James Investment Research Inc. Boosts Position in Casey's General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY)

James Investment Research Inc. raised its position in shares of Casey's General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY - Free Report) by 8.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,561 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 632 shares during the period. James Investment Research Inc.'s holdings in Casey's General Stores were worth $3,392,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of CASY. YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new stake in shares of Casey's General Stores during the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. purchased a new stake in Casey's General Stores in the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Casey's General Stores by 941.7% in the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the company's stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its stake 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 worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the period. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 29 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 85.63% of the company's stock.

Casey's General Stores Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of CASY traded up $1.24 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $427.22. The company had a trading volume of 110,579 shares, compared to its average volume of 260,282. Casey's General Stores, Inc. has a 1-year low of $286.46 and a 1-year high of $445.17. The stock has a market cap of $15.86 billion, a PE ratio of 29.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.83. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $410.65 and a 200-day simple moving average of $396.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74.

Casey's General Stores (NASDAQ:CASY - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, December 9th. The company reported $4.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $4.29 by $0.56. The firm had revenue of $3.95 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. Casey's General Stores had a return on equity of 17.17% and a net margin of 3.57%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $4.24 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Casey's General Stores, Inc. will post 13.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Casey's General Stores Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 17th. Investors of record on Monday, February 3rd were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.47%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 3rd. Casey's General Stores's payout ratio is 13.94%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on CASY. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Casey's General Stores from $460.00 to $470.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Gordon Haskett raised shares of Casey's General Stores from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Royal Bank of Canada upped 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 report on Tuesday, December 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on shares of Casey's General Stores from $451.00 to $454.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets restated a "market perform" rating and set 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 analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Casey's General Stores presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $424.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Mike Spanos bought 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 3,097 shares in the company, valued at $1,228,765.72. The trade was a 19.25 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 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 transaction, the insider now owns 2,247 shares of the company's stock, valued at $959,761.11. The trade was a 16.69 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.56% of the company's stock.

Casey's General Stores 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.