(Editor's Note: This article should have published on June 20, 2025, but was delayed due to a technical issue)

By Teresa Rivas 
 

Casey's General Stores

Connoisseurs on both coasts may turn up their noses at the idea of Iowa pizza, but investors are eating it up.

Shares of Casey's General Stores, which operates the nation's third-largest convenience-store chain and fifth-largest pizza chain, reached an all-time high in June after yet another record-breaking year and sunny guidance.

Investors can thank CEO Darren Rebelez, 59, who shepherded the Ankeny, Iowa-based company through the Covid-19 pandemic, opened hundreds of new stores, and made major acquisitions. He has also defended the company's culinary bona fides. "We've been making pizza from scratch for 40 years and have sold 45 million pies, and you don't sell 45 million of anything by accident," he says. "We have legitimate credentials in the pizza business."

Rebelez's Wall Street credentials aren't too shabby, either, with the stock up more than 200% on his watch. His next goal: convincing investors that Casey's deserves to trade less like a convenience store and more like a retailer or restaurant. "Given our food business and the way we show up every day, I still think we're an attractive value," he says.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

June 23, 2025 21:33 ET (01:33 GMT)

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