Alliant Energy Corporation $LNT Shares Bought by Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Alliant Energy Corporation (NASDAQ:LNT) by 2.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,979,718 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 55,489 shares during the period. Alliant Energy comprises 1.1% of Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Alliant Energy were worth $133,453,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Centaurus Financial Inc. grew its position in shares of Alliant Energy by 9.7% in the second quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 1,896 shares of the company’s stock valued at $115,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Integrity Alliance LLC. boosted its holdings in shares of Alliant Energy by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. Integrity Alliance LLC. now owns 6,006 shares of the company’s stock valued at $363,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares during the last quarter. CFC Planning Co LLC raised its position in shares of Alliant Energy by 3.7% in the 2nd quarter. CFC Planning Co LLC now owns 5,451 shares of the company’s stock worth $330,000 after buying an additional 197 shares during the period. State of Michigan Retirement System grew its position in Alliant Energy by 0.3% during the second quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 69,859 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,224,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Alliant Energy by 3.5% during the third quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,114 shares of the company’s stock worth $412,000 after acquiring an additional 205 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.90% of the company’s stock.

Alliant Energy Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of LNT opened at $66.90 on Tuesday. Alliant Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $57.09 and a 1 year high of $69.75. The stock has a market cap of $17.20 billion, a PE ratio of 21.04, a PEG ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.46. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $65.87 and a 200-day simple moving average of $66.23.

Alliant Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 17th. Investors of record on Friday, January 30th will be given a $0.535 dividend. This represents a $2.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.2%. This is an increase from Alliant Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 30th. Alliant Energy’s payout ratio is 67.30%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on LNT. Wall Street Zen cut Alliant Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Barclays upgraded shares of Alliant Energy from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $65.00 to $67.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $78.00 price objective on shares of Alliant Energy in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Argus reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Alliant Energy in a report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, HSBC upgraded shares of Alliant Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Alliant Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $71.13.

About Alliant Energy

Alliant Energy Corporation (NASDAQ: LNT) is a publicly traded energy holding company headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, that provides regulated electric and natural gas utility services in the American Midwest. The company serves customers primarily in Wisconsin and Iowa through its regulated utility subsidiaries and operates as an integrated provider responsible for generation, transmission and distribution of energy to residential, commercial and industrial customers.

Alliant Energy’s core activities include operating and maintaining electric generation assets, managing the regional transmission and distribution network, and delivering natural gas service to its franchise territories.