Axiom Investors LLC DE Sells 21,851 Shares of Casey’s General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY)

Axiom Investors LLC DE cut its holdings in Casey’s General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY) by 37.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 36,208 shares of the company’s stock after selling 21,851 shares during the quarter. Axiom Investors LLC DE’s holdings in Casey’s General Stores were worth $14,347,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Casey’s General Stores by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,799,104 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,505,319,000 after acquiring an additional 44,295 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its position in shares of Casey’s General Stores by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,046,830 shares of the company’s stock valued at $393,305,000 after purchasing an additional 38,226 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in Casey’s General Stores by 18.7% in the third 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 during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Casey’s General Stores by 1.3% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 655,488 shares of the company’s stock worth $246,335,000 after buying an additional 8,428 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Casey’s General Stores during the fourth quarter valued at $236,500,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.63% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related 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 price of $390.54 per share, for a total transaction of $99,978.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.56% of the company’s stock.

Casey’s General Stores Stock Performance

Shares of CASY stock opened at $432.00 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $16.04 billion, a PE ratio of 30.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.87. Casey’s General Stores, Inc. has a 52-week low of $306.45 and a 52-week high of $445.17. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $413.35 and a 200-day simple moving average of $403.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74.

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

Casey’s General Stores Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 1st will be issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 1st. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.46%. Casey’s General Stores’s payout ratio is 13.94%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on CASY shares. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on Casey’s General Stores from $460.00 to $450.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Royal Bank of Canada set a $438.00 price objective on Casey’s General Stores and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. StockNews.com downgraded Casey’s General Stores from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 8th. Gordon Haskett upgraded shares of Casey’s General Stores from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reiterated 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 investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Casey’s General Stores has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $423.09.

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.