Principal Financial Group Inc. Grows Position in Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS)

Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS - Free Report) by 4.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 188,559 shares of the semiconductor company's stock after purchasing an additional 7,476 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.58% of Axcelis Technologies worth $13,175,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Axcelis Technologies by 1,153.8% during the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 489 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 85.5% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 627 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 289 shares during the last quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Axcelis Technologies during the 3rd quarter worth $69,000. Palouse Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Axcelis Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at about $79,000. Finally, KBC Group NV increased its position in Axcelis Technologies by 46.8% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,371 shares of the semiconductor company's stock worth $96,000 after purchasing an additional 437 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.98% of the company's stock.

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Axcelis Technologies Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of Axcelis Technologies stock traded down $0.28 on Friday, reaching $54.72. The company had a trading volume of 787,880 shares, compared to its average volume of 661,492. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $67.53 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $83.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 4.05 and a current ratio of 5.41. Axcelis Technologies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $53.67 and a 52-week high of $158.61. The firm has a market cap of $1.78 billion, a PE ratio of 8.90, a PEG ratio of 4.52 and a beta of 1.52.

Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The semiconductor company reported $1.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that Axcelis Technologies, Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ACLS has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. William Blair downgraded shares of Axcelis Technologies from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Needham & Company LLC restated a "hold" rating on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Craig Hallum decreased their price objective on Axcelis Technologies from $115.00 to $105.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, Benchmark cut Axcelis Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, November 8th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Axcelis Technologies currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $154.00.

Axcelis Technologies 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.