Alliant Energy Corporation LNT reported third-quarter 2020 operating earnings of 94 cents, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 89 cents per share by 5.6%. Earnings were on par with the year-ago figure.Total RevenuesThird-quarter revenues came in at $920 million, declining 7.07% year over year. The year-over-year decline was primarily due to lower contribution from its Electric operations.Operational HighlightsDuring the third quarter, the company’s retail electric and gas utility customers grew 0.7% and 1.1% year over year, respectively. The increase in gas utility customers is accompanied with a year-over-year gas volume increase of 0.6%. However, electric volumes dropped 7.4% year over year despite an increase in customer count. Lower electric sales to commercial and industrial customers resulted in a year-over-year decline in electric sales volume.Total operating expenses were $648 million for the reported quarter, decreasing 7.4% from $700 million in the year-ago period. The reduction in expenses was due to lower electric fuel and purchased power expenses, along with a decline in other operating and maintenance costs.Operating income was $272 million, down 6.2% from $290 million in the year-ago quarter.Interest expenses were $68 million, on par with the prior-year quarter.Alliant Energy Corporation Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise Alliant Energy Corporation price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Alliant Energy Corporation QuoteFinancial UpdateCash and cash equivalents were $189 million as of Sep 30, 2020, up from $16.3 million on Dec 31, 2019.Long-term debt (excluding current portion) was $6,574 million as of Sep 30, 2020, higher than $5,533 million on Dec 31, 2019.For the first nine months of 2020, cash flow from operating activities was $436 million compared with $509 million in the comparable year-ago period.GuidanceAlliant Energy revised its 2020 earnings guidance to the range of $2.40-$2.46 from the earlier projection of $2.34-$2.48 per share. The new guidance takes into account higher earnings from temperature impacts on retail electric and gas sales during the first nine months of 2020.The company initiated its 2021 earnings guidance in the range of $2.50-$2.64 per share.Zacks RankCurrently, Alliant Energy carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.Other ReleasesFirstEnergy Corporation FE reported third-quarter 2020 operating earnings of 84 cents per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 80 cents by 5%.Xcel Energy Inc. XEL posted third-quarter 2020 operating earnings of $1.14 per share, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.08 by 5.6%.NiSource Inc. NI reported net operating earnings of 9 cents per share for third-quarter 2020, which surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 2 cents by 85.7%.Legal Marijuana: An Investor’s DreamImagine getting in early on a young industry primed to skyrocket from $17.7 billion in 2019 to an expected $73.6 billion by 2027.Although marijuana stocks did better as the pandemic took hold than the market as a whole, they’ve been pushed down. This is exactly the right time to get in on selected strong companies at a fraction of their value before COVID struck. Zacks’ Special Report, Marijuana Moneymakers, reveals 10 exciting tickers for urgent consideration.Download Marijuana Moneymakers FREE >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report FirstEnergy Corporation (FE): Free Stock Analysis Report Xcel Energy Inc. (XEL): Free Stock Analysis Report NiSource, Inc (NI): Free Stock Analysis Report Alliant Energy Corporation (LNT): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research