Brown Advisory Inc. Sells 25,578 Shares of Casey's General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY)

Brown Advisory Inc. lessened its position in shares of Casey's General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY - Free Report) by 6.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 375,312 shares of the company's stock after selling 25,578 shares during the quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. owned approximately 1.01% of Casey's General Stores worth $148,710,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in CASY. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC increased its holdings in Casey's General Stores by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC now owns 1,468 shares of the company's stock worth $628,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP grew its position in shares of Casey's General Stores by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP now owns 902 shares of the company's stock worth $357,000 after buying an additional 28 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its stake in shares of Casey's General Stores by 24.2% in the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. lifted its position in shares of Casey's General Stores by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 1,002 shares of the company's stock valued at $397,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the period. Finally, Laidlaw Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Casey's General Stores by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Laidlaw Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,063 shares of the company's stock worth $421,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.63% of the company's stock.

Casey's General Stores Stock Down 0.3 %

CASY traded down $1.24 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $465.96. 251,233 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 285,183. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $430.61 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $417.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.30 billion, a PE ratio of 32.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.70. 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, Inc. has a 1 year low of $313.89 and a 1 year high of $486.03.

Casey's General Stores (NASDAQ:CASY - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $2.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.57. The firm had revenue of $3.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.74 billion. Casey's General Stores had a return on equity of 17.17% and a net margin of 3.57%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 17.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.33 EPS. As a group, research 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 1st will be paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 1st. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.43%. Casey's General Stores's payout ratio is presently 13.94%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Casey's General Stores from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 8th. 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 note on Wednesday, March 12th. Gordon Haskett upgraded Casey's General Stores from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Casey's General Stores from $450.00 to $460.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Stephens upgraded Casey's General Stores to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $430.33.

Insider Activity at Casey's General Stores

In other news, insider Katrina S. Lindsey sold 250 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 2,443 shares in the company, valued at $1,067,615.43. The trade was a 9.28 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Mike Spanos purchased 256 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $390.54 per share, with a total value of $99,978.24. Following the transaction, the director now owns 3,356 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,310,652.24. The trade was a 8.26 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.56% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Casey's General Stores

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.