Casey's General Stores (NASDAQ:CASY) Raised to "Strong-Buy" at Stephens

Casey's General Stores (NASDAQ:CASY - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Stephens to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note issued on Monday, April 7th,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the company. StockNews.com lowered Casey's General Stores from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 8th. Royal Bank of Canada set a $438.00 price target on shares of Casey's General Stores and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on Casey's General Stores from $450.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Gordon Haskett raised Casey's General Stores from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a "market perform" rating and issued a $450.00 price objective (up previously from $400.00) on shares of Casey's General Stores in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Casey's General Stores currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $430.33.

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Casey's General Stores Trading Down 0.8 %

CASY traded down $3.80 during trading on Monday, hitting $453.45. The company's stock had a trading volume of 136,267 shares, compared to its average volume of 283,112. Casey's General Stores has a twelve month low of $306.69 and a twelve month high of $470.00. The stock has a market cap of $16.83 billion, a PE ratio of 31.60, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.74. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $418.43 and its 200-day moving average price is $407.99. 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 (NASDAQ:CASY - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $2.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.57. The firm had revenue of $3.90 billion for 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%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 17.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.33 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Casey's General Stores will post 13.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Casey's General Stores

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Casey's General Stores

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC increased its stake in Casey's General Stores by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC now owns 1,468 shares of the company's stock valued at $628,000 after buying an additional 25 shares during the period. Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY boosted its position in Casey's General Stores by 2.1% during the first quarter. Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY now owns 1,204 shares of the company's stock valued at $522,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP increased its position in Casey's General Stores by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP now owns 902 shares of the company's stock worth $357,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its stake 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 worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harbour Investments Inc. grew its stake in shares of Casey's General Stores by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 1,002 shares of the company's stock valued at $397,000 after buying an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.63% of the company's stock.

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.