Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS) Cut to Hold at Craig Hallum

Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS) was downgraded by analysts at Craig Hallum from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Friday, Marketbeat reports. They currently have a $140.00 price objective on the semiconductor company’s stock. Craig Hallum’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 2.44% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also commented on ACLS. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Axcelis Technologies from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Bank of America increased their price objective on Axcelis Technologies from $130.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Zacks Research raised Axcelis Technologies from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, B. Riley Financial upgraded Axcelis Technologies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price for the company in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Axcelis Technologies presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $132.20.

Axcelis Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of ACLS stock opened at $136.66 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $4.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.57, a P/E/G ratio of 9.68 and a beta of 1.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 2.99 and a current ratio of 4.59. Axcelis Technologies has a 52 week low of $73.60 and a 52 week high of $193.78. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $152.66 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $124.21.

Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The semiconductor company reported $1.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.17. Axcelis Technologies had a net margin of 11.93% and a return on equity of 12.19%. The company had revenue of $215.18 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $205.03 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.13 EPS. Axcelis Technologies’s quarterly revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Axcelis Technologies has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.110-1.110 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Axcelis Technologies will post 3.21 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Eileen Evans sold 926 shares of Axcelis Technologies stock in a transaction on Friday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $155.51, for a total transaction of $144,002.26. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 31,295 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,866,685.45. The trade was a 2.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Christopher Tatnall sold 1,166 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $149.75, for a total transaction of $174,608.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 27,627 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,137,143.25. This trade represents a 4.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 26,083 shares of company stock worth $4,001,032. Corporate insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Axcelis Technologies

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in shares of Axcelis Technologies during the 2nd quarter valued at about $38,830,000. Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its stake in Axcelis Technologies by 14.8% in the second quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 9,300 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,762,000 after buying an additional 1,200 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Street Advisors Inc. NC bought a new position in Axcelis Technologies during the second quarter valued at approximately $214,000. Tactive Advisors LLC bought a new position in Axcelis Technologies during the second quarter valued at approximately $394,000. Finally, Central Pacific Bank Trust Division purchased a new position in shares of Axcelis Technologies during the second quarter worth approximately $713,000. 89.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.