Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS) Downgraded by Craig Hallum to “Hold”

Craig Hallum downgraded shares of Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Friday, Marketbeat reports. Craig Hallum currently has $140.00 price target on the semiconductor company’s stock.

ACLS has been the subject of several other research reports. 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. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Axcelis Technologies from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. B. Riley Financial upgraded shares of Axcelis Technologies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Axcelis Technologies from $130.00 to $156.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Axcelis Technologies currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $132.20.

Axcelis Technologies Trading Up 2.6%

NASDAQ:ACLS opened at $140.27 on Friday. Axcelis Technologies has a 52 week low of $73.60 and a 52 week high of $193.78. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $152.46 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $124.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 2.99 and a current ratio of 4.90. The firm has a market cap of $4.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 9.68 and a beta of 1.92.

Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 6th. The semiconductor company reported $1.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.17. The firm had revenue of $215.18 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $205.03 million. Axcelis Technologies had a return on equity of 11.69% and a net margin of 10.71%.The company’s revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.13 EPS. Axcelis Technologies has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.110-1.110 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Axcelis Technologies will post 3.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Axcelis Technologies news, EVP Gerald M. Blumenstock sold 1,161 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.70, for a total value of $177,284.70. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 20,493 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,129,281.10. This trade represents a 5.36% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Christopher Tatnall sold 1,166 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $4,137,143.25. The trade was a 4.05% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 26,083 shares of company stock valued at $4,001,032. Corporate insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its position in Axcelis Technologies by 3.8% during the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 117,566 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $5,838,000 after acquiring an additional 4,324 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 35,717 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,774,000 after acquiring an additional 1,678 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 4.6% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 19,396 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $963,000 after purchasing an additional 849 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Axcelis Technologies by 7.5% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 635,393 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $31,560,000 after acquiring an additional 44,275 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its position in Axcelis Technologies by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 78,756 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $3,912,000 after purchasing an additional 836 shares during the last quarter. 89.98% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories 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

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.