Arvest Investments Inc. Trims Stake in Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT)

Arvest Investments Inc. trimmed its stake in Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT) by 6.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 25,373 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,718 shares during the period. Arvest Investments Inc.’s holdings in Alliant Energy were worth $1,501,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of LNT. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Alliant Energy by 7,083.3% in the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 431 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 425 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Alliant Energy in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. ORG Partners LLC increased its stake in Alliant Energy by 517.0% in the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 617 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 517 shares in the last quarter. WASHINGTON TRUST Co increased its stake in Alliant Energy by 251.2% in the 4th quarter. WASHINGTON TRUST Co now owns 878 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 628 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Alliant Energy in the 4th quarter worth $53,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.90% of the company’s stock.

Alliant Energy Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:LNT opened at $63.51 on Thursday. 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 12 month low of $47.23 and a 12 month high of $66.54. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $61.08 and a 200 day moving average price of $60.47. The company has a market cap of $16.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.61, a PEG ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.54.

Alliant Energy (NASDAQ:LNT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.70 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.02. Alliant Energy had a net margin of 17.33% and a return on equity of 11.39%. The firm had revenue of $976.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.14 billion. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Alliant Energy Co. will post 3.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Alliant Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 31st were paid a $0.5075 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 31st. This represents a $2.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.20%. This is an increase from Alliant Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Alliant Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 75.46%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

LNT has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Scotiabank lowered Alliant Energy from a “sector outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $64.00 to $67.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Guggenheim restated a “neutral” rating and set a $57.00 price objective on shares of Alliant Energy in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Alliant Energy from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $63.25.

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.