Short Interest in Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT) Expands By 16.1%

Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT - Get Free Report) saw a significant growth in short interest during the month of November. As of November 30th, there was short interest totalling 7,080,000 shares, a growth of 16.1% from the November 15th total of 6,100,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,550,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.6 days.

Alliant Energy Price Performance

NASDAQ LNT traded down $0.02 during trading on Friday, reaching $60.45. 855,918 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,411,042. Alliant Energy has a 1-year low of $46.80 and a 1-year high of $64.19. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $60.77 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $57.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.86. The company has a market cap of $15.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.59.

Alliant Energy (NASDAQ:LNT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.15 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.05. Alliant Energy had a net margin of 16.66% and a return on equity of 10.56%. The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.08 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.05 EPS. Alliant Energy's revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Alliant Energy will post 3.04 EPS for the current year.

Alliant Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 31st were given a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.18%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, October 31st. Alliant Energy's payout ratio is 74.42%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Alliant Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Larson Financial Group LLC raised 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 valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 425 shares during the period. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alliant Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Eastern Bank bought a new stake in shares of Alliant Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. JNBA Financial Advisors bought a new stake in shares of Alliant Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Kimelman & Baird LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alliant Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.90% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on LNT shares. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Alliant Energy in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $67.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group upped their target price on Alliant Energy from $64.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Alliant Energy from $66.00 to $65.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Scotiabank downgraded Alliant Energy from a "sector outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $64.00 to $67.00 in a research report on Thursday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on Alliant Energy from $65.00 to $61.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $63.39.

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.