Axcelis Technologies Inc (NASDAQ:ACLS): Vulnerable to Disruption and Market Downturns

We came across a short thesis on Axcelis Technologies Inc (NASDAQ:ACLS) on ValueInvestorsClub by SpecterCap. In this article we will summarize the bears’ thesis on ACLS. The company’s shares were trading at $73.22 when this thesis was published, vs. closing price of $72.50 on Jan 7^th.

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Axcelis Technologies Inc (NASDAQ:ACLS) designs, manufactures and services ion implantation and other processing equipment used in the fabrication of semiconductor chips. The company has been a beneficiary of an upcycle in Silicon Carbide (SiC) chips demand as a result of acceleration in Electric Vehicles (EV) adoption since 2020.

The bearish thesis is centered around two key arguments. First, the author claims that the elevated profitability of ACLS has been driven by an ion implant “Supercycle” that has recently peaked – industry data shows that after strong initial adoption, EV demand expectations have significantly cooled off in 2024. At the same time, management has been selling the narrative of an industry shift from cyclical to structural long-term growth, which simply does not reflect the realities of the commoditized and cyclical end market (primarily EVs). Consequently, the author’s analysis of Capex forecasts, industry capacity models, and expert discussions point towards the conclusion that power-device revenues have peaked and have at least 50% downside potential over the next 3 years.

Second, the author argues that ACLS’ position of leader with over 50% market share is prone to erosion as the closest peer Varian has been able to close the technological cap in its high-energy ion implanters. Another competitive threat comes from Chinese companies which actively push for self-sufficiency in semiconductors – industry experts suggest that the Chinese government can oblige local chipmakers to source only local ion implanters even if those are less technologically advanced. As China constitutes more than 55% of ACLS revenues, the company’s share is at risk.

Finally, the author believes that the recent decline in bookings reported by ACLS is a sign that the bearish thesis is starting to materialize through a higher-than-expected industry downturn. A target price of $43.00 is given for the stock, which implies a 42% downside from the current market price.

While we acknowledge the potential of ACLS as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than ACLS but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

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Disclosure: None. This article was originally published at Insider Monkey.