How much a stock's price changes over time is important for most investors, since price performance can both impact your investment portfolio and help you compare investment results across sectors and industries.
Another factor that can influence investors is FOMO, or the fear of missing out, especially with tech giants and 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 19 states, mainly Iowa, Missouri and Illinois. As of Jan. 31, 2026 the company operated approximately 2,924 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 Jan. 31, 2026, 236 store locations offered car washes. All but six Casey's Stores provide 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 (61.3% of fiscal 2025 total revenues), Grocery & General Merchandise (26%) and Prepared Food & Dispensed Beverage (10.3%). Other category accounts for 2.6% 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
Putting together a successful investment portfolio takes a combination of research, patience, and a little bit of risk. For Casey's General Stores, if you bought shares a decade ago, you're likely feeling really good about your investment today.
According to our calculations, a $1000 investment made in May 2016 would be worth $7,340.63, or a gain of 634.06%, as of May 1, 2026, and this return excludes dividends but includes price increases.
In comparison, the S&P 500's gained 249.05% and the price of gold went up 256.92% over the same time frame.
Going forward, analysts are expecting more upside for CASY.
Casey's shows strong growth momentum, supported by resilient inside sales, driven by prepared foods, beverages and high-margin grocery categories. Effective pricing, product innovation and a favorable product mix continue to enhance margins and customer traffic. We anticipate inside gross margin to expand 60 basis points year over year in fiscal 2026. The fuel segment is outperforming industry trends, strengthening market share and profitability despite price fluctuations. The Fikes/CEFCO acquisition is boosting scale, operational efficiency and long-term growth potential, supported by integration synergies. Casey's strong cash flow generation and stable financial position provide flexibility for investments, expansion, and shareholder returns, reinforcing confidence in its sustained growth trajectory and overall business strength.
The stock has jumped 10.59% over the past four weeks. Additionally, no earnings estimate has gone lower in the past two months, compared to 4 higher, for fiscal 2026; the consensus estimate has moved up as well.
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Casey's General Stores, Inc. (CASY): Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).