Benjamin Edwards Inc. Has $3.42 Million Holdings in Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT)

Benjamin Edwards Inc. cut its holdings in Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT) by 1.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 66,640 shares of the company’s stock after selling 787 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc.’s holdings in Alliant Energy were worth $3,419,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Alliant Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Alliant Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Alliant Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $42,000. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt bought a new stake in Alliant Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $43,000. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Alliant Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $45,000. 79.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Alliant Energy Trading Up 0.2 %

LNT stock traded up $0.10 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $50.46. The company had a trading volume of 750,115 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,906,363. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. Alliant Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $45.15 and a 52 week high of $56.26. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $48.99 and its 200 day moving average price is $49.55. The stock has a market cap of $12.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.12, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.54.

Alliant Energy (NASDAQ:LNT) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 16th. The company reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.55 by ($0.07). The business had revenue of $961.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.25 billion. Alliant Energy had a net margin of 17.46% and a return on equity of 10.85%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.46 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Alliant Energy Co. will post 3.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Alliant Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.48 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 29th. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.80%. Alliant Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.06%.

Insider Activity at Alliant Energy

In other news, CEO Lisa M. Barton acquired 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $48.56 per share, for a total transaction of $53,416.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 36,444 shares in the company, valued at $1,769,720.64. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.31% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LNT has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Bank of America reduced their target price on Alliant Energy from $55.00 to $54.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 11th. BMO Capital Markets boosted 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. Scotiabank cut their price objective on Alliant Energy from $57.00 to $53.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH cut their target price on Alliant Energy from $48.50 to $48.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Alliant Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $50.71.

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.