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

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

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. Gordon Haskett raised shares of Casey’s General Stores from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $450.00 price objective (up from $400.00) on shares of Casey’s General Stores in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on Casey’s General Stores from $450.00 to $460.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. StockNews.com lowered Casey’s General Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 8th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada set a $438.00 price objective on Casey’s General Stores and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Casey’s General Stores

In other Casey’s General Stores news, Director Mike Spanos bought 256 shares of Casey’s General Stores stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were bought at an average price of $390.54 per share, for a total transaction of $99,978.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,356 shares of the company’s stock, 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.56% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Casey’s General Stores

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Versant Capital Management Inc purchased a new position in Casey’s General Stores during the first quarter worth about $25,000. Fire Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Casey’s General Stores in the 4th quarter worth approximately $544,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Casey’s General Stores by 5.9% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,875 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,139,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in Casey’s General Stores by 44.3% in the 4th quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,511 shares of the company’s stock valued at $599,000 after purchasing an additional 464 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Heck Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Casey’s General Stores in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $79,000. 85.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Casey’s General Stores Stock Down 7.4 %

Shares of CASY opened at $415.82 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $15.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.98, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.74. Casey’s General Stores has a 12 month low of $306.45 and a 12 month high of $458.92. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $416.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $405.02. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74.

Casey’s General Stores (NASDAQ:CASY) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $2.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.57. The firm had revenue of $3.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.74 billion. Casey’s General Stores had a net margin of 3.57% and a return on equity of 17.17%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.33 EPS. Analysts predict that Casey’s General Stores will post 13.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Casey’s General Stores Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 1st will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 1st. Casey’s General Stores’s 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.