Casey's General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY) Shares Sold by Brown Advisory Inc.

Brown Advisory Inc. reduced its holdings in Casey's General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY - Free Report) by 6.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund 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 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Casey's General Stores by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,799,104 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,505,319,000 after acquiring an additional 44,295 shares during the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Casey's General Stores by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,776,323 shares of the company's stock valued at $703,833,000 after purchasing an additional 31,131 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased 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 worth $285,090,000 after purchasing an additional 119,350 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in Casey's General Stores by 29.5% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 678,778 shares of the company's stock worth $268,952,000 after purchasing an additional 154,541 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Casey's General Stores in the 4th quarter valued at $236,500,000. 85.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Casey's General Stores Stock Down 1.7 %

CASY traded down $7.70 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $444.80. 513,069 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 287,066. Casey's General Stores, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $313.89 and a fifty-two week high of $474.97. The company has a market cap of $16.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.00, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.49. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $431.52 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $417.71.

Casey's General Stores (NASDAQ:CASY - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $2.33 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $3.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.74 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.33 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 17.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Casey's General Stores, Inc. will post 13.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Casey's General Stores Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders 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 yield of 0.45%. Casey's General Stores's dividend payout ratio is presently 13.94%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Casey's General Stores

In related news, Director Mike Spanos purchased 256 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $390.54 per share, with a total value of $99,978.24. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 3,356 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,310,652.24. The trade was a 8.26 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Katrina S. Lindsey sold 250 shares of the 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 transaction, the insider now 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. 0.56% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.