Casey's Stock Price Soars, 120 New Stores to Open

Following its entry into the S&P 500 months ago, Casey's General Stores has continued its incredibly strong 2026, and they're now plotting to open "at least" 120 new stores in the next fiscal year.

Per The Des Moines Register, Casey's stock price soared to a 52-week high of $917.47 last Wednesday when the expansion announcement was made. The company is based in Ankeny, and seen its stock be among the most successful lately, with a 31% increase in both diluted earnings per share and net income, which is now up to $714 million.

About Casey's "Bullish" Expansion:

Casey's Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Stephen Bramlage stated that the company has become "very bullish" on the acquisition and merger front. The majority of convenience stores are owned by small players, who are facing financial strains in operating costs. With Casey's wide net of capital and their strength in the market, they see this as their time to make deals.

In fact, it's already begun. Casey's opened 80 new stores in 2026. Some were built, some were acquired. In years past, the company was converting 50 CEFCO stores across the country into Casey's, a move part of a 200-store purchase in November 2024. The acquisition saw the company expand its operations to Texas, Alabama, and Florida.

Exactly How Big Has Casey's Become?:

Across 19 states, Casey's has 2,900 stores, making it the third-largest in the United States after 7-Eleven and Circle K. This expansion will see the number increase to over 3,000 in 2027:

Casey's CEO Darren Rebelez commented on the expansion:

I would probably envision us, from a store development standpoint, moving more north and west towards the core footprint of our geography as opposed to south and east towards the heart of Florida. We feel very confident in our ability to compete in whatever geography we’re operating in - Casey's CEO Darren Rebelez, per The Des Moines Register

A New Food Item is Killing it for Casey's Too:

If all this success wasn't enough, Casey's might have another hit food item on their hands too. The company rolled out chicken wings in the Des Moines area in January 2025, and has since made them available in 850 stores. Rebelez thinks the wings could rival pizza overtime in terms of size and sales. That said, it took 40 years for Casey's to become a titan in the pizza industry. It's going to take time for the chicken wings to catch on to a level even comparable, but in times of meteoric growth, anything is possible.

Casey's addition to the S&P 500 was already a massive move. For those unaware (or easily confused by stocks, such as myself), the Standard and Poor's (S&P) 500 tracks the stock performance of 500 leading companies in the United States. It includes approximately 80% of the total market capital of publicly traded US companies, and has a market cap of more than $61.1 trillion, as of December 2025.