QRG Capital Management Inc. Sells 186 Shares of Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT)

QRG Capital Management Inc. cut its stake in shares of Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT) by 1.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,371 shares of the company’s stock after selling 186 shares during the quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Alliant Energy were worth $554,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of LNT. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 425 shares in the last quarter. JNBA Financial Advisors bought a new stake in Alliant Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. ORG Partners LLC boosted its stake in Alliant Energy by 517.0% in the fourth 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 boosted its stake in Alliant Energy by 251.2% in the fourth 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. bought a new position in Alliant Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.90% of the company’s stock.

Alliant Energy Stock Down 2.7 %

NASDAQ LNT opened at $64.26 on Wednesday. Alliant Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $47.23 and a 1 year high of $66.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.50 billion, a PE ratio of 23.89, a PEG ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.72. The business’s 50-day moving average is $60.17 and its 200 day moving average is $60.10.

Alliant Energy (NASDAQ:LNT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.70 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.68 by $0.02. Alliant Energy had a return on equity of 11.39% and a net margin of 17.33%. The business had revenue of $976.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.14 billion. Sell-side analysts forecast that Alliant Energy Co. will post 3.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Alliant Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 18th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 31st were given a dividend of $0.5075 per share. This is an increase from Alliant Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $2.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.16%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 31st. Alliant Energy’s payout ratio is presently 75.46%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on LNT shares. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Alliant Energy from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, February 24th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Alliant Energy from $61.00 to $59.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Guggenheim restated a “neutral” rating and set a $57.00 price target on shares of Alliant Energy in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Scotiabank downgraded Alliant Energy from a “sector outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $64.00 to $67.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $63.25.

About Alliant Energy

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.