Victory Capital Management Inc. Reduces Holdings in Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS)

Victory Capital Management Inc. lowered its position in Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS) by 39.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 17,529 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 11,588 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Axcelis Technologies were worth $1,225,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,233,282 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $129,310,000 after purchasing an additional 18,101 shares during the period. Reinhart Partners LLC. lifted its holdings in Axcelis Technologies by 50.7% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Axcelis Technologies by 3.3% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp raised its holdings in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 61.9% during the 4th quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 820,116 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $57,302,000 after acquiring an additional 313,689 shares during the period. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 78,037.4% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 782,155 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $54,649,000 after acquiring an additional 781,154 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.98% of the company’s stock.

Axcelis Technologies Trading Up 0.3 %

NASDAQ:ACLS opened at $57.38 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $1.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.33, a PEG ratio of 4.52 and a beta of 1.62. The company has a current ratio of 5.41, a quick ratio of 4.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $64.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $78.53. Axcelis Technologies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $53.67 and a 12-month high of $158.61.

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

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on ACLS shares. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. William Blair downgraded Axcelis Technologies from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Craig Hallum decreased their target price on Axcelis Technologies from $115.00 to $105.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target 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.