Casey’s General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Casey’s General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the eleven brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $424.00.

Several analysts have recently commented on CASY shares. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed 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 research report on Wednesday, December 18th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Casey’s General Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. 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 raised their price objective 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. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their target price on Casey’s General Stores from $460.00 to $470.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Casey’s General Stores

In other Casey’s General Stores news, insider Katrina S. Lindsey sold 450 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $427.13, for a total transaction of $192,208.50. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 2,247 shares in the company, valued at approximately $959,761.11. This trade represents a 16.69 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Mike Spanos bought 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 23rd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $396.76 per share, with a total value of $198,380.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,097 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,228,765.72. The trade was a 19.25 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.56% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Casey’s General Stores

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Soros Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Casey’s General Stores by 1,825.6% during the 3rd quarter. Soros Capital Management LLC now owns 27,632 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,382,000 after purchasing an additional 26,197 shares during the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Casey’s General Stores by 55.6% during the 4th quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 8,579 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,629,000 after purchasing an additional 3,065 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Casey’s General Stores by 9.9% during the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 14,725 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,532,000 after purchasing an additional 1,332 shares during the last quarter. JLB & Associates Inc. increased its position in shares of Casey’s General Stores by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. JLB & Associates Inc. now owns 43,029 shares of the company’s stock valued at $17,049,000 after purchasing an additional 749 shares during the last quarter. Finally, South Dakota Investment Council increased its position in shares of Casey’s General Stores by 28.0% during the 4th quarter. South Dakota Investment Council now owns 10,065 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,988,000 after purchasing an additional 2,200 shares during the last quarter. 85.63% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Casey’s General Stores Stock Performance

NASDAQ:CASY opened at $398.73 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $14.80 billion, a PE ratio of 27.79, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $410.34 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $399.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a current ratio of 0.88. Casey’s General Stores has a fifty-two week low of $290.00 and a fifty-two week high of $445.17.

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

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.