How much a stock's price changes over time is a significant driver for most investors. Not only can price performance impact your portfolio, but it can help you compare investment results across sectors and industries as well.

The fear of missing out, or FOMO, also plays a factor in investing, especially with particular tech giants, as well as popular consumer-facing stocks.

What if you'd invested in Casey's General Stores (CASY) ten years ago? It may not have been easy to hold on to CASY for all that time, but if you did, how much would your investment be worth today?

Casey's General Stores' Business In-Depth

With that in mind, let's take a look at Casey's General Stores' main business drivers.

Founded in 1959 and based in Ankeny, IA, Casey's General Stores, Inc. operates convenience stores under the Casey's and Casey's General Store names in 16 states, mainly Iowa, Missouri and Illinois. As of July 31, 2024, the company operated 2,674 stores.

Casey's offers a comprehensive range of products and services to meet the needs of its customers. In addition to fuel, the stores provide a wide variety of merchandise, including groceries, prepared food, snacks, beverages, tobacco products, health and beauty aids, school supplies, housewares, pet supplies and automotive supplies. Casey's is known for its signature made-from-scratch pizza, which has gained a dedicated following among customers. As of Apr 30, 2024, 233 store locations offered car washes . All but eight Casey's Stores offer fuel for sale on a self-service basis.

Casey's has also made significant strides in embracing digital technologies to enhance customer experiences. The company offers a mobile app and online ordering capabilities, allowing customers to easily order food, locate stores, and access exclusive deals and promotions.

The company primarily derives revenues under three categories — Fuel (63.3% of FY24 total revenues), Grocery & General Merchandise (25.1% of FY24 total revenues) and Prepared Food & Dispensed Beverage (9.8% of FY24 total revenues). Other category accounts for 1.8% of total revenues. Three distribution centers are in operation (in Ankeny, Iowa adjacent to the Store Support Center, in Terre Haute, Indiana and in Joplin, Missouri) from which grocery and general merchandise items as well as prepared food and dispensed beverage items are supplied to stores.

Bottom Line

Anyone can invest, but building a successful investment portfolio takes a combination of a few things: research, patience, and a little bit of risk. So, if you had invested in Casey's General Stores a decade ago, you're probably feeling pretty good about your investment today.

According to our calculations, a $1000 investment made in October 2014 would be worth $5,094.50, or a gain of 409.45%, as of October 18, 2024, and this return excludes dividends but includes price increases.

In comparison, the S&P 500 gained 209.60% and the price of gold went up 108.95% over the same time frame.

Analysts are forecasting more upside for CASY too.

Casey’s delivered strong performance in the first quarter of fiscal 2025, with inside sales rising 7.6%, driven by strong demand for prepared foods and beverages. Growth in grocery and general merchandise sales highlights the company's ability to cater to consumer preferences. Operational efficiency efforts boosted inside gross profit by 10.4% to $614.3 million, with improved margins from effective cost management. Strategic acquisitions like Fikes and CEFCO are expected to fuel further growth. Casey’s robust cash flow and financial flexibility provide a solid foundation for expansion. However, rising operating expenses, which increased 8.7%, and pressure on fuel margins could impact profitability. We expect operating expenses to rise 8% in fiscal 2025. Also, soft store traffic and stiff competition is presenting risks to its growth.

Over the past four weeks, shares have rallied 5.98%, and there have been 3 higher earnings estimate revisions in the past two months for fiscal 2024 compared to none lower. The consensus estimate has moved up as well.

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