Savant Capital LLC Lowers Stock Position in Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT)

Savant Capital LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT) by 3.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 13,438 shares of the company’s stock after selling 514 shares during the quarter. Savant Capital LLC’s holdings in Alliant Energy were worth $689,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in LNT. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Alliant Energy by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 96,950 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,697,000 after purchasing an additional 1,209 shares during the period. Xponance Inc. raised its stake in Alliant Energy by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 34,671 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,680,000 after purchasing an additional 1,130 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Alliant Energy by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 64,614 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,131,000 after purchasing an additional 3,510 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in Alliant Energy by 4.8% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,325,792 shares of the company’s stock valued at $112,685,000 after purchasing an additional 105,723 shares during the period. Finally, Bailard Inc. bought a new stake in Alliant Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $293,000. Institutional investors own 79.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Bank of America decreased their target price on Alliant Energy from $55.00 to $54.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Scotiabank reduced their price objective on Alliant Energy from $57.00 to $53.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Alliant Energy from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH reduced their price objective on Alliant Energy from $48.50 to $48.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Alliant Energy has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $50.71.

Alliant Energy Stock Performance

NASDAQ LNT opened at $50.85 on Friday. Alliant Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $45.15 and a 52 week high of $56.26. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $49.07 and a 200 day moving average price of $49.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The firm has a market cap of $13.02 billion, a PE ratio of 18.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.54.

Alliant Energy (NASDAQ:LNT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 3rd. The company reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.62. Alliant Energy had a return on equity of 10.64% and a net margin of 17.53%. The firm had revenue of $1.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.01 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.65 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Alliant Energy Co. will post 3.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alliant Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be paid a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.78%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 29th. Alliant Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.82%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Lisa M. Barton acquired 1,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $48.56 per share, with a total value of $53,416.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 36,444 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,769,720.64. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.31% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.