LNT vs NI Stock Comparison

NI currently leads LNT in this stock comparison, with AIQ scores of 51 vs 49. The clearest difference is value.

Market data as of Oct 31, 2026 market close· AIQ score gap 2 points
LNT
Utilities
vs
NI
Utilities
LNT
Alliant Energy Corporation
Price
$71.65
Day move
+1.37%
AIQ Score
49/100
Best edge
Balanced
Sector
Utilities
NI
NiSource Inc
Leads
Price
$44.57
Day move
-0.4%
AIQ Score
51/100
Best edge
Value
Sector
Utilities

What is the main difference between LNT and NI?

NI leads the current stock comparison as NiSource Inc, with the clearest separation coming from value and the broader AIQ evidence mix.

AlgovestIQ AIQ Comparison

Alliant Energy Corporation vs NiSource Inc

Data as of Oct 31, 2026· market close· Utilities· Coverage 66/66 fields· High confidence
AIQ VerdictFragileAIQ Comparison Conviction 2/10

NI leads

NI leads by 2 AIQ points, primarily on Value.

Fragile: 2 of 6 evidence groups support NI, and its current signal state is conflicted.

Evidence agreement: 2 of 6Comparison trend: Stable
LNT

Alliant Energy Corporation

AIQ Score
49/100
AIQ Edge Score
4/10
NI

NiSource Inc

Leads
AIQ Score
51/100
AIQ Edge Score
5/10

The Algovestiq AIQ Score currently favors NI over LNT, 51 versus 49 as of Oct 31, 2026. NI's advantage is driven primarily by stronger value. NI also shows the stronger technical structure relative to its 50-day moving average. 2 of 6 covered evidence groups favor NI today, and the comparison is rated Fragile on stability: the AIQ gap is narrow at 2 points. NI lead: Stable — the AIQ differential has held near 2 points over 30 sessions.

Compare Alliant Energy Corporation and NiSource Inc across the Algovestiq AIQ Score, valuation, quality, momentum, risk, technicals and analyst expectations.

Currently unavailable

Performance over time

Total return with distributions reinvested, from daily closes.

LNT
+42.4%
NI
+105.8%

Total return comparison

Growth of $10,000, distributions reinvested

LNT $14,243 · NI $20,583

Split-adjusted closes; each distribution is reinvested at the close on its ex-dividend date. Taxes and trading costs are not modeled.

Compare LNT and NI against another ticker

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Basic: 2 symbols·Explorer: 3 symbols·Pro and Premium: 5 symbols·Your limit: 2

AIQ Factor Divergence

Where the two separate, on the four dimensions behind the AIQ Score. Bars read outward from a shared zero: further from the centre is a wider gap.

LNT advantage
0
NI advantage
  • Value43 vs 48
    NI +5
  • Quality36 vs 35
    Even
  • Momentum72 vs 73
    Even
  • Risk Resilience51 vs 51
    Even

2 of 6 evidence groups favor NI. NI’s edge is concentrated in value.

What changed since the last close

Latest scored session 2026-10-28, compared against the prior scored session 2026-10-27.

LNT-1 AIQ

Largest factor move: Momentum -1

No signal started or stopped since the prior session; its 2 active signals are unchanged.

NI0 AIQ

No factor moved materially.

No signal started or stopped since the prior session; its 5 active signals are unchanged.

NI's lead widened by 1 AIQ point in the latest session.

Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — LNT and NI both carry a full feed there.

The central trade-off

NI (NiSource Inc): the stronger current systematic profile, led by value.

LNT (Alliant Energy Corporation): the counter-case, on fundamentals.

Which one fits your objective

The same two names rank differently depending on what you are optimizing for. All six reads are shown at once — none of them is hidden behind a toggle.

Balanced

NI

NI on the overall AIQ Score, which weights Quality and Value most heavily.

Growth

LNT

LNT on combined revenue and EPS growth.

Value

NI

NI on the peer-relative Value factor, by 5 points.

Momentum

Even

The two are level on Momentum.

Lower downside

LNT

LNT carries the lower 1-month annualized volatility.

Analyst upside

NI

NI on implied upside to the consensus price target.

AIQ vs Wall Street

Where the systematic read and the analyst consensus line up — and where they do not.

MeasureLNTNINote
Implied upside to target+5.5%+10.6%NI has more room
Target dispersion+19.8%+14.2%Lower is tighter analyst agreement
ConsensusBuyBuyContext, not a primary driver
Analysts covering77Higher coverage generally improves confidence

Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions. Dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.

Dividend growth

LNT vs NI: regular dividend growth
Dividend metricLNTNI
5Y dividend CAGR5.96%5.92%
2020 regular DPS$1.520$0.840
2025 regular DPS$2.030$1.120
Years increased55
No cut in windowYesYes
Cohort rank#212#213

LNT grew its split-adjusted regular dividend faster over 2020–2025 — 5.96% a year against NI's 5.92%. Neither company reduced its regular dividend in any year of the window.

Yield and payout ratio shown elsewhere on this page are current values, not part of the study window.

Split-adjusted regular dividends per share, 2020–2025, excluding special dividends. Research as of Sep 19, 2026.

AIQ Agreement Matrix

2 of 6 covered evidence groups favor NI. A wide gap backed by one group is a weaker case than a narrow gap backed by five.

Evidence groupFavorsReading
AIQ ScoreEven49 vs 51
FundamentalsLNTon balancerevenue growth -18% vs -43.2%; EPS growth -24.1% vs -90.6%; TTM ROE 11% vs 9.6%; gross margin 42% vs 50.8%; operating margin 22.1% vs 27% — LNT takes 3 of 5 decided legs, not all of them
ValuationNIValue 43 vs 48
TechnicalsEvenPrice vs 50-day 7.1% vs 8.5%; vs 200-day -1.6% vs -2.2%
Risk ResilienceEvenRisk Resilience 51 vs 51
Analyst expectationsNITarget upside 5.5% vs 10.6%

✓ agrees with the overall verdict · ✕ points the other way. Groups marked “not covered” lack data on one or both of LNT and NI and are excluded from the count.

AIQ Decision Stability

Fragile

The conclusion is sensitive to small changes. Treat the lead as provisional and watch the flip conditions below.

  • The AIQ gap is narrow at 2 points. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
  • Only 2 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
  • The lead has been steady session to session. (supports the conclusion holding)
  • The leader is throwing conflicting signals. (argues the conclusion is provisional)

Stability combines the score gap, how broadly the evidence agrees, how steady the lead has been across daily snapshots, the current signal state on both names, and analyst dispersion on NI.

How the comparison changed

120 daily snapshots · Jun 29 – Oct 28

NI lead: Stable — the AIQ differential has held near 2 points over 30 sessions.

Jun 29LNT leads above the line · NI leads belowOct 28
Today
NI +2
49 vs 51
7 sessions ago
NI +1
50 vs 51
30 sessions ago
NI +2
40 vs 42
90 sessions ago
LNT +3
41 vs 38

The lead changed hands 4 times in this window, most recently on Sep 1 when NI moved ahead of LNT.

AIQ Signal Divergence

Only the signals that bear on the head-to-head. A conflicted name is carrying bullish and bearish rules at the same time — the technical evidence is not pointing one way.

LNTConflicted

1 bullish / 1 bearish, conflicted

No signal that the other name lacks.

NIConflicted

2 bullish / 2 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted

Only NI

  • Bollinger Band Squeeze — neutral, volatility, short horizon
  • Keltner Channel Breakout — bullish, volatility, short horizon
  • RSI Overbought — bearish, momentum, short horizon

Both carry 2 more signals that do not separate them: Death Cross Active, MACD Bullish Crossover.

NI leads the comparison while carrying a conflicted signal state, which is one reason the stability rating is not higher.

Price vs model alignment

Whether the latest session's price move confirms what the model did over the same session, or contradicts it.

LNTDivergence

Price is up while the AIQ Score moved down 1 points over the same session — price and model disagree (price +1.37%, AIQ -1 points).

NINo material change

Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price -0.4%, AIQ 0 points).

What would flip this result

A state, not a forecast. These are the specific, observable changes that would reverse the verdict — not a price prediction.

  1. 1LNT closes the Value gap — currently 5 points behind, the largest single contributor to NI's edge.
  2. 2LNT's Death Cross Active resolves — a bearish trend rule currently active against it.
  3. 3NI's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 2 bullish and 2 bearish rules at once.
  4. 4A regime shift changes factor weighting — Quality and Value carry the heaviest weights in the composite, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.

The full evidence

Every number behind the verdict. The leader is called above each group so you are not left to solve it from the table.

Fundamentals

LNT leads on balance
MetricLNTNI
Revenue growth (YoY)-18%-43.2%
EPS growth (YoY)-24.1%-90.6%
Gross margin42%50.8%
Operating margin22.1%27%
Return on equity (TTM)11%9.6%
Debt to equity1.611.83

Performance

LNT leads 4 of 6 windows
MetricLNTNI
1 week (5 sessions)1.4%2%
1 month (20 sessions)9.6%10.9%
3 months (63 sessions)-2.1%-2.7%
6 months (126 sessions)-3.7%-8.9%
Year to date6.7%5.1%
1 year (252 sessions)0.6%0.6%

Technicals

Split
MetricLNTNI
RSI (14)68.377.4
ADX (14)30.538
Price vs 50-day7.1%8.5%
Price vs 200-day-1.6%-2.2%
Volatility (1M, annualized)18.7%19.4%

Risk

Split
MetricLNTNI
Beta-0.110.14
Sharpe ratio-0.03-0.07
Sortino ratio-0.04-0.1
Max drawdown-19%-20.5%
Current drawdown-11.1%-10.6%
Annualized volatility17.1%18.1%
Value at risk (95%)-1.7%-1.9%

Straight answers

Each answer is regenerated from the current snapshot, not written once and left to age.

Which is better, LNT or NI?

On the Algovestiq AIQ Score, NI is the stronger of the two as of Oct 31, 2026, scoring 51 against LNT's 49. The edge comes from value. This is a systematic score, not a recommendation: it ranks the two on the same evidence, it does not know your holding period or tax position.

Is LNT or NI the better buy right now?

NI carries the stronger systematic profile as of Oct 31, 2026, and the comparison is rated Fragile — 2 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. A Fragile rating means the conclusion is sensitive: the AIQ gap is narrow at 2 points. Treat the lead as provisional.

Why does the AIQ Score favor NI over LNT?

The composite weights Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk Resilience. NI leads Value by 5 points. Where the two split, the factor with the larger weight carries the result.

Which has more analyst upside, LNT or NI?

Analyst price targets imply +5.5% upside for LNT and +10.6% for NI, so the Street currently favors NI. The model and the Street agree here, which is a broader base of evidence than either alone. Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions, and dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.

Which is better value, LNT or NI?

NI is the better-valued of the two on the peer-relative Value factor. NI on the peer-relative Value factor, by 5 points. The Value factor reads valuation relative to sector peers and to the company's own fundamental quality, so it is not the same as simply having the lower multiple.

Which has stronger growth, LNT or NI?

LNT on combined revenue and EPS growth. Growth here is measured on reported revenue and earnings, not on forward estimates — it describes what the businesses have delivered, not what the Street expects next.

Which has stronger momentum, LNT or NI?

The two are level on Momentum. Momentum is one of the four weighted factors in the AIQ composite. It has documented persistence over three- to twelve-month horizons, which makes it a timing input rather than a reason to hold something indefinitely.

Which is riskier, LNT or NI?

LNT is the more resilient of the two, so the other name carries the higher downside risk. LNT carries the lower 1-month annualized volatility. Risk Resilience is a weighted factor in the composite; position sizing usually responds to it more usefully than the buy/avoid decision does.

Is LNT more profitable than NI?

The profitability evidence is mixed: gross margin 42% vs 50.8%; operating margin 22.1% vs 27%; ttm roe 11% vs 9.6%. LNT leads on one measure and NI on two measures, and there is no single profitability composite that resolves the split — which of the two reads as "more profitable" depends on whether you weight pricing power or operating leverage.

Is NI's lead over LNT getting stronger or weaker?

NI lead: Stable — the AIQ differential has held near 2 points over 30 sessions. This is measured from 120 daily comparison snapshots between 2026-06-29 and 2026-10-28. The lead has changed hands 4 times in that window, most recently on 2026-09-01, when NI moved ahead of LNT.

What would change the LNT vs NI verdict?

The result is a state, not a forecast, so it changes when the underlying evidence changes. Concretely: LNT closes the Value gap — currently 5 points behind, the largest single contributor to NI's edge; LNT's Death Cross Active resolves — a bearish trend rule currently active against it; NI's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 2 bullish and 2 bearish rules at once; a regime shift changes factor weighting — Quality and Value carry the heaviest weights in the composite, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.

What do the current signals say about LNT and NI?

LNT: 1 bullish / 1 bearish, conflicted. NI: 2 bullish / 2 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted. A conflicted state means bullish and bearish rules are active on the same name at once — the technical evidence is not pointing one way, and a decision taken on it carries more timing risk. The most decision-relevant rule on LNT is Death Cross Active (bearish, long horizon). On NI it is Death Cross Active (bearish, long horizon).

Compare LNT and NI with others

Continue your research

This page answers which of the two. These answer the questions on either side of it.

How this comparison is scored

The Algovestiq AIQ Score composites four factors — Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk, each carrying a fixed weight. Sentiment is reported separately as SentimentPulse and is not folded into the composite. Scores refresh every trading day, and this page regenerates from the latest snapshot rather than being written once.

The verdict names a leader, states how broadly six independent evidence groups agree, and rates how durable that conclusion is given the score gap, its recent trajectory and the current signal state on both names.

How to use side-by-side comparison →

This comparison is informational and educational, not investment advice. AIQ scores update daily; re-check after earnings, guidance or macro data that materially changes either name’s factor profile.