Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT) has received an average rating of “Hold” from the six ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $50.71.

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Barclays reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $53.00 price objective (up previously from $50.00) on shares of Alliant Energy in a research note on Tuesday, January 2nd. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Alliant Energy from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Scotiabank lowered their price objective on Alliant Energy from $57.00 to $53.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH dropped their price objective on shares of Alliant Energy from $48.50 to $48.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Finally, Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Alliant Energy from $55.00 to $54.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 11th.

Alliant Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Alliant Energy stock opened at $49.77 on Tuesday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $48.93 and its 200 day simple moving average is $49.55. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. Alliant Energy has a 12 month low of $45.15 and a 12 month high of $56.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.55.

Alliant Energy (NASDAQ:LNT) last released its earnings results on Friday, February 16th. The company reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.55 by ($0.07). The business had revenue of $961.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.25 billion. Alliant Energy had a return on equity of 10.85% and a net margin of 17.46%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.46 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Alliant Energy will post 3.07 EPS for the current year.

Alliant Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be issued a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 29th. Alliant Energy’s payout ratio is 69.06%.

Insider Activity at Alliant Energy

In other news, CEO Lisa M. Barton purchased 1,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $48.56 per share, with a total value of $53,416.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 36,444 shares in the company, valued at $1,769,720.64. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.31% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Alliant Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Alliant Energy by 5.8% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 9,194,528 shares of the company’s stock worth $471,679,000 after acquiring an additional 505,101 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in Alliant Energy by 68.3% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,802,777 shares of the company’s stock worth $246,382,000 after purchasing an additional 1,948,485 shares during the last quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Alliant Energy by 6.2% in the 4th quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. now owns 3,651,565 shares of the company’s stock worth $187,325,000 after purchasing an additional 213,522 shares in the last quarter. Mairs & Power Inc. increased its position in shares of Alliant Energy by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Mairs & Power Inc. now owns 3,173,484 shares of the company’s stock valued at $162,800,000 after purchasing an additional 67,550 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its holdings in shares of Alliant Energy by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 2,491,130 shares of the company’s stock valued at $127,795,000 after buying an additional 55,131 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.90% of the company’s stock.

Alliant Energy Company Profile

Alliant Energy Corporation operates as a utility holding company that provides regulated electricity and natural gas services in the United States. It operates in three segments: Utility Electric Operations, Utility Gas Operations, and Utility Other. The company, through its subsidiary, Interstate Power and Light Company (IPL), primarily generates and distributes electricity, and distributes and transports natural gas to retail customers in Iowa; sells electricity to wholesale customers in Minnesota, Illinois, and Iowa; and generates and distributes steam in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.