Founded by Donald Lamberti in 1968 in Boone, Iowa, Casey's General Stores has expanded to nearly 2,900 convenience stores across 19 states, primarily in small towns. Headquartered in Ankeny, Iowa, the company operates under the ticker CASY on NASDAQ. Casey's distinguishes itself with fresh, made-from-scratch food items, especially its famous ...Founded by Donald Lamberti in 1968 in Boone, Iowa, Casey's General Stores has expanded to nearly 2,900 convenience stores across 19 states, primarily in small towns. Headquartered in Ankeny, Iowa, the company operates under the ticker CASY on NASDAQ. Casey's distinguishes itself with fresh, made-from-scratch food items, especially its famous pizza, along with sandwiches, appetizers, and baked goods. The stores offer self-service gasoline, groceries, beverages, tobacco, health and beauty aids, and automotive products. As a key player in the specialty retail sector, Casey's generated annual revenue exceeding $17 billion, with a market capitalization around $30 billion. The company employs over 49,000 people (including part-time) and is led by CEO Darren Rebelez since 2019. Financially, Casey's maintains strong profitability with a net profit margin of about 4.1%, and a dividend payout ratio of 11.6%. The company has invested in technology and digital ordering, including delivery and pickup services, to enhance customer convenience. With a focus on community and small-town service, Casey's has become the third-largest convenience store chain in the U.S. and one of the largest pizza chains by volume. Under Rebelez's leadership, the company continues to expand both organically and through acquisitions, aiming to reach 3,000 stores in the near term. Casey's also emphasizes operational efficiency, as evidenced by its inventory turnover of 23.8 times and a quick ratio of 0.6, indicating a lean inventory model. The company's long-term strategy includes growing its prepared food offerings, enhancing its loyalty program, and optimizing its supply chain.
Operator: Good day, and thank you for standing by. Welcome to the Casey's General Stores Fourth Quarter Fiscal Year 2026 Earnings Conference Call. [Operator Instructions] Please be advised that today's conference is being recorded. I would now like to hand the conference over to your speaker today, Brian Johnson, Senior Vice President, Investor Relations and Business Development. Please go ahead.
Brian Johnson: Good morning, and thank you for joining us to discuss the results from our fourth quarter and fiscal year ended April 30, 2026. I am Brian Johnson, Senior Vice President, Investor Relations and Business Development. With me today are Darren Rebelez, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer; and Steve Bramlage, Chief Financial Officer. Before we begin, I'll remind you that certain statements made by us during this investor call may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include any statements relating to the potential impact of the Fikes transaction, expectations for future periods, possible or assumed future results of operations, financial conditions, liquidity and related sources or needs, the company's supply chain, business and integration strategies, plans and synergies, growth opportunities and performance at our stores. 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 integration of the recent acquisitions, our ability to execute on our strategic plan or to realize benefits from the strategic plan, the impact and duration of conflicts in oil-producing regions and related governmental actions, as well as other risks, uncertainties and factors, which are described in our most recent annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q as filed with the SEC and available on our website. Any forward-looking statements made during this call reflect our current views as of today with respect to future events, and 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. A reconciliation of non-GAAP to GAAP financial measures referenced in this call as well as a detailed breakdown of the operating expense increase for the fourth quarter can be found on our website at www.caseys.com under the Investor Relations link. With that said, I would now like to turn the call over to Darren to discuss our fourth quarter and fiscal year results. Darren?
Darren Rebelez: Thanks, Brian, and good morning, everyone. Before we dive into our strong results for the year, I would like to take a moment to highlight some of the great work Casey's is doing in the communities we serve. Our purpose here is to make life better for our guests …