International Assets Investment Management LLC Invests $23.34 Million in Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT)

International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 45,503 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $23,340,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Financial Freedom LLC bought a new position in Alliant Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Clear Street Markets LLC raised its stake in shares of Alliant Energy by 95.3% in the 1st quarter. Clear Street Markets LLC now owns 494 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 241 shares in the last quarter. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA acquired a new stake in Alliant Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Alliant Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Alliant Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $42,000. 79.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Lisa M. Barton bought 1,100 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $48.56 per share, for a total transaction of $53,416.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 36,444 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,769,720.64. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.25% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets downgraded shares of Alliant Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and set a $55.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Thursday, January 11th. Bank of America dropped their price objective on Alliant Energy from $55.00 to $54.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Barclays reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and issued a $53.00 target price (up previously from $50.00) on shares of Alliant Energy in a report on Tuesday, January 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $53.56.

Alliant Energy Stock Performance

LNT traded down $0.20 on Thursday, hitting $48.48. 2,017,467 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,979,112. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $48.67 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $49.48. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.42 billion, a PE ratio of 17.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.55. Alliant Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $45.15 and a 52 week high of $56.26.

Alliant Energy (NASDAQ:LNT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, February 16th. The company reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.55 by ($0.07). Alliant Energy had a net margin of 17.46% and a return on equity of 10.85%. The firm had revenue of $961.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.25 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.46 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Alliant Energy Co. will post 3.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alliant Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 31st were paid a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, January 30th. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.96%. This is a boost from Alliant Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. Alliant Energy's payout ratio is presently 69.06%.

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.