Virtu Financial LLC Takes $602,000 Position in Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT)

Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 9,918 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $602,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of LNT. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Alliant Energy by 7,083.3% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 431 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 425 shares during the period. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Alliant Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Eastern Bank purchased a new position in Alliant Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. JNBA Financial Advisors acquired a new stake in Alliant Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Kimelman & Baird LLC purchased a new stake in Alliant Energy during the second quarter valued at about $41,000. 79.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on LNT shares. Bank of America increased their price objective on Alliant Energy from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 29th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Alliant Energy in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $67.00 target price for the company. Barclays cut their price target on Alliant Energy from $61.00 to $59.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Alliant Energy from $64.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Finally, Scotiabank cut shares of Alliant Energy from a "sector outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $64.00 to $67.00 in a research report on Thursday. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $63.39.

Alliant Energy Stock Performance

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

Alliant Energy (NASDAQ:LNT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The company reported $1.15 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 net margin of 16.66% and a return on equity of 10.56%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.05 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Alliant Energy Co. will post 3.04 EPS for the current year.

Alliant Energy Dividend Announcement

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

Alliant Energy Company 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.