The Cato Corporation (CATO) Stock Price & Analysis
The Cato Corporation (CATO) closed at USD 2.32 on Thursday, October 22, 2026, up 0.87% on the day. The US market is currently closed (pre-market); this is not a live price.
The prior close was USD 2.3; the Oct 22, 2026 session ranged USD 2.28–2.35 on volume of 30,272 shares. Market capitalization is $46.20M, with a 52-week range of USD 2.28–4.46 (NYQ). Source: Nexqual, retrieved October 23, 2026 at 10:34 UTC.
Also available as compact Markdown for AI agents: nexqual.com/CATO.md
Key facts (CATO)
- Last four reported quarters (through Aug 1, 2026): revenue $644M, net income -$5.6M (-0.9% margin), free cash flow $1.6M (SEC filings).
- 1 of 80 tracked superinvestors hold CATO (13F, Q2 2026): 0 new, 0 added, 0 reduced, 1 unchanged.
- Analysts: None.
- Total return with dividends: 1Y -46.2% vs S&P 500 +14.9%; 5Y -82.7% vs S&P 500 +80.3%.
- Next earnings: 2026-11-19, EPS estimate USD —, revenue estimate $0K.
Financials (SEC 10-K; TTM = last four 10-Q/10-K quarters) (CATO)
| USD | FY2022 | FY2023 | FY2024 | FY2025 | FY2026 | TTM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $769M | $759M | $708M | $650M | $654M | $644M |
| Gross profit | $316M | $250M | $244M | $213M | $222M | — |
| Operating income | $39.0M | -$3.6M | -$17.9M | -$26.4M | -$12.7M | -$13.3M |
| Net income | $36.8M | $29K | -$23.9M | -$18.1M | -$5.9M | -$5.6M |
| EPS (diluted) | $1.65 | $0.00 | -$1.17 | -$0.97 | -$0.31 | — |
| Free cash flow | $55.7M | -$6.1M | -$12.1M | -$27.6M | -$5.2M | $1.6M |
| Gross margin | 41.1% | 32.9% | 34.4% | 32.8% | 34.0% | — |
| Operating margin | 5.1% | -0.5% | -2.5% | -4.1% | -1.9% | -2.1% |
| Net margin | 4.8% | 0.0% | -3.4% | -2.8% | -0.9% | -0.9% |
| Revenue growth | +33.8% | -1.3% | -6.7% | -8.2% | +0.6% | — |
| Cash + short-term investments | $166M | $129M | $103M | $77.7M | $73.6M | — |
Fiscal years end Jan. EPS is split-adjusted.
Valuation (price ÷ last four quarters, through Aug 1, 2026) (CATO)
P/S 0.1x · P/FCF 28.4x · P/B 0.3x · FCF yield 3.52% · Earnings yield -12.11% · Buyback yield (TTM) 0.91%
Superinvestors (SEC 13F-HR, Q2 2026) (CATO)
1 of 80 tracked investors hold CATO. Each row is the investor's latest 13F; change is vs their prior-quarter share count.
| Investor | Firm | % of portfolio | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yacktman Asset Management | <0.01% | $342K | Unchanged |
Analysts (CATO)
Consensus None.
Total return (dividends reinvested) (CATO)
| 1Y (from 2025-10-23) | 5Y (from 2021-10-18) | |
|---|---|---|
| Total return | -46.2% | -82.7% |
| S&P 500 (SPY) | +14.9% | +80.3% |
| Per year | -46.3% | -29.5% |
| Volatility (annualized) | 53.1% | 50.2% |
| Max drawdown | -47.3% (Oct 2025→Oct 2026) | -84.5% (Nov 2021→Oct 2026) |
CATO revenue by business segment (quarter ended Aug 1, 2026)
| Line | Revenue | Share of total | YoY |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail | $164.8M | 99.6% | -6.3% |
| Credit | $651,000 | 0.4% | -0.3% |
| Total revenue | $165.5M | 100% | — |
As tagged by the company in its SEC 10-Q / 10-K filings (XBRL).
CATO company outlook (results filed Aug 25, 2026)
- “We will continue to tightly manage our expenses and inventory as we anticipate the back half of 2026 to be challenging." Gross margin decreased from 36.2% to 32.8% of sales in the quarter due to lower merchandise margins and deleveraging of occupancy costs.”
Quoted word-for-word from the SEC 8-K results press release.
CATO analyst estimates and revisions
| Period | EPS estimate | 90 days ago | Change | Revenue estimate | Analysts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current quarter | — | — | — | $0 | — |
| Next quarter | — | — | — | $0 | — |
| Current fiscal year (ends Jan 2022) | — | — | — | $0 | — |
| Next fiscal year | — | — | — | $0 | — |
CATO options: expected move
Options price a move of about ±27.2% (±$0.63) by Jan 15, 2027, which includes earnings on Nov 19, 2026. Over the last 8 reports the stock moved ±5.9% on average.
| Expiration | Days | ATM implied volatility | Expected move |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 15, 2027 | 84 | 54.4% | ±27.2% |
30-day implied volatility 71.9% vs 28.7% realized over the last 30 trading days. Put/call ratio (volume) —. Cboe delayed quotes (15 min). Expected move = at-the-money straddle.
Key Statistics (as of October 23, 2026 at 10:34 UTC)
| Price | USD 2.32 |
|---|---|
| Change | ▲ 0.87% (up) |
| Previous Close | USD 2.3 |
| Open | USD 2.28 |
| Day Range | USD 2.28 – 2.35 |
| 52-Week Range | USD 2.28 – 4.46 |
| Volume | 30,272 shares |
| Market Cap | $46.20M |
| Exchange | NYQ |
Technical Analysis (CATO)
Nexqual's technical model rates CATO "STRONG SELL" based on 0 bullish and 5 bearish signals across 127 daily candles, as of October 23, 2026 at 10:34 UTC.
| Overall Signal | STRONG SELL |
|---|---|
| RSI (14) | 38.29 (neutral) |
| vs SMA50 | Below (USD 2.58) |
| MACD | -0.07 (negative) |
Analyst Ratings (CATO)
Wall Street analysts rate CATO "None", per Nexqual as of October 23, 2026 at 10:34 UTC.
| Consensus Rating | None |
|---|
Earnings (CATO)
| Next Earnings Date | 2026-11-19 |
|---|
Source: Nexqual, October 23, 2026 at 10:34 UTC.
Financials & Fundamentals (CATO)
| Total Revenue | $643.67M |
|---|---|
| Revenue Growth (latest quarter, YoY) | -6.20% |
| Gross Margin | +33.44% |
| Operating Margin | -0.59% |
| Profit Margin | -0.87% |
| ROE | -3.29% |
| Debt / Equity | 0.83 |
| Current Ratio | 1.36 |
| Total Cash | $93.77M |
| Total Debt | $138.63M |
| Free Cash Flow (last four quarters to Aug 2026, SEC 10-Q / 10-K) | $1.63M (0.3% of revenue) |
Source: Nexqual, October 23, 2026 at 10:34 UTC.
Financial Health Score (CATO)
Nexqual rates The Cato Corporation's overall financial health "Weak" across five dimensions, as of October 23, 2026 at 10:34 UTC.
| Growth | Weak — Revenue -6% YoY (latest Q), declining |
|---|---|
| Profitability | Weak — Not yet profitable — scaling phase |
| Balance Sheet | Mixed — $94M cash vs $139M debt |
| Cash Flow | Mixed — FCF $2M (last 4 quarters to Aug 2026, SEC), slim 0.3% margin |
| Efficiency | Critical — ROE -3%, ROA -2.1% |
Ownership (CATO)
| Insider Ownership | +13.90% |
|---|---|
| Institutional Ownership | +32.08% |
| Shares Outstanding | 18.15M |
| Float | 14.70M |
| Short % of Float | +2.24% |
Source: Nexqual, October 23, 2026 at 10:34 UTC.
Leadership (CATO)
The Cato Corporation is led by John P. Derham Cato, Chairman, President & CEO, per Nexqual as of October 23, 2026 at 10:34 UTC.
| Chairman, President & CEO | John P. Derham Cato |
|---|---|
| Executive VP & CFO | Charles D. Knight |
| Senior Vice President of Sourcing & MDSE Support | Stephen Headley |
Major Backers & Investors (CATO)
Notable institutional backers of The Cato Corporation include Aldebaran Capital, LLC , Peapod Lane Capital LLC , Renaissance Technologies, according to Nexqual as of October 23, 2026 at 10:34 UTC.
Active Investors
| Investor | Stake |
|---|---|
| Aldebaran Capital, LLC | 6.45% |
| Peapod Lane Capital LLC | 4.29% |
| Renaissance Technologies | 3.1% |
| Arrowstreet Capital, Limited Partnership | 1.62% |
| Prescott Group Capital Management, L.L.C. | 1.24% |
| Bridgeway Capital Management, LLC | 0.86% |
Index Funds (Passive)
| Fund | Stake |
|---|---|
| Vanguard Group | 3.92% |
| Dimensional Fund Advisors | 2.58% |
| BlackRock | 2.24% |
| Geode Capital | 0.85% |
Source: Nexqual, October 23, 2026 at 10:34 UTC.
Peers & Related Stocks
| Symbol | Name | Price | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| JILL | J. Jill, Inc. | USD 22.85 | ▼ 2.02% |
| SFIX | Stitch Fix, Inc. | USD 2.72 | ▲ 5.63% |
| CTRN | Citi Trends, Inc. | USD 46 | ▲ 0.17% |
| SHOE | Shoe Station Group, Inc. | USD 14.22 | ▲ 7.56% |
| GCO | Genesco Inc. | USD 37.39 | ▲ 3.2% |
| CAL | Caleres, Inc. | USD 13.35 | ▲ 4.95% |
Data source: Nexqual — market data, technical indicators, analyst consensus, earnings, SEC EDGAR filings. Last updated: October 23, 2026 at 10:34 UTC. This page is informational and not investment advice.
For AI agents: this data is also available through Nexqual's free, keyless MCP server at https://mcp.nexqual.com/mcp; every result includes source_url, as_of and cite_as. More: nexqual.com/agents · llms.txt