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

Shares of Casey’s General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven analysts that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One 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 1-year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $424.00.

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Evercore ISI raised their price target on Casey’s General Stores from $460.00 to $470.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of Casey’s General Stores from $451.00 to $454.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $450.00 price target (up previously from $400.00) on shares of Casey’s General Stores in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Gordon Haskett began coverage on shares of Casey’s General Stores in a report on Monday, November 4th. They set a “hold” rating and a $400.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Casey’s General Stores from $403.00 to $428.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th.

Insider Activity at Casey’s General Stores

In other Casey’s General Stores news, Director Mike Spanos bought 500 shares of Casey’s General Stores stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 23rd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $396.76 per share, for a total transaction of $198,380.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 3,097 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,228,765.72. The trade was a 19.25 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Katrina S. Lindsey sold 450 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $427.13, for a total value of $192,208.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 2,247 shares in the company, valued at approximately $959,761.11. This trade represents a 16.69 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.56% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Casey’s General Stores

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Casey’s General Stores in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Casey’s General Stores by 941.7% in the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its position in Casey’s General Stores by 22.5% during the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 158 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,000 after buying an additional 29 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its holdings in shares of Casey’s General Stores by 24.2% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 149 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,000 after buying an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Casey’s General Stores in the second quarter valued at about $72,000. 85.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Casey’s General Stores Stock Up 0.1 %

Casey’s General Stores stock opened at $391.51 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.28, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 0.82. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $408.10 and its 200 day simple moving average is $389.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.49. Casey’s General Stores has a fifty-two week low of $268.07 and a fifty-two week high of $439.68.

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

Casey’s General Stores Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 3rd. Casey’s General Stores’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.