Casey’s General Stores Inc. reported fiscal third-quarter earnings before interest, income taxes, depreciation and amortization of $218 million, down 2% from the same period a year earlier. Earnings per share were $2.33, down 13% from the year-ago period.

The 2022 period included a one-time expense reduction of approximately $15 million, or $0.31 per share, due to the resolution of a legal matter, according to a news release.

Revenue fell short of analyst predictions by 5.0%, while earnings per share outperformed expectations by 8.8%, Yahoo Finance reports. Revenue is anticipated to increase by an average of 5.9% per year over the next three years, compared with a projected 4.5% growth rate for the Consumer Retailing industry in the U.S.

Inside-store sales, driven by the sale of prepared foods and beverages such as whole pies and hot sandwiches, increased 4.1% compared with the same period in 2022, and 9.9% compared with 2021. Inside store sales’ gross profit was $501.5 million, an increase of 11.3% compared with the prior year.

“Casey’s delivered another solid quarter highlighted by inside gross profit growth,” Darren Rebelez, Casey’s chairman, president and CEO, said in a prepared statement. “Our fuel team navigated a rising cost environment and delivered nearly flat gallon volume and a 37.3 cents per gallon fuel margin.”

Total fuel gross profit decreased 2.0% from the prior year to $257.2 million.

While same-store operating expenses, excluding credit card fees were up 2.5%, these expenses were “favorably impacted” by a 1% reduction in labor hours, according to the release.

“The operations team performed exceptionally well this quarter, integrating multiple acquisitions, reducing same-store labor hours while growing sales and driving positive guest satisfaction scores,” Rebelez said.

Read the full statement here.