Significant Accounting Policies (Policy)

12 Months Ended

Apr. 30, 2012

Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Principles Of Consolidation

Principles of consolidationThe consolidated financial statements include the financial statements of Casey’s General Stores, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Use of Estimates

Use of estimatesThe preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect 1) the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and 2) the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Cash Equivalents

Cash equivalentsCash equivalents consist of money market funds. We consider all highly liquid investments with a maturity at purchase of three months or less to be cash equivalents.

Inventories

InventoriesInventories, which consist of merchandise and gasoline, are stated at the lower of cost or market; in-store inventory (excluding cigarettes, beer, beverages, and prepared foods, which are stated at cost) is determined by the retail inventory method (RIM). Cost is determined using the first-in, first-out (FIFO) method for gasoline and the last-in, first-out (LIFO) method for merchandise. The excess of current cost over the stated LIFO value was $41,805 and $36,698 at April 30, 2012 and 2011, respectively. There were no material LIFO liquidations during the periods presented. Below is a summary of the inventory values at April 30, 2012 and 2011:

	Fiscal 2012	Fiscal 2011
Gasoline	83,063	81,964
Merchandise	87,731	77,236
Total inventory	170,794	159,200

Vendor allowances include rebates and other funds received from vendors to promote their products. The Company often receives such allowances on the basis of quantitative contract terms that vary by product and vendor or directly on the basis of purchases made. Vendor rebates in the form of rack display allowances are treated as a reduction in cost of sales and are recognized incrementally over the period covered by the applicable rebate agreement. The rack display allowances are funds that we receive from various vendors for allocating certain shelf space to carry their specific products or to introduce new products in our stores for a particular period of time.These funds do not represent reimbursements of specific, incremental, identifiable costs incurred by us in selling the vendor’s products.Vendor rebates in the form of billbacks are treated as a reduction in cost of sales and are recognized at the time the product is sold. Reimbursements of an operating expense (e.g., advertising) are recorded as reductions of the related expense.

Goodwill

Goodwill Goodwill and intangible assets with indefinite lives are tested for impairment at least annually. The Company assesses impairment annually at year-end using a market based approach to establish fair value. All of the goodwill assigned to the individual stores is aggregated into a single reporting unit due to the similar economic characteristics of the stores. As of April 30, 2012, there was $104,385 of goodwill, and management’s analysis of recoverability completed as of the fiscal year-end yielded no evidence of impairment.

Store Closings And Asset Impairment

Store closings and asset impairmentThe Company writes down property and equipment of stores it is closing to estimated net realizable value at the time management commits to a plan to close such stores and begins active marketing of the stores. The Company bases the estimated net realizable value of property and equipment on its experience in utilizing and/or disposing of similar assets and on estimates provided by its own and/or third-party real estate experts.

The Company monitors closed and underperforming stores for an indication that the carrying amount of assets may not be recoverable. If the sum of the expected future undiscounted cash flows is less than the carrying amount of the assets, an impairment loss is recognized to the extent carrying value of the assets exceeds their estimated fair value. Fair value is based on management’s estimate of the price that would be received to sell an asset in an orderly transaction between market participants. The estimate is derived from offers, actual sale or disposition of assets subsequent to year-end, and other indications of fair value, which are considered Level 3 inputs. In determining whether an asset is impaired, assets are grouped at the lowest level for which there are identifiable cash flows that are largely independent of the cash flows of other groups of assets, which for the Company is generally on a store-by-store basis. The Company incurred impairment charges of $226 in fiscal 2012, $348 in fiscal 2011, and $100 in fiscal 2010. Impairment charges are a component of operating expenses.

Depreciation And Amortization

Depreciation and amortizationDepreciation of property and equipment and amortization of capital lease assets are computed principally by the straight-line method over the following estimated useful lives:

Buildings	25-40 years
Machinery and equipment	5-30 years
Leasehold interest in property and equipment	Lesser of term of lease or life of asset
Leasehold improvements	Lesser of term of lease or life of asset

Excise Taxes

Excise taxesExcise taxes approximating $527,000, $495,000, and $454,000 on retail gasoline sales are included in total revenue and cost of goods sold for fiscal 2012, 2011, and 2010, respectively.

Income Taxes

Income taxesThe Company uses the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. The Company calculates its current and deferred tax provision based on estimates and assumptions that could differ from actual results reflected in income tax returns filed in subsequent years. Adjustments based on filed returns are recorded when identified.

Revenue Recognition

Revenue recognitionThe Company recognizes retail sales of gasoline, grocery & other merchandise, prepared food & fountain, and commissions on lottery, prepaid phone cards, and video rentals at the time of the sale to the customer. Sales taxes collected from customers and remitted to the government are recorded on a net basis in the consolidated financial statements.

Earnings Per Common Share

Earnings per common shareBasic earnings per share have been computed by dividing net earnings by the weighted average shares outstanding during each of the years. The calculation of diluted earnings per share treats stock options and restricted stock units outstanding as potential common shares to the extent they are dilutive.

Asset Retirement Obligations

Asset retirement obligations The Company recognizes the estimated future cost to remove underground storage tanks over the estimated useful life of the storage tank. The Company records a discounted liability for the fair value of an asset retirement obligation with a corresponding increase to the carrying value of the related long-lived asset at the time an underground storage tank is installed. The Company amortizes the amount added to other assets and recognizes accretion expense in connection with the discounted liability over the remaining life of the tank. The estimates of the anticipated future costs for removal of an underground storage tank are based on our prior experience with removal. The cost estimates are compared to the actual removal cost experienced on an annual basis, and when the actual costs exceed our original estimates, an additional liability for estimated future costs to remove the underground storage tanks will be recognized. Because these estimates are subjective and are currently based on historical costs with adjustments for estimated future changes in the associated costs, we expect the dollar amount of these obligations to change as more information is obtained.

There were no material changes in our asset retirement obligation estimates during fiscal 2012. The recorded asset for asset retirement obligations was $7,343 and $6,926 at April 30, 2012 and 2011, respectively, and is recorded in other assets, net of amortization. The discounted liability was $11,313 and $10,549 at April 30, 2012 and 2011, respectively, and is recorded in other long-term liabilities.

Environmental Remediation Liabilities

Environmental remediation liabilitiesThe Company accrues for environmental remediation liabilities when it is probable a liability has been incurred and the amount of loss can be reasonably estimated.

Derivative Instruments

Derivative instrumentsThe Company occasionally has used derivative instruments such as options and futures to hedge against the volatility of gasoline cost, under which the Company was at risk for possible changes in the market value for these derivative instruments. There were no such options or futures contracts as of or during the years ended April 30, 2012, 2011, or 2010.

Stock-Based Compensation

Stock-based compensation Stock-based compensation is recorded based upon the fair value of the award on the grant date. The cost of the award is recognized in the statement of earnings over the vesting period of the award.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Recent accounting pronouncementsEffective May 1, 2012, the Company will adopt new accounting guidance which revises the manner in which we present comprehensive income in our financial statements. The new guidance removes the presentation options previously allowed and requires us to report components of comprehensive income as part of the consolidated statement of income or as a separate consolidated statement of comprehensive income. The revised guidance will not change the items that must be reported in other comprehensive income. Comprehensive income consists of net income and other comprehensive income (loss). Other comprehensive income (loss) refers to revenues, expenses, gains and losses that are not included in net income, but rather are recorded directly in stockholders’ equity. This guidance, which is to be applied retrospectively, is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 2011. This guidance only affects presentation and disclosure and will not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

Effective May 1, 2012, we will adopt new guidance that is intended to simplify goodwill impairment testing by adding a qualitative review step to assess whether the required quantitative impairment analysis that exists today is necessary. The fair value calculation for goodwill will not be required unless we conclude, based on the qualitative assessment, that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its book value. If such a decline in fair value is deemed more likely than not to have occurred, then the quantitative goodwill impairment test that exists under current GAAP must be completed; otherwise, goodwill is deemed to be not impaired and no further testing is required until the next annul test date (or sooner if conditions or events before that date raise concerns of potential impairment in the business). The amended goodwill impairment guidance does not affect the manner in which a company estimates fair value. It is effective for annual and interim goodwill impairment tests performed for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2011, but early adoption is permitted. We do not expect it to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

Segment Reporting

Segment reportingAs of April 30, 2012 we operated 1,699 stores in 11 states. Our stores offer a broad selection of merchandise, fuel and other products and services designed to appeal to the convenience needs of our customers. We manage the business on the basis of one operating segment and therefore, have only one reportable segment. Our stores sell similar products and services, use similar processes to sell those products and services, and sell their products and services to similar classes of customers. We make specific disclosures concerning the three broad merchandise categories of gasoline, grocery & other merchandise, and prepared food and fountain because it makes it easier for us to discuss trends and operational initiatives within our business and industry. Although we can separate gross margins within these categories (and further sub-categories), the operating expenses associated with operating a store that sells these products are not separable by these three categories.