Alliant Energy (NASDAQ:LNT) Downgraded to Underweight Rating by Barclays

Barclays lowered shares of Alliant Energy (NASDAQ:LNT) from an equal weight rating to an underweight rating in a research report report published on Tuesday, MarketBeat.com reports. They currently have $61.00 target price on the stock, up from their prior target price of $59.00.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on LNT. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $57.00 price target on shares of Alliant Energy in a research note on Monday, February 24th. UBS Group increased their target price on Alliant Energy from $65.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Alliant Energy from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $63.55.

Alliant Energy Price Performance

LNT stock opened at $61.33 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.52. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $62.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $60.83. Alliant Energy has a 52-week low of $49.05 and a 52-week high of $66.54. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.70 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $976.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.14 billion. Alliant Energy had a return on equity of 11.39% and a net margin of 17.33%. Equities research analysts expect that Alliant Energy will post 3.23 EPS for the current year.

Alliant Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be given a $0.5075 dividend. This represents a $2.03 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.31%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. Alliant Energy’s payout ratio is 75.46%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alliant Energy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Alliant Energy during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Alpine Bank Wealth Management acquired a new position in Alliant Energy in the 1st quarter worth $29,000. Tsfg LLC purchased a new position in Alliant Energy in the 1st quarter valued at about $34,000. ORG Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Alliant Energy by 517.0% during the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 617 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 517 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of Alliant Energy by 67.5% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 722 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 291 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.