Press Release Details

ANKENY, Iowa--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Casey’s General Stores, Inc. ("Casey's" or the "Company") (Nasdaq symbol CASY) one of the leading convenience store chains in the United States, today announced financial results for the three months ended July 31, 2020.

First Quarter Key Highlights

• Diluted earnings per share of $3.24 compared to $2.31 for the same period a year ago, an increase of 40.3%.
• Fuel gross profit increased 39% driven by a fuel margin of 38.2 cents for the quarter versus 24.4 cents in the prior-year. Same-store gallons sold decreased 14.6% in the first quarter compared to the prior year.
• Inside same-store sales were approximately flat for the quarter with an average margin of 39.6%. Digital revenue grew 162% in the quarter.
• Casey’s Rewards exceeded 2.5 million members, a 25% increase from April 30, 2020.
• Liquidity remains strong with approximately $572 million available. $569 million in debt was refinanced to 2030 and 2032.

“Throughout the first quarter, Casey’s demonstrated the ability to both safely serve our communities and guests through a constantly changing environment and deliver strong results,” said President and CEO Darren Rebelez. “Sales volumes improved this quarter, combined with solid fuel margin execution and disciplined operating expense control, resulting in 40% growth in diluted earnings per share. Casey's continues to execute on our strategic plan, including investment in the guest experience with new digital capabilities to engage our guests today, and down the road.”

Earnings

Net income, diluted EPS, and Adjusted EBITDA (reconciled later in the document) in the first quarter were significantly greater than prior year due to higher fuel gross profit, partially offset by a slight decline in inside gross profit.

Fuel

Same-store gallons sold were adversely impacted by COVID-19 and lower guest traffic, though these eased throughout the quarter. Fuel gross profit benefited from a higher fuel margin driven in part by the Company's centralized retail pricing strategy and procurement improvements.

Inside

Inside same-store sales steadily improved throughout the quarter. Strong performance in alcohol and whole pizza pies were offset by store traffic declines along with restrictions limiting self-serve prepared food items such as bakery and dispensed beverages. These restrictions also caused a product mix shift that adversely impacted inside margin.

Operating Expenses

Operating expenses were up due to operating 53 more stores than this time last year, as well as $15 million in COVID-related expenses, offset by a reduction in store hours and credit card fees.

Expansion

Liquidity

At July 31^st, the Company had approximately $572 million in available liquidity, consisting of approximately $247 million in cash and cash equivalents on hand and $325 million in borrowing capacity on existing lines of credit. On August 10, 2020, the Company completed the refinancing of the $569 million 5.22% notes due August 2020 with the proceeds from $650 million 2.85% and 2.96% senior notes, issued via private placement, maturing August 7, 2030 and August 6, 2032.

Share Repurchase

The Company has $300 million remaining under its existing share repurchase program. There were no repurchases made against that authorization in the first quarter.

Dividend

At its September meeting, the Board of Director declared a quarterly dividend of $0.32 per share. The dividend is payable November 16, 2020 to shareholders of record on November 2, 2020.

SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURES OF CASH FLOWS INFORMATION

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 management for internal purposes including our capital budgeting process, evaluating acquisition targets, and assessing performance.

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 months ended July 31, 2020 and 2019:

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 Other Merchandise and Prepared Food and Fountain

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 needs, the Company’s supply chain, business strategies, growth opportunities, performance at our stores, and the potential effects of COVID-19. There are a number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from any future results expressed or implied by those forward-looking statements, including but not limited to the impact and duration of COVID-19 and related governmental actions, 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 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, 2020. The call will be broadcast live over the Internet at 9:30 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.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200908005944/en/

Investor Relations Contact:
Brian Johnson (515) 965-6587

Media Relations Contact:
Katie Petru (515) 446-6772

Source: Casey’s General Stores