Ames National Corp Takes Position in Casey’s General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY)

Ames National Corp bought a new position in shares of Casey’s General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 1,200 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $475,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in CASY. YANKCOM Partnership acquired a new position in shares of Casey’s General Stores in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Casey’s General Stores in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its holdings in shares of Casey’s General Stores by 24.2% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 149 shares of the company’s stock valued at $59,000 after buying an additional 29 shares during the period. Heck Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Casey’s General Stores in the 4th quarter valued at $79,000. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Casey’s General Stores by 32.9% in the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 210 shares of the company’s stock valued at $83,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.63% of the company’s stock.

Casey’s General Stores Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of NASDAQ CASY opened at $458.64 on Wednesday. Casey’s General Stores, Inc. has a twelve month low of $313.89 and a twelve month high of $474.97. 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 stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $439.64 and a 200-day simple moving average of $420.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.02 billion, a PE ratio of 31.96, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.70.

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

Casey’s General Stores Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 1st were issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 1st. Casey’s General Stores’s payout ratio is currently 13.94%.

Insider Activity

In other Casey’s General Stores news, Director Mike Spanos bought 256 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $390.54 per share, with a total value of $99,978.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,356 shares in the company, valued at $1,310,652.24. The trade was a 8.26% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Katrina S. Lindsey sold 250 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $437.01, for a total value of $109,252.50. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 2,443 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,067,615.43. This represents a 9.28% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.56% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on CASY shares. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Casey’s General Stores from $450.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. KeyCorp initiated coverage on shares of Casey’s General Stores in a report on Friday, April 11th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $500.00 target price on the stock. Stephens upgraded shares of Casey’s General Stores to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 7th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Casey’s General Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 8th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada set a $438.00 price target on shares of Casey’s General Stores and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $430.33.

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.