Casey's General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY) Short Interest Up 48.8% in January

Casey's General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY - Get Free Report) was the target of a large growth in short interest in January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,060,000 shares, a growth of 48.8% from the January 15th total of 712,300 shares. Approximately 2.9% of the company's stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 246,800 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.3 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on CASY. Gordon Haskett raised shares of Casey's General Stores from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Casey's General Stores from $403.00 to $428.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on Casey's General Stores from $451.00 to $454.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. BMO Capital Markets restated a "market perform" rating and issued a $450.00 price target (up previously from $400.00) on shares of Casey's General Stores in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Casey's General Stores from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Casey's General Stores presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $424.00.

Insider Activity at Casey's General Stores

In other Casey's General Stores news, Director Mike Spanos purchased 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 23rd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $396.76 per share, with a total value of $198,380.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,097 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,228,765.72. The trade was a 19.25 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Katrina S. Lindsey sold 450 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $427.13, for a total transaction of $192,208.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 2,247 shares in the company, valued at approximately $959,761.11. This represents a 16.69 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.56% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Casey's General Stores

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CASY. YANKCOM Partnership acquired a new position in Casey's General Stores in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. bought a new position in shares of Casey's General Stores in the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Casey's General Stores by 941.7% in the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the company's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its position in shares of Casey's General Stores by 24.2% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 149 shares of the company's stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its stake in Casey's General Stores by 22.5% during the third quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 158 shares of the company's stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 85.63% of the company's stock.

Casey's General Stores Trading Down 2.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:CASY traded down $10.37 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $432.17. 270,776 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 255,901. The business's 50-day moving average price is $410.47 and its 200 day moving average price is $395.69. Casey's General Stores has a 12 month low of $284.57 and a 12 month high of $445.17. 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 market capitalization of $16.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.83.

Casey's General Stores (NASDAQ:CASY - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, December 9th. The company reported $4.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.29 by $0.56. The firm had revenue of $3.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. Casey's General Stores had a net margin of 3.57% and a return on equity of 17.17%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $4.24 EPS. Analysts predict that Casey's General Stores will post 13.94 earnings per share 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. Investors of record on Monday, February 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 3rd. Casey's General Stores's dividend payout ratio is currently 13.94%.

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.