Pacer Advisors Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in Casey’s General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY)

Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Casey’s General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY) by 31.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,185 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,727 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Casey’s General Stores were worth $2,847,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Creative Planning grew its position in Casey’s General Stores by 12.5% during the second quarter. Creative Planning now owns 8,333 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,180,000 after acquiring an additional 923 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in shares of Casey’s General Stores by 59.2% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 820 shares of the company’s stock valued at $313,000 after purchasing an additional 305 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Casey’s General Stores during the 2nd quarter worth about $72,000. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its position in Casey’s General Stores by 7.1% during the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 9,955 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,798,000 after purchasing an additional 664 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Casey’s General Stores in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,904,000. 85.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Casey’s General Stores Stock Down 0.3 %

CASY stock opened at $421.77 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $15.66 billion, a PE ratio of 29.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 0.82. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $408.41 and its 200 day simple moving average is $391.74. Casey’s General Stores, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $269.35 and a fifty-two week high of $439.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74.

Casey’s General Stores (NASDAQ:CASY) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, December 9th. The company reported $4.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.29 by $0.56. Casey’s General Stores had a return on equity of 17.17% and a net margin of 3.57%. The business had revenue of $3.95 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $4.24 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Casey’s General Stores, Inc. will post 13.94 EPS for the current year.

Casey’s General Stores Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 3rd. Casey’s General Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 13.94%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on CASY shares. BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating and set a $450.00 target price (up previously from $400.00) on shares of Casey’s General Stores in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Gordon Haskett assumed coverage on Casey’s General Stores in a research report on Monday, November 4th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $400.00 target price for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on Casey’s General Stores from $451.00 to $454.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Casey’s General Stores from $403.00 to $428.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Casey’s General Stores from $460.00 to $470.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Casey’s General Stores presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $424.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Casey’s General Stores

In related news, Director Mike Spanos bought 500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 23rd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $396.76 per share, with a total value of $198,380.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,097 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,228,765.72. This trade represents a 19.25 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Katrina S. Lindsey sold 450 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $427.13, for a total value of $192,208.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 2,247 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $959,761.11. This trade represents a 16.69 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.56% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.