Casey's General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY) Shares Sold by First Trust Advisors LP

First Trust Advisors LP lowered its position in shares of Casey's General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY - Free Report) by 8.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 69,361 shares of the company's stock after selling 6,710 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned approximately 0.19% of Casey's General Stores worth $27,483,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in CASY. Barclays PLC grew its stake in Casey's General Stores by 110.5% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 22,487 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,450,000 after purchasing an additional 11,802 shares in the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp grew its position in shares of Casey's General Stores by 74.4% during the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 16,595 shares of the company's stock worth $6,235,000 after buying an additional 7,078 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in shares of Casey's General Stores by 49.9% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 524,237 shares of the company's stock worth $204,861,000 after buying an additional 174,586 shares during the last quarter. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas acquired a new stake in Casey's General Stores in the third quarter valued at $899,000. Finally, Logan Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Casey's General Stores in the third quarter valued at $2,049,000. 85.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Casey's General Stores Stock Performance

Casey's General Stores stock traded up $6.89 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $454.23. 291,143 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 286,393. Casey's General Stores, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $313.67 and a fifty-two week high of $468.88. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The firm has a market cap of $16.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.65, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.74. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $423.87 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $414.09.

Casey's General Stores (NASDAQ:CASY - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $2.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.57. Casey's General Stores had a return on equity of 17.17% and a net margin of 3.57%. The business had revenue of $3.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.74 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.33 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 17.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Casey's General Stores, Inc. will post 13.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Casey's General Stores Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 1st will be paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 1st. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.44%. Casey's General Stores's payout ratio is 13.94%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Katrina S. Lindsey sold 250 shares of Casey's General Stores 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 in the company, valued at approximately $1,067,615.43. This trade represents a 9.28 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Mike Spanos acquired 256 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $390.54 per share, with a total value of $99,978.24. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 3,356 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,310,652.24. This trade represents a 8.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.56% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CASY has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Casey's General Stores from $450.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. KeyCorp initiated coverage on Casey's General Stores in a research note on Friday, April 11th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $500.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada set a $438.00 target price on Casey's General Stores and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Stephens upgraded Casey's General Stores to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Casey's General Stores from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $430.33.

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.