Casey’s Beats Expectations. The Stock Is Falling.

Casey’s recently was a Barron’s stock pick. (Courtesy Business Wire)

Key Points

• Casey’s General Stores reported second quarter earnings of $5.53 per share and revenue of $4.5 billion, exceeding analyst expectations.
• Same store sales increased by 3.3% from the prior year, driven by strong sales of prepared foods and traffic growth.
• The company projects 2026 earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization to rise 15% to 17%.

Casey’s General Stores beat expectations for second quarter earnings and raised its outlook, though the stock was falling in after-hours trading.

The company reported earnings of $5.53 a share and revenue of $4.5 billion. Same-store sales rose 3.3% from a year earlier.

Analysts expected the retailer to post earnings of $5.19 a share and revenue of $4.49 billion. Same-store sales were expected to rise 3.4%, according to FactSet.

Shares of Casey’s were down 1.5% in after-hours trading.

Casey’s said strong sales and traffic growth were driven by sales of prepared foods and a value proposition for shoppers.

It now projects 2026 earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization to rise 15% to 17% and it expects inside same-store sales to increase 3% to 4%. Casey’s sells fuel outside its stores and grocery, prepared foods, beverages, and other merchandise inside its locations.

Casey’s was a *Barron’*s stock pick earlier this month. The nation’s third-largest convenience store operator has a distribution network that means “it can serve far-flung Midwestern communities profitably in ways rivals cannot, giving the company a wider moat than most,” Barron’s reported.