Brokerages Set Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS) Target Price at $173.00

Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $173.00.

A number of research firms recently commented on ACLS. Benchmark decreased their price objective on shares of Axcelis Technologies from $180.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 3rd. B. Riley upped their price target on shares of Axcelis Technologies from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, June 20th. Craig Hallum raised shares of Axcelis Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, May 3rd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a report on Friday, May 3rd.

Axcelis Technologies Stock Up 2.0 %

ACLS stock opened at $142.19 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $4.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.78, a P/E/G ratio of 3.45 and a beta of 1.54. Axcelis Technologies has a 52 week low of $93.77 and a 52 week high of $201.00. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $118.86 and its 200 day moving average price is $118.77. The company has a current ratio of 4.00, a quick ratio of 2.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05.

Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The semiconductor company reported $1.57 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.26 by $0.31. The firm had revenue of $252.37 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $242.55 million. Axcelis Technologies had a net margin of 22.16% and a return on equity of 30.22%. On average, research analysts expect that Axcelis Technologies will post 6.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Axcelis Technologies

In related news, Director John T. Kurtzweil sold 1,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.42, for a total transaction of $137,304.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 33,146 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,792,565.32. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 1.43% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Axcelis Technologies

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new position in Axcelis Technologies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,127,000. Rafferty Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 14.8% in the 4th quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC now owns 203,622 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $26,408,000 after buying an additional 26,228 shares during the period. Annex Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 964.1% in the 4th quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 51,608 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $6,693,000 after buying an additional 46,758 shares during the period. Harber Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Axcelis Technologies in the 4th quarter worth $5,165,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its position in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 392,377 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $63,977,000 after buying an additional 7,595 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.98% 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.