Casey's Announces First Quarter Results
Casey's Announces First Quarter Results
Casey’s General Stores, Inc. ("Casey's" or the "Company") (Nasdaq: CASY) one of the leading convenience store chains in the United States, today announced financial results for the three months ended July 31, 2026.
First Quarter Key Highlights
* Diluted EPS of $7.37 up 27.7% from the same period a year ago. Net income was $273.7 million, up 27.1% from the prior year, and EBITDA(1) was $485.1 million, up 17.1%, from the same period a year ago.
* Inside same-store sales increased 3.2% compared to prior year, and 7.7% on a two-year stack basis, with an inside margin of 42.2%. Total inside gross profit increased 6.3% to $749.8 million compared to the prior year.
* Fuel same-store gallons sold were down 0.3% compared to prior year, and positive 1.4% on a two-year stack basis, with a fuel margin of 47.8 cents per gallon. Total fuel gross profit increased 19.6% to $446.9 million compared to the prior year.
- Casey's released its new three-year strategic plan in June.
"We are off to a great start on our three-year strategic plan, highlighted by a nearly 28% increase in diluted EPS,” said Darren Rebelez, Chairman, President and CEO. “Guests are responding well to our compelling value proposition on our high-quality prepared food, especially in whole pies. On the fuel side, our team's robust capabilities helped us navigate a volatile environment and produced strong results. The operations team delivered an exceptional guest experience during our busiest quarter of the year. We accomplished all of this while running ahead of schedule on our integration of the Fikes acquisition."
Earnings
Three Months Ended July 31, 20262025 Net income (in thousands)$ 273,720$ 215,355 Diluted earnings per share$ 7.37$ 5.77 EBITDA (in thousands)$ 485,083$ 414,270
For the quarter, net income, diluted EPS, and EBITDA increased compared to the same period a year ago due to higher inside and fuel gross profit, partially offset by higher operating expenses. _____________________________ (1) EBITDA is reconciled to net income below.
Inside
| Three Months Ended July 31, | 2026 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Inside sales (in thousands) | $1,777,541 | $1,683,817 |
| Inside same-store sales | 3.2% | 4.3% |
| Grocery and general merchandise same-store sales | 2.7% | 3.8% |
| Prepared food and dispensed beverage same-store sales | 4.8% | 5.6% |
| Inside gross profit (in thousands) | $749,809 | $705,466 |
| Inside margin | 42.2% | 41.9% |
| Grocery and general merchandise margin | 35.6% | 35.9% |
| Prepared food and dispensed beverage margin | 59.3% | 58.0% |
Total inside sales for the quarter were up 5.6% compared to the prior year. Prepared food and dispensed beverage same-store sales was driven primarily by positive traffic, led by whole pizzas, while grocery and general merchandise same-store sales had excellent performance in non-alcoholic beverages. Inside margin was up approximately 30 basis points compared to the same quarter a year ago, benefitting primarily from favorable mix shift and cost of goods management.
Fuel(2)
Three Months Ended July 31, 20262025 Fuel gallons sold (in thousands)934,212911,780 Same-store gallons sold(0.3)%1.7 % Fuel gross profit (in thousands)$ 446,929$ 373,554 Fuel margin (cents per gallon, excluding credit card fees)47.8 ¢41.0 ¢
For the quarter, total fuel gallons sold increased 2.5% compared to the prior year due to the store count increase, slightly offset by a modest decrease in same-store gallons sold. The Company’s total fuel gross profit was up 19.6% versus the prior year, due to an increase in gallons sold as well as fuel margin. _____________________________ (2) Fuel category does not include wholesale fuel or terminal activity, which is included in Other.
Operating Expenses
Three Months Ended July 31, 20262025 Operating expenses (in thousands)$ 754,111$ 698,176 Credit card fees (in thousands)$ 85,709$ 71,704 Same-store operating expenses excluding credit card fees5.0 %3.0 %
Operating expenses increased 8.0% during the first quarter. Operating 64 more stores than prior year accounted for approximately 2% of the increase. Same-store credit card fees added approximately 1.5% of the increase. Same-store employee expense contributed to approximately 1% of the increase, primarily due to increases in labor rates, while same-store labor hours were nearly flat. Insurance was responsible for approximately 1% of the increase.
Expansion
Store Count Stores at April 30, 20262,944 New store construction9 Acquisitions12 Closed or divested(6) Stores at July 31, 20262,959
Liquidity
At July 31, 2026, the Company had approximately $1.4 billion in available liquidity, consisting of approximately $524 million in cash and cash equivalents on hand and approximately $857 million in available borrowing capacity on existing lines of credit.
Share Repurchase
During the quarter, the Company repurchased approximately $45.6 million of shares. The Company has approximately $973 million remaining under its existing share repurchase authorization.
Dividend
At its September meeting, the Board of Directors approved a quarterly dividend of $0.65 per share. The dividend is payable November 13, 2026, to shareholders of record on November 1, 2026.
Fiscal 2027 Outlook
The Company's fiscal 2027 outlook previously disclosed remains unchanged. Casey's expects the following performance during fiscal 2027. The Company expects inside same-store sales to increase 2% to 5% with an inside margin above 42%. The Company expects same-store fuel gallons sold to be negative 1% to positive 1%. Total operating expenses are expected to increase approximately 5% to 7%. The Company expects EBITDA to increase 8% to 10%, which would imply 35% on a two-year stack basis at the midpoint of the range.
The Company expects to open at least 120 stores in fiscal 2027 through a mix of M&A and new store construction. Net interest expense is expected to be approximately $95 million. Depreciation and amortization is expected to be approximately $490 million and the purchase of property and equipment is expected to be approximately $800 million. The tax rate is expected to be approximately 24% to 26% for the year. Casey’s General Stores, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income
(Amounts in thousands, except share and per share amounts)
| (Unaudited) Three Months Ended July 31, | 2026 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Total revenue | $5,678,336 | $4,567,106 |
| Cost of goods sold (excluding depreciation and amortization, shown separately | 4,439,142 | 3,454,660 |
| below) Operating expenses | 754,111 | 698,176 |
| Depreciation and amortization | 115,994 | 108,963 |
| Interest, net | 22,059 | 26,850 |
| Income before income taxes | 347,030 | 278,457 |
| Federal and state income taxes | 73,310 | 63,102 |
| Net income | $273,720 | $215,355 |
| Net income per common share Basic | $7.40 | $5.80 |
| Diluted | $7.37 | $5.77 |
| Basic weighted average shares | 36,965,113 | 37,148,383 |
| Plus dilutive effect of share-based compensation | 177,144 | 203,697 |
| Diluted weighted average shares | 37,142,257 | 37,352,080 |
Casey’s General Stores, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Dollars in thousands) (Unaudited) July 31, 2026April 30, 2026 Assets Current assets Cash and cash equivalents$ 524,059$ 522,991 Receivables245,837243,502 Inventories557,968557,151 Prepaid and other current assets60,99729,783 Income taxes receivable—10,585 Total current assets1,388,8611,364,012 Operating lease right-of-use assets, net430,740432,640 Other assets, net of amortization137,685121,249 Goodwill1,284,2161,268,686 Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation of $3,546,531 at July5,879,7615,749,468 31, 2026 and $3,444,442 at April 30, 2026 Total assets$ 9,121,263$ 8,936,055 Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity Current liabilities Current maturities of long-term debt and finance lease obligations$ 104,323$ 101,357 Accounts payable853,659823,804 Accrued expenses and current portion of operating lease liabilities377,013425,445 Income taxes payable28,618— Total current liabilities1,363,6131,350,606 Long-term debt and finance lease obligations, net of current maturities2,326,2002,330,237 Deferred income taxes772,640739,843 Operating lease liabilities, net of current portion457,625459,284 Insurance accruals, net of current portion32,16732,140 Other long-term liabilities75,10572,226 Total liabilities5,027,3504,984,336 Total shareholders’ equity4,093,9133,951,719 Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity$ 9,121,263$ 8,936,055
Casey’s General Stores, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(Dollars in thousands) (Unaudited) Three months ended July 31, 20262025 Cash flows from operating activities: Net income$ 273,720$ 215,355 Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities: Depreciation and amortization115,994108,963 Amortization of debt issuance costs516516 Change in excess replacement cost over LIFO inventory valuation1,0948,327 Share-based compensation16,93015,221 Loss on disposal of assets and impairment charges2,222561 Deferred income taxes32,79747,457 Changes in assets and liabilities: Receivables(7,304)(15,873) Inventories(577)(6,868) Prepaid and other current assets(31,214)(20,040) Accounts payable6,38135,019 Accrued expenses(50,257)(25,729) Income taxes39,7615,595 Other, net(15,991)3,913 Net cash provided by operating activities384,072372,417 Cash flows from investing activities: Purchase of property and equipment(194,395)(110,046) Payments for acquisition of businesses, net of cash acquired(43,904)(9,495) Proceeds from sales of assets3,57817,499 Net cash used in investing activities(234,721)(102,042) Cash flows from financing activities: Proceeds from long-term debt42,625— Payments of long-term debt and finance lease obligations(45,207)(42,163) Payments of cash dividends(22,283)(19,655) Repurchase of common stock and payment of related excise taxes(44,856)(31,251) Tax withholdings on employee share-based awards(78,562)(45,895) Net cash used in financing activities(148,283)(138,964) Net increase in cash and cash equivalents1,068131,411 Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of the period522,991326,662 Cash and cash equivalents at end of the period$ 524,059$ 458,073
SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURES OF CASH FLOWS INFORMATION
Three months ended July 31, 20262025 Cash paid during the period for: Interest, net of amount capitalized$ 22,498$ 26,896 Income taxes, net75110,050 Noncash activities: Purchased property and equipment in accounts payable114,08864,905 Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for new finance lease liabilities1,1884,448 Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for new operating lease liabilities4,133—
Summary by Category (Amounts in thousands) Three Months Ended July 31, 2026 Prepared Food Grocery & Fuel Other Total
& Dispensed General
| Beverage Merchandise Revenue | $492,580 | $1,284,961 | $3,724,798 | $175,997 | $5,678,336 | |||||
| Gross profit | $291,971 | $457,838 | $446,929 | $42,456 | $1,239,194 | 59.3% | 35.6% | 12.0% | 24.1% | 21.8% |
| Fuel gallons sold | 934,212 | |||||||||
| Three Months Ended July 31, | 2025 | |||||||||
| Revenue | $458,434 | $1,225,383 | $2,733,659 | $149,630 | $4,567,106 | |||||
| Gross profit | $265,983 | $439,483 | $373,554 | $33,426 | $1,112,446 | 58.0% | 35.9% | 13.7% | 22.3% | 24.4% |
| Fuel gallons sold | 911,780 |
| Prepared Food & Dispensed Beverage | Prepared Food & Dispensed Beverage | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Same-store Sales | Margin | ||||||||
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Fiscal | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Fiscal |
| Year Year F2027 | 4.8% | ||||
| F2027 | 59.3% | ||||
| F2026 | 5.6 | 4.8% | 4.3% | 6.6% | 5.2% |
| F2026 | 58.0 | 58.6% | 58.3% | 59.5% | 58.6% |
| F2025 | 4.4 | 5.2 | 4.7 | 1.5 | 3.5 |
| F2025 | 58.3 | 58.7 | 57.8 | 57.8 | 58.2 |
| Grocery & General Merchandise Grocery & General Merchandise Same-store Sales Margin Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Fiscal Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Fiscal | |||||
| Year Year F2027 | 2.7% | ||||
| F2027 | 35.6% | ||||
| F2026 | 3.8 | 2.7% | 4.0% | 5.1% | 3.9% |
| F2026 | 35.9 | 36.0% | 35.7% | 35.7% | 35.8% |
| F2025 | 1.6 | 3.6 | 3.3 | 1.8 | 2.3 |
| F2025 | 35.4 | 35.6 | 34.2 | 34.8 | 35.0 |
| Fuel Gallons Fuel Margin Same-store Sales (Cents per gallon, excluding credit card fees) Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Fiscal Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Fiscal | |||||
| Year Year F2027 | (0.3)% | ||||
| F2027 | 47.8 | ||||
| ¢ F2026 | 1.7 | 0.8% | 0.4% | 1.5% | 1.4% |
| F2026 | 41.0 | 41.6 | |||
| ¢ | 41.0 | ||||
| ¢ | 46.9 | ||||
| ¢ | 42.6 | ||||
| ¢ F2025 | 0.7 | (0.6) | 1.8 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
| F2025 | 40.7 | 40.2 | 36.4 | 37.6 | 38.7 |
RECONCILIATION OF NET INCOME TO EBITDA
We define EBITDA as net income before net interest expense, income taxes, and depreciation and amortization. EBITDA is not considered to be a GAAP measure, and should not be considered as a substitute for net income, cash flows from operating activities or other income or cash flow statement data. This measure has limitations as an analytical tool, and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our results as reported under GAAP. We strongly encourage investors to review our financial statements and publicly filed reports in their entirety and not to rely on any single financial measure.
We believe EBITDA is useful to investors in evaluating our operating performance because securities analysts and other interested parties use this calculation as a measure of financial performance and debt service capabilities, and it is regularly used by the Company for internal purposes including our capital budgeting process, evaluating acquisition targets, assessing performance, and awarding incentive compensation.
Because non-GAAP financial measures are not standardized, EBITDA, as defined by us, may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies. It therefore may not be possible to compare our use of this non-GAAP financial measure with those used by other companies.
The following table contains a reconciliation of net income to EBITDA for the three months ended July 31, 2026 and 2025:
(in thousands)Three Months Ended July 31, 20262025 Net income$ 273,720$ 215,355 Interest, net22,05926,850 Federal and state income taxes73,31063,102 Depreciation and amortization115,994108,963 EBITDA$ 485,083$ 414,270
NOTES:
* Gross profit is defined as revenue less cost of goods sold (excluding depreciation and amortization)
* Inside is defined as the combination of grocery and general merchandise and prepared food and dispensed beverage
This release contains statements that may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including those related to expectations for future periods, possible or assumed future results of operations, financial conditions, liquidity and related sources or needs, business and/or integration strategies, plans and synergies, supply chain, growth opportunities, and performance at our stores. There are a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from any results expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements, including but not limited to the execution of our strategic plan, the integration and financial performance of acquired stores, wholesale fuel, inventory and ingredient costs, distribution challenges and disruptions, the impact and duration of conflicts in oil producing regions or other geopolitical disruptions, as well as other risks, uncertainties and factors which are described in the Company’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available on our website. Any forward-looking statements contained in this release represent our current views as of the date of this release with respect to future events, and Casey’s disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements in the release whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
Corporate information is available at this website: https://www.caseys.com . Earnings will be reported during a conference call on September 9, 2026. The call will be broadcast live over the Internet at 7:30 a.m. CDT. To access the call, go to the Events and Presentations section of our website at https://investor.caseys.com/events-presentations . No access code is required. A webcast replay of the call will remain available in an archived format on the Events and Presentations section of our website at https://investor.caseys.com/events-presentations for one year after the call.
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