Northern Trust Corp Boosts Stock Holdings in Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT)

Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT - Free Report) by 7.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,412,406 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 177,129 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp owned about 0.94% of Alliant Energy worth $142,670,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Optiver Holding B.V. lifted its stake in shares of Alliant Energy by 382.5% in the fourth quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 912 shares of the company's stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 723 shares during the period. Boothbay Fund Management LLC acquired a new stake in Alliant Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $1,508,000. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Alliant Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $8,206,000. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Alliant Energy by 9.1% during the fourth quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 48,945 shares of the company's stock worth $2,895,000 after acquiring an additional 4,083 shares during the period. Finally, Three Seasons Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alliant Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $565,000. 79.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Alliant Energy Stock Up 1.0 %

LNT stock traded up $0.59 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $61.70. 867,690 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,600,320. The stock has a market cap of $15.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.58. Alliant Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $49.05 and a fifty-two week high of $66.54. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $62.06 and its 200 day moving average price is $60.86. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33.

Alliant Energy (NASDAQ:LNT - Get Free Report) last announced its 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. Alliant Energy had a return on equity of 11.39% and a net margin of 17.33%. The firm had revenue of $976.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.14 billion. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Alliant Energy Co. will post 3.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alliant Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.5075 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $2.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.29%. Alliant Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 75.46%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on LNT. Barclays lowered shares of Alliant Energy from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and raised their target price for the company from $59.00 to $61.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Guggenheim restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $57.00 price target on shares of Alliant Energy in a research note on Monday, February 24th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on shares of Alliant Energy from $66.00 to $64.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on Alliant Energy from $65.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $63.55.

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.