Short Interest in Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS) Decreases By 24.1%

Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS) saw a large drop in short interest in the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,830,000 shares, a drop of 24.1% from the May 31st total of 2,410,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 519,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.5 days. Currently, 5.7% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on ACLS. B. Riley lifted their price objective on Axcelis Technologies from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 20th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a report on Friday, May 3rd. Craig Hallum upgraded Axcelis Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $130.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, May 3rd. Finally, Benchmark dropped their target price on Axcelis Technologies from $180.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 3rd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $173.00.

Insider Activity at Axcelis Technologies

In other Axcelis Technologies news, Director John T. Kurtzweil sold 1,200 shares of Axcelis Technologies stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.42, for a total value of $137,304.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 33,146 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,792,565.32. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.43% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Axcelis Technologies

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Rakuten Securities Inc. purchased a new position in Axcelis Technologies during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 109.4% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 266 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 139 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 1,188.0% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 322 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 297 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 100.7% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 305 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the period. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA lifted its holdings in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 627.9% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 313 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 270 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.98% of the company’s stock.

Axcelis Technologies Price Performance

ACLS opened at $142.19 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $118.86 and a 200 day moving average of $118.86. Axcelis Technologies has a 52-week low of $93.77 and a 52-week high of $201.00. The company has a quick ratio of 2.87, a current ratio of 4.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The stock has a market cap of $4.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.78, a PEG ratio of 3.38 and a beta of 1.54.

Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The semiconductor company reported $1.57 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.26 by $0.31. Axcelis Technologies had a return on equity of 30.22% and a net margin of 22.16%. The company had revenue of $252.37 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $242.55 million. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Axcelis Technologies will post 6.41 EPS for the current year.

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.