Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS) Stock Rating Lowered by William Blair

Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities researchers at William Blair from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report released on Wednesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports.

A number of other research firms also recently commented on ACLS. Craig Hallum decreased their price objective on shares of Axcelis Technologies from $115.00 to $105.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Benchmark downgraded shares of Axcelis Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a report on Friday, November 8th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Axcelis Technologies has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $154.00.

Axcelis Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of Axcelis Technologies stock traded down $0.92 on Wednesday, reaching $61.06. 554,212 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 501,438. Axcelis Technologies has a 1-year low of $56.32 and a 1-year high of $158.61. The company has a current ratio of 4.45, a quick ratio of 3.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $70.39 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $87.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.99 billion, a PE ratio of 9.03, a PEG ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.52.

Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The semiconductor company reported $1.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.29. Axcelis Technologies had a net margin of 20.65% and a return on equity of 24.16%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Axcelis Technologies will post 5.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Axcelis Technologies

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 152.8% in the fourth quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 13,824 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $966,000 after purchasing an additional 8,356 shares in the last quarter. Lido Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Axcelis Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at about $214,000. Quarry LP lifted its holdings in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 1,387.5% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 714 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 666 shares in the last quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Axcelis Technologies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $905,000. Finally, Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Axcelis Technologies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,422,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.98% of the company's stock.

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.