Short Interest in Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS) Drops By 5.6%

by · The Markets Daily

Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS – Get Free Report) saw a significant decrease in short interest in the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,030,000 shares, a decrease of 5.6% from the August 15th total of 2,150,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 630,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.2 days. Approximately 6.3% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Axcelis Technologies news, Director Jorge Titinger sold 6,086 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.98, for a total transaction of $669,338.28. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 5,891 shares in the company, valued at $647,892.18. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.43% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Axcelis Technologies

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ACLS. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Axcelis Technologies by 109.4% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 266 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 348.9% in the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 211 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 164 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 223.8% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 272 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 188 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Axcelis Technologies in the second quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Isthmus Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 87.3% in the second quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 33,270 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 15,507 shares during the period. 89.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. B. Riley cut their target price on shares of Axcelis Technologies from $190.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. DA Davidson upped their target price on shares of Axcelis Technologies from $150.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 15th. Benchmark cut their target price on shares of 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 upped their target price on shares of Axcelis Technologies from $130.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 12th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a “hold” rating on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $167.33.

Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Axcelis Technologies

Axcelis Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of Axcelis Technologies stock opened at $99.77 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.18, a P/E/G ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 1.58. Axcelis Technologies has a 52 week low of $93.77 and a 52 week high of $170.97. 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 firm’s 50 day moving average is $116.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $116.59.

Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The semiconductor company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $256.51 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $250.06 million. Axcelis Technologies had a net margin of 21.54% and a return on equity of 27.35%. The firm’s revenue was down 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.86 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Axcelis Technologies will post 6.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Axcelis Technologies

(Get Free Report)

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.

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