Fruth Investment Management Has $4.48 Million Stake in Casey's General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY)

Fruth Investment Management grew its position in shares of Casey's General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY - Free Report) by 7.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 11,307 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 780 shares during the quarter. Casey's General Stores makes up about 1.2% of Fruth Investment Management's investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Fruth Investment Management's holdings in Casey's General Stores were worth $4,480,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. YANKCOM Partnership acquired a new position in Casey's General Stores during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Casey's General Stores during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Casey's General Stores by 941.7% during the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the company's stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its holdings in Casey's General Stores by 24.2% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 149 shares of the company's stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its position in Casey's General Stores by 22.5% in 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. 85.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of Casey's General Stores from $451.00 to $454.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Casey's General Stores from $403.00 to $428.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a "market perform" rating and set a $450.00 target price (up previously from $400.00) on shares of Casey's General Stores in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Evercore ISI raised their price target on 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. Finally, StockNews.com cut Casey's General Stores from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Casey's General Stores has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $424.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Mike Spanos acquired 500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 23rd. The stock was bought at an average price of $396.76 per share, for a total transaction of $198,380.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 3,097 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Katrina S. Lindsey sold 450 shares of Casey's General Stores stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $427.13, for a total value 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 owned by corporate insiders.

Casey's General Stores Stock Down 1.9 %

CASY traded down $8.45 during trading on Friday, reaching $426.82. The company had a trading volume of 350,658 shares, compared to its average volume of 255,901. The company has a market cap of $15.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.74, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.83. Casey's General Stores, Inc. has a 12 month low of $275.27 and a 12 month high of $439.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.49. The business's fifty day moving average price is $408.73 and its 200 day moving average price is $393.50.

Casey's General Stores (NASDAQ:CASY - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, December 9th. The company reported $4.85 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $4.29 by $0.56. The business had revenue of $3.95 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.03 billion. Casey's General Stores had a net margin of 3.57% and a return on equity of 17.17%. The firm's revenue 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. Equities analysts anticipate that Casey's General Stores, Inc. will post 13.94 EPS for the current year.

Casey's General Stores Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 3rd. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.47%. 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.