Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT) Shares Sold by First Merchants Corp

First Merchants Corp decreased its stake in shares of Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT) by 70.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 21,572 shares of the company’s stock after selling 50,885 shares during the quarter. First Merchants Corp’s holdings in Alliant Energy were worth $1,276,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of LNT. RDA Financial Network increased its stake in shares of Alliant Energy by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. RDA Financial Network now owns 7,990 shares of the company’s stock worth $473,000 after buying an additional 184 shares during the period. Empirical Finance LLC grew its holdings in Alliant Energy by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 8,637 shares of the company’s stock worth $524,000 after acquiring an additional 189 shares in the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Alliant Energy by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 15,937 shares of the company’s stock valued at $942,000 after purchasing an additional 237 shares during the last quarter. Centennial Wealth Advisory LLC raised its holdings in shares of Alliant Energy by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. Centennial Wealth Advisory LLC now owns 6,433 shares of the company’s stock valued at $390,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bleakley Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Alliant Energy by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 8,744 shares of the company’s stock worth $531,000 after purchasing an additional 251 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.90% of the company’s stock.

Alliant Energy Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LNT opened at $61.10 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33. Alliant Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $46.80 and a twelve month high of $64.19. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $59.32 and a two-hundred day moving average of $59.41. The stock has a market cap of $15.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.60.

Alliant Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st will be issued a $0.5075 dividend. This represents a $2.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.32%. This is a boost from Alliant Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 31st. Alliant Energy’s payout ratio is presently 78.68%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LNT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Barclays dropped their target price on Alliant Energy from $61.00 to $59.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Scotiabank downgraded Alliant Energy from a “sector outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $64.00 to $67.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on Alliant Energy from $65.00 to $61.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Alliant Energy from $66.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $63.39.

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.