Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT) Position Cut by Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund trimmed its stake in Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT) by 83.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 17,735 shares of the company’s stock after selling 92,137 shares during the quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Alliant Energy were worth $910,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LNT. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Alliant Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA acquired a new stake in Alliant Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Alliant Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Alliant Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt acquired a new stake in shares of Alliant Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $43,000. 79.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Alliant Energy Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of LNT stock opened at $49.59 on Monday. Alliant Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $45.15 and a 12 month high of $56.26. The firm has a market cap of $12.70 billion, a PE ratio of 17.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.55. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $48.90 and a 200-day moving average of $49.54. 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 (NASDAQ:LNT) last issued its quarterly 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). Alliant Energy had a return on equity of 10.85% and a net margin of 17.46%. The business had revenue of $961.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.25 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.46 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Alliant Energy Co. will post 3.07 EPS for the current year.

Alliant Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 dividend of $0.48 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 29th. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.87%. Alliant Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.06%.

Insider Activity at Alliant Energy

In other news, CEO Lisa M. Barton bought 1,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $48.56 per share, for a total transaction of $53,416.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 36,444 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,769,720.64. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Alliant Energy from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. Bank of America reduced their price target on Alliant Energy from $55.00 to $54.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Scotiabank reduced their target price on Alliant Energy from $57.00 to $53.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Finally, Barclays reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $53.00 target price (up previously from $50.00) on shares of Alliant Energy in a research report on Tuesday, January 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Alliant Energy has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $51.36.

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.