Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. Acquires 163,165 Shares of Alliant Energy Corporation $LNT

Key Points

• Vaughan Nelson Investment Management raised its stake in Alliant Energy by 23.1%, buying 163,165 shares to hold 869,740 shares (about 0.34% of the company) valued at $56.54 million at quarter-end.
• Alliant Energy increased its quarterly dividend to $0.535 ($2.14 annualized) for a 3.0% yield and reported quarterly EPS of $0.60 (beating estimates) with revenue up 9% year-over-year.
• Institutional ownership stands at 79.9%, analysts have a "Moderate Buy" consensus (nine Buys, three Holds) with an average target of $75.44, and other large investors like Goldman Sachs have significantly boosted positions.

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. raised its holdings in shares of Alliant Energy Corporation (NASDAQ:LNT - Free Report) by 23.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 869,740 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 163,165 shares during the period. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. owned about 0.34% of Alliant Energy worth $56,542,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of LNT. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in Alliant Energy by 103.8% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 66,701 shares of the company's stock worth $4,292,000 after acquiring an additional 33,978 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Alliant Energy by 98.7% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,084,562 shares of the company's stock valued at $69,792,000 after purchasing an additional 538,603 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in shares of Alliant Energy by 18.8% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 6,166 shares of the company's stock valued at $397,000 after purchasing an additional 974 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP grew its holdings in shares of Alliant Energy by 40.7% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 21,679 shares of the company's stock worth $1,395,000 after purchasing an additional 6,269 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Alliant Energy by 23.5% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,256 shares of the company's stock worth $81,000 after buying an additional 239 shares during the period. 79.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Alliant Energy Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LNT opened at $71.49 on Tuesday. Alliant Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $57.09 and a 1 year high of $73.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.89 and a beta of 0.66. The company's 50-day moving average is $69.69 and its 200 day moving average is $67.66. 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 (NASDAQ:LNT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 20th. The company reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 analysts' expectations of $673.11 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.70 EPS. The business's revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Alliant Energy Corporation will post 3.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Alliant Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Investors of record on Friday, January 30th were given a dividend of $0.535 per share. This is a boost from Alliant Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. This represents a $2.14 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 30th. Alliant Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 67.94%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on LNT shares. HSBC raised shares of Alliant Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. UBS Group set a $75.00 price target on Alliant Energy and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $78.00 price objective (up from $72.00) on shares of Alliant Energy in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Alliant Energy in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wolfe Research restated an "outperform" rating and set a $76.00 target price on shares of Alliant Energy in a report on Monday, December 1st. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $75.44.

Alliant Energy Company Profile

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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