Cerity Partners LLC Purchases 4,890 Shares of Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT)

Cerity Partners LLC increased its stake in Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT) by 10.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 52,236 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,890 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Alliant Energy were worth $2,680,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Financial Freedom LLC bought a new position in Alliant Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Clear Street Markets LLC raised its position in shares of Alliant Energy by 95.3% during the 1st quarter. Clear Street Markets LLC now owns 494 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 241 shares during the last quarter. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Alliant Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA acquired a new position in shares of Alliant Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Alliant Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $42,000. Institutional investors own 79.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

LNT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Alliant Energy from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday. Bank of America cut their price target on Alliant Energy from $55.00 to $54.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Barclays reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $53.00 price target (up previously from $50.00) on shares of Alliant Energy in a research note on Tuesday, January 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Alliant Energy presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $53.31.

Alliant Energy Price Performance

LNT opened at $48.84 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. Alliant Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $45.15 and a 12 month high of $56.26. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $48.67 and a 200 day simple moving average of $49.44. The stock has a market cap of $12.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.55.

Alliant Energy (NASDAQ:LNT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 16th. The company reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.55 by ($0.07). Alliant Energy had a net margin of 17.46% and a return on equity of 10.85%. The firm had revenue of $961.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.25 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.46 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Alliant Energy Co. will post 3.07 EPS for the current year.

Alliant Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.93%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 29th. Alliant Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.06%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Lisa M. Barton bought 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $48.56 per share, for a total transaction of $53,416.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 36,444 shares in the company, valued at $1,769,720.64. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Alliant Energy 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.