Baird Financial Group Inc. Acquires 32,598 Shares of Casey's General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY)

Baird Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Casey's General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY - Free Report) by 18.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 211,248 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 32,598 shares during the period. Baird Financial Group Inc. owned 0.57% of Casey's General Stores worth $83,703,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Banque Transatlantique SA bought a new stake in shares of Casey's General Stores in the 4th quarter worth $5,963,000. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in Casey's General Stores by 22.1% in the 4th quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 34,903 shares of the company's stock worth $13,830,000 after purchasing an additional 6,328 shares in the last quarter. Freestone Grove Partners LP purchased a new stake in Casey's General Stores in the 4th quarter valued at about $24,985,000. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Casey's General Stores by 241.1% during the 4th quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 11,940 shares of the company's stock worth $4,731,000 after buying an additional 8,440 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AdvisorShares Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Casey's General Stores by 43.6% during the fourth quarter. AdvisorShares Investments LLC now owns 382 shares of the company's stock valued at $151,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. 85.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Casey's General Stores Price Performance

Shares of CASY traded down $5.82 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $446.68. 811,250 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 288,498. The company has a market cap of $16.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.70. Casey's General Stores, Inc. has a 1 year low of $313.89 and a 1 year high of $474.97. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $432.29 and a 200 day moving average price of $418.29. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74.

Casey's General Stores (NASDAQ:CASY - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $2.33 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 analysts' expectations of $3.74 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.33 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 17.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Casey's General Stores, Inc. will post 13.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Casey's General Stores Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 1st will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.45%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 1st. Casey's General Stores's dividend payout ratio is currently 13.94%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Mike Spanos bought 256 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $390.54 per share, for a total transaction of $99,978.24. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 3,356 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,310,652.24. The trade was a 8.26 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Katrina S. Lindsey sold 250 shares of Casey's General Stores stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $437.01, for a total value of $109,252.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 2,443 shares in the company, valued at $1,067,615.43. This trade represents a 9.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.56% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on CASY shares. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Casey's General Stores from $450.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Stephens raised Casey's General Stores to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Gordon Haskett upgraded Casey's General Stores from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com downgraded Casey's General Stores from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 8th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada set a $438.00 price objective on Casey's General Stores and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 12th. One 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 issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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.