Alliant Energy (NASDAQ:LNT) Rating Increased to Equal Weight at Barclays

Barclays upgraded shares of Alliant Energy (NASDAQ:LNT) from an underweight rating to an equal weight rating in a research report report published on Wednesday, Marketbeat.com reports. Barclays currently has $67.00 price target on the stock, up from their prior price target of $65.00.

A number of other equities analysts have also issued reports on the company. HSBC raised Alliant Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Argus reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Alliant Energy in a research note on Friday, January 9th. BMO Capital Markets raised Alliant Energy from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price target for the company from $70.00 to $71.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of Alliant Energy in a research note on Tuesday. They set an “overweight” rating and a $71.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Alliant Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Alliant Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $71.13.

Alliant Energy Stock Up 0.2%

Alliant Energy stock opened at $67.44 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 0.83. Alliant Energy has a one year low of $57.09 and a one year high of $69.75. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $66.29 and a 200-day simple moving average of $65.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.21, a P/E/G ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 0.67.

Alliant Energy (NASDAQ:LNT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The company reported $1.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.17 by ($0.05). Alliant Energy had a net margin of 19.14% and a return on equity of 12.02%. The firm had revenue of $1.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.34 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.15 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. Alliant Energy has set its FY 2025 guidance at 3.170-3.23 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Alliant Energy will post 3.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Alliant Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 30th will be given a dividend of $0.535 per share. This is a positive change from Alliant Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 30th. This represents a $2.14 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. Alliant Energy’s payout ratio is 63.84%.

Institutional Trading of Alliant Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in LNT. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in Alliant Energy by 103.8% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 66,701 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,292,000 after buying an additional 33,978 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Alliant Energy by 98.7% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,084,562 shares of the company’s stock worth $69,792,000 after acquiring an additional 538,603 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in shares of Alliant Energy by 18.8% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 6,166 shares of the company’s stock worth $397,000 after acquiring an additional 974 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP grew its holdings in shares of Alliant Energy by 40.7% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 21,679 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,395,000 after acquiring an additional 6,269 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Alliant Energy by 23.5% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,256 shares of the company’s stock worth $81,000 after purchasing an additional 239 shares during the period. 79.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Alliant Energy Company Profile

Alliant Energy Corporation (NASDAQ: LNT) is a publicly traded energy holding company headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, that provides regulated electric and natural gas utility services in the American Midwest. The company serves customers primarily in Wisconsin and Iowa through its regulated utility subsidiaries and operates as an integrated provider responsible for generation, transmission and distribution of energy to residential, commercial and industrial customers.

Alliant Energy’s core activities include operating and maintaining electric generation assets, managing the regional transmission and distribution network, and delivering natural gas service to its franchise territories.