GAMMA Investing LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT)

GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT) by 46.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 11,990 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,804 shares during the quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC’s holdings in Alliant Energy were worth $610,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Alliant Energy in the first quarter worth about $86,000. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. grew its position in Alliant Energy by 20.4% in the 1st quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 509,872 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,698,000 after acquiring an additional 86,366 shares during the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale increased its stake in Alliant Energy by 2.8% in the first quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 52,049 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,609,000 after purchasing an additional 1,420 shares during the period. Cetera Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Alliant Energy by 168.5% during the first quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 51,259 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,583,000 after purchasing an additional 32,166 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its stake in shares of Alliant Energy by 200.8% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 215,821 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,877,000 after purchasing an additional 144,077 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.90% of the company’s stock.

Alliant Energy Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of LNT stock traded up $0.50 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $57.11. 2,275,182 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,567,594. The company has a current ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. The company has a market cap of $14.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.56. Alliant Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $45.15 and a fifty-two week high of $58.69. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $52.20 and its 200-day moving average is $50.29.

Alliant Energy (NASDAQ:LNT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The company reported $0.57 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.64 by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $894.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $897.03 million. Alliant Energy had a return on equity of 10.24% and a net margin of 15.77%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.64 EPS. Analysts predict that Alliant Energy Co. will post 3.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alliant Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 31st will be paid a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 31st. Alliant Energy’s payout ratio is 69.82%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on LNT shares. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Alliant Energy from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Alliant Energy from $55.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 6th. Scotiabank dropped their price target on Alliant Energy from $57.00 to $53.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH decreased their price objective on Alliant Energy from $48.50 to $48.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 29th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on shares of Alliant Energy from $52.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Alliant Energy currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $51.63.

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.