GWN Securities Inc. Takes $1.20 Million Position in Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT)

GWN Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 20,340 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,195,000.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Alliant Energy by 7,083.3% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 431 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 425 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Alliant Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. ORG Partners LLC raised its stake in Alliant Energy by 517.0% in the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 617 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 517 shares in the last quarter. WASHINGTON TRUST Co raised its stake in Alliant Energy by 251.2% in the fourth quarter. WASHINGTON TRUST Co now owns 878 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 628 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Alliant Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $53,000. 79.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Alliant Energy Stock Performance

NASDAQ LNT opened at $62.95 on Friday. Alliant Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $47.23 and a 52-week high of $66.54. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $60.73 and its 200 day moving average price is $60.35. The firm has a market cap of $16.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33.

Alliant Energy (NASDAQ:LNT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.70 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.02. Alliant Energy had a return on equity of 11.39% and a net margin of 17.33%. The company had revenue of $976.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.14 billion. On average, equities research analysts expect that Alliant Energy Co. will post 3.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Alliant Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st were given a dividend of $0.5075 per share. This represents a $2.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.22%. This is an increase from Alliant Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 31st. Alliant Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 75.46%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on LNT shares. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Alliant Energy from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Guggenheim restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $57.00 price target on shares of Alliant Energy in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Scotiabank cut Alliant Energy from a “sector outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $64.00 to $67.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $63.25.

About Alliant Energy

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.