Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT) Position Increased by Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT - Free Report) by 31.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 64,387 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 15,232 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Alliant Energy were worth $3,808,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LNT. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Alliant Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Alliant Energy by 67.5% during 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 raised 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 worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 628 shares during the last quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Alliant Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Finally, Optiver Holding B.V. grew its holdings in 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 during the last quarter. 79.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Alliant Energy Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of LNT stock traded down $0.36 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $60.32. 1,793,536 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,696,733. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.86. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $61.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $61.14. The company has a market capitalization of $15.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.42, a P/E/G ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.57. Alliant Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $49.25 and a fifty-two week high of $66.54.

Alliant Energy (NASDAQ:LNT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $0.83 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.71 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $1.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.09 billion. Alliant Energy had a net margin of 17.33% and a return on equity of 11.39%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.62 EPS. Research analysts predict that Alliant Energy Co. will post 3.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Alliant Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th were issued a dividend of $0.5075 per share. This represents a $2.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.37%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 30th. Alliant Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 70.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group upped their price objective on Alliant Energy from $65.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $57.00 price target on shares of Alliant Energy in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Barclays cut shares of Alliant Energy from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $59.00 to $61.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on 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. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $71.00 target price on Alliant Energy and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Alliant Energy has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price 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.