Can Alliant Energy Meet These Numbers?

Updated

Alliant Energy (NYS: LNT) is expected to report Q1 earnings on May 3. Here's what Wall Street wants to see:

The 10-second takeaway
Comparing the upcoming quarter to the prior-year quarter, average analyst estimates predict Alliant Energy's revenues will contract 0.0% and EPS will grow 24.0%.

The average estimate for revenue is $765.4 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.62.


Revenue details
Last quarter, Alliant Energy booked revenue of $750.9 million. GAAP reported sales were 1.3% lower than the prior-year quarter's $760.8 million.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
Last quarter, EPS came in at $0.61. GAAP EPS of $0.61 for Q4 were 17% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.52 per share.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

Recent performance
For the preceding quarter, gross margin was 28.1%, 40 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 13.5%, 40 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 9.1%, 160 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $3.23 billion. The average EPS estimate is $3.13.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a three-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 85 members out of 99 rating the stock outperform, and 14 members rating it underperform. Among 32 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 27 give Alliant Energy a green thumbs-up, and five give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Alliant Energy is outperform, with an average price target of $48.29.

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The article Can Alliant Energy Meet These Numbers? originally appeared on Fool.com.

Seth Jayson had no position in any company mentioned here at the time of publication. You can view his stock holdings here. He is co-advisor ofMotley Fool Hidden Gems, which provides new small-cap ideas every month, backed by a real-money portfolio. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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