Legal & General Group Plc Has $7.53 Million Stock Holdings in Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS)

Legal & General Group Plc lowered its holdings in Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS) by 2.5% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 107,701 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 2,777 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc’s holdings in Axcelis Technologies were worth $7,525,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ACLS. Signaturefd LLC increased its position in Axcelis Technologies by 90.6% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 364 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 173 shares during the period. Avior Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 1,153.8% during the fourth quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 489 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC grew its position in Axcelis Technologies by 1,415.2% during the fourth quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 500 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 467 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in Axcelis Technologies by 85.5% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 627 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 289 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 184.3% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 668 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 433 shares in the last quarter. 89.98% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Axcelis Technologies Stock Performance

NASDAQ ACLS opened at $44.78 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $1.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.28, a PEG ratio of 4.52 and a beta of 1.59. The company has a current ratio of 5.41, a quick ratio of 4.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. Axcelis Technologies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $40.40 and a 1-year high of $158.61. The company has a 50 day moving average of $54.44 and a 200-day moving average of $70.11.

Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 10th. The semiconductor company reported $1.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.29. Axcelis Technologies had a return on equity of 21.02% and a net margin of 19.75%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Axcelis Technologies, Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Axcelis Technologies announced that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, March 12th that authorizes the company to buyback $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the semiconductor company to repurchase up to 5.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on ACLS. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Axcelis Technologies in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Craig Hallum lowered their target price on shares of Axcelis Technologies from $115.00 to $105.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, William Blair downgraded Axcelis Technologies from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $154.00.

Axcelis Technologies Profile

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.