IFM Investors Pty Ltd Has $4.07 Million Stake in Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT)

IFM Investors Pty Ltd grew its holdings in Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT) by 2.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 80,805 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,640 shares during the quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd’s holdings in Alliant Energy were worth $4,073,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Alliant Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Gables Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Alliant Energy by 68.4% during the fourth quarter. Gables Capital Management Inc. now owns 522 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 212 shares during the last quarter. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alliant Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Alliant Energy by 252.1% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 662 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 474 shares in the last quarter. Finally, McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in Alliant Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. 79.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Lisa M. Barton acquired 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $48.56 per share, with a total value of $53,416.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 36,444 shares in the company, valued at $1,769,720.64. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Alliant Energy Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:LNT traded down $0.64 on Friday, hitting $49.59. The stock had a trading volume of 1,661,302 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,451,337. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $48.90 and its 200-day moving average price is $49.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a current ratio of 0.55. Alliant Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $45.15 and a twelve month high of $56.26. The company has a market capitalization of $12.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.55.

Alliant Energy (NASDAQ:LNT) last released its quarterly 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 firm had revenue of $961.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 last year, the firm earned $0.46 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Alliant Energy Co. will post 3.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Alliant Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be given a $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 29th. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.87%. Alliant Energy’s payout ratio is 69.06%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Alliant Energy from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of Alliant Energy from $55.00 to $54.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Barclays reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $53.00 price objective (up from $50.00) on shares of Alliant Energy in a report on Tuesday, January 2nd. Finally, Scotiabank lowered their target price on shares of Alliant Energy from $57.00 to $53.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Alliant Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $51.36.

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.