Boston Partners Acquires 84,481 Shares of Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS)

Boston Partners increased its holdings in shares of Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS) by 34.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 330,073 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after purchasing an additional 84,481 shares during the quarter. Boston Partners owned 1.02% of Axcelis Technologies worth $23,095,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Axcelis Technologies by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,233,282 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $129,310,000 after acquiring an additional 18,101 shares during the period. Reinhart Partners LLC. raised its holdings in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 50.7% during the fourth quarter. Reinhart Partners LLC. now owns 1,036,112 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $72,393,000 after purchasing an additional 348,504 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Axcelis Technologies by 3.3% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 874,516 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $91,708,000 after purchasing an additional 28,141 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp lifted its position in Axcelis Technologies by 61.9% during the fourth quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 820,116 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $57,302,000 after purchasing an additional 313,689 shares during the period. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Axcelis Technologies by 78,037.4% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 782,155 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $54,649,000 after purchasing an additional 781,154 shares during the last quarter. 89.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Axcelis Technologies Price Performance

Shares of Axcelis Technologies stock opened at $56.72 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $63.69 and its 200 day moving average is $78.38. Axcelis Technologies, Inc. has a one year low of $53.67 and a one year high of $158.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 4.05 and a current ratio of 5.41. The stock has a market cap of $1.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.22, a P/E/G ratio of 4.52 and a beta of 1.62.

Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The semiconductor company reported $1.54 EPS 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%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Axcelis Technologies, Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Axcelis Technologies declared that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Wednesday, March 12th that permits the company to repurchase $100.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits 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 board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Craig Hallum lowered their price target on Axcelis Technologies from $115.00 to $105.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, William Blair downgraded Axcelis Technologies from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note 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.com, Axcelis Technologies currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $154.00.

Axcelis Technologies 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.