Marshall Wace LLP Sells 140,554 Shares of Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS)

Marshall Wace LLP lessened its position in Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS - Free Report) by 75.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 45,118 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after selling 140,554 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP owned approximately 0.14% of Axcelis Technologies worth $3,152,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Reinhart Partners LLC. grew its holdings in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 50.7% during the fourth 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. Boston Trust Walden Corp boosted its stake in Axcelis Technologies by 61.9% during the 4th quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 820,116 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $57,302,000 after purchasing an additional 313,689 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Axcelis Technologies by 45.6% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 87,825 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $6,136,000 after purchasing an additional 27,497 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 188,559 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $13,175,000 after purchasing an additional 7,476 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Axcelis Technologies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $465,000. Institutional investors own 89.98% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Craig Hallum decreased their price target on Axcelis Technologies from $115.00 to $105.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. William Blair cut shares of Axcelis Technologies from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, B. Riley reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $50.00 price objective (down from $80.00) on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Axcelis Technologies has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $131.00.

Axcelis Technologies Price Performance

ACLS opened at $49.84 on Friday. Axcelis Technologies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $40.40 and a fifty-two week high of $158.61. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $52.99 and a 200 day moving average of $68.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 4.05 and a current ratio of 5.41. The firm has a market cap of $1.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.10, a PEG ratio of 4.52 and a beta of 1.59.

Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The semiconductor company reported $1.54 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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, research analysts expect that Axcelis Technologies, Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Axcelis Technologies declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, March 12th that permits the company to buyback $100.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the semiconductor company to reacquire up to 5.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

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.

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