Janus Henderson Group PLC Sells 27,148 Shares of Axcelis Technologies, Inc. $ACLS

Janus Henderson Group PLC lowered its holdings in Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS) by 65.0% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 14,628 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 27,148 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC’s holdings in Axcelis Technologies were worth $1,362,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. UBS Group AG increased its position in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 67.6% during the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 213,388 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $17,144,000 after purchasing an additional 86,065 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its position in Axcelis Technologies by 3,402.5% in the 1st quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 491,745 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $45,772,000 after purchasing an additional 477,705 shares during the last quarter. Peterson Wealth Services lifted its stake in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 1,750.8% during the fourth quarter. Peterson Wealth Services now owns 7,403 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $595,000 after acquiring an additional 7,003 shares during the period. Burney Co. bought a new stake in Axcelis Technologies during the 4th quarter worth about $1,986,000. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Axcelis Technologies by 129.0% during the 4th quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 40,463 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $3,251,000 after purchasing an additional 22,792 shares during the period. 89.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Axcelis Technologies Stock Performance

NASDAQ ACLS opened at $140.27 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $4.33 billion, a PE ratio of 47.07, a P/E/G ratio of 9.93 and a beta of 1.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 3.21 and a current ratio of 4.90. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $152.46 and a 200-day moving average of $124.54. Axcelis Technologies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $73.60 and a 52-week high of $193.78.

Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS) last released its quarterly earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $215.18 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $205.03 million. Axcelis Technologies had a net margin of 10.71% and a return on equity of 11.69%. The business’s revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.13 EPS. Axcelis Technologies has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.110-1.110 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Axcelis Technologies, Inc. will post 3.21 EPS for the current year.

Key Headlines Impacting Axcelis Technologies

Here are the key news stories impacting Axcelis Technologies this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 earnings and revenue beat estimates. Axcelis reported revenue of $215.2 million, up 10.6% year over year, while non-GAAP diluted EPS was $1.06 versus the $0.89 consensus estimate. Non-GAAP gross and operating margins were 42.7% and 14.7%, respectively. Axcelis Announces Financial Results for Second Quarter 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Q3 guidance exceeded analyst expectations. Management forecast EPS of approximately $1.11 and revenue of $230 million, above consensus estimates of $1.01 and $214.8 million. The company also raised its full-year 2026 outlook to mid-single-digit revenue growth, improving visibility for investors. Axcelis expects Q3 2026 EPS of about $1.11 as it lifts full-year 2026 outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are weighing the semiconductor capital-spending outlook. Recent analysis highlights Axcelis’s exposure to the ongoing chip-manufacturing buildout but questions whether the equipment-spending cycle can continue supporting growth. This remains an important longer-term factor for ACLS. Can Axcelis Technologies Keep Riding the Semiconductor Capital Spending Wave?
• Negative Sentiment: Craig Hallum downgraded ACLS from Buy to Hold and assigned a $140 price target, suggesting limited near-term upside at the time of the report. The downgrade may temper enthusiasm following the earnings beat, particularly given the stock’s elevated valuation and recent volatility. Finviz

Insider Activity at Axcelis Technologies

In related news, Director Gregory B. Graves sold 3,225 shares of Axcelis Technologies stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.61, for a total transaction of $456,692.25. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 5,473 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $775,031.53. This trade represents a 37.08% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director John T. Kurtzweil sold 3,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.79, for a total value of $485,765.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 32,990 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,578,682.10. This trade represents a 9.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 26,083 shares of company stock valued at $4,001,032 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on ACLS. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Axcelis Technologies from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Zacks Research raised shares of Axcelis Technologies from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 20th. B. Riley Financial raised shares of Axcelis Technologies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Craig Hallum downgraded Axcelis Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $140.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Friday. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Axcelis Technologies from $130.00 to $156.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 23rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $132.20.

Axcelis Technologies Company Profile

Axcelis Technologies, Inc is a leading developer and manufacturer of ion implantation and cleaning equipment used in the fabrication of semiconductor chips. The company specializes in high-current, medium-current and high-energy ion implantation systems, which are critical for introducing precisely controlled dopants into silicon wafers. Axcelis also offers plasma-based cleaning and dry strip tools that support advanced process nodes in logic, memory and power device manufacturing.

The company’s product portfolio encompasses single-wafer and multi-wafer cluster tools designed to deliver high throughput, accuracy and uniformity for semiconductor process steps.