Fruth Investment Management Buys 780 Shares of Casey’s General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY)

Fruth Investment Management grew its stake in Casey’s General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY) by 7.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,307 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 780 shares during the period. Casey’s General Stores accounts for about 1.2% of Fruth Investment Management’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position. Fruth Investment Management’s holdings in Casey’s General Stores were worth $4,480,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Private Trust Co. NA grew its holdings in Casey’s General Stores by 1.3% during the 3rd 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 period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Casey’s General Stores by 22.5% during the third quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 158 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its holdings in Casey’s General Stores by 24.2% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 149 shares of the company’s stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in Casey’s General Stores by 3.1% in the third quarter. Verus Capital Partners LLC now owns 991 shares of the company’s stock valued at $372,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the period. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc boosted its holdings in Casey’s General Stores by 3.3% during the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 1,078 shares of the company’s stock worth $405,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. 85.63% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Casey’s General Stores Stock Up 2.0 %

Shares of CASY stock opened at $429.42 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $408.32 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $392.76. Casey’s General Stores, Inc. has a 1 year low of $272.46 and a 1 year high of $439.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.92, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.83.

Casey’s General Stores (NASDAQ:CASY) last released its earnings results on Monday, December 9th. The company reported $4.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.29 by $0.56. The business had revenue of $3.95 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.03 billion. Casey’s General Stores had a return on equity of 17.17% and a net margin of 3.57%. Casey’s General Stores’s quarterly revenue was down 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $4.24 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Casey’s General Stores, Inc. will post 13.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Casey’s General Stores Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 3rd will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, February 3rd. Casey’s General Stores’s payout ratio is presently 13.94%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on CASY shares. Gordon Haskett initiated coverage on Casey’s General Stores in a research note on Monday, November 4th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $400.00 price target for the company. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Casey’s General Stores from $460.00 to $470.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $450.00 price target (up from $400.00) on shares of Casey’s General Stores in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective 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, 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Casey’s General Stores currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $424.00.

Insider Activity at Casey’s General Stores

In other Casey’s General Stores news, Director Mike Spanos bought 500 shares of Casey’s General Stores stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 23rd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $396.76 per share, for a total transaction of $198,380.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 3,097 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,228,765.72. The trade was a 19.25 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 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 sale, the insider now owns 2,247 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 company 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.