Virtu Financial LLC Boosts Stock Position in Casey’s General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY)

Virtu Financial LLC raised its stake in Casey’s General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY) by 381.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,862 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,852 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC’s holdings in Casey’s General Stores were worth $1,926,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Private Trust Co. NA grew its stake in shares of Casey’s General Stores by 1.3% during the third quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 2,072 shares of the company’s stock worth $778,000 after acquiring an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its stake in shares of Casey’s General Stores by 24.2% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 149 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. grew its stake in shares of Casey’s General Stores by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 1,002 shares of the company’s stock worth $397,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Laidlaw Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 during the last quarter. Finally, M&T Bank Corp grew its stake in shares of Casey’s General Stores by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 1,802 shares of the company’s stock worth $714,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.63% of the company’s stock.

Casey’s General Stores Stock Up 2.3 %

Casey’s General Stores stock opened at $404.00 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.00 billion, a PE ratio of 28.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.87. Casey’s General Stores, Inc. has a 12 month low of $306.45 and a 12 month high of $445.17. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $410.20 and a 200-day simple moving average of $401.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.49.

Casey’s General Stores (NASDAQ:CASY) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $2.33 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.76 by $0.57. The business had revenue of $3.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 was up 17.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.33 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Casey’s General Stores, Inc. will post 13.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Casey’s General Stores Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 1st will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 1st. Casey’s General Stores’s payout ratio is 13.94%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Mike Spanos purchased 256 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $390.54 per share, for a total transaction of $99,978.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,356 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,310,652.24. This trade represents a 8.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.56% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on CASY shares. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed 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. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on Casey’s General Stores from $460.00 to $450.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Gordon Haskett raised Casey’s General Stores from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com downgraded Casey’s General Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 8th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada set a $438.00 target price on Casey’s General Stores and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $423.09.

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.