The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Sells 23,710 Shares of Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT)

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company trimmed its position in Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT - Free Report) by 4.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 474,949 shares of the company's stock after selling 23,710 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned approximately 0.19% of Alliant Energy worth $28,088,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Alliant Energy by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 32,663,708 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,931,732,000 after purchasing an additional 226,275 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in shares of Alliant Energy by 7.7% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 7,012,572 shares of the company's stock worth $414,724,000 after acquiring an additional 499,802 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Alliant Energy by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,695,767 shares of the company's stock worth $395,017,000 after purchasing an additional 102,601 shares during the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Alliant Energy by 9,113.1% during the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,187,345 shares of the company's stock worth $247,640,000 after purchasing an additional 4,141,895 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its position in shares of Alliant Energy by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 4,076,660 shares of the company's stock worth $241,094,000 after buying an additional 72,748 shares in the last quarter. 79.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Alliant Energy Price Performance

Shares of LNT traded up $0.50 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $61.61. 257,078 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,909,534. The stock has a market cap of $15.83 billion, a PE ratio of 22.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.58. Alliant Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $49.04 and a 12 month high of $66.54. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $62.06 and its 200-day simple moving average is $60.86. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33.

Alliant Energy (NASDAQ:LNT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.70 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.02. Alliant Energy had a net margin of 17.33% and a return on equity of 11.39%. The company had revenue of $976.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.14 billion. Equities analysts expect that Alliant Energy Co. will post 3.23 EPS for the current year.

Alliant Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be paid a $0.5075 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $2.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.29%. Alliant Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 75.46%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on Alliant Energy from $66.00 to $64.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Barclays lowered shares of Alliant Energy from an "equal weight" rating to an "underweight" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $59.00 to $61.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. UBS Group raised their target price on Alliant Energy from $65.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $57.00 price objective on shares of Alliant Energy in a report on Monday, February 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Alliant Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $63.55.

Alliant Energy Company 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.