B. Riley Boosts Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS) Price Target to $175.00

Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS) had its price objective increased by B. Riley from $155.00 to $175.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday morning, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a buy rating on the semiconductor company’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Craig Hallum raised shares of Axcelis Technologies from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $130.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. Benchmark lowered their price objective on shares of Axcelis Technologies from $180.00 to $170.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a hold rating on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $173.00.

Axcelis Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of Axcelis Technologies stock opened at $137.68 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $4.48 billion, a PE ratio of 18.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.54. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $114.98 and its 200-day simple moving average is $118.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 2.87 and a current ratio of 4.00. Axcelis Technologies has a 1 year low of $93.77 and a 1 year high of $201.00.

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

Insider Transactions at Axcelis Technologies

In related news, Director John T. Kurtzweil sold 1,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.42, for a total transaction of $137,304.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 33,146 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,792,565.32. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.43% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Axcelis Technologies

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ACLS. Boston Partners acquired a new position in Axcelis Technologies during the 1st quarter valued at $20,819,000. Cetera Advisors LLC raised its stake in Axcelis Technologies by 36.1% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 2,593 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $289,000 after purchasing an additional 688 shares during the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new position in Axcelis Technologies during the 1st quarter valued at $133,000. Virtu Financial LLC raised its stake in Axcelis Technologies by 281.5% during the 1st quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 12,467 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,390,000 after purchasing an additional 9,199 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its stake in Axcelis Technologies by 135.7% during the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 52,636 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $5,869,000 after purchasing an additional 30,308 shares during the last quarter. 89.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.