Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS)

Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS) by 309.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 17,549 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after purchasing an additional 13,258 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Axcelis Technologies were worth $2,495,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Rakuten Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in Axcelis Technologies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Axcelis Technologies by 109.4% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 266 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 139 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in Axcelis Technologies by 100.7% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 305 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA increased its holdings in Axcelis Technologies by 627.9% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 313 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 1,188.0% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 322 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 297 shares in the last quarter. 89.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Axcelis Technologies Price Performance

ACLS stock traded down $4.30 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $102.88. 240,255 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 640,979. Axcelis Technologies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $93.77 and a 52 week high of $196.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.05, a quick ratio of 2.87 and a current ratio of 4.42. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $131.98 and a 200 day simple moving average of $120.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.61.

Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 31st. The semiconductor company reported $1.55 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.37 by $0.18. Axcelis Technologies had a net margin of 21.54% and a return on equity of 27.35%. The business had revenue of $256.51 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $250.06 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.86 earnings per share. Axcelis Technologies’s quarterly revenue was down 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Axcelis Technologies, Inc. will post 6.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ACLS has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Needham & Company LLC reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Axcelis Technologies from $125.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. B. Riley reduced their price objective on shares of Axcelis Technologies from $190.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. DA Davidson increased their price objective 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. Finally, Benchmark reduced their price objective on shares of Axcelis Technologies from $180.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $167.33.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director John T. Kurtzweil sold 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.42, for a total value of $137,304.00. Following the sale, the director now 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 SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, Director Jorge Titinger sold 6,086 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.98, for a total value of $669,338.28. Following the transaction, the director now owns 5,891 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $647,892.18. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director John T. Kurtzweil sold 1,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at approximately $3,792,565.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.43% of the company’s stock.

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.