Primecap Management Co. CA Has $64.03 Million Position in Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS)

Primecap Management Co. CA lowered its holdings in Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS) by 6.0% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 916,426 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 58,010 shares during the period. Primecap Management Co. CA’s holdings in Axcelis Technologies were worth $64,031,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. boosted its stake in Axcelis Technologies by 5.8% in the third quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 2,398 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $251,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC boosted its stake in Axcelis Technologies by 90.6% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 364 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV boosted its stake in Axcelis Technologies by 30.3% in the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 934 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $98,000 after purchasing an additional 217 shares in the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Axcelis Technologies by 27.6% in the third quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,293 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $136,000 after purchasing an additional 280 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in Axcelis Technologies by 85.5% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 627 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 289 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.98% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on ACLS shares. Craig Hallum dropped their target price on Axcelis Technologies from $115.00 to $105.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. William Blair downgraded Axcelis Technologies from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $154.00.

Axcelis Technologies Trading Down 1.9 %

NASDAQ ACLS opened at $57.19 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $64.33 and a 200 day simple moving average of $78.68. The company has a market capitalization of $1.84 billion, a PE ratio of 9.30, a P/E/G ratio of 4.52 and a beta of 1.62. The company has a current ratio of 5.41, a quick ratio of 4.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. Axcelis Technologies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $53.67 and a 12 month high of $158.61.

Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The semiconductor company reported $1.54 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%. Research analysts forecast that Axcelis Technologies, Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current year.

Axcelis Technologies announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, March 12th that allows the company to repurchase $100.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the semiconductor company to purchase up to 5.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

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.