Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC Raises Holdings in Casey’s General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY)

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC grew its position in Casey’s General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY) by 8.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,183 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 664 shares during the quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC’s holdings in Casey’s General Stores were worth $3,242,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. FMR LLC raised its position in shares of Casey’s General Stores by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,046,830 shares of the company’s stock worth $393,305,000 after acquiring an additional 38,226 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of Casey’s General Stores by 18.7% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 758,804 shares of the company’s stock worth $285,090,000 after acquiring an additional 119,350 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Casey’s General Stores by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 655,488 shares of the company’s stock worth $246,335,000 after acquiring an additional 8,428 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Casey’s General Stores in the 4th quarter worth $236,500,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of Casey’s General Stores by 49.9% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 524,237 shares of the company’s stock worth $204,861,000 after acquiring an additional 174,586 shares in the last quarter. 85.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Casey’s General Stores

In related news, Director Mike Spanos purchased 256 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $390.54 per share, with a total value of $99,978.24. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 3,356 shares in the company, valued at $1,310,652.24. This trade represents a 8.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.56% of the company’s stock.

Casey’s General Stores Stock Up 2.3 %

Shares of CASY opened at $404.00 on Friday. Casey’s General Stores, Inc. has a 52 week low of $306.45 and a 52 week high of $445.17. The company has a quick ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The company has a market capitalization of $15.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.15, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.87. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $410.20 and its 200-day moving average price is $400.80.

Casey’s General Stores (NASDAQ:CASY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $2.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.57. The company had revenue of $3.90 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.74 billion. Casey’s General Stores had a return on equity of 17.17% and a net margin of 3.57%. Casey’s General Stores’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.33 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Casey’s General Stores, Inc. will post 13.94 EPS for the current year.

Casey’s General Stores Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Casey’s General Stores Company Profile

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.