Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. Trims Position in Casey’s General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY)

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. cut its holdings in Casey’s General Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:CASY) by 5.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,143 shares of the company’s stock after selling 67 shares during the period. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.’s holdings in Casey’s General Stores were worth $455,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Casey’s General Stores in the 4th quarter worth $236,500,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in Casey’s General Stores in the 4th quarter worth about $175,607,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in Casey’s General Stores by 160.1% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 428,201 shares of the company’s stock worth $169,666,000 after purchasing an additional 263,545 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in shares of Casey’s General Stores by 49.9% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 524,237 shares of the company’s stock valued at $204,861,000 after buying an additional 174,586 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in Casey’s General Stores by 18.7% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 758,804 shares of the company’s stock valued at $285,090,000 after purchasing an additional 119,350 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 85.63% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CASY has been the subject of several analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada set a $438.00 price target on shares of Casey’s General Stores and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 12th. Stephens upgraded Casey’s General Stores to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 7th. KeyCorp initiated coverage on Casey’s General Stores in a research note on Friday, April 11th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $500.00 target price for the company. Gordon Haskett raised shares of Casey’s General Stores from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Casey’s General Stores from $450.00 to $460.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Casey’s General Stores has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $430.33.

Insider Activity at Casey’s General Stores

In related news, Director Mike Spanos acquired 256 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The shares were 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 approximately $1,310,652.24. This represents a 8.26 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Katrina S. Lindsey sold 250 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $437.01, for a total transaction of $109,252.50. Following the sale, the insider now owns 2,443 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,067,615.43. This represents a 9.28 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.56% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Casey’s General Stores Trading Up 1.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ CASY opened at $454.23 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.74. Casey’s General Stores, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $313.67 and a fifty-two week high of $468.88. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $423.87 and its 200 day simple moving average is $414.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.49.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $1.76 by $0.57. The company had revenue of $3.90 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.74 billion. Casey’s General Stores had a return on equity of 17.17% and a net margin of 3.57%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter 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, analysts predict that Casey’s General Stores, Inc. will post 13.94 EPS for the current year.

Casey’s General Stores Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 1st will be given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.44%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 1st. Casey’s General Stores’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.94%.

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.