Virtu Financial LLC Reduces Stock Position in Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT)

Virtu Financial LLC cut its holdings in Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT) by 64.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,485 shares of the company’s stock after selling 6,433 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC’s holdings in Alliant Energy were worth $206,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Whittier Trust Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Alliant Energy by 80.4% in the fourth quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 3,141 shares of the company’s stock worth $186,000 after buying an additional 1,400 shares in the last quarter. Enhancing Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Alliant Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,866,000. Xponance Inc. boosted its holdings in Alliant Energy by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 36,349 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,150,000 after purchasing an additional 1,132 shares during the period. Cibc World Markets Corp grew its position in shares of Alliant Energy by 16.4% during the 4th quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp now owns 40,490 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,395,000 after purchasing an additional 5,698 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GWN Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of Alliant Energy in the fourth quarter worth $1,195,000. 79.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Alliant Energy Price Performance

LNT stock opened at $63.58 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $16.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.54. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $61.73 and its 200 day moving average is $60.67. Alliant Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $47.23 and a 52 week high of $66.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.86.

Alliant Energy (NASDAQ:LNT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.68 by $0.02. Alliant Energy had a return on equity of 11.39% and a net margin of 17.33%. The firm had revenue of $976.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.14 billion. Research analysts predict 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 31st were paid a dividend of $0.5075 per share. This represents a $2.03 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.19%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 31st. This is a positive change from Alliant Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Alliant Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 75.46%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on LNT. Scotiabank lowered Alliant Energy from a “sector outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $64.00 to $67.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Alliant Energy from $65.00 to $68.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Guggenheim reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $57.00 price objective on shares of Alliant Energy in a report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Alliant Energy from $60.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $63.55.

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.