Compass Financial Services Inc Takes $1.55 Million Position in Casey's General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY)

Compass Financial Services Inc purchased a new position in Casey's General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 3,904 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,547,000. Casey's General Stores accounts for approximately 0.9% of Compass Financial Services Inc's investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest holding.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in CASY. FMR LLC boosted its position in 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 purchasing an additional 38,226 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in Casey's General Stores by 18.7% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 758,804 shares of the company's stock worth $285,090,000 after buying an additional 119,350 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in 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 valued at $246,335,000 after acquiring an additional 8,428 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in Casey's General Stores by 49.9% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 524,237 shares of the company's stock valued at $204,861,000 after buying an additional 174,586 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Casey's General Stores by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 273,332 shares of the company's stock valued at $102,694,000 after purchasing an additional 702 shares in the last quarter. 85.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Casey's General Stores Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CASY traded up $7.80 on Wednesday, hitting $435.35. The company's stock had a trading volume of 257,299 shares, compared to its average volume of 261,536. Casey's General Stores, Inc. has a 12 month low of $279.99 and a 12 month high of $439.68. The stock's 50-day moving average is $409.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $394.60. 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 company has a market capitalization of $16.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.83.

Casey's General Stores (NASDAQ:CASY - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, December 9th. The company reported $4.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.29 by $0.56. Casey's General Stores had a return on equity of 17.17% and a net margin of 3.57%. The business had revenue of $3.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $4.24 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Casey's General Stores, Inc. will post 13.94 EPS for the current year.

Casey's General Stores Announces Dividend

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 $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 3rd. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.46%. Casey's General Stores's payout ratio is 13.94%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Casey's General Stores news, insider Katrina S. Lindsey sold 450 shares of the firm's 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 2,247 shares in the company, valued at $959,761.11. This trade represents a 16.69 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Mike Spanos purchased 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,097 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,228,765.72. The trade was a 19.25 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.56% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on CASY. Gordon Haskett initiated coverage on Casey's General Stores in a report on Monday, November 4th. They set a "hold" rating and a $400.00 price target for the company. Evercore ISI increased their price objective 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. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Casey's General Stores from $403.00 to $428.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and set a $450.00 price target (up from $400.00) on shares of Casey's General Stores in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Casey's General Stores from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $424.00.

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.