Vanguard Group Inc. Has $2.20 Billion Stake in Alliant Energy Corporation $LNT

Key Points

• Vanguard Group raised its Q4 position in Alliant Energy by 1.1% to 33,785,294 shares—about 13.14% of the company—valued at roughly $2.20 billion.
• Alliant topped quarterly estimates with EPS of $0.60 (vs. $0.58) and revenue of $1.06 billion, and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.535 per share (annualized $2.14, ~3.0% yield) payable May 15.
• Research firms show a consensus Moderate Buy (nine Buys, three Holds) with an average price target of $76.44, though analyst views remain mixed across firms.

Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Alliant Energy Corporation (NASDAQ:LNT - Free Report) by 1.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 33,785,294 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 383,612 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 13.14% of Alliant Energy worth $2,196,382,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Alliant Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. MRP Capital Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Alliant Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in Alliant Energy by 256.7% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 560 shares of the company's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 403 shares in the last quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Alliant Energy in the third quarter worth $44,000. Finally, Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. acquired a new position in Alliant Energy during the third quarter worth $51,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.90% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on LNT shares. HSBC upgraded Alliant Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Argus reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Alliant Energy in a report on Friday, January 9th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Alliant Energy from a "sell" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 25th. Barclays set a $74.00 target price on Alliant Energy and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $76.00 price target on shares of Alliant Energy in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $76.44.

Alliant Energy Stock Down 0.6%

LNT stock opened at $72.00 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.66. Alliant Energy Corporation has a 52-week low of $58.97 and a 52-week high of $74.40. The company has a 50-day moving average of $71.77 and a two-hundred day moving average of $68.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 0.61.

Alliant Energy (NASDAQ:LNT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 20th. The company reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.02. Alliant Energy had a return on equity of 11.51% and a net margin of 18.57%.The business had revenue of $1.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $673.11 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.70 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Alliant Energy Corporation will post 3.42 EPS for the current year.

Alliant Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.535 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 30th. This represents a $2.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. Alliant Energy's payout ratio is 67.94%.

About Alliant Energy

Alliant Energy Corporation NASDAQ: LNT is a publicly traded energy holding company headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, that provides regulated electric and natural gas utility services in the American Midwest. The company serves customers primarily in Wisconsin and Iowa through its regulated utility subsidiaries and operates as an integrated provider responsible for generation, transmission and distribution of energy to residential, commercial and industrial customers.

Alliant Energy's core activities include operating and maintaining electric generation assets, managing the regional transmission and distribution network, and delivering natural gas service to its franchise territories.

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