Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV Makes New Investment in Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT)

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV acquired a new stake in shares of Alliant Energy Co. (NASDAQ:LNT) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 23,664 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,399,000.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Alliant Energy by 9,113.1% in the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,187,345 shares of the company’s stock worth $247,640,000 after buying an additional 4,141,895 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC bought a new stake in shares of Alliant Energy during the fourth quarter worth $32,225,000. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S purchased a new position in Alliant Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $31,201,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in Alliant Energy by 7.7% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 7,012,572 shares of the company’s stock valued at $414,724,000 after buying an additional 499,802 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Pension Service purchased a new stake in Alliant Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $22,531,000. 79.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Alliant Energy Stock Performance

Shares of LNT stock opened at $61.11 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $61.90 and a two-hundred day moving average of $60.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.70 billion, a PE ratio of 22.72, a P/E/G ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33. Alliant Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $49.05 and a 52 week high of $66.54.

Alliant Energy (NASDAQ:LNT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The company reported $0.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.71 by $0.12. Alliant Energy had a net margin of 17.33% and a return on equity of 11.39%. The firm’s revenue was up 9.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.62 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Alliant Energy Co. will post 3.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Alliant Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be given a dividend of $0.5075 per share. This represents a $2.03 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.32%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 30th. Alliant Energy’s payout ratio is 75.46%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on LNT. Guggenheim restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $57.00 price objective on shares of Alliant Energy in a report on Monday, February 24th. Barclays lowered Alliant Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “underweight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $59.00 to $61.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on shares of Alliant Energy from $66.00 to $64.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Alliant Energy from $65.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Alliant Energy currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $63.55.

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.