Casey’s General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Casey’s General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have given a hold recommendation and seven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $424.00.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Gordon Haskett started coverage on shares of Casey’s General Stores in a research note on Monday, November 4th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $400.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Casey’s General Stores from $403.00 to $428.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. StockNews.com downgraded Casey’s General Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on Casey’s General Stores from $451.00 to $454.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $450.00 price objective (up from $400.00) on shares of Casey’s General Stores in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th.

Insider Transactions at Casey’s General Stores

In other news, Director Mike Spanos bought 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 23rd. The stock was bought at an average price of $396.76 per share, for a total transaction of $198,380.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,097 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,228,765.72. This represents a 19.25 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Katrina S. Lindsey sold 450 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $427.13, for a total transaction of $192,208.50. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 2,247 shares in the company, valued at $959,761.11. The trade was a 16.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.56% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Casey’s General Stores

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new position in Casey’s General Stores in the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. bought a new position in shares of Casey’s General Stores during the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Casey’s General Stores by 941.7% in the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the company’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 113 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Casey’s General Stores by 22.5% in the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 158 shares of the company’s stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its holdings in Casey’s General Stores by 24.2% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 149 shares of the company’s stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.63% of the company’s stock.

Casey’s General Stores Stock Up 1.8 %

CASY stock opened at $435.35 on Friday. Casey’s General Stores has a fifty-two week low of $279.99 and a fifty-two week high of $439.68. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $409.54 and a 200-day moving average of $394.60. The company has a market capitalization of $16.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.34, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a current ratio of 0.88.

Casey’s General Stores (NASDAQ:CASY) last issued its earnings results on Monday, December 9th. The company reported $4.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.29 by $0.56. Casey’s General Stores had a net margin of 3.57% and a return on equity of 17.17%. The firm had revenue of $3.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $4.24 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Casey’s General Stores will post 13.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Casey’s General Stores Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 3rd. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.46%. Casey’s General Stores’s payout ratio is presently 13.94%.

About Casey’s General Stores

Casey’s General Stores, Inc engages in the provision of management and operation of convenience stores and gasoline stations. It provides self-service gasoline, a wide selection of grocery items, and an array of freshly prepared food items. The firm offers food, beverages, tobacco products, health and beauty aids, automotive products, and other non-food items.