Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT) Position Boosted by First Trust Advisors LP

First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT - Free Report) by 5.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,371,477 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 74,968 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned approximately 0.53% of Alliant Energy worth $81,109,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of LNT. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Alliant Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. ORG Partners LLC raised its stake in Alliant Energy by 517.0% during the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 617 shares of the company's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 517 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Alliant Energy by 67.5% in the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 722 shares of the company's stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 291 shares during the last quarter. WASHINGTON TRUST Co boosted its holdings in shares of Alliant Energy by 251.2% in the 4th quarter. WASHINGTON TRUST Co now owns 878 shares of the company's stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 628 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Alliant Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $53,000. 79.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Alliant Energy Stock Down 1.0 %

NASDAQ LNT traded down $0.59 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $60.74. The company had a trading volume of 1,328,548 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,607,317. Alliant Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $49.05 and a fifty-two week high of $66.54. The company has a market capitalization of $15.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The firm's 50 day moving average is $62.34 and its 200 day moving average is $60.86.

Alliant Energy (NASDAQ:LNT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $976.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.14 billion. Alliant Energy had a return on equity of 11.39% and a net margin of 17.33%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Alliant Energy Co. will post 3.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alliant Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.5075 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $2.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.34%. Alliant Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 75.46%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Barclays downgraded Alliant Energy from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $59.00 to $61.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. UBS Group upped their price objective on Alliant Energy from $65.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Guggenheim restated a "neutral" rating and set a $57.00 price objective on shares of Alliant Energy in a report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on Alliant Energy from $66.00 to $64.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $63.55.

About Alliant Energy

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.