Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS) Holdings Boosted by Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund grew its stake in shares of Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS) by 3.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 19,633 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after acquiring an additional 724 shares during the quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Axcelis Technologies were worth $2,546,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in ACLS. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in Axcelis Technologies by 74.7% during the 3rd quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 152 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of Axcelis Technologies during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Axcelis Technologies in the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Clearstead Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Axcelis Technologies in the 3rd quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, C M Bidwell & Associates Ltd. acquired a new position in Axcelis Technologies during the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. 89.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Axcelis Technologies news, EVP Douglas A. Lawson bought 500 shares of Axcelis Technologies stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $111.04 per share, for a total transaction of $55,520.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the executive vice president now owns 19,648 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,181,713.92. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 1.43% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. B. Riley Financial dropped their price target on shares of Axcelis Technologies from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 9th. B. Riley cut their target price on Axcelis Technologies from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 9th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Axcelis Technologies currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $189.00.

Axcelis Technologies Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ACLS opened at $98.68 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $3.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.28, a PEG ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 1.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a current ratio of 3.79 and a quick ratio of 2.71. Axcelis Technologies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $93.77 and a 12 month high of $201.00. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $109.07 and its 200 day moving average price is $124.11.

Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 8th. The semiconductor company reported $2.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.98 by $0.17. Axcelis Technologies had a return on equity of 31.66% and a net margin of 21.78%. The firm had revenue of $310.29 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $297.92 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.71 earnings per share. Axcelis Technologies’s revenue was up 16.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Axcelis Technologies, Inc. will post 6.88 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.