Alliant Energy(US:LNT) ZACKS·2025-11-07 16:30Core Insights - Alliant Energy Corporation (LNT) reported third-quarter 2025 operating earnings of $1.12 per share, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.17 by 4.27% and decreasing 2.61% from the previous year's figure of $1.15 [1][7] - Revenues for the quarter totaled $1.21 billion, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.10 billion by 10% and increasing 12.04% from $1.08 billion in the year-ago quarter [2][7] - The company raised its four-year capital expenditure forecast by 17% to $13.4 billion to meet growing demand, particularly for powering data centers [5][7] Financial Performance - Total operating expenses were $861 million, up 12.1% from $768 million in the year-ago period, driven by increased costs in electric production fuel, purchased power, and maintenance expenses [3] - Operating income reached $349 million, reflecting an 11.5% increase from the previous year [3] - Cash and cash equivalents as of September 30, 2025, amounted to $503 million, a significant increase from $81 million as of December 31, 2024 [6] Customer and Sales Metrics - The number of retail electric and gas customers increased by 0.7% year over year [4] - Total utility electric sales were 9,197 thousand megawatt-hours, up 3.85% from the year-ago quarter [4] - Total utility gas sold and transported was 430,464 thousand dekatherms, reflecting a year-over-year increase of 0.68% [4] Guidance and Future Outlook - Alliant Energy narrowed its 2025 earnings guidance to a range of $3.17-$3.23 per share, with the Zacks Consensus Estimate at $3.22 per share [8] - The company provided a 2026 earnings projection of $3.36-$3.46 per share, indicating a 6.6% increase over 2025 [9] - The annual common stock dividend target for 2026 is set at $2.14 per share, representing a 5.4% increase over 2025 [9]