Wedge Capital Management L L P NC Sells 2,802 Shares of Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT)

Wedge Capital Management L L P NC lessened its stake in Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT) by 2.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 114,615 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,802 shares during the period. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC’s holdings in Alliant Energy were worth $5,880,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Alliant Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. McGlone Suttner Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Alliant Energy in the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA purchased a new stake in Alliant Energy during the third quarter valued at about $38,000. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt purchased a new position in Alliant Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $43,000. Finally, Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Alliant Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $42,000. Institutional investors own 79.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Lisa M. Barton bought 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $48.56 per share, for a total transaction of $53,416.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 36,444 shares in the company, valued at $1,769,720.64. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Alliant Energy Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ LNT opened at $49.97 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $12.80 billion, a PE ratio of 17.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a current ratio of 0.55. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $48.79 and its 200-day moving average price is $49.53. Alliant Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $45.15 and a 52-week high of $56.26.

Alliant Energy (NASDAQ:LNT) last issued its earnings results on Friday, February 16th. The company reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.55 by ($0.07). Alliant Energy had a net margin of 17.46% and a return on equity of 10.85%. The business had revenue of $961.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.25 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.46 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Alliant Energy Co. will post 3.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alliant Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 29th. Alliant Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 69.06%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

LNT has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Scotiabank decreased their target price on Alliant Energy from $57.00 to $53.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Alliant Energy from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of Alliant Energy from $55.00 to $54.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Barclays reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $53.00 target price (up previously from $50.00) on shares of Alliant Energy in a research report on Tuesday, January 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $51.36.

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.