day moving average is $113.25. The firm has a market cap of $2.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 1.60.

Axcelis Technologies Company 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.