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

Shares of Casey's General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the thirteen brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have assigned a hold recommendation, eight have issued a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $430.33.

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Gordon Haskett raised shares of Casey's General Stores from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com downgraded Casey's General Stores from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 8th. Royal Bank of Canada set a $438.00 target price on Casey's General Stores and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. KeyCorp started coverage on Casey's General Stores in a research report on Friday, April 11th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $500.00 price target for the company. Finally, Stephens raised Casey's General Stores to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 7th.

Casey's General Stores Stock Performance

Shares of CASY stock traded up $1.55 on Thursday, hitting $448.89. 122,932 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 285,747. The company has a market capitalization of $16.66 billion, a PE ratio of 31.28, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.74. The company's fifty day moving average is $423.31 and its 200 day moving average is $413.61. 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 1-year low of $313.67 and a 1-year high of $468.88.

Casey's General Stores (NASDAQ:CASY - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $2.33 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.57. The company had revenue of $3.90 billion during 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 quarterly revenue was up 17.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.33 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Casey's General Stores will post 13.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Casey's General Stores Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 0.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 1st. Casey's General Stores's dividend payout ratio is presently 13.94%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Katrina S. Lindsey sold 250 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, April 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $437.01, for a total transaction of $109,252.50. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 2,443 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,067,615.43. The trade was a 9.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Mike Spanos acquired 256 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $390.54 per share, with a total value of $99,978.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,356 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,310,652.24. This trade represents a 8.26 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.56% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Casey's General Stores

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Arbor Capital Management Inc. ADV increased its stake in Casey's General Stores by 5.3% in the 1st quarter. Arbor Capital Management Inc. ADV now owns 3,260 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,441,000 after buying an additional 164 shares during the period. Keybank National Association OH increased its stake in shares of Casey's General Stores by 5.8% in the first quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 4,438 shares of the company's stock worth $1,926,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. Heritage Investment Group Inc. increased its position in Casey's General Stores by 12.2% in the 1st quarter. Heritage Investment Group Inc. now owns 1,049 shares of the company's stock worth $455,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares during the last quarter. Smith Salley Wealth Management raised its position in Casey's General Stores by 0.8% during the first quarter. Smith Salley Wealth Management now owns 30,035 shares of the company's stock valued at $13,036,000 after acquiring an additional 252 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Koshinski Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Casey's General Stores by 110.9% in the 1st quarter. Koshinski Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,573 shares of the company's stock valued at $683,000 after purchasing an additional 827 shares during the last quarter. 85.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.