Alliant Energy Corporation (NASDAQ:LNT) Shares Sold by Cerity Partners LLC

Cerity Partners LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Alliant Energy Corporation (NASDAQ:LNT - Free Report) by 30.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 45,928 shares of the company's stock after selling 20,168 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC's holdings in Alliant Energy were worth $2,955,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Alpine Bank Wealth Management bought a new position in Alliant Energy in the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. Tsfg LLC bought a new position in shares of Alliant Energy during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $34,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Alliant Energy during the first quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Optiver Holding B.V. raised its holdings in shares of Alliant Energy by 382.5% during the 4th quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 912 shares of the company's stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 723 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. boosted its position in Alliant Energy by 212.9% during the 4th quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 1,092 shares of the company's stock valued at $65,000 after buying an additional 743 shares during the period. 79.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Alliant Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Alliant Energy stock traded up $0.91 during trading on Friday, hitting $64.13. 2,687,445 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,735,085. The company has a current ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.03 and a beta of 0.56. Alliant Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $54.61 and a 1-year high of $66.54. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $61.40 and a 200-day moving average price of $61.20.

Alliant Energy (NASDAQ:LNT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $0.83 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.71 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $1.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.09 billion. Alliant Energy had a net margin of 18.26% and a return on equity of 12.01%. Alliant Energy's revenue was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.62 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Alliant Energy Corporation will post 3.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alliant Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 31st will be given a dividend of $0.5075 per share. This represents a $2.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.17%. Alliant Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 70.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on LNT shares. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $67.00 target price (up from $65.00) on shares of Alliant Energy in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Wolfe Research upgraded Alliant Energy from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $68.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, July 7th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on shares of Alliant Energy from $66.00 to $64.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group set a $71.00 target price on Alliant Energy and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Alliant Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, May 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $64.23.

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.