Short Interest in Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS) Increases By 7.9%

Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS) was the target of a large increase in short interest in the month of September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,190,000 shares, an increase of 7.9% from the August 31st total of 2,030,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 659,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.3 days. Approximately 6.8% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Axcelis Technologies Stock Down 2.9 %

ACLS stock opened at $101.76 on Wednesday. Axcelis Technologies has a 52 week low of $93.77 and a 52 week high of $170.97. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $109.14 and a 200 day simple moving average of $116.01. The company has a quick ratio of 3.26, a current ratio of 4.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05. The company has a market cap of $3.31 billion, a PE ratio of 13.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 1.58.

Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The semiconductor company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.37 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $256.51 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $250.06 million. Axcelis Technologies had a return on equity of 27.35% and a net margin of 21.54%. Axcelis Technologies’s revenue was down 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.86 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Axcelis Technologies will post 6.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Jorge Titinger sold 6,086 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.98, for a total value of $669,338.28. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 5,891 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $647,892.18. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.43% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Axcelis Technologies

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 6.5% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,304,516 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $480,040,000 after buying an additional 263,604 shares during the last quarter. Jackson Square Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 49.0% during the 1st quarter. Jackson Square Partners LLC now owns 492,764 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $54,953,000 after purchasing an additional 162,040 shares during the period. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. increased its position in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 7.7% during the 2nd quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 455,846 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $64,816,000 after purchasing an additional 32,695 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 442,586 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $57,399,000 after purchasing an additional 3,999 shares during the period. Finally, Reinhart Partners LLC. boosted its holdings in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 23.4% in the second quarter. Reinhart Partners LLC. now owns 419,048 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $59,584,000 after buying an additional 79,456 shares during the last quarter. 89.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on ACLS shares. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of Axcelis Technologies from $125.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Benchmark cut their price target on Axcelis Technologies from $180.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Craig Hallum lifted their price objective on Axcelis Technologies from $130.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 12th. Finally, B. Riley cut their target price on Axcelis Technologies from $190.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $167.33.

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.