Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS) Enhances Further the Stock-Based Compensation Plan

[[tagnumber 0]]Shares of Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACLS) are trying to recover this week after the lasting negative correction that started in May. Last month, the company said it will issue even more shares to its employees as compensation while the announcement of a follow–on order on Tuesday[[tagnumber 1]] provided for some gains and an exploding trading volume.[[tagnumber 2]] [[tagnumber 0]] [[tagnumber 2]] [[tagnumber 0]]ACLS closed Thursday session at $3.14 with only a small 0.64% gain, although the stock opened the market with a significant gap up. Trading volumes are going fast back down to normal since Tuesday, yet technically the chart still looks bullish and the share price seems to have more upside potential to break above the upper Bollinger band.[[tagnumber 2]] [[tagnumber 0]] [[tagnumber 2]] [[tagnumber 0]]ACLS makes processing equipment used in the manufacturing of semi–conductor chips. The last 10–Q reported stable growth in sales and even a positive net income and a positive operating cash flow for the first quarter of this year. The balance sheet looks healthy as well with the new $47.5 million liability there representing a leasing obligation under a 22–year lease contract for the company‘s headquarters.[[tagnumber 2]] [[tagnumber 0]]This week, ACLS announced in a press release it had received a follow on order for its Purion XE system. That is important for investors as Purion sales contributed the most to the increase in product revenue in the last quarter, although the higher selling volumes came at a lower gross margin.[[tagnumber 2]] [[tagnumber 0]] [[tagnumber 14]][[tagnumber 2]] [[tagnumber 0]]Also to be considered, however, is the potential shareholder dilution from the existing Equity Incentive Plan as the number of issuable shares is growing each year since the establishment of the plan in 2012. To the 3,800,000 shares available initially, the company registered another 3,250,000 in 2013 and another 1,500,000 in 2014. This year‘s number is 2,500,000, as stated in the registration statement from end–May.[[tagnumber 2]] [[tagnumber 18]] [[tagnumber 2]]