Casey’s General Stores Inc. said Monday that improved margins on fuel sales and increased inside sales resulted in record earnings for its fiscal third quarter. The Ankeny-based company reported earnings per share of $1.01 for the quarter ended Jan. 31, compared with 33 cents per share in the year-ago period. Year to date, earnings per share were $3.57, compared with $2.73 per share a year ago. “Casey’s experienced significant inside sales growth throughout the third quarter,” Chairman and CEO Robert Myers said in a release. “The steady decline in wholesale gasoline costs was favorable to fuel margins, and the low price of gasoline drove sales in all of our business categories. Total gross profit rose 26.9 percent for the third quarter.” As of the end of the third quarter, Casey’s had opened 33 new stores and acquired 32 stores. The company also completed 25 replacements. In January, the company completed the expansion of the distribution center in Ankeny and it expects to complete the construction of a second distribution center in Terre Haute, Ind., in February 2016.