Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS) Shares Sold by Maryland State Retirement & Pension System

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System cut its stake in shares of Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS) by 1.5% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 11,902 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 186 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s holdings in Axcelis Technologies were worth $1,544,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Raymond James & Associates raised its holdings in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 7.8% during the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 18,393 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,999,000 after acquiring an additional 1,331 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 22.9% in the third quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 3,751 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $612,000 after buying an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System lifted its stake in Axcelis Technologies by 23.3% in the 3rd quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 23,678 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $3,861,000 after purchasing an additional 4,472 shares in the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its stake in Axcelis Technologies by 3.7% during the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 11,018 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,796,000 after buying an additional 392 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in Axcelis Technologies by 153.9% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 42,957 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $7,004,000 after buying an additional 26,038 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ACLS has been the topic of several recent research reports. Benchmark lowered their price target on shares of Axcelis Technologies from $180.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. Craig Hallum upgraded shares of Axcelis Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, May 3rd. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. B. Riley reduced their target price on Axcelis Technologies from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. Finally, B. Riley Financial lowered their price target on Axcelis Technologies from $180.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 9th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Axcelis Technologies presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $169.00.

Axcelis Technologies Trading Down 0.9 %

NASDAQ ACLS traded down $0.96 on Wednesday, reaching $110.31. The stock had a trading volume of 54,951 shares, compared to its average volume of 656,394. Axcelis Technologies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $93.77 and a 12-month high of $201.00. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $107.88 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $120.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.64. The company has a quick ratio of 2.87, a current ratio of 4.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05.

Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The semiconductor company reported $1.57 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.24 by $0.33. The business had revenue of $252.37 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $242.61 million. Axcelis Technologies had a net margin of 22.16% and a return on equity of 30.22%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.43 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Axcelis Technologies, Inc. will post 6.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Douglas A. Lawson acquired 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $111.04 per share, with a total value of $55,520.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the executive vice president now owns 19,648 shares in the company, valued at $2,181,713.92. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 1.14% 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.