Machina Capital S.A.S. Reduces Stake in Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT)

Machina Capital S.A.S. reduced its position in Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT) by 51.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,684 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,100 shares during the period. Machina Capital S.A.S.’s holdings in Alliant Energy were worth $394,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Private Advisor Group LLC increased its stake in Alliant Energy by 52.1% in the 4th quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 8,792 shares of the company’s stock valued at $451,000 after purchasing an additional 3,012 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI increased its position in Alliant Energy by 19.1% during the fourth quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 80,624 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,185,000 after buying an additional 12,936 shares in the last quarter. Royal Fund Management LLC purchased a new position in Alliant Energy during the fourth quarter worth $226,000. Baxter Bros Inc. purchased a new position in Alliant Energy during the fourth quarter worth $205,000. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. increased its position in Alliant Energy by 68.8% during the fourth quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 1,266 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,000 after buying an additional 516 shares in the last quarter. 79.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Alliant Energy Trading Down 0.7 %

Alliant Energy stock traded down $0.35 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $50.50. The stock had a trading volume of 1,281,936 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,916,357. Alliant Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $45.15 and a twelve month high of $56.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.93 billion, a PE ratio of 18.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a current ratio of 0.56. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $49.07 and its 200 day simple moving average is $49.56.

Alliant Energy (NASDAQ:LNT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 3rd. The company reported $0.62 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.62. The company had revenue of $1.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.01 billion. Alliant Energy had a return on equity of 10.57% and a net margin of 17.53%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.65 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Alliant Energy Co. will post 3.08 EPS for the current year.

Alliant Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.48 per share. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, April 29th. Alliant Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 69.82%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Lisa M. Barton acquired 1,100 shares of Alliant Energy stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were bought at an average price of $48.56 per share, for a total transaction of $53,416.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 36,444 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,769,720.64. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on LNT shares. Bank of America dropped their price target on Alliant Energy from $55.00 to $54.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Alliant Energy from $55.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH lowered their price objective on Alliant Energy from $48.50 to $48.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Scotiabank lowered their price objective on Alliant Energy from $57.00 to $53.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Alliant Energy from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $51.38.

Alliant Energy 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.