Casey's Announces Second 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 and six months ended October 31, 2023.

Second Quarter Key Highlights

  • Diluted EPS of $4.24, up 16% from the same period a year ago. Net income was $159 million, up 15%, and EBITDA1 was $306 million, up 13%, from the same period a year ago.
  • Inside same-store sales increased 2.9% compared to prior year, and 11.0% on a two-year stack basis, with an inside margin of 41.1%. Total inside gross profit increased 9.7% to $553.3 million compared to the prior year.
  • Same-store fuel gallons were flat (0.0%) compared to prior year with a fuel margin of 42.3 cents per gallon. Total fuel gross profit increased 8.6% to $308.8 million compared to the prior year.
  • Same-store operating expenses excluding credit card fees were up 2.1%, favorably impacted by a 2% reduction in same-store labor hours.
  • Casey's built or acquired 59 stores in the quarter and recently entered Texas, its 17th state, with a 22-store acquisition that closed in November.

"Due to the hard work of our team, Casey's delivered an outstanding second quarter highlighted by strong inside and fuel gross profit growth,” said Darren Rebelez, Chairman, President and CEO. “Inside same-store sales were driven by prepared food and dispensed beverage, with whole pies and bakery performing exceptionally well. Our fuel team continues to do an excellent job finding the right balance between gallon growth and gross profit margin, as evidenced by another strong fuel margin quarter while same-store gallons were flat. The team continued to effectively manage the stores by reducing same-store labor hours while growing the business at the same time.”

Earnings

 

Three Months Ended October 31,

 

Six Months Ended October 31,

 

2023

 

2022

 

2023

 

2022

Net income (in thousands)

$

158,782

 

$

137,555

 

$

328,019

 

$

290,487

Diluted earnings per share

$

4.24

 

$

3.67

 

$

8.76

 

$

7.75

EBITDA (in thousands)

$

305,858

 

$

271,735

 

$

622,757

 

$

564,714

For the quarter, net income, diluted EPS, and EBITDA were up compared to the same period a year ago primarily due to higher profitability inside the store and higher fuel margin partially offset by higher operating expenses due to operating 129 additional stores.

____________________

1 EBITDA is reconciled to net income below.

Inside

 

Three Months Ended October 31,

 

Six Months Ended October 31,

 

2023

 

2022

 

2023

 

2022

Inside sales (in thousands)

$

1,346,911

 

 

$

1,268,436

 

 

$

2,716,660

 

 

$

2,535,053

 

Inside same-store sales

 

2.9

%

 

 

7.9

%

 

 

4.2

%

 

 

7.0

%

Grocery and general merchandise same-store sales

 

1.7

%

 

 

6.9

%

 

 

3.5

%

 

 

6.1

%

Prepared food and dispensed beverage same-store sales

 

6.1

%

 

 

10.5

%

 

 

5.9

%

 

 

9.4

%

Inside gross profit (in thousands)

$

553,264

 

 

$

504,474

 

 

$

1,109,698

 

 

$

1,008,734

 

Inside margin

 

41.1

%

 

 

39.8

%

 

 

40.8

%

 

 

39.8

%

Grocery and general merchandise margin

 

34.0

%

 

 

33.3

%

 

 

34.0

%

 

 

33.6

%

Prepared food and dispensed beverage margin

 

59.0

%

 

 

56.7

%

 

 

58.6

%

 

 

56.2

%

Total inside sales were up 6.2% for the quarter driven by strong performance in the prepared food and dispensed beverage category, including whole pizza pies, bakery, and dispensed beverages as well as non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages in the grocery and general merchandise category. Inside margin was up 130 basis points compared to the same quarter a year ago, primarily due to softening of prepared food and dispensed beverage ingredient costs as well as increased sales of private label products.

Fuel2

 

Three Months Ended October 31,

 

Six Months Ended October 31,

 

2023

 

2022

 

2023

 

2022

Fuel gallons sold (in thousands)

 

730,439

 

 

 

702,043

 

 

 

1,444,429

 

 

 

1,391,510

 

Same-store gallons sold

 

%

 

 

0.3

%

 

 

0.2

%

 

(1.2

)%

Fuel gross profit (in thousands)

$

308,835

 

 

$

284,407

 

 

$

605,813

 

 

$

592,595

 

Fuel margin (cents per gallon, excluding credit card fees)

42.3

¢

 

40.5

¢

 

41.9

¢

 

42.6

¢

For the quarter, total fuel gallons sold increased 4.0% compared to the prior year primarily due to the store count increase, while same-store gallons were flat versus the prior year. The Company’s total fuel gross profit was up 8.6% versus the prior year. The Company sold $8.4 million in renewable fuel credits (RINs) in the second quarter, a decrease of $2.7 million from the same quarter in the prior year.

Operating Expenses

 

Three Months Ended October 31,

 

Six Months Ended October 31,

 

2023

 

2022

 

2023

 

2022

Operating expenses (in thousands)

$

579,703

 

 

$

539,207

 

 

$

1,140,558

 

 

$

1,082,478

 

Credit card fees (in thousands)

$

62,917

 

 

$

60,469

 

 

$

123,902

 

 

$

127,696

 

Same-store operating expenses excluding credit card fees

 

2.1

%

 

 

1.3

%

 

 

2.6

%

 

 

1.9

%

Operating expenses increased 7.5% during the second quarter. Over 3% of the increase is due to operating 129 more stores than prior year. Total same-store employee expense contributed to 1% of the increase, as the increase in labor rate was partially offset by a reduction in same-store labor hours. The Company also incurred higher variable incentive compensation, repair, maintenance, and insurance expense that composed 2% of the increase.

____________________

2 Fuel category does not include wholesale fuel activity, which is included in Other.

Expansion

 

Store Count

April 30, 2023

2,521

 

New store construction

13

 

Acquisitions

60

 

Acquisitions not opened

(5

)

Prior acquisitions opened

5

 

Closed

(2

)

October 31, 2023

2,592

 

Liquidity

At October 31, 2023, the Company had approximately $1.3 billion in available liquidity, consisting of approximately $410 million in cash and cash equivalents on hand and $900 million in available borrowing capacity on existing lines of credit.

Share Repurchase

During the second quarter, the Company repurchased approximately $30 million of shares. The Company has approximately $340 million remaining under its existing share repurchase authorization.

Dividend

At its December meeting, the Board of Directors approved a quarterly dividend of $0.43 per share. The dividend is payable February 15, 2024, to shareholders of record on February 1, 2024.

Fiscal 2024 Outlook

As a result of the strong financial performance and unit growth year-to-date, fiscal 2024 EBITDA growth is expected to be in-line with the long-term strategic plan's goal of 8% to 10%. The Company also expects to repurchase at least $100 million in shares throughout the fiscal year. Same-store inside sales are expected to increase 3.5% to 5%. Net interest expense is expected to be approximately $53 million. The tax rate is now expected to be approximately 23% to 25% for the year.

As discussed in the first quarter, the Company now expects to add at least 150 stores in fiscal 2024, more than the originally planned 110. As a result of this, total operating expenses are now expected to increase approximately 6% to 8%, though same-store operating expenses excluding credit card fees are expected to only increase approximately 3% for the year. Depreciation and amortization is now expected to be approximately $350 million for the year.

The Company is not updating its outlook for the following metrics. We expect inside margin improvement to approximately 40% to 41%. The Company expects same-store fuel gallons sold to be between negative 1% to positive 1%. The purchase of property and equipment is expected to be $500 to $550 million.

Casey’s General Stores, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income

(Dollars in thousands, except share and per share amounts)

(Unaudited)

 

 

Three Months Ended October 31,

 

Six Months Ended October 31,

 

2023

 

2022

 

2023

 

2022

Total revenue

$

4,064,400

 

$

3,978,575

 

$

7,933,651

 

$

8,433,219

Cost of goods sold (exclusive of depreciation and amortization, shown separately below)

 

3,178,839

 

 

3,167,633

 

 

6,170,336

 

 

6,786,027

Operating expenses

 

579,703

 

 

539,207

 

 

1,140,558

 

 

1,082,478

Depreciation and amortization

 

85,598

 

 

78,117

 

 

168,503

 

 

154,412

Interest, net

 

12,306

 

 

13,502

 

 

24,801

 

 

27,318

Income before income taxes

 

207,954

 

 

180,116

 

 

429,453

 

 

382,984

Federal and state income taxes

 

49,172

 

 

42,561

 

 

101,434

 

 

92,497

Net income

$

158,782

 

$

137,555

 

$

328,019

 

$

290,487

Net income per common share

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic

$

4.27

 

$

3.69

 

$

8.80

 

$

7.80

Diluted

$

4.24

 

$

3.67

 

$

8.76

 

$

7.75

Basic weighted average shares

 

37,227,932

 

 

37,277,080

 

 

37,264,442

 

 

37,250,580

Plus effect of stock compensation

 

203,143

 

 

246,679

 

 

187,811

 

 

215,335

Diluted weighted average shares

 

37,431,075

 

 

37,523,759

 

 

37,452,253

 

 

37,465,915

Casey’s General Stores, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

(Dollars in thousands)

(Unaudited)

 

 

October 31, 2023

 

April 30, 2023

Assets

 

 

 

Current assets

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

$

409,891

 

$

378,869

Receivables

 

146,976

 

 

120,547

Inventories

 

418,901

 

 

376,085

Prepaid expenses

 

32,800

 

 

22,107

Income taxes receivable

 

2,142

 

 

23,347

Total current assets

 

1,010,710

 

 

920,955

Other assets, net of amortization

 

204,458

 

 

192,153

Goodwill

 

619,667

 

 

615,342

Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation of $2,762,677 at October 31, 2023 and $2,620,149 at April 30, 2023

 

4,392,626

 

 

4,214,820

Total assets

$

6,227,461

 

$

5,943,270

Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity

 

 

 

Current liabilities

 

 

 

Current maturities of long-term debt and finance lease obligations

$

53,166

 

$

52,861

Accounts payable

 

601,310

 

 

560,546

Accrued expenses

 

295,350

 

 

313,718

Total current liabilities

 

949,826

 

 

927,125

Long-term debt and finance lease obligations, net of current maturities

 

1,596,786

 

 

1,620,513

Deferred income taxes

 

582,825

 

 

543,598

Insurance accruals, net of current portion

 

34,064

 

 

32,312

Other long-term liabilities

 

166,569

 

 

159,056

Total liabilities

 

3,330,070

 

 

3,282,604

Total shareholders’ equity

 

2,897,391

 

 

2,660,666

Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity

$

6,227,461

 

$

5,943,270

Casey’s General Stores, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(Dollars in thousands)

(Unaudited)

 

 

Six months ended October 31,

 

2023

 

2022

Cash flows from operating activities:

 

 

 

Net income

$

328,019

 

 

$

290,487

 

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:

 

 

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

168,503

 

 

 

154,412

 

Amortization of debt issuance costs

 

555

 

 

 

691

 

Change in excess replacement cost over LIFO inventory valuation

 

7,946

 

 

 

16,927

 

Share-based compensation

 

19,485

 

 

 

25,875

 

(Gain) loss on disposal of assets and impairment charges

 

(232

)

 

 

4,791

 

Deferred income taxes

 

39,353

 

 

 

25,284

 

Changes in assets and liabilities:

 

 

 

Receivables

 

(21,897

)

 

 

(49,463

)

Inventories

 

(44,714

)

 

 

(13,904

)

Prepaid expenses

 

(10,693

)

 

 

(9,875

)

Accounts payable

 

(10,400

)

 

 

(14,330

)

Accrued expenses

 

(20,925

)

 

 

6,224

 

Income taxes

 

21,992

 

 

 

46,707

 

Other, net

 

4,788

 

 

 

2,273

 

Net cash provided by operating activities

 

481,780

 

 

 

486,099

 

Cash flows from investing activities:

 

 

 

Purchase of property and equipment

 

(175,955

)

 

 

(177,327

)

Payments for acquisition of businesses, net of cash acquired

 

(139,359

)

 

 

(2,692

)

Proceeds from sales of assets

 

8,291

 

 

 

10,052

 

Net cash used in investing activities

 

(307,023

)

 

 

(169,967

)

Cash flows from financing activities:

 

 

 

Payments of long-term debt and finance lease obligations

 

(35,135

)

 

 

(17,302

)

Payments of cash dividends

 

(30,988

)

 

 

(27,292

)

Repurchase of common stock

 

(59,491

)

 

 

 

Tax withholdings on employee share-based awards

 

(18,121

)

 

 

(15,618

)

Net cash used in financing activities

 

(143,735

)

 

 

(60,212

)

Net increase in cash and cash equivalents

 

31,022

 

 

255,920

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of the period

 

378,869

 

 

158,878

Cash and cash equivalents at end of the period

$

409,891

 

$

414,798

SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURES OF CASH FLOWS INFORMATION

 

Six months ended October 31,

 

2023

 

2022

Cash paid during the period for:

 

 

 

Interest, net of amount capitalized

$

31,429

 

$

25,077

Income taxes, net

 

36,037

 

 

17,696

Noncash investing and financing activities:

 

 

 

Purchased property and equipment in accounts payable

 

78,684

 

 

59,236

Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for new finance lease liabilities

 

11,216

 

 

2,119

Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for new operating lease liabilities

 

8,273

 

 

1,163

Summary by Category (Amounts in thousands)

Three months ended October 31, 2023

Prepared Food

& Dispensed

Beverage

 

Grocery &

General

Merchandise

 

Fuel

 

Other

 

Total

Revenue

$

382,481

 

 

$

964,430

 

 

$

2,646,478

 

 

$

71,011

 

 

$

4,064,400

 

Gross profit

$

225,664

 

 

$

327,600

 

 

$

308,835

 

 

$

23,462

 

 

$

885,561

 

 

 

59.0

%

 

 

34.0

%

 

 

11.7

%

 

 

33.0

%

 

 

21.8

%

Fuel gallons sold

 

 

 

 

 

730,439

 

 

 

 

 

Three months ended October 31, 2022

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revenue

$

351,260

 

 

$

917,176

 

 

$

2,635,920

 

 

$

74,219

 

 

$

3,978,575

 

Gross profit

$

199,224

 

 

$

305,250

 

 

$

284,407

 

 

$

22,061

 

 

$

810,942

 

 

 

56.7

%

 

 

33.3

%

 

 

10.8

%

 

 

29.7

%

 

 

20.4

%

Fuel gallons sold

 

 

 

 

 

702,043

 

 

 

 

 

Summary by Category (Amounts in thousands)

Six months ended October 31, 2023

Prepared Food

& Dispensed

Beverage

 

Grocery &

General

Merchandise

 

Fuel

 

Other

 

Total

Revenue

$

755,294

 

 

$

1,961,366

 

 

$

5,073,811

 

 

$

143,180

 

 

$

7,933,651

 

Gross profit

$

442,525

 

 

$

667,173

 

 

$

605,813

 

 

$

47,804

 

 

$

1,763,315

 

 

 

58.6

%

 

 

34.0

%

 

 

11.9

%

 

 

33.4

%

 

 

22.2

%

Fuel gallons sold

 

 

 

 

 

1,444,429

 

 

 

 

 

Six months ended October 31, 2022

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revenue

$

694,813

 

 

$

1,840,240

 

 

$

5,732,262

 

 

$

165,904

 

 

$

8,433,219

 

Gross profit

$

390,177

 

 

$

618,557

 

 

$

592,595

 

 

$

45,863

 

 

$

1,647,192

 

 

 

56.2

%

 

 

33.6

%

 

 

10.3

%

 

 

27.6

%

 

 

19.5

%

Fuel gallons sold

 

 

 

 

 

1,391,510

 

 

 

 

 

Prepared Food & Dispensed Beverage

 

Prepared Food & Dispensed Beverage

Same-store Sales

Margin

 

Q1

 

Q2

 

Q3

 

Q4

 

Fiscal

Year

 

Q1

 

Q2

 

Q3

 

Q4

 

Fiscal

Year

F2024

5.9

%

 

6.1

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

F2024

58.2

%

 

59.0

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

F2023

8.4

 

 

10.5

 

 

5.0

%

 

4.9

%

 

7.1

%

F2023

55.6

 

 

56.7

 

 

57.3

%

 

56.8

%

 

56.6

%

F2022

10.8

 

 

4.1

 

 

7.4

 

 

7.6

 

 

7.4

 

F2022

61.0

 

 

60.6

 

 

58.0

 

 

56.9

 

 

59.2

 

Grocery & General Merchandise

 

Grocery & General Merchandise

Same-store Sales

Margin

 

Q1

 

Q2

 

Q3

 

Q4

 

Fiscal

Year

 

Q1

 

Q2

 

Q3

 

Q4

 

Fiscal

Year

F2024

5.2

%

 

1.7

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

F2024

34.1

%

 

34.0

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

F2023

5.5

 

 

6.9

 

 

5.8

%

 

7.1

%

 

6.3

%

F2023

33.9

 

 

33.3

 

 

34.0

%

 

33.0

%

 

33.6

%

F2022

7.0

 

 

6.8

 

 

7.7

 

 

4.3

 

 

6.3

 

F2022

33.0

 

 

33.3

 

 

32.0

 

 

32.5

 

 

32.7

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fuel Gallons

 

Fuel Margin

Same-store Sales

(Cents per gallon, excluding credit card fees)

 

Q1

 

Q2

 

Q3

 

Q4

 

Fiscal

Year

 

Q1

 

Q2

 

Q3

 

Q4

 

Fiscal

Year

F2024

0.4

%

 

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

F2024

41.6

¢

 

42.3

¢

 

 

 

 

 

 

F2023

(2.3

)

 

0.3

 

 

(0.5

)%

 

%

 

(0.8

)%

F2023

44.7

 

 

40.5

 

 

40.7

¢

 

34.6

¢

 

40.2

¢

F2022

9.0

 

 

2.5

 

 

5.7

 

 

1.5

 

 

4.4

 

F2022

35.1

 

 

34.7

 

 

38.3

 

 

36.2

 

 

36.0

 

RECONCILIATION OF NET INCOME TO EBITDA AND ADJUSTED EBITDA

We define EBITDA as net income before net interest expense, income taxes, depreciation and amortization. Adjusted EBITDA further adjusts EBITDA by excluding the gain or loss on disposal of assets as well as impairment charges. Neither EBITDA nor Adjusted EBITDA are considered GAAP measures, and should not be considered as a substitute for net income, cash flows from operating activities or other income or cash flow statement data. These measures have limitations as analytical tools, and should not be considered in isolation or as substitutes 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 and Adjusted EBITDA are useful to investors in evaluating our operating performance because securities analysts and other interested parties use such calculations as a measure of financial performance and debt service capabilities, and they are 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 and Adjusted 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 these non-GAAP financial measures with those used by other companies.

The following table contains a reconciliation of net income to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA for the three and six months ended October 31, 2023 and 2022:

(in thousands)

Three Months Ended October 31,

 

Six Months Ended October 31,

 

2023

 

2022

 

2023

 

2022

Net income

$

158,782

 

$

137,555

 

$

328,019

 

 

$

290,487

Interest, net

 

12,306

 

 

13,502

 

 

24,801

 

 

 

27,318

Federal and state income taxes

 

49,172

 

 

42,561

 

 

101,434

 

 

 

92,497

Depreciation and amortization

 

85,598

 

 

78,117

 

 

168,503

 

 

 

154,412

EBITDA

 

305,858

 

 

271,735

 

 

622,757

 

 

 

564,714

Loss (gain) on disposal of assets and impairment charges

 

1,216

 

 

4,561

 

 

(232

)

 

 

4,791

Adjusted EBITDA

$

307,074

 

$

276,296

 

$

622,525

 

 

$

569,505

NOTES:

  • Gross Profit is defined as revenue less cost of goods sold (exclusive of 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, 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 the conflict in Ukraine 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 December 11, 2023. The call will be broadcast live over the Internet at 7:30 a.m. CST. To access the call, go to the Events and Presentations section of our website at https://investor.caseys.com/events-and-presentations/default.aspx. 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-and-presentations/default.aspx for one year after the call.

Contacts

Investor Relations Contact:

Brian Johnson (515) 965-6587

Media Relations Contact:

Katie Petru (515) 446-6772

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