Alliant Energy Corporation’s LNT regular investments to add clean power generation assets to its generation portfolio, expansion of the customer base and strong liquidity make it a solid choice for investment in the utility space.Let’s focus on the factors that make this Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) stock a strong investment pick at the moment. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.Growth ProjectionsThe Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2021 earnings per share has moved up 1.9% in the past 60 days. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings for 2021 and 2022 indicates year-over-year growth of 8.6% and 4.2%, respectively.Surprise History and Earnings GrowthAlliant Energy delivered an average earnings surprise of 4.4% in the last four quarters.Alliant Energy’s long-term (three to five years) earnings growth is projected at 6.1%.Return on Equity & Dividend YieldReturn on Equity (ROE) indicates how efficiently Alliant Energy is utilizing shareholders’ funds to generate returns. At present, Alliant Energy’s ROE is 11.01%, higher than the industry average of 9.26%.Currently, Alliant Energy has a dividend yield of 2.78% compared with the Zacks S&P 500 composite’s 1.33%.Regular Investments & Emission ReductionAlliant Energy announced plans to invest substantially over the next four years to strengthen the electric and gas distribution network as well as add natural gas and renewable assets to the generation portfolio. Alliant Energy has plans to strengthen electric and natural gas distribution systems as well as make regular investments to strengthen infrastructure. Alliant Energy has plans to invest $5.8 billion between 2022 and 2025.Alliant Energy voluntarily announced the goal of retiring all existing coal-fired generation units by 2040, with an objective of lowering emissions from 2005 levels by 50% and 100% within 2030 and 2050, respectively. In total, Alliant Energy will replace 2 gigawatts of coal-fired generation with clean energy sources over the next few years.Price PerformanceOver the past 12 months, Alliant Energy’s shares have returned 10.9% compared with the industry’s 5.2% growth.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchOther Stocks to ConsiderOther top-ranked stocks in the same sector include Otter Tail Corporation OTTR, California Water Service Group CWT and Dominion Energy D, each holding a Zacks Rank #2.Otter Tail, California Water Service, and Dominion Energy delivered an average earnings surprise of 27.9%, 10.8%, and 2.4%, respectively, in the last four quarters.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2021 earnings per share of Otter Tail, California Water Service, and Dominion Energy has moved up 0.8%, 7.6%, and 0.3%, respectively, in the past 60 days.Year to date, shares of Otter Tail, California Water Service, and Dominion Energy have returned 67%, 22.3%, and 2.2%, respectively, compared with the Zacks Utility Sector’s 6.7% growth. Breakout Biotech Stocks with Triple-Digit Profit Potential The biotech sector is projected to surge beyond $2.4 trillion by 2028 as scientists develop treatments for thousands of diseases. They’re also finding ways to edit the human genome to literally erase our vulnerability to these diseases. Zacks has just released Century of Biology: 7 Biotech Stocks to Buy Right Now to help investors profit from 7 stocks poised for outperformance. Recommendations from previous editions of this report have produced gains of +205%, +258% and +477%. The stocks in this report could perform even better.See these 7 breakthrough stocks now>>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 Dominion Energy Inc. (D): Free Stock Analysis Report Alliant Energy Corporation (LNT): Free Stock Analysis Report California Water Service Group (CWT): Free Stock Analysis Report Otter Tail Corporation (OTTR): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research