Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS) Shares Gap Up – Here’s Why

Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS)’s share price gapped up prior to trading on Friday. The stock had previously closed at $136.71, but opened at $143.27. Axcelis Technologies shares last traded at $145.5490, with a volume of 69,268 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on ACLS. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of Axcelis Technologies from $130.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Craig Hallum cut Axcelis Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $140.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a research note on Friday, August 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $148.67.

Axcelis Technologies Trading Up 7.5%

The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $123.32 and its 200 day simple moving average is $134.00. The firm has a market cap of $4.54 billion, a PE ratio of 49.40, a PEG ratio of 4.01 and a beta of 1.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 3.21 and a current ratio of 4.90.

Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 6th. The semiconductor company reported $1.06 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.17. Axcelis Technologies had a net margin of 10.71% and a return on equity of 11.69%. The firm had revenue of $215.18 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $205.03 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.13 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. Axcelis Technologies has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.110-1.110 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Axcelis Technologies, Inc. will post 3.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Axcelis Technologies

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 844,097 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $78,565,000 after purchasing an additional 3,057 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its holdings in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 3,402.5% during the 1st quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 491,745 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $45,772,000 after buying an additional 477,705 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Axcelis Technologies by 5.1% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 210,202 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $19,566,000 after buying an additional 10,177 shares during the last quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Axcelis Technologies by 12.4% in the 4th quarter. Kennedy Capital Management LLC now owns 205,737 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $16,529,000 after buying an additional 22,637 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in Axcelis Technologies in the second quarter worth approximately $38,830,000. Institutional investors own 89.98% of the company’s stock.

Axcelis Technologies Company Profile

Axcelis Technologies, Inc (NASDAQ: ACLS) develops and manufactures equipment used in semiconductor fabrication. The company’s primary business is ion implantation, a process that modifies the electrical properties of silicon and other semiconductor materials by introducing controlled amounts of dopants. Its systems are used by chip manufacturers to produce a range of semiconductor devices.

Axcelis offers the Purion family of ion implantation systems, including platforms designed for high-current, medium-current and high-energy applications.