SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Operations Casey’s General Stores, Inc. and its subsidiaries (the Company/Casey’s) operate 1,931 convenience stores in 14 Midwest states. The stores are located primarily in smaller communities, many with populations of less than 5,000. Retail sales in 2016 by category are as follows: 59% fuel, 29% grocery & other merchandise, and 12% prepared food & fountain. The Company’s products are readily available, and the Company is not dependent on a single supplier or only a few suppliers.

Principles of consolidation The 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 The 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 We consider all highly liquid investments with a maturity at purchase of three months or less to be cash equivalents. Included in cash equivalents are money market funds and credit card, debit card and electronic benefits transfer transactions that process within three days.

Inventories Inventories, which consist of merchandise and fuel, are stated at the lower of cost or market. For fuel, cost is determined through the use of the first-in, first-out (FIFO) method. For merchandise inventories, cost is determined through the use of the last-in, first-out (LIFO) method.

The excess of current cost over the stated LIFO value was $58,432 and $53,428 at April 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively. There were no material LIFO liquidations during the periods presented. Below is a summary of the inventory values at April 30, 2016 and 2015:



	Fiscal 2016		Fiscal 2015
Fuel	$	57,840	$	69,056
Merchandise	147,148		128,275
Total inventory	$	204,988	$	197,331

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 (RDAs) 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. The RDAs are treated as a reduction in cost of goods sold and are recognized ratably over the period covered by the applicable rebate agreement. 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 goods sold 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.

Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) are recorded as a reduction in cost of goods sold in the period when the Company commits to a price and agrees to sell all of the RINs earned during a specified period. The Company includes in cost of goods sold the costs incurred to acquire fuel and merchandise, including excise taxes, less vendor allowances and rebates and RINs. In accordance with U.S. GAAP, the Company does not record an asset on the balance sheet related to RINs that have not been validated and contracted.

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, 2016, there was $128,566 of goodwill. Management’s analysis of recoverability completed as of the fiscal year-end yielded no evidence of impairment for the years ended April 30, 2016, 2015, and 2014, respectively.

Depreciation and amortization Depreciation 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

The Company monitors stores and will accelerate depreciation if the expected life of the asset is reduced due to the operation of the store or the Company’s plans.

Store closings and asset impairment The 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 $1,625 in fiscal 2016, $1,785 in fiscal 2015, and $2,542 in fiscal 2014. Impairment charges are a component of operating expenses.

Excise taxes Excise taxes approximating $818,000, $715,000, and $646,000 on retail fuel sales are included in total revenue and cost of goods sold for fiscal 2016, 2015, and 2014, respectively.

Income taxes The 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 The Company recognizes retail sales of fuel, 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.

Net income per common share Basic earnings per share have been computed by dividing net income 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 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. 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 2016. The recorded asset for asset retirement obligations was $9,788 and $9,234 at April 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively, and is recorded in other assets, net of amortization. The discounted liability was $14,975 and $14,014 at April 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively, and is recorded in other long-term liabilities.

Self-insurance The Company is primarily self-insured for employee healthcare, workers’ compensation, general liability, and automobile claims. The self-insurance claim liability for workers’ compensation, general liability, and automobile claims is determined actuarially at each year end based on claims filed and an estimate of claims incurred but not yet reported. Actuarial projections of the losses are employed due to the high degree of variability in the liability estimates. Some factors affecting the uncertainty of claims include the development time frame, settlement patterns, litigation and adjudication direction, and medical treatment and cost trends. The liability is not discounted. The balance of our self-insurance reserves were $35,535 and $31,389 for the years ended April 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively.

Environmental remediation liabilities The 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 There were no options or futures contracts as of or during the years ended April 30, 2016, 2015, or 2014. However, we do from time to time, participate in a forward buy of certain commodities, primarily cheese and coffee. These are not accounted for as derivatives under the normal purchase and normal sale exclusions under the applicable guidance.

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 ratably in the statement of income over the vesting period of the award. None of the awards contain performance conditions.

Segment reporting As of April 30, 2016, we operated 1,931 stores in 14 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 fuel, grocery & other merchandise, and prepared food & 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.

Recent accounting pronouncements

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-9, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, which requires an entity to recognize the amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers. The ASU will replace most existing revenue recognition guidance in U.S. GAAP when it becomes effective. The new standard, after deferral for one year, is effective for the Company on May 1, 2018. Early application is permitted as of May 1, 2017. The standard permits the use of either the retrospective or cumulative effect transition method. The Company is evaluating the effect that ASU 2014-9 and related guidance will have on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures. The Company has not yet selected a transition method nor has it determined the effect of the standard on its ongoing financial reporting.

In April 2015, the FASB issued ASU 2015-03 Interest-Imputation of Interest (Subtopic 835-30) which provides guidance on the presentation of debt issuance costs. The new standard requires that debt issuance costs be recorded as a reduction from the face amount of the related debt, with amortization recorded as interest expense, rather than recording as a deferred asset. The guidance is effective for the Company in the first quarter of fiscal 2017 with early adoption permitted. The guidance is to be retrospectively applied to all prior periods. Adoption of the new guidance is not expected to have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) to increase transparency and comparability among organizations by recognizing lease assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet and disclosing key information about leasing arrangements. ASU 2016-02 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of ASU 2016-02.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-09, Compensation-Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting. The goal of this update is to simplify several aspects of the accounting for share-based payment transactions, including the income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities and classification on the statement of cash flows. This update becomes effective for the company beginning May 1, 2017 with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of ASU 2016-09.

See also the adoption of ASU 2015-17 Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes, discussed in footnote 6 to the financial statements.