ACLS AXCELIS TECHNOLOGIES INC

BEARISH Impact: 6/10 Insider Cluster (2 insiders)
Horizon days Filed May 6, 2026 Processed 1mo ago
Insider cluster: 2 insiders, $1.5M total
Latest settled — T+20d
ACLS ▼ -6.91% at T+20d
SHORT call ✓ call won +6.91% · α vs SPY +9.69% · entry $171.00 → $159.19
Next anchor: T+60d in 7w
Currently $180.12 · -5.33% from $171.00 entry (call sign-flipped)
Entry anchored
May 5, 03:59 PM ET
via Databento tick
T+1d
-7.22%
call +7.22% · α +6.89%
$158.66
settled 5w ago
T+5d
-5.18%
call +5.18% · α +6.35%
$162.15
settled 5w ago
T+20d
-6.91%
call +6.91% · α +9.69%
$159.19
settled 10d ago
T+60d
call — · α —
in 7w

Price Chart

Loading chart...

Executive Summary

Two Axcelis insiders, including CEO Russell Low, sold a combined $1.53M in open-market sales within a week of Q1 2026 earnings. The CEO's $1.17M sale on May 6 came one day before earnings that showed a 46% YoY drop in GAAP EPS ($0.30 vs $0.88) and a 5.6% gross margin contraction. While the company guided Q2 revenue slightly higher (~$205M), full-year 2026 revenue is expected to be flat, and the pending Veeco merger adds execution risk. The insider sales are notable in timing and magnitude but are not disproportionate relative to the $5.0B market cap (0.03%).

Key Financial Metrics

Direction
selling
Total Value
$1.5M
Insiders
2

Actionable Insight

The CEO's sale one day before a weak earnings print raises timing concerns, though the dollar amount is small relative to market cap. Watch for additional insider sales in the coming weeks — if no further selling occurs, this may be a one-off diversification event. The Q2 guidance implies sequential improvement, but the flat full-year outlook and margin compression suggest headwinds. Monitor the Veeco merger closing timeline and any further margin deterioration in Q2 results.

Key Facts

  • CEO Russell Low sold $1.17M (7,500 shares) on May 6, 2026, one day before Q1 earnings release
  • EVP Global Operations Robert Mahoney sold $364K (2,258 shares) on May 12, 2026
  • Total insider sales of $1.53M represent 0.03% of ACLS's $5.0B market cap
  • Q1 2026 GAAP EPS fell 66% YoY to $0.30; Non-GAAP EPS fell 32% YoY to $0.72
  • Q1 2026 GAAP gross margin contracted 560 bps YoY to 40.5%
  • Q1 2026 GAAP operating margin collapsed 1,110 bps YoY to 4.0%
  • Revenue grew 3.3% YoY to $199M, but net income fell 68% to $9.2M
  • Management guided Q2 2026 revenue ~$205M and non-GAAP EPS ~$0.90
  • Full-year 2026 revenue expected to be relatively flat vs 2025
  • Pending merger with Veeco Instruments expected to close H2 2026

Financial Impact

Q1 2026 GAAP EPS of $0.30 vs $0.88 YoY (-66%); Non-GAAP EPS $0.72 vs $1.06 (-32%); GAAP gross margin 40.5% vs 46.1% (-560 bps); GAAP operating margin 4.0% vs 15.1% (-1,110 bps); Net income $9.2M vs $28.6M (-68%)

revenueepsgrossMarginoperatingMarginnetIncome

Risk Factors

  • CEO sold shares immediately before earnings that showed severe margin compression and EPS decline
  • Pending Veeco merger introduces integration risk and potential dilution
  • Flat full-year revenue guidance suggests limited near-term growth catalysts
  • Gross margin contraction of 560 bps YoY signals pricing or cost pressure

Market Snapshot

Exchange
Nasdaq
Sector
Special Industry Machinery, NEC
Analyst Consensus
58% bullish (12 analysts)

Documents Analyzed

This report is based on 1 SEC document filed with EDGAR.

DocumentAccession Number
CLUSTER Data (Synthetic)cluster-ACLS-1778706354347
9 reports for ACLS
Performance horizon
Filters
Rows
Reports for ACLS — sortable, filterable
Type Now
Jun 4, 2026
8d ago
Insider Cluster
NEUTRAL ★ 3/10
$155.28 awaiting T+5awaiting T+5$180.12 (+16.00%)
May 28, 2026
15d ago
Insider Cluster
NEUTRAL ★ 3/10
$150.41 $147.16▼ −2.16%▲ +0.36%$180.12 (+19.75%)
May 26, 2026
17d ago
Insider Cluster
NEUTRAL ★ 3/10
$157.91 $159.19▲ +0.81%▲ +0.34%$180.12 (+14.06%)
May 22, 2026
21d ago
Insider Cluster
NEUTRAL ★ 2/10
$164.27 $158.78▼ −3.34%▼ −4.55%$180.12 (+9.65%)
May 21, 2026
22d ago
Insider Cluster
NEUTRAL ★ 3/10
$156.94 $150.42▼ −4.15%▼ −5.81%$180.12 (+14.77%)
May 15, 2026
28d ago
Insider Cluster
NEUTRAL ★ 4/10
$149.56 $155.55▲ +4.01%▲ +2.20%$180.12 (+20.43%)
May 15, 2026
28d ago
Insider Cluster
NEUTRAL ★ 3/10
$146.24 $164.27▲ +12.33%▲ +10.71%$180.12 (+23.17%)
May 15, 2026
28d ago
Insider Cluster
NEUTRAL ★ 2/10
$146.24 $164.27▲ +12.33%▲ +10.71%$180.12 (+23.17%)
May 6, 2026
5w ago
Insider Cluster
BEARISH ★ 6/10
$171.00 $162.15▲ +5.18%▲ +6.35%$180.12 (−5.33%)
Showing 9 of 9

US Market Status

Market Closed — Opens Mon (49h 44m)

Subscribe to SecBot

Get Real-Time SEC Filing Intelligence

Comprehensive SEC filing analysis delivered the moment filings hit EDGAR. Sentiment scoring, impact analysis, and actionable insights for every material event.

Try SecBot Free Coming soon: SecBot Pro with alerts, watchlists, and API access