Benchmark Cuts Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS) Price Target to $170.00

Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS) had its price target decreased by Benchmark from $180.00 to $170.00 in a research note released on Friday, Benzinga reports. Benchmark currently has a buy rating on the semiconductor company’s stock.

A number of other analysts have also commented on ACLS. Needham & Company LLC restated a hold rating on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a report on Friday. B. Riley cut their target price on Axcelis Technologies from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Craig Hallum raised shares of Axcelis Technologies from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $130.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday. Finally, B. Riley Financial cut their price objective on shares of Axcelis Technologies from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 9th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $169.00.

Axcelis Technologies Price Performance

NASDAQ ACLS opened at $111.45 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 2.71 and a current ratio of 4.00. The stock has a market cap of $3.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.72, a PEG ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.64. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $107.79 and a 200 day simple moving average of $120.99. Axcelis Technologies has a 52-week low of $93.77 and a 52-week high of $201.00.

Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The semiconductor company reported $1.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.24 by $0.33. The company had revenue of $252.37 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $242.61 million. Axcelis Technologies had a net margin of 22.16% and a return on equity of 30.22%. The firm’s revenue was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.43 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Axcelis Technologies will post 6.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Douglas A. Lawson purchased 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $111.04 per share, for a total transaction of $55,520.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the executive vice president now directly owns 19,648 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,181,713.92. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.43% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Axcelis Technologies

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ACLS. Lincoln National Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Lincoln National Corp now owns 4,319 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $560,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the period. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich boosted its holdings in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 9,839 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,276,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its holdings in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 1.3% during the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 9,313 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,518,000 after acquiring an additional 121 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 10.4% during the third quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,316 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $215,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. Finally, Intrust Bank NA lifted its holdings in Axcelis Technologies by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Intrust Bank NA now owns 4,477 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $581,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.