Virtus Investment Advisers Inc. Takes Position in Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT)

Virtus Investment Advisers Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 9,789 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $579,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew its stake in Alliant Energy by 8.2% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 2,509 shares of the company's stock valued at $148,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares in the last quarter. Utah Retirement Systems grew its stake in Alliant Energy by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Utah Retirement Systems now owns 42,394 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,507,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC grew its stake in Alliant Energy by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 4,428 shares of the company's stock valued at $262,000 after purchasing an additional 211 shares in the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC grew its stake in Alliant Energy by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 15,937 shares of the company's stock valued at $942,000 after purchasing an additional 237 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Accredited Investors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Alliant Energy by 7.6% in the fourth quarter. Accredited Investors Inc. now owns 3,691 shares of the company's stock worth $218,000 after buying an additional 262 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.90% of the company's stock.

Alliant Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LNT traded up $0.51 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $61.72. 1,161,411 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,687,095. Alliant Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $49.05 and a 1-year 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 stock has a market capitalization of $15.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.94, a PEG ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.58. The company's 50-day moving average price is $61.60 and its 200-day moving average price is $60.99.

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

Alliant Energy Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

LNT has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Barclays cut Alliant Energy from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $59.00 to $61.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. UBS Group boosted their price target on Alliant Energy from $65.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $57.00 price target on shares of Alliant Energy in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $71.00 price target on Alliant Energy and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Alliant Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $63.95.

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.