7,800 Shares in Casey’s General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY) Purchased by KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new stake in shares of Casey’s General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 7,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,091,000.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Soros Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Casey’s General Stores by 1,825.6% during the 3rd quarter. Soros Capital Management LLC now owns 27,632 shares of the company’s stock worth $10,382,000 after purchasing an additional 26,197 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC grew its stake in Casey’s General Stores by 55.6% during the fourth quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 8,579 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,629,000 after buying an additional 3,065 shares during the last quarter. JLB & Associates Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Casey’s General Stores by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. JLB & Associates Inc. now owns 43,029 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,049,000 after buying an additional 749 shares in the last quarter. South Dakota Investment Council raised its stake in shares of Casey’s General Stores by 28.0% in the fourth quarter. South Dakota Investment Council now owns 10,065 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,988,000 after acquiring an additional 2,200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Casey’s General Stores in the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,224,000. 85.63% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Casey’s General Stores Trading Up 2.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ CASY opened at $426.00 on Thursday. Casey’s General Stores, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $306.45 and a fifty-two week high of $445.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.69, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.49. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $411.74 and its 200 day simple moving average is $402.14.

Casey’s General Stores (NASDAQ:CASY) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, March 11th. The company reported $2.33 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.57. Casey’s General Stores had a net margin of 3.57% and a return on equity of 17.17%. The company had revenue of $3.90 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.74 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.33 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Casey’s General Stores, Inc. will post 13.94 EPS for the current year.

Casey’s General Stores Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.47%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 1st. Casey’s General Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 13.94%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Gordon Haskett raised Casey’s General Stores from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Evercore ISI cut their price target 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. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Casey’s General Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 8th. BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $450.00 price objective (up previously from $400.00) on shares of Casey’s General Stores in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada set a $438.00 target price on shares of Casey’s General Stores and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $423.09.

Insider Transactions at Casey’s General Stores

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

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.