ProShare Advisors LLC Buys 4,935 Shares of Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT)

ProShare Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT - Free Report) by 12.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 45,893 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,935 shares during the quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC's holdings in Alliant Energy were worth $2,714,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Alliant Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. 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 worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 291 shares in the last quarter. WASHINGTON TRUST Co increased its position in shares of Alliant Energy by 251.2% during 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. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Alliant Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $53,000. Finally, Optiver Holding B.V. lifted its position in Alliant Energy by 382.5% in the 4th quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 912 shares of the company's stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 723 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.90% of the company's stock.

Alliant Energy Trading Up 0.8%

LNT traded up $0.51 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $61.72. 1,161,411 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,690,145. Alliant Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $49.05 and a 52 week high of $66.54. 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 has a fifty day moving average of $61.60 and a two-hundred day moving average of $61.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.58.

Alliant Energy (NASDAQ:LNT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $0.83 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.71 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $1.13 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.09 billion. Alliant Energy had a return on equity of 11.39% and a net margin of 17.33%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.62 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Alliant Energy Co. will post 3.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alliant Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th were paid a $0.5075 dividend. This represents a $2.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.29%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 30th. Alliant Energy's payout ratio is currently 70.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LNT has been the subject of several research reports. Wall Street Zen raised Alliant Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 15th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $57.00 target price on shares of Alliant Energy in a report 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 report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group set a $71.00 price target on shares of Alliant Energy and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Barclays cut Alliant Energy from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $59.00 to $61.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $63.95.

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.