Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT) has been given an average rating of “Hold” by the nine analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $63.39.

A number of research analysts have issued reports on LNT shares. UBS Group boosted their price target on Alliant Energy from $64.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Mizuho boosted their price target on Alliant Energy from $52.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 4th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on Alliant Energy from $65.00 to $61.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Alliant Energy from $66.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Alliant Energy in a research report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “hold” rating and a $67.00 price target for the company.

Alliant Energy Price Performance

Shares of LNT opened at $60.45 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $15.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.43, a PEG ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.59. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $60.77 and a 200 day moving average price of $57.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.72. Alliant Energy has a 12 month low of $46.80 and a 12 month high of $64.19.

Alliant Energy (NASDAQ:LNT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.15 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.10 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.08 billion. Alliant Energy had a return on equity of 10.56% and a net margin of 16.66%. The firm’s revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.05 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Alliant Energy will post 3.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Alliant Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, October 31st were issued a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, October 31st. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.18%. Alliant Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 74.42%.

Institutional Trading of Alliant Energy

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Alliant Energy by 7.2% during the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 8,655 shares of the company’s stock worth $441,000 after purchasing an additional 578 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its position in shares of Alliant Energy by 183.3% during the second quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 61,523 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,132,000 after purchasing an additional 39,804 shares during the period. Czech National Bank raised its position in shares of Alliant Energy by 8.8% during the second quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 48,855 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,487,000 after purchasing an additional 3,956 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Alliant Energy by 12.3% during the second quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 48,679 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,478,000 after purchasing an additional 5,324 shares during the period. Finally, Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. raised its position in shares of Alliant Energy by 3.3% during the second quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 52,246 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,659,000 after purchasing an additional 1,686 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.90% of the company’s stock.

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.