Marshall Wace LLP Sells 140,554 Shares of Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS)

Marshall Wace LLP cut its holdings in Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS) by 75.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 45,118 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 140,554 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP’s holdings in Axcelis Technologies were worth $3,152,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 78,037.4% in the fourth 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. Norges Bank bought a new position in Axcelis Technologies in the 4th quarter worth about $36,050,000. Reinhart Partners LLC. grew its holdings in Axcelis Technologies by 50.7% during the 4th quarter. Reinhart Partners LLC. now owns 1,036,112 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $72,393,000 after buying an additional 348,504 shares in the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp increased its position in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 61.9% during the fourth quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 820,116 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $57,302,000 after buying an additional 313,689 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 37.8% in the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,060,096 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $74,069,000 after buying an additional 290,678 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.98% of the company’s stock.

Axcelis Technologies Stock Performance

NASDAQ ACLS opened at $49.84 on Friday. Axcelis Technologies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $40.40 and a 52-week high of $158.61. The company has a fifty day moving average of $52.99 and a 200-day moving average of $68.29. The company has a market capitalization of $1.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.10, a P/E/G ratio of 4.52 and a beta of 1.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 4.05 and a current ratio of 5.41.

Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The semiconductor company reported $1.54 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Axcelis Technologies, Inc. will post 2.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Axcelis Technologies announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Wednesday, March 12th that allows the company to repurchase $100.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the semiconductor company to purchase up to 5.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ACLS has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Craig Hallum decreased their price target on shares of Axcelis Technologies from $115.00 to $105.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. William Blair downgraded Axcelis Technologies from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, B. Riley restated a “neutral” rating and set a $50.00 target price (down from $80.00) on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Axcelis Technologies has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $131.00.

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.