Vanguard Group Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in Casey’s General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY)

Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Casey’s General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY) by 1.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,799,104 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 44,295 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 10.23% of Casey’s General Stores worth $1,505,319,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. YANKCOM Partnership bought a new position in Casey’s General Stores in the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Casey’s General Stores in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its position in shares of Casey’s General Stores by 24.2% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 149 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Casey’s General Stores during the 4th quarter worth $79,000. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its position in Casey’s General Stores by 32.9% during the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 210 shares of the company’s stock valued at $83,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.63% of the company’s stock.

Casey’s General Stores Stock Performance

Shares of CASY opened at $430.69 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a current ratio of 0.88. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $412.54 and a two-hundred day moving average of $402.34. The stock has a market cap of $15.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.87. Casey’s General Stores, Inc. has a one year low of $306.45 and a one year high of $445.17.

Casey’s General Stores (NASDAQ:CASY) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $2.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.57. The firm had revenue of $3.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.74 billion. Casey’s General Stores had a return on equity of 17.17% and a net margin of 3.57%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.33 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Casey’s General Stores, Inc. will post 13.94 EPS for the current year.

Casey’s General Stores Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.46%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 1st. Casey’s General Stores’s payout ratio is 13.94%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on CASY. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of Casey’s General Stores from $460.00 to $450.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Gordon Haskett raised shares of Casey’s General Stores from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Royal Bank of Canada set a $438.00 price target on shares of Casey’s General Stores and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. StockNews.com downgraded Casey’s General Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 8th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $450.00 price objective (up previously from $400.00) on shares of Casey’s General Stores in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Casey’s General Stores has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $423.09.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Mike Spanos bought 256 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $390.54 per share, for a total transaction of $99,978.24. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,356 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,310,652.24. This represents a 8.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.56% of the company’s stock.

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.