Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT) Shares Sold by Ascent Wealth Partners LLC

Ascent Wealth Partners LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT) by 5.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 25,673 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,415 shares during the period. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in Alliant Energy were worth $1,317,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Realta Investment Advisors increased its position in shares of Alliant Energy by 19.5% in the fourth quarter. Realta Investment Advisors now owns 7,383 shares of the company’s stock valued at $379,000 after buying an additional 1,207 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in Alliant Energy by 90.2% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,189 shares of the company’s stock valued at $106,000 after acquiring an additional 1,038 shares during the last quarter. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Alliant Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. Ellsworth Advisors LLC increased its position in Alliant Energy by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Ellsworth Advisors LLC now owns 77,892 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,996,000 after purchasing an additional 1,861 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Centennial Wealth Advisory LLC increased its stake in Alliant Energy by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Centennial Wealth Advisory LLC now owns 5,896 shares of the company’s stock worth $302,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on LNT shares. BMO Capital Markets lowered shares of Alliant Energy from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and set a $55.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, January 11th. Barclays reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $53.00 price objective (up previously from $50.00) on shares of Alliant Energy in a report on Tuesday, January 2nd. One equities research 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. According to data from MarketBeat, Alliant Energy has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $54.06.

Alliant Energy Stock Performance

Alliant Energy stock traded down $0.77 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $49.63. 376,898 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,017,326. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $48.56 and a 200 day moving average of $49.60. The firm has a market cap of $12.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.13, a PEG ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.55. Alliant Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $45.15 and a 12 month high of $56.26.

Alliant Energy (NASDAQ:LNT) last released its earnings results on Friday, February 16th. The company reported $0.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.55 by ($0.07). Alliant Energy had a net margin of 17.46% and a return on equity of 10.85%. The business had revenue of $961.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.25 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.46 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Alliant Energy Co. will post 3.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Alliant Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 31st were given a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, January 30th. This is a positive change from Alliant Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. Alliant Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 69.06%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Lisa M. Barton acquired 1,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $48.56 per share, for a total transaction of $53,416.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 36,444 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,769,720.64. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.25% 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.