Vanguard Group Inc. Lowers Holdings in Axcelis Technologies, Inc. $ACLS

Vanguard Group Inc. decreased its holdings in Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS) by 1.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,122,529 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock after selling 63,172 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 0.13% of Axcelis Technologies worth $331,204,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Close Asset Management Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Axcelis Technologies in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Axcelis Technologies by 145.1% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 451 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 267 shares during the period. Caitlin John LLC purchased a new position in shares of Axcelis Technologies in the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Advisory Services Network LLC purchased a new position in shares of Axcelis Technologies in the third quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Strs Ohio purchased a new position in shares of Axcelis Technologies in the third quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.98% of the company’s stock.

Axcelis Technologies Stock Down 7.2%

Shares of Axcelis Technologies stock opened at $158.66 on Friday. Axcelis Technologies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $55.93 and a 52-week high of $171.61. The company has a 50 day moving average of $105.37 and a 200 day moving average of $92.72. The company has a quick ratio of 3.11, a current ratio of 4.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04. The company has a market capitalization of $4.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.86, a P/E/G ratio of 20.44 and a beta of 1.93.

Axcelis Technologies (NASDAQ:ACLS) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The semiconductor company reported $0.72 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.71 by $0.01. Axcelis Technologies had a net margin of 14.33% and a return on equity of 13.73%. The company had revenue of $198.96 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $195.03 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.88 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. Axcelis Technologies has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 0.900- EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Axcelis Technologies, Inc. will post 2.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Axcelis Technologies news, CEO Russell Low sold 7,468 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $156.75, for a total transaction of $1,170,609.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 123,570 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,369,597.50. This trade represents a 5.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Jorge Titinger sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total transaction of $80,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 6,477 shares in the company, valued at approximately $518,160. The trade was a 13.37% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 10,956 shares of company stock worth $1,540,361. 0.49% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Trending Headlines about Axcelis Technologies

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 guidance raised — management set Q2 2026 EPS guidance around $0.90, above the Street view (~$0.78), giving investors forward earnings upside and supporting a stronger near-term outlook. Axcelis Q1 slide deck / press release
• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results slightly beat: non-GAAP EPS $0.72 vs. consensus $0.71 and revenue $199.0M vs. $195M est; margins remain healthy (non‑GAAP gross margin ~40.7%), which validates profitability as revenue grows modestly year‑over‑year. Axcelis Technologies (ACLS) Surpasses Q1 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Conference/technical visibility — Axcelis announced presentations and sponsorship at ASMC 2026 (May 11–14), boosting investor confidence in its process leadership in ion implantation and helping explain pre-earnings positioning. Axcelis to Participate in ASMC 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call and presentation disclose color on demand mix, margin drivers and product roadmap — useful detail for modeling but no major surprise beyond guidance. Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (ACLS) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Company slide deck / results release available for deeper review; investors can check the specifics behind GAAP vs non‑GAAP adjustments. Axcelis Announces Financial Results for First Quarter 2026
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sale — CEO Russell Low sold 7,468 shares (~$1.17M) under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan; while disclosed as pre-planned, insider sales can temper sentiment. SEC Form 4 – Russell Low sale
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst coverage and targets remain mixed/low — recent median price target cited ~$95.5, well below current levels, which could limit upside if guidance disappoints or demand softens. Axcelis (ACLS) jumps 17.4% as investors react to new conference update and position ahead of earnings

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ACLS has been the subject of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Axcelis Technologies from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Axcelis Technologies from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. 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, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Axcelis Technologies from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $116.25.

Axcelis Technologies 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.