Wendell David Associates Inc. Has $2.72 Million Holdings in Casey’s General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY)

Wendell David Associates Inc. boosted its stake in Casey’s General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY) by 16.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,855 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 965 shares during the period. Wendell David Associates Inc.’s holdings in Casey’s General Stores were worth $2,716,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Soros Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Casey’s General Stores by 1,825.6% during the third quarter. Soros Capital Management LLC now owns 27,632 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,382,000 after acquiring an additional 26,197 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in Casey’s General Stores by 9.9% during the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 14,725 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,532,000 after purchasing an additional 1,332 shares during the period. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC bought a new stake in Casey’s General Stores in the third quarter worth approximately $23,294,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Casey’s General Stores by 18.7% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 758,804 shares of the company’s stock worth $285,090,000 after buying an additional 119,350 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of Casey’s General Stores by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,046,830 shares of the company’s stock valued at $393,305,000 after acquiring an additional 38,226 shares in the last quarter. 85.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Casey’s General Stores Price Performance

CASY stock opened at $401.21 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $407.65 and its 200 day moving average is $389.61. 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 52 week low of $268.07 and a 52 week high of $439.68. The firm has a market cap of $14.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.96, a P/E/G ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.82.

Casey’s General Stores (NASDAQ:CASY) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, December 9th. The company reported $4.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $3.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $4.24 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Casey’s General Stores, Inc. will post 13.94 earnings per share for the current year.

Casey’s General Stores Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Casey’s General Stores

In related news, insider Katrina S. Lindsey sold 450 shares of Casey’s General Stores stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $427.13, for a total transaction of $192,208.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Mike Spanos acquired 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 23rd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $396.76 per share, for a total transaction of $198,380.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 3,097 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,228,765.72. This represents a 19.25 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.56% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have commented on CASY shares. StockNews.com cut shares of Casey’s General Stores from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on Casey’s General Stores from $451.00 to $454.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Casey’s General Stores from $460.00 to $470.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Casey’s General Stores from $403.00 to $428.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating and set a $450.00 price objective (up previously from $400.00) on shares of Casey’s General Stores in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $424.00.

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.