Casey's Announces Strong First Quarter Results

ANKENY, Iowa--()--Casey’s General Stores, Inc. ("Casey's" or the "Company") (Nasdaq symbol CASY) a leading convenience store chain in the United States, today announced financial results for the three months ended July 31, 2021.

First Quarter Key Highlights

  • Inside same-store sales increased 8.0% compared to prior year with a margin of 40.5%. Total inside gross profit increased 16.7% to $463.5 million compared to the same period last year.
  • Fuel gallons increased 9.0% on a same-store basis compared to prior year with a fuel margin of 35.1 cents per gallon. Total fuel gross profit increased 11.6% to $234.5 million compared to the same period last year.
  • Diluted EPS of $3.19 compared to $3.24 for the same period a year ago.
  • Casey's completed the acquisitions of Buchanan Energy and the Oklahoma Circle K stores in the quarter, adding 137 new units.
  • The Board of Directors increased the dividend for the 22nd year in a row to $0.35 per share.

Casey’s achieved strong financial results in the first quarter,” said Darren Rebelez, President and CEO. “Total revenue was up across the board as guest traffic returned throughout the quarter. Inside gross profit was up almost 17% due in part to the merchandise resets and strategic sourcing initiatives the Company implemented earlier this calendar year. We welcomed the team members from the Buchanan Energy and Circle K acquisitions to the Casey's family and integration activities are well underway. Our balance sheet remains strong, and we are confident in our ability to achieve the previously stated fiscal 2022 outlook.”

Earnings

 

Three Months Ended July 31,

 

2021

 

2020

Net income (in thousands)

$

119,159

 

 

$

120,592

 

Diluted earnings per share

$

3.19

 

 

$

3.24

 

Adjusted EBITDA (in thousands)

$

243,189

 

 

$

237,755

 

Adjusted EBITDA (reconciled later in the document) was up compared to the same period a year ago due to higher fuel and inside gross profit from improved guest traffic, offset by an increase in operating expenses driven primarily by a resumption of normal operating hours versus the prior year. Net income and diluted EPS in the first quarter were less than prior year primarily due to higher depreciation expense from operating 166 additional stores than the prior year period.

Inside

 

Three Months Ended July 31,

 

2021

 

2020

Inside sales (in thousands)

$

1,143,925

 

 

$

1,002,627

 

 

Inside same-store sales

8.0

%

 

(0.4

)

%

Grocery and general merchandise same-store sales1

7.0

%

 

3.6

 

%

Prepared food and dispensed beverage same-store sales1

10.8

%

 

(9.8

)

%

Inside gross profit (in thousands)

$

463,514

 

 

$

397,247

 

 

Inside margin

40.5

%

 

39.6

 

%

Grocery and general merchandise margin

33.0

%

 

32.2

 

%

Prepared food and dispensed beverage margin

61.0

%

 

59.7

 

%

1 We have changed the title of the Prepared Food and Fountain category to Prepared Food and Dispensed Beverage as well as the Grocery and Other Merchandise category to Grocery and General Merchandise to better reflect industry language and how we describe the categories internally. There has been no change to the products within the categories nor the calculation of sales and margin.

Inside same-store sales were driven by strong performance in packaged beverages, grocery items such as salty snacks and meat snacks, as well as a resurgence in pizza slices, driven in part by improved guest traffic. Inside margin was positively impacted by mix shift, both within and across categories, and procurement initiatives. Private label products reached 4.4% share of the Grocery and General Merchandise category by quarter end which was beneficial to gross margin.

Fuel

 

Three Months Ended July 31,

 

2021

 

2020

Fuel gallons sold (in thousands)

667,534

 

 

549,508

 

 

Same-store gallons sold

9.0

%

 

(14.6

)

%

Fuel gross profit (in thousands)

$

234,474

 

 

$

210,030

 

 

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

35.1

¢

 

38.2

¢

Same-store gallons sold were positively impacted by higher guest traffic from lapping COVID-19 restrictions that were in place a year ago. The Company’s total fuel gross profit was up 11.6% versus the prior first quarter, as the increased volume was offset by a lower fuel margin environment. The Company sold $18.7 million in renewable fuel credits (RINs) in the first quarter, an increase of $15.3 million from the same quarter in the prior year.

Operating Expenses

 

Three Months Ended July 31,

 

2021

 

2020

Operating expenses (in thousands)

$

478,928

 

 

$

386,088

 

 

Credit card fees (in thousands)

$

49,443

 

 

$

35,490

 

 

Same-store operating expense excluding credit card fees

17.6

%

 

(5.6

)

%

Operating expenses increased 24% during the first quarter primarily due to restoring store operating hours to pre-COVID levels, operating 166 more stores than this time last year, a 39% increase in credit card fees from higher retail fuel pricing along with higher sales volume, and one-time transaction and integration costs associated with the Buchanan Energy and Circle K acquisitions.

Expansion

 

Store Count

Stores at 4/30/2021

2,243

New store construction

3

Acquisitions

139

Acquisitions not opened

(2)

Prior acquisitions opened

2

Closed

(5)

Stores at 7/31/2021

2,380

Liquidity

At July 31, the Company had approximately $674 million in available liquidity, consisting of approximately $199 million in cash and cash equivalents on hand and $475 million in undrawn borrowing capacity on existing lines of credit.

Share Repurchase

The Company has $300 million remaining under its existing share repurchase program which expires in April 2022. There were no repurchases made against that authorization in the first quarter.

Dividend

At its September meeting, the Board of Directors voted to pay a quarterly dividend of $0.35 per share, which is an increase of $0.01 per share. The dividend is payable November 15, 2021 to shareholders of record on November 1, 2021.

Fiscal 2022 Outlook

The Company is maintaining the previously disclosed fiscal 2022 outlook, with one modification. The tax rate is now expected to be approximately 24.0% - 26.0% for the year. The remainder of the key metrics are unchanged. The Company expects same-store fuel and inside sales to increase by mid-single digit percentages. Total operating expenses are expected to increase by mid-teen percentages, driven primarily by adding approximately 200 units during fiscal 2022, as well as expenses related to adding back operating hours to the stores and expected wage pressures. Depreciation and amortization is expected to be approximately $300 million, interest expense is expected to be approximately $50 million. The Company is also expecting to add approximately $500 million in property and equipment in the fiscal year, including acquisition remodels. As a reminder, with the exception of same-store sales, the estimates in this paragraph include the impact of the Buchanan Energy and Circle K acquisitions.

 

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

July 31,

 

2021

 

2020

Total revenue

$

3,181,994

 

 

$

2,105,021

 

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

2,458,107

 

 

1,481,518

 

Operating expenses

478,928

 

 

386,088

 

Depreciation and amortization

75,888

 

 

65,820

 

Interest, net

13,730

 

 

13,407

 

Income before income taxes

155,341

 

 

158,188

 

Federal and state income taxes

36,182

 

 

37,596

 

Net income

$

119,159

 

 

$

120,592

 

Net income per common share

 

 

 

Basic

$

3.21

 

 

$

3.26

 

Diluted

$

3.19

 

 

$

3.24

 

Basic weighted average shares

37,126,060

 

 

36,971,376

 

Plus effect of stock compensation

209,377

 

 

270,797

 

Diluted weighted average shares

37,335,437

 

 

37,242,173

 

 

Casey’s General Stores, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

(Dollars in thousands)

(Unaudited)

 

 

July 31, 2021

 

April 30, 2021

Assets

 

 

 

Current assets

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents

$

198,928

 

 

$

336,545

 

Receivables

109,017

 

 

79,698

 

Inventories

338,082

 

 

286,598

 

Prepaid expenses

16,878

 

 

11,214

 

Income taxes receivable

8,361

 

 

9,578

 

Total current assets

671,266

 

 

723,633

 

Other assets, net of amortization

148,101

 

 

82,147

 

Goodwill

440,415

 

 

161,075

 

Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation of $2,250,982 at July 31, 2021 and $2,206,405 at April 30, 2021

3,816,190

 

 

3,493,459

 

Total assets

$

5,075,972

 

 

$

4,460,314

 

Liabilities and Shareholders’ Equity

 

 

 

Current liabilities

 

 

 

Lines of credit

$

 

 

$

 

Current maturities of long-term debt and finance lease obligations

34,101

 

 

2,354

 

Accounts payable

453,514

 

 

355,471

 

Accrued expenses

253,327

 

 

254,924

 

Total current liabilities

740,942

 

 

612,749

 

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

1,682,171

 

 

1,361,395

 

Deferred income taxes

471,838

 

 

439,721

 

Deferred compensation

15,159

 

 

15,094

 

Insurance accruals, net of current portion

25,729

 

 

26,239

 

Other long-term liabilities

109,468

 

 

72,437

 

Total liabilities

3,045,307

 

 

2,527,635

 

Total shareholders’ equity

2,030,665

 

 

1,932,679

 

Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity

$

5,075,972

 

 

$

4,460,314

 

 

Casey’s General Stores, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(Dollars in thousands)

(Unaudited)

 

 

Three months ended July 31,

 

2021

 

2020

Cash flows from operating activities:

 

 

 

Net income

$

 

119,159

 

 

$

 

120,592

 

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

 

 

 

Depreciation and amortization

 

75,888

 

 

 

65,820

 

Amortization of debt issuance costs

 

359

 

 

 

 

Share-based compensation

 

8,623

 

 

 

7,021

 

(Gain) loss on disposal of assets and impairment charges

 

(1,770

)

 

 

340

 

Deferred income taxes

 

33,460

 

 

 

9,767

 

Changes in assets and liabilities:

 

 

 

Receivables

 

(18,511

)

 

 

(7,147

)

Inventories

 

(26,624

)

 

 

(2,788

)

Prepaid expenses

 

(5,264

)

 

 

(7,332

)

Accounts payable

 

65,727

 

 

 

117,756

 

Accrued expenses

 

(12,035

)

 

 

21,631

 

Income taxes

 

1,531

 

 

 

27,087

 

Other, net

 

1,016

 

 

 

(697

)

Net cash provided by operating activities

 

241,559

 

 

 

352,050

 

Cash flows from investing activities:

 

 

 

Purchase of property and equipment

 

(45,045

)

 

 

(45,146

)

Payments for acquisition of businesses, net of cash acquired

 

(617,291

)

 

 

 

Proceeds from sales of property and equipment

 

18,001

 

 

 

1,695

 

Net cash used in investing activities

 

(644,335

)

 

 

(43,451

)

Cash flows from financing activities:

 

 

 

Proceeds from long-term debt

 

300,000

 

 

 

 

Payments of long-term debt

 

(4,867

)

 

 

(873

)

Payments of debt issuance costs

 

(249

)

 

 

 

Net payments of short-term debt

 

 

 

 

(120,000

)

Proceeds from exercise of stock options

 

133

 

 

 

211

 

Payments of cash dividends

 

(12,609

)

 

 

(11,779

)

Tax withholdings on employee share-based awards

 

(17,249

)

 

 

(7,917

)

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities

 

265,159

 

 

 

(140,358

)

 

Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents

 

(137,617

)

 

168,241

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of the period

 

336,545

 

78,275

Cash and cash equivalents at end of the period

$

198,928

$

246,516

 

SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURES OF CASH FLOWS INFORMATION

 

Three months ended July 31,

 

2021

 

2020

Cash paid during the period for:

 

 

 

Interest, net of amount capitalized

$

7,914

 

 

$

6,882

 

Income taxes, net

 

 

45

 

Noncash investing and financing activities:

 

 

 

Purchased property and equipment in accounts payable

22,007

 

 

12,890

 

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

47,775

 

 

 

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

39,021

 

 

 

Summary by Category (Amounts in thousands)

Three months ended July 31, 2021

Fuel

 

Grocery &
General

Merchandise

 

Prepared Food
& Dispensed
Beverage

 

Other

 

Total

Revenue

$

1,967,155

 

 

$

835,485

 

 

$

308,440

 

 

$

70,914

 

 

$

3,181,994

 

Gross profit

$

234,474

 

 

$

275,408

 

 

$

188,106

 

 

$

25,899

 

 

$

723,887

 

 

11.9

%

 

33.0

%

 

61.0

%

 

36.5

%

 

22.7

%

Fuel gallons sold

667,534

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Three months ended July 31, 2020

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revenue

$

1,085,981

 

 

$

731,861

 

 

$

270,766

 

 

$

16,413

 

 

$

2,105,021

 

Gross profit

$

210,030

 

 

$

235,599

 

 

$

161,648

 

 

$

16,226

 

 

$

623,503

 

 

19.3

%

 

32.2

%

 

59.7

%

 

98.9

%

 

29.6

%

Fuel gallons sold

549,508

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

F2022

9.0

 

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

F2022

35.1

¢

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

F2021

(14.6

)

 

 

(8.6

)

%

 

(12.1

)

%

 

6.4

 

%

 

(8.1

)

%

F2021

38.2

 

 

35.3

¢

 

32.9

¢

 

33.0

¢

 

34.9

¢

F2020

(2.0

)

 

 

(1.8

)

 

 

(2.0

)

 

 

(14.7

)

 

 

(5.1

)

 

F2020

24.4

 

 

22.9

 

 

21.7

 

 

40.8

 

 

26.8

 

Grocery & General Merchandise

 

Grocery & General Merchandise

Same-store Sales

Margin

 

Q1

 

Q2

 

Q3

 

Q4

 

Fiscal

Year

 

Q1

 

Q2

 

Q3

 

Q4

 

Fiscal

Year

F2022

7.0

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

F2022

33.0

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

F2021

3.6

 

 

6.6

%

 

5.4

%

 

12.5

 

%

 

6.6

%

F2021

32.2

 

 

33.3

%

 

30.7

%

 

31.8

%

 

32.0

%

F2020

3.2

 

 

3.2

 

 

3.5

 

 

(2.0

)

 

 

1.9

 

F2020

31.3

 

 

33.3

 

 

32.9

 

 

30.4

 

 

32.0

 

Prepared Food & Dispensed Beverage

 

Prepared Food & Dispensed Beverage

Same-store Sales

Margin

 

Q1

 

Q2

 

Q3

 

Q4

 

Fiscal

Year

 

Q1

 

Q2

 

Q3

 

Q4

 

Fiscal

Year

F2022

10.8

 

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

F2022

61.0

%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

F2021

(9.8

)

 

 

(3.6

)

%

 

(5.0

)

%

 

13.4

 

%

 

(2.1

)

%

F2021

59.7

 

 

60.1

%

 

60.6

%

 

60.1

%

 

60.1

%

F2020

1.6

 

 

 

1.9

 

 

 

2.8

 

 

 

(13.5

)

 

 

(1.5

)

 

F2020

62.2

 

 

60.9

 

 

60.2

 

 

60.0

 

 

60.9

 

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 months ended July 31, 2021 and 2020:

(In thousands)

Three Months Ended July 31,

 

2021

 

 

2020

Net income

$

119,159

 

 

 

$

120,592

 

Interest, net

13,730

 

 

 

13,407

 

Depreciation and amortization

75,888

 

 

 

65,820

 

Federal and state income taxes

36,182

 

 

 

37,596

 

EBITDA

$

244,959

 

 

 

$

237,415

 

(Gain) loss on disposal of assets and impairment charges

(1,770

)

 

 

340

 

Adjusted EBITDA

$

243,189

 

 

 

$

237,755

 

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, and the potential effect 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 executing our strategic plan, 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 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 8, 2021. 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

Contacts

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

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