HTLF Bank Purchases New Stake in Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT)

HTLF Bank acquired a new position in Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 6,201 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $318,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can increased its position in Alliant Energy by 3.0% in the first quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 117,612 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,714,000 after buying an additional 3,451 shares during the period. Prudential PLC bought a new position in Alliant Energy in the 1st quarter worth about $427,000. National Pension Service lifted its position in Alliant Energy by 11,488.8% in the first quarter. National Pension Service now owns 371,883 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,235,000 after purchasing an additional 368,674 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Alliant Energy by 1.1% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 31,030,199 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,938,766,000 after purchasing an additional 342,340 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd raised its stake in shares of Alliant Energy by 67.2% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,988 shares of the company’s stock worth $124,000 after purchasing an additional 799 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.90% of the company’s stock.

Alliant Energy Price Performance

NASDAQ LNT opened at $49.82 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a current ratio of 0.55. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $48.71 and a 200 day simple moving average of $49.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.76 billion, a PE ratio of 17.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.55. Alliant Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $45.15 and a twelve month high of $56.26.

Alliant Energy (NASDAQ:LNT) last announced 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 return on equity of 10.85% and a net margin of 17.46%. The company had revenue of $961.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.25 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.46 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Alliant Energy Co. will post 3.07 EPS for the current year.

Alliant Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be given a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.85%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 29th. Alliant Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.06%.

Insider Activity at Alliant Energy

In other news, CEO Lisa M. Barton acquired 1,100 shares of Alliant Energy stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was bought at an average price of $48.56 per share, for a total transaction of $53,416.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 36,444 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,769,720.64. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Alliant Energy from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. Barclays restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $53.00 target price (up from $50.00) on shares of Alliant Energy in a report on Tuesday, January 2nd. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price target on Alliant Energy from $55.00 to $54.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $52.21.

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.