Alliant is the better pick for a rebound

Article Excerpt

These two utilities stocks are down this past year, as high interest rates hurt investors’ demand for high-yielding dividend stocks. While both stand to gain as it looks like rates will come down later this year, we feel Alliant is the better choice for your new buying due to its lower reliance on coal. That lowers its risk. ALLIANT ENERGY CORP. $49 is a buy. This utility (Nasdaq symbol LNT; Income Portfolio, Utilities sector; Shares outstanding: 256.4 million; Market cap: $12.6 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 3.2; Dividend yield: 3.9%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.alliantenergy.comwww.alliantenergy.com) sells power and natural gas to 1.425 million customers in Wisconsin and Iowa. In the first quarter of 2024, Alliant’s revenue fell 4.3%, to $1.03 billion from $1.08 billion a year earlier. Warmer-than-usual weather hurt demand for power and gas for heating. However, higher electric rates helped offset that drop. Higher interest payments and operating costs also cut its earnings by 4.6%, to $0.62 a share from $0.65. Alliant plans to spend $9.1 billion…