Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. Reduces Stock Position in Casey’s General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY)

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. cut its holdings in shares of Casey’s General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY) by 2.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,968 shares of the company’s stock after selling 144 shares during the quarter. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Casey’s General Stores were worth $1,968,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new stake in Casey’s General Stores during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Endeavor Private Wealth Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Casey’s General Stores in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Casey’s General Stores by 941.7% in the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 125 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Casey’s General Stores by 22.5% in the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 158 shares of the company’s stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased 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 acquiring an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. 85.63% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Casey’s General Stores news, insider Katrina S. Lindsey sold 450 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was 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 owns 2,247 shares in the company, valued at approximately $959,761.11. The trade was a 16.69 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Mike Spanos acquired 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 23rd. The stock was purchased 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 in the company, valued at approximately $1,228,765.72. This represents a 19.25 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.56% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Casey’s General Stores Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of CASY stock opened at $432.17 on Tuesday. 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 1 year low of $279.99 and a 1 year high of $439.68. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $408.95 and a two-hundred day moving average of $394.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.04 billion, a PE ratio of 30.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.83.

Casey’s General Stores (NASDAQ:CASY) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, December 9th. The company reported $4.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $3.95 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.03 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $4.24 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Casey’s General Stores, Inc. will post 13.94 EPS for the current year.

Casey’s General Stores Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, February 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, February 3rd. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.46%. Casey’s General Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.94%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on CASY shares. StockNews.com downgraded Casey’s General Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Casey’s General Stores from $460.00 to $470.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $450.00 price target (up from $400.00) on shares of Casey’s General Stores in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Gordon Haskett assumed coverage on Casey’s General Stores in a report on Monday, November 4th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $400.00 price target for the company. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on Casey’s General Stores from $451.00 to $454.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Casey’s General Stores currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.