Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS) Earns “Buy” Rating from Benchmark

Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reissued by equities research analysts at Benchmark in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $215.00 target price on the semiconductor company’s stock. Benchmark’s price objective indicates a potential upside of 28.03% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a report on Friday. They set a “buy” rating and a $225.00 target price for the company. B. Riley Financial lifted their target price on shares of Axcelis Technologies from $165.00 to $225.00 in a research note on Monday, July 17th. B. Riley boosted their price target on shares of Axcelis Technologies from $165.00 to $225.00 in a report on Monday, July 17th. Craig Hallum cut shares of Axcelis Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $140.00 to $175.00 in a research report on Friday, August 4th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC cut shares of Axcelis Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 14th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $187.50.

Axcelis Technologies Trading Down 6.1 %

Shares of Axcelis Technologies stock traded down $10.95 during trading on Friday, hitting $167.93. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 498,467 shares, compared to its average volume of 552,764. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 3.82 and a quick ratio of 2.62. The stock has a market cap of $5.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.16 and a beta of 1.74. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $179.39 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $154.82. Axcelis Technologies has a 52 week low of $49.78 and a 52 week high of $201.00.

Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 3rd. The semiconductor company reported $1.86 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.40. The company had revenue of $273.97 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $256.68 million. Axcelis Technologies had a net margin of 20.19% and a return on equity of 30.29%. Axcelis Technologies’s revenue for the quarter was up 23.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.32 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Axcelis Technologies will post 6.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Axcelis Technologies

In other news, EVP Douglas A. Lawson sold 375 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.45, for a total value of $66,543.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 18,342 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,254,787.90. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, EVP Douglas A. Lawson sold 375 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $177.45, for a total value of $66,543.75. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 18,342 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,254,787.90. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Greg Redinbo sold 600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.18, for a total value of $108,108.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 17,203 shares in the company, valued at $3,099,636.54. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.43% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Axcelis Technologies

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Belpointe Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Axcelis Technologies during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its holdings in Axcelis Technologies by 83.7% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 191 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management raised its holdings in Axcelis Technologies by 418.5% during the second quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 140 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. Money Concepts Capital Corp acquired a new position in Axcelis Technologies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new position in Axcelis Technologies during the first quarter worth approximately $31,000. Institutional investors own 88.93% of the company’s stock.

Axcelis Technologies Company 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.