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

Shares of Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT) have earned an average rating of “Hold” from the eight brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $54.31.

LNT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH began coverage on shares of Alliant Energy in a research report on Friday, June 16th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $52.50 price target on the stock. 888 reaffirmed an “upgrade” rating on shares of Alliant Energy in a research report on Monday, June 26th. Bank of America upgraded shares of Alliant Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $55.00 to $58.00 in a research note on Monday, June 26th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Alliant Energy in a research note on Wednesday, August 23rd. They set a “sell” rating for the company. Finally, Guggenheim decreased their target price on shares of Alliant Energy from $52.00 to $49.00 in a report on Friday, July 7th.

Institutional Trading of Alliant Energy

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Alliant Energy by 0.5% during the first quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 40,539 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,176,000 after buying an additional 196 shares during the last quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc. boosted its position in Alliant Energy by 0.3% during the second quarter. United Asset Strategies Inc. now owns 76,876 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,034,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the period. FDx Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Alliant Energy by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. FDx Advisors Inc. now owns 5,017 shares of the company’s stock worth $277,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Financial Planning & Information Services Inc. raised its stake in Alliant Energy by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Financial Planning & Information Services Inc. now owns 12,365 shares of the company’s stock worth $683,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of Michigan Retirement System raised its stake in Alliant Energy by 0.3% in the second quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 69,159 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,629,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.52% of the company’s stock.

Alliant Energy Stock Down 0.6 %

Alliant Energy stock opened at $51.78 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $13.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 0.60 and a quick ratio of 0.44. Alliant Energy has a fifty-two week low of $47.19 and a fifty-two week high of $62.05. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $51.97 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $52.97.

Alliant Energy (NASDAQ:LNT) last released its earnings results on Friday, August 4th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.59 by $0.05. Alliant Energy had a net margin of 15.73% and a return on equity of 10.63%. The firm had revenue of $912.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $956.42 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.63 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Alliant Energy will post 2.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Alliant Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, July 31st were issued a $0.4525 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 28th. This represents a $1.81 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.50%. Alliant Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.08%.

Alliant Energy Company Profile

Alliant Energy Corporation operates as a utility holding company that provides regulated electricity and natural gas services. It operates through 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.