Casey's General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY) Shares Sold by New York State Teachers Retirement System

New York State Teachers Retirement System lessened its holdings in shares of Casey's General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY - Free Report) by 2.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 39,246 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,161 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System owned approximately 0.11% of Casey's General Stores worth $17,034,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Casey's General Stores by 66.6% in the 4th quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 928 shares of the company's stock worth $368,000 after buying an additional 371 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake in shares of Casey's General Stores by 76.2% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 4,175 shares of the company's stock worth $1,654,000 after purchasing an additional 1,805 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Casey's General Stores during the 4th quarter valued at about $95,000. Meridian Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Casey's General Stores during the 4th quarter valued at about $281,000. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its stake in Casey's General Stores by 11.0% during the fourth quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 13,377 shares of the company's stock worth $5,300,000 after purchasing an additional 1,329 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.63% of the company's stock.

Casey's General Stores Stock Up 1.2%

NASDAQ:CASY traded up $5.93 on Thursday, reaching $516.85. The stock had a trading volume of 173,672 shares, compared to its average volume of 302,150. The company has a 50-day moving average of $468.38 and a 200 day moving average of $434.09. The company has a current ratio of 0.92, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69. The stock has a market cap of $19.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.69. Casey's General Stores, Inc. has a 12-month low of $350.52 and a 12-month high of $664.17.

Casey's General Stores (NASDAQ:CASY - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, June 9th. The company reported $2.63 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.69. Casey's General Stores had a return on equity of 16.28% and a net margin of 3.43%. The firm had revenue of $3.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.95 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.34 earnings per share. Casey's General Stores's revenue for the quarter was up 10.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Casey's General Stores, Inc. will post 13.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Casey's General Stores Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 1st will be given a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 1st. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.44%. This is an increase from Casey's General Stores's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. Casey's General Stores's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CASY has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on Casey's General Stores from $450.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. KeyCorp upped their price target on Casey's General Stores from $500.00 to $550.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Casey's General Stores from $460.00 to $540.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 11th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Casey's General Stores from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, June 14th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Casey's General Stores from $450.00 to $515.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $453.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Mike Spanos acquired 200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 30th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $503.18 per share, with a total value of $100,636.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 3,560 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,791,320.80. The trade was a 5.95% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Chad Michael Frazell sold 4,808 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $503.97, for a total transaction of $2,423,087.76. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 11,480 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,785,575.60. This trade represents a 29.52% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 43,896 shares of company stock valued at $22,245,866. 0.56% of the stock is owned by 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.