Boston Partners Increases Holdings in Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS)

Boston Partners increased its holdings in shares of Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS) by 34.4% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 330,073 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after acquiring an additional 84,481 shares during the period. Boston Partners’ holdings in Axcelis Technologies were worth $23,095,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Signaturefd LLC boosted its stake in Axcelis Technologies by 90.6% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 364 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares during the period. Avior Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 1,153.8% in the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 489 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC boosted its position in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 1,415.2% during the fourth quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 500 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 467 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in Axcelis Technologies by 85.5% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 627 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 289 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Axcelis Technologies by 184.3% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 668 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 433 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.98% of the company’s stock.

Axcelis Technologies Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ ACLS opened at $56.72 on Friday. 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. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $63.69 and its 200-day moving average price is $78.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.22, a P/E/G ratio of 4.52 and a beta of 1.62.

Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The semiconductor company reported $1.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.29. Axcelis Technologies had a return on equity of 21.02% and a net margin of 19.75%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Axcelis Technologies, Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Axcelis Technologies announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Wednesday, March 12th that authorizes the company to repurchase $100.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the semiconductor company to repurchase up to 5.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on ACLS. Craig Hallum dropped their price objective on shares of Axcelis Technologies from $115.00 to $105.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. William Blair lowered Axcelis Technologies from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $154.00.

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.