StockNews.com Downgrades Casey's General Stores (NASDAQ:CASY) to Hold

Casey's General Stores (NASDAQ:CASY - Get Free Report) was downgraded by StockNews.com from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued on Monday.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on CASY. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of 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 lifted their price target on shares of Casey's General Stores from $403.00 to $428.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price target on shares of Casey's General Stores from $451.00 to $454.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Gordon Haskett began coverage on shares of Casey's General Stores in a research report on Monday, November 4th. They set a "hold" rating and a $400.00 price target for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reiterated a "market perform" rating and set a $450.00 price target (up previously from $400.00) on shares of Casey's General Stores in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $424.00.

Casey's General Stores Price Performance

CASY stock traded down $10.11 during trading on Monday, hitting $432.43. 232,372 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 260,436. Casey's General Stores has a one year low of $284.57 and a one year high of $445.17. The stock has a market cap of $16.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $409.99 and a 200 day simple moving average of $394.93. 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 - Get Free Report) last announced 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. Casey's General Stores had a net margin of 3.57% and a return on equity of 17.17%. The company had revenue of $3.95 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $4.24 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Casey's General Stores will post 13.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Casey's General Stores

In other Casey's General Stores news, insider Katrina S. Lindsey sold 450 shares of Casey's General Stores stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the insider now owns 2,247 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $959,761.11. The trade was a 16.69 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Mike Spanos acquired 500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 23rd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $396.76 per share, for a total transaction of $198,380.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 3,097 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,228,765.72. This represents 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.

Institutional Trading of Casey's General Stores

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Casey's General Stores by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC now owns 1,468 shares of the company's stock worth $628,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its position in shares of Casey's General Stores by 1.3% in the third quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 2,072 shares of the company's stock worth $778,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares in the last quarter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP raised its position in Casey's General Stores by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP now owns 902 shares of the company's stock worth $357,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its position 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 acquiring an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its position in Casey's General Stores by 24.2% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 149 shares of the company's stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.63% of the company's stock.

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.