Franklin Resources Inc. Has $197.30 Million Stock Position in Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT)

Franklin Resources Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT) by 3.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,846,087 shares of the company’s stock after selling 121,706 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned 1.51% of Alliant Energy worth $197,304,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Alliant Energy by 5.8% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 9,194,528 shares of the company’s stock valued at $471,679,000 after buying an additional 505,101 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in shares of Alliant Energy by 68.3% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 4,802,777 shares of the company’s stock worth $246,382,000 after purchasing an additional 1,948,485 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Alliant Energy by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,122,637 shares of the company’s stock valued at $108,891,000 after purchasing an additional 67,548 shares during the last quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. increased its position in shares of Alliant Energy by 4.0% during the third quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 1,343,631 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,099,000 after buying an additional 52,184 shares during the period. Finally, Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. increased its position in shares of Alliant Energy by 289.7% during the third quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 976,308 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,302,000 after buying an additional 725,800 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 79.90% of the company’s stock.

Alliant Energy Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ:LNT traded down $0.23 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $51.89. 217,520 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,833,004. Alliant Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $45.15 and a 12 month high of $56.26. The company has a market cap of $13.30 billion, a PE ratio of 18.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a current ratio of 0.56 and a quick ratio of 0.40. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $49.82 and a 200-day moving average price of $49.74.

Alliant Energy (NASDAQ:LNT) last posted its earnings results on Friday, May 3rd. The company reported $0.62 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.62. The company had revenue of $1.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. Alliant Energy had a return on equity of 10.57% and a net margin of 17.53%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.65 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Alliant Energy Co. will post 3.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alliant Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 30th were given a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.70%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, April 29th. Alliant Energy’s payout ratio is currently 69.82%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LNT has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Alliant Energy from $55.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, May 6th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Alliant Energy from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Alliant Energy from $55.00 to $54.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH cut their target price on shares of Alliant Energy from $48.50 to $48.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Finally, Scotiabank reduced their price target on shares of Alliant Energy from $57.00 to $53.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $51.38.

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.