ProShare Advisors LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT)

ProShare Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT) by 12.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 45,893 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,935 shares during the quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC’s holdings in Alliant Energy were worth $2,714,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of LNT. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Alliant Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Alliant Energy by 67.5% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 722 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 291 shares during the period. WASHINGTON TRUST Co grew its stake in shares of Alliant Energy by 251.2% during the 4th quarter. WASHINGTON TRUST Co now owns 878 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 628 shares during the period. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Alliant Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Finally, Optiver Holding B.V. lifted its stake in shares of Alliant Energy by 382.5% in the 4th quarter. Optiver Holding B.V. now owns 912 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 723 shares during the period. 79.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Alliant Energy Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LNT opened at $63.16 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.58. Alliant Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $49.05 and a 52 week high of $66.54. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $61.70 and a 200-day simple moving average of $60.93. 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 issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $0.83 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.71 by $0.12. Alliant Energy had a return on equity of 11.39% and a net margin of 17.33%. The business had revenue of $1.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.09 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.62 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Alliant Energy Co. will post 3.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alliant Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th were issued a $0.5075 dividend. This represents a $2.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.21%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 30th. Alliant Energy’s payout ratio is currently 70.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Alliant Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $70.00 to $71.00 in a research report on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on Alliant Energy from $66.00 to $64.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. UBS Group upped their price target on Alliant Energy from $65.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Barclays cut Alliant Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $59.00 to $61.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Alliant Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $63.95.

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.