Gulf International Bank UK Ltd Cuts Holdings in Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT)

Gulf International Bank UK Ltd reduced its holdings in Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT) by 3.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 19,797 shares of the company’s stock after selling 806 shares during the quarter. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd’s holdings in Alliant Energy were worth $1,201,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of LNT. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Alliant Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Eastern Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Alliant Energy in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Kimelman & Baird LLC purchased a new stake in Alliant Energy during the second quarter worth about $41,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Alliant Energy during the second quarter worth about $43,000. Finally, MRP Capital Investments LLC purchased a new position in Alliant Energy in the second quarter valued at about $56,000. 79.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Alliant Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ LNT opened at $57.75 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $59.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $55.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.48. The company has a market cap of $14.82 billion, a PE ratio of 22.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.58. Alliant Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $46.80 and a 12 month high of $62.49.

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

Alliant Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 31st will be paid a $0.48 dividend. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.32%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, October 31st. Alliant Energy’s payout ratio is 74.42%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Alliant Energy in a research note on Thursday, September 19th. They set a “hold” rating and a $67.00 price target on the stock. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on Alliant Energy from $65.00 to $61.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 4th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised Alliant Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $50.00 to $62.50 in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Alliant Energy from $64.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Alliant Energy from $66.00 to $65.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Alliant Energy has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $63.06.

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.