B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG Takes Position in Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG purchased a new stake in shares of Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 78,151 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,742,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alliant Energy during the third quarter valued at $28,000. Eastern Bank bought a new position in Alliant Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. JNBA Financial Advisors purchased a new position in shares of Alliant Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Kimelman & Baird LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alliant Energy during the second quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alliant Energy in the second quarter valued at approximately $43,000. 79.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on LNT. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Alliant Energy from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 29th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Alliant Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They set a "hold" rating and a $67.00 price objective for the company. Scotiabank raised their price objective on Alliant Energy from $58.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 20th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised Alliant Energy from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the company from $50.00 to $62.50 in a research report on Tuesday, August 13th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price target on Alliant Energy from $61.00 to $59.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $63.06.

Alliant Energy Price Performance

LNT stock traded down $0.02 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $62.23. The stock had a trading volume of 1,352,452 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,629,634. The company's 50-day moving average price is $60.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $55.93. Alliant Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $46.80 and a twelve month high of $62.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.12, a PEG ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.72.

Alliant Energy (NASDAQ:LNT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.08 billion. Alliant Energy had a return on equity of 10.56% and a net margin of 16.66%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.05 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Alliant Energy Co. will post 3.04 EPS for the current fiscal 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 $0.48 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, October 31st. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.09%. Alliant Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 74.42%.

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.