Ankeny-based Casey’s General Stores Inc. continued to cruise ahead of its target pace for gasoline sales in its fiscal third quarter. “The company’s annual goal is to increase same-store gasoline gallons sold 1 percent with an average margin of 13.5 cents per gallon,” the convenience store chain said in a press release. “For the third quarter (which ended Jan. 31), same-store gallons were up 3.5 percent with an average margin of 13.9 cents per gallon.”

Casey’s said same-store gas sales are up 2.8 percent for the first three quarters of its fiscal year, with an average margin of 15.1 cents.

Sales also surpassed the target pace for volume in the “prepared food and fountain” category, where same-store sales rose 10.5 percent, compared with a 2011 goal of 8 percent. The average profit margin was 62.1 percent, compared with a fiscal year goal of 63.1 percent.

In the “grocery and other merchandise” category, the annual goal is “to increase same-store sales 6 percent with an average margin of 33.9 percent. For the nine months … same-store sales were up 4.6 percent with an average margin of 32.3 percent.”