Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT) Sees Significant Decline in Short Interest

Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT) saw a significant decline in short interest in the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 4,370,000 shares, a decline of 14.8% from the March 31st total of 5,130,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,970,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.2 days.

Insider Activity at Alliant Energy

In related news, CEO Lisa M. Barton acquired 1,100 shares of Alliant Energy stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $48.56 per share, for a total transaction of $53,416.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly 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 accessible through this link. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Alliant Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Gables Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Alliant Energy by 68.4% during the fourth quarter. Gables Capital Management Inc. now owns 522 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares during the period. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Alliant Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc bought a new stake in shares of Alliant Energy in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Alliant Energy by 252.1% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 662 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 474 shares during the period. 79.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Alliant Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LNT opened at $49.59 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $12.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.55. Alliant Energy has a 52-week low of $45.15 and a 52-week high of $56.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a current ratio of 0.55. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $48.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $49.54.

Alliant Energy (NASDAQ:LNT) last issued its earnings results on Friday, February 16th. The company reported $0.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.55 by ($0.07). The firm had revenue of $961.00 million during 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 period last year, the firm posted $0.46 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Alliant Energy will post 3.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alliant Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 is Monday, April 29th. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.87%. Alliant Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 69.06%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on LNT shares. Scotiabank lowered their price target on shares of Alliant Energy from $57.00 to $53.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of Alliant Energy from $55.00 to $54.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. 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. Finally, Barclays restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $53.00 price objective (up from $50.00) on shares of Alliant Energy in a research report on Tuesday, January 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price 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.