Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT) Shares Purchased by Merit Financial Group LLC

Merit Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT) by 15.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,609 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 630 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Alliant Energy were worth $273,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LNT. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Alliant Energy by 7,083.3% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 431 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 425 shares during the period. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in Alliant Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Eastern Bank acquired a new position in Alliant Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. JNBA Financial Advisors purchased a new stake in Alliant Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, ORG Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Alliant Energy by 517.0% in the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 617 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 517 shares in the last quarter. 79.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Alliant Energy Stock Performance

Shares of LNT opened at $58.77 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $15.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 0.60. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $60.16 and a 200-day moving average of $58.91. Alliant Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $46.80 and a 1 year high of $64.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.86.

Alliant Energy (NASDAQ:LNT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion for 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 for the quarter was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.05 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Alliant Energy Co. will post 3.04 earnings per share for the current year.

Alliant Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be given a dividend of $0.5075 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 31st. This is a boost from Alliant Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $2.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.45%. Alliant Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 74.42%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Alliant Energy from $66.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 4th. Barclays decreased their price target on Alliant Energy from $61.00 to $59.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on Alliant Energy from $65.00 to $61.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Scotiabank lowered shares of Alliant Energy from a “sector outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $64.00 to $67.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price objective on Alliant Energy from $52.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $63.39.

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.