UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM 8-K

 

 

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): September 3, 2008

 

 

CASEY’S GENERAL STORES, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

Iowa

(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)

 

0-12788		42-0935283
(Commission File Number)		(IRS Employer Identification No.)

 

One Convenience Blvd., Ankeny, Iowa		50021
(Address of principal executive Offices)		(Zip Code)

515/965-6100

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

NONE

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

 

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

 

¨	Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

 

¨	Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

 

¨	Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CF 240.14d-2(b))

 

¨	Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

 

 

 

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Item 2.02.

Results of Operations and Financial Condition.

On September 3, 2008, Casey’s General Stores, Inc. issued a press release announcing its financial results for the first fiscal quarter ended July 31, 2008. A copy of the Company’s press release is attached as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated herein by reference.

 

Item 9.01.

Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(c) Exhibits.

The exhibit accompanying this report is listed in the Exhibit Index attached hereto.

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SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, hereunto duly authorized.

 

		CASEY’S GENERAL STORES, INC.
Date: September 3, 2008		By:		/s/ William J. Walljasper
				William J. Walljasper
				Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

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EXHIBIT INDEX

The following exhibits are filed herewith:

 

Exhibit		Description
99.1		Press Release of Casey’s General Stores, Inc. dated September 3, 2008

Exhibit 99.1

 

Casey’s General Stores, Inc. One Convenience Blvd. Ankeny, IA 50021						Nasdaq Symbol CASY CONTACT Bill Walljasper (515) 965-6505

Casey’s Reports Solid First Quarter

Ankeny, Iowa, September 3, 2008—Casey’s General Stores, Inc. (Nasdaq symbol CASY) today reported earnings per share from continuing operations of $0.57 for the first quarter of fiscal 2009 ended July 31, 2008. Total sales rose 22.4% from the previous first quarter to $1.6 billion, and gross profit increased 5.7% to $199 million. “The results include a charge of $2.6 million related to flood damages. If these costs were eliminated, our earnings would have exceeded the record high $0.59 we reported a year ago,” said President and CEO Robert J. Myers. “We achieved excellent growth in a challenging economy, and our results give us a solid start toward our fiscal 2009 performance goals.”

Gasoline—Casey’s annual goal is to increase same-store gasoline gallons sold 2% with an average margin of 10.8 cents per gallon. The quarter’s same-store gallons sold were up .5% with an average margin of 15.6 cents per gallon, close to the previous first quarter’s all-time high of 15.8 cents. The average retail price per gallon was $3.77, up 26.1% from the same period a year ago. Myers stated, “Customer counts remained positive, but high retail prices continued to have an impact on gallons sold.” Total gallons sold rose to 317.9 million from 313.4 million; gross profit was $49.6 million compared with $49.5 million.

Grocery & Other Merchandise—The Company’s goal is to increase same-store sales 7% with an average margin of 33.2%. The quarter’s same-store sales were up 4.7%, total sales were up 5.5% to $274 million, and the average margin was above goal at 34%. Gross profit rose 5.7% to $93.3 million. “Despite increased cost pressures, we were able to maintain the margin we achieved the previous first quarter,” said Myers. “We were encouraged by the traffic inside our stores, especially in light of the adverse weather that held back sales in the first part of the quarter.”

Prepared Food & Fountain—The goal is to increase same-store sales 6.8% with an average margin of 61.2%. Same-store sales were up 12.3%, total sales rose 13.4% to $85.6 million, and the average margin was 60.5%. “Casey’s prepared foods are destination items for our customers, and we make sure our warmers are full of the products they want when they want them,” Myers stated. “Higher prices for cheese and other commodities affected our margin; nevertheless, we increased gross profit 11.3% to $51.8 million. We are confident of our core strategies for managing this category. We will continue to test new menu offerings and marketing initiatives throughout the year and use point-of-sale data to assess their impact.”

Operating Expenses—Though credit card fees rose over 34%, the Company held its increase in operating expenses to 8.9%. “Without the flood damages, operating expenses would have been up only 6.8%,” said Myers. “We are pleased that our ongoing focus on containing costs is keeping the increase in single digits.”

Expansion—The goal for fiscal 2009 is to increase the total number of Casey’s stores 4%. By the end of the first quarter, the Company had opened 7 stores. All of the openings were acquisitions of existing stores.

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“We know acquisitions are a cost-effective way to grow, and we will continue to pursue these opportunities,” Myers stated. “New-store construction will accelerate in the coming months as we roll out our new store design, developed specifically to accommodate more customer traffic, make our service areas more appealing, and enhance the sale of high-margin items.”

Dividend—At its September meeting, the Board of Directors declared a quarterly dividend of $0.075 per share, reflecting the increase approved in June. The dividend is payable November 17, 2008 to shareholders of record on November 3, 2008.

****

 

		Casey’s General Stores, Inc. Condensed Consolidated Statements of Earnings (Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts) (Unaudited)

 

		Three months ended July 31,
		2008			2007
Total revenue		$	1,565,724		$	1,279,342
Cost of goods sold (exclusive of depreciation and amortization, shown separately below)			1,366,701			1,090,993
Gross profit			199,023			188,349
Operating expenses			132,579			121,714
Depreciation and amortization			17,462			16,196
Interest, net			2,563			2,345
Earnings from continuing operations before income taxes and loss on discontinued operations			46,419			48,094
Federal and state income taxes			17,624			18,143
Earnings from continuing operations before loss on discontinued operations			28,795			29,951
Loss on discontinued operations, net of tax benefit of $7 and $112			10			175
Net earnings		$	28,785		$	29,776
Basic
Earnings from continuing operations before loss on discontinued operations		$	.57		$	.59
Loss on discontinued operations			—			—
Net earnings		$	.57		$	.59
Diluted
Earnings from continuing operations before loss on discontinued operations		$	.57		$	.59
Loss on discontinued operations			—			—
Net earnings		$	.57		$	.59

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Casey’s General Stores, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

(Dollars in thousands)

(Unaudited)

 

		July 31, 2008			April 30, 2008
Assets
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents		$	171,470		$	154,523
Receivables			20,938			16,662
Inventories			139,306			124,503
Prepaid expenses			9,955			9,817
Income taxes receivable			—			7,751
Total current assets			341,669			313,256
Other assets, net of amortization			9,317			8,898
Goodwill			49,208			48,308
Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation of $609,957 at July 31, 2008, and of $595,316 at April 30, 2008			856,748			848,738
Total assets		$	1,256,942		$	1,219,200
Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity
Current liabilities
Current maturities of long-term debt		$	34,932		$	34,383
Accounts payable			175,798			163,343
Accrued expenses			64,038			61,373
Income taxes payable			4,255			—
Total current liabilities			279,023			259,099
Long-term debt, net of current maturities			169,629			181,443
Deferred income taxes			108,613			105,959
Deferred compensation			10,610			10,201
Other long-term liabilities			15,730			15,026
Total liabilities			583,605			571,728
Total shareholders’ equity			673,337			647,472
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity		$	1,256,942		$	1,219,200

Certain statements in this news release, including any discussion of management expectations for future periods, constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by those statements. Casey’s disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

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Sales and Gross Profit by Product

(Amounts in thousands)

 

Three months ended 7/31/08		Gasoline				Grocery & Other Merchandise				Prepared Food & Fountain				Other				Total
Sales		$	1,199,966			$	274,049			$	85,565			$	6,144			$	1,565,724
Gross profit		$	49,580			$	93,288			$	51,805			$	4,350			$	199,023
Margin			4.1	%			34.0	%			60.5	%			70.8	%			12.7	%
Gasoline gallons			317,873
Three months ended 7/31/07
Sales		$	938,019			$	259,788			$	75,442			$	6,093			$	1,279,342
Gross profit		$	49,477			$	88,297			$	46,538			$	4,037			$	188,349
Margin			5.3	%			34.0	%			61.7	%			66.3	%			14.7	%
Gasoline gallons			313,385

 

Corporate information is available at this Web site: http://www.caseys.com. Earnings will be reported during

a conference call on September 4, 2008. The call will be broadcast live over the Internet at 9:30 a.m. CT via the

Investor Relations section of our Web site and will be available in an archived format.