Alliant Energy Corporation (NASDAQ:LNT) Stock Rated "Moderate Buy" by Sell-Side Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts have a “Moderate Buy” consensus on Alliant Energy: seven of 13 analysts rate it Buy and six rate it Hold. Their average 12-month price target is $75.23.
• Alliant reported quarterly EPS of $1.52, beating the $1.31 consensus, while revenue of $1.28 billion exceeded estimates and rose 6.2% year over year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.535 per share, equivalent to $2.14 annually and a 2.9% yield.

Alliant Energy Corporation (NASDAQ:LNT - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the thirteen brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $75.23.

LNT has been the subject of several recent research reports. Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of Alliant Energy from $76.00 to $75.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Alliant Energy in a report on Monday, October 26th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $75.00 price target on Alliant Energy in a research report on Wednesday, October 14th. Wall Street Zen raised Alliant Energy from a "strong sell" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Sunday. Finally, Barclays set a $68.00 price objective on Alliant Energy and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 13th.

Alliant Energy Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:LNT opened at $73.24 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. Alliant Energy has a 52-week low of $62.54 and a 52-week high of $78.81. The stock has a market cap of $19.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.40, a PEG ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.51. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $67.64 and a 200-day moving average price of $70.69.

Alliant Energy (NASDAQ:LNT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $1.52 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.31 by $0.21. Alliant Energy had a return on equity of 12.43% and a net margin of 20.74%. The firm had revenue of $1.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.26 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.12 earnings per share. Alliant Energy's revenue for the quarter was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that Alliant Energy will post 3.43 EPS for the current year.

Alliant Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 30th will be paid a $0.5350 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 30th. This represents a $2.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Alliant Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 59.61%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Private Advisor Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Alliant Energy by 14.9% in the 3rd quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 12,315 shares of the company's stock valued at $780,000 after purchasing an additional 1,593 shares in the last quarter. 360 Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Alliant Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $201,000. Independent Advisor Alliance increased its holdings in shares of Alliant Energy by 2.1% in the third quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 10,438 shares of the company's stock valued at $674,000 after purchasing an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Composition Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of Alliant Energy by 62.1% in the 3rd quarter. Composition Wealth LLC now owns 5,020 shares of the company's stock worth $318,000 after acquiring an additional 1,924 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Voya Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Alliant Energy by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 54,339 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,440,000 after buying an additional 484 shares during the period. 79.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Alliant Energy Company Profile

Alliant Energy Corporation is a regulated utility holding company that provides electric and natural gas services through its subsidiaries, Interstate Power and Light Company and Wisconsin Power and Light Company. Its service territory includes communities across Iowa and Wisconsin. The company's operations include generating, transmitting and distributing electricity, as well as distributing natural gas. Its energy portfolio includes a mix of resources, including wind and solar power, natural gas and other generation sources.

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