Jackson Square Partners LLC Sells 56,757 Shares of Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS)

Jackson Square Partners LLC trimmed its stake in Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS - Free Report) by 23.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 186,590 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after selling 56,757 shares during the quarter. Jackson Square Partners LLC owned approximately 0.57% of Axcelis Technologies worth $13,037,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Signaturefd LLC boosted its position in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 90.6% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 364 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 173 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 27.6% during the third quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,293 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $136,000 after purchasing an additional 280 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 85.5% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 627 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 289 shares in the last quarter. Kensington Investment Counsel LLC lifted its holdings in Axcelis Technologies by 14.8% in the third quarter. Kensington Investment Counsel LLC now owns 2,313 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $243,000 after purchasing an additional 299 shares during the period. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its position in Axcelis Technologies by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 28,623 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $2,054,000 after buying an additional 383 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.98% of the company's stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

ACLS has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC restated a "hold" rating on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. William Blair downgraded Axcelis Technologies from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Craig Hallum lowered their price target on Axcelis Technologies from $115.00 to $105.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $154.00.

Axcelis Technologies Price Performance

Axcelis Technologies stock traded down $4.07 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $49.71. The company's stock had a trading volume of 920,362 shares, compared to its average volume of 617,590. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.08, a P/E/G ratio of 4.52 and a beta of 1.62. Axcelis Technologies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $49.69 and a twelve month high of $158.61. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $61.80 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $76.31. The company has a quick ratio of 4.05, a current ratio of 5.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04.

Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS - Get Free Report) last issued its 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 return on equity of 21.02% and a net margin of 19.75%. Research analysts forecast that Axcelis Technologies, Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Axcelis Technologies announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, March 12th that permits the company to buyback $100.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the semiconductor company to repurchase up to 5.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

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.