Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the seven brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $167.33.

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on ACLS shares. Benchmark cut their target price on Axcelis Technologies from $180.00 to $175.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Craig Hallum boosted their price objective on shares of Axcelis Technologies from $130.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 12th. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Axcelis Technologies from $125.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, DA Davidson upped their price objective on shares of Axcelis Technologies from $150.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 15th.

Axcelis Technologies Stock Down 0.0 %

NASDAQ ACLS traded down $0.04 on Friday, hitting $89.89. 552,976 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 627,850. Axcelis Technologies has a fifty-two week low of $88.89 and a fifty-two week high of $158.61. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $101.76 and a 200-day moving average price of $114.24. The company has a quick ratio of 3.26, a current ratio of 4.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The company has a market cap of $2.92 billion, a PE ratio of 11.87, a PEG ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 1.58.

Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The semiconductor company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.18. Axcelis Technologies had a net margin of 21.54% and a return on equity of 27.35%. The firm had revenue of $256.51 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $250.06 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.86 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Axcelis Technologies will post 6.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Jorge Titinger sold 6,086 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.98, for a total value of $669,338.28. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 5,891 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $647,892.18. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.43% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Axcelis Technologies

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of ACLS. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Axcelis Technologies by 11.9% in the 3rd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,069 shares of the semiconductor company's stock valued at $112,000 after buying an additional 114 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Axcelis Technologies in the third quarter valued at about $53,099,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its stake in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 127.8% during the third quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 54,555 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $5,720,000 after acquiring an additional 30,609 shares during the period. Moody Aldrich Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 14.0% during the third quarter. Moody Aldrich Partners LLC now owns 26,874 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $2,818,000 after acquiring an additional 3,292 shares during the period. Finally, Guidance Capital Inc. raised its holdings in Axcelis Technologies by 11.1% during the third quarter. Guidance Capital Inc. now owns 4,242 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $445,000 after purchasing an additional 423 shares in the last quarter. 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.