Casey's General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY) Shares Acquired by Baird Financial Group Inc.

Baird Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Casey's General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY - Free Report) by 18.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 211,248 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 32,598 shares during the quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. owned 0.57% of Casey's General Stores worth $83,703,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Barclays PLC raised its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 11,802 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in Casey's General Stores by 49.9% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 524,237 shares of the company's stock worth $204,861,000 after acquiring an additional 174,586 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in Casey's General Stores by 18.7% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 758,804 shares of the company's stock valued at $285,090,000 after acquiring an additional 119,350 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in Casey's General Stores by 29.0% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 997 shares of the company's stock valued at $395,000 after acquiring an additional 224 shares during the period. Finally, Everence Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Casey's General Stores in the 4th quarter worth approximately $226,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.63% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on CASY. KeyCorp started coverage on shares of Casey's General Stores in a research note on Friday, April 11th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $500.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com lowered shares of Casey's General Stores from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 8th. Stephens upgraded Casey's General Stores to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Royal Bank of Canada set a $438.00 price target on Casey's General Stores and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Finally, Gordon Haskett upgraded Casey's General Stores from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $430.33.

Casey's General Stores Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CASY opened at $458.65 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $427.41 and a 200-day simple moving average of $416.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.74. Casey's General Stores, Inc. has a 52 week low of $313.89 and a 52 week high of $468.88.

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

Casey's General Stores Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Katrina S. Lindsey sold 250 shares of Casey's General Stores 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,067,615.43. The trade was a 9.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Mike Spanos acquired 256 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $390.54 per share, with a total value of $99,978.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,356 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,310,652.24. This trade 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.

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.

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