Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Reduces Stock Position in Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP cut its stake in shares of Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT - Free Report) by 0.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,351,602 shares of the company's stock after selling 7,169 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 0.53% of Alliant Energy worth $79,936,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Park Avenue Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Alliant Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $257,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Alliant Energy in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC bought a new position in Alliant Energy in the 4th quarter worth $213,000. Korea Investment CORP lifted its position in Alliant Energy by 62.1% during the fourth quarter. Korea Investment CORP now owns 190,875 shares of the company's stock valued at $11,288,000 after purchasing an additional 73,101 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its holdings in Alliant Energy by 2,024.4% during the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 4,525 shares of the company's stock valued at $268,000 after purchasing an additional 4,312 shares during the period. 79.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Alliant Energy Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of LNT stock opened at $61.61 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.52. Alliant Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $49.05 and a 12-month high of $66.54. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $62.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $60.88.

Alliant Energy (NASDAQ:LNT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.02. Alliant Energy had a return on equity of 11.39% and a net margin of 17.33%. The business had revenue of $976.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.14 billion. Equities research analysts predict that Alliant Energy Co. will post 3.23 EPS 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 issued a $0.5075 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $2.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.29%. Alliant Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 75.46%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on 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. Barclays lowered shares of Alliant Energy from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $59.00 to $61.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Guggenheim restated a "neutral" rating and set a $57.00 target price on shares of Alliant Energy in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on Alliant Energy from $65.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. One investment 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 currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $63.55.

Alliant Energy 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.

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