Aviva PLC Cuts Holdings in Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS)

Aviva PLC lessened its stake in Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS – Get Rating) by 48.4% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 12,713 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 11,922 shares during the quarter. Aviva PLC’s holdings in Axcelis Technologies were worth $1,009,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Lincoln National Corp purchased a new stake in Axcelis Technologies during the 4th quarter worth about $763,000. Annex Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Axcelis Technologies by 19.4% in the fourth quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 6,877 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $546,000 after purchasing an additional 1,116 shares in the last quarter. Beacon Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Axcelis Technologies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $56,000. Teacher Retirement System of Texas increased its stake in Axcelis Technologies by 381.2% in the third quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 26,800 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,623,000 after purchasing an additional 21,231 shares during the last quarter. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its holdings in Axcelis Technologies by 8.6% during the fourth quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 3,800 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $302,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. 86.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Axcelis Technologies Trading Down 2.0 %

NASDAQ:ACLS opened at $141.59 on Friday. Axcelis Technologies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $46.41 and a 12-month high of $145.88. The company has a current ratio of 3.49, a quick ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $126.85 and its 200-day simple moving average is $106.75. The firm has a market cap of $4.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.97 and a beta of 1.71.

Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS – Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 4th. The semiconductor company reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $254.02 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $239.89 million. Axcelis Technologies had a net margin of 19.49% and a return on equity of 29.43%. Axcelis Technologies’s quarterly revenue was up 24.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.22 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Axcelis Technologies, Inc. will post 6.44 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Axcelis Technologies

In related news, Director Tzu Yin Chiu sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.50, for a total value of $1,185,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 18,873 shares in the company, valued at $2,236,450.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, Director Tzu Yin Chiu sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.50, for a total transaction of $1,185,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 18,873 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,236,450.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Russell Low sold 8,309 shares of Axcelis Technologies stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.76, for a total value of $1,086,484.84. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 71,239 shares in the company, valued at $9,315,211.64. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 84,596 shares of company stock worth $10,830,337 over the last ninety days. 1.43% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on ACLS shares. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $142.00 target price on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a research report on Tuesday, March 7th. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $140.00 price objective on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a report on Tuesday, March 28th. Craig Hallum boosted their target price on Axcelis Technologies from $113.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 10th. B. Riley raised their price target on Axcelis Technologies from $115.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 10th. Finally, DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a research note on Wednesday, March 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $145.33.

Axcelis Technologies Profile

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Axcelis Technologies, Inc engages in the manufacture of capital equipment for the semiconductor chip manufacturing industry. It ion implantation systems product line includes high and medium current, and energy implanters. It also offers post-sales equipment service and support, such as spare parts, equipment upgrades, used equipment, maintenance services, and customer training.