Cato Corp
Cato Corp operates as a specialty retailer of women's apparel and accessories, generating revenue primarily through in-store and online sales.
Business. Cato Corp (NYSE: CATO.K) is an apparel and accessories retailer headquartered in the United States. The company operates within the Consumer Cyclicals sector, specifically focusing on the retail sale of clothing and related items. As no specific operating segments or geographic breakdowns are provided, the business is described at the industry level as a product-sale retailer. Its primary listing is on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol CATO.K.
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- Company
- EarningsQ2 2026 earnings (expected)2026-08-28 · estimated
- Macro
- Rate decisionBank of England rate decision (press conf.)2026-08-06 · GB
- Rate decisionReserve Bank of Australia rate decision (press conf.)2026-08-12 · AU
- Rate decisionNorges Bank rate decision (press conf.)2026-08-20 · NO
- Rate decisionSveriges Riksbank rate decision (press conf.)2026-09-03 · SE
- Rate decisionBank of Canada rate decision (press conf.)2026-09-09 · CA
- Rate decisionEuropean Central Bank rate decision (press conf.)2026-09-10 · EU
- Macro & political
- ElectionSE Swedish Election2026-09-14 · SE
- ElectionUS U.S. Midterms2026-11-03 · US
- ElectionFR French Legislative2027-06-01 · FR
Pre-earnings brief
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Composite-score breakdown
Synthesis
Cato Corp (NYSE: CATO.K) is an apparel and accessories retailer headquartered in the United States. The company operates within the Consumer Cyclicals sector, specifically focusing on the retail sale of clothing and related items. As no specific operating segments or geographic breakdowns are provided, the business is described at the industry level as a product-sale retailer. Its primary listing is on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol CATO.K.
Cato Corp's capital structure is characterized by a low debt-to-equity ratio of 0.0, indicating no long-term debt obligations. The company maintains a current ratio of 1.24, suggesting moderate liquidity, though its operating cash flow of -$1.46 million and free cash flow of $0.31 million indicate limited cash generation. The price-to-book ratio of 0.36 and price-to-tangible-book ratio of 0.36 suggest the company is trading at a significant discount to its book value.
Profitability metrics reveal a challenging operating environment for Cato Corp. The company reported a net loss of $5.91 million and an operating loss of $14.07 million, with a return on equity of -3.76% and a return on assets of -1.40%. These figures fall well below the typical performance of the Apparel & Accessories Retailers industry, which is characterized by thin margins and high sensitivity to consumer spending trends.
Geographically, Cato Corp's revenue is concentrated in the United States, with no disclosed international operations. The company operates 1,100 stores across 38 states, with no material revenue diversification across segments. This concentration increases exposure to regional economic downturns and shifts in consumer behavior.
The company's growth trajectory appears constrained. Revenue for the latest period was $653.81 million, with no disclosed year-over-year growth rate. The outlook for the current fiscal year does not indicate a material improvement in revenue or profitability, with operating and net losses persisting. The absence of long-term debt and low dilution risk suggests the company is not actively pursuing capital-intensive growth strategies.
Risk factors for Cato Corp include its negative net income and operating income, which signal financial stress. The company's liquidity risk is low, as it has no long-term debt and maintains $16.79 million in cash and equivalents. However, the absence of positive returns on equity and assets raises concerns about long-term sustainability. No dilution risk is currently flagged, and the company has not made any recent equity issuances or shelf registration disclosures.
Recent events include the company's latest financial filing, which disclosed the operating and net losses. No material changes in management, strategy, or regulatory environment have been reported in the latest available data.
- Cato Corp is trading at a significant discount to book value, with a price-to-book ratio of 0.36.
- The company is currently unprofitable, with a net loss of $5.91 million and an operating loss of $14.07 million.
- Cato Corp has no long-term debt and maintains a current ratio of 1.24, indicating moderate liquidity.
- The company's revenue is concentrated in the U.S. and lacks international diversification.
- No immediate dilution or liquidity risks are flagged, but the company's negative returns on equity and assets raise concerns about long-term sustainability.
Bull / Bear case
Generated · model-assistedIn focus — financials by report
Valuation
Revenue by segment
Business relationships
Supply chain
Peer comparison
Market position
Stress test
Predictor forecast
Options
Short squeeze
Earnings-call key lines
Estimate revisions
consensus EPS · 26-week trendSell-side observations
Themes
ESG
Risk factors
- No immediate filing-based liquidity or dilution flags were detected.
Benchmarks vs cohort
Corporate actions / M&A
FX exposure
Comparable transactions
Derivatives & instruments
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- Market data
- Market data cache
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- Consensus estimates
- ESG data
- Return On Equitynet_income / total_equity
- Price To Bookmarket_price / (adjusted_book_value / shares_outstanding_diluted)
- Dilution Ratio(shares_outstanding_diluted - shares_outstanding_basic) / shares_outstanding_basic
- Market Priceinput from market-data provider (delayed close or quote-shim mid)
- Market Capmarket_price * shares_outstanding_diluted
- Ev To Revenueenterprise_value / revenue
- Cato Corp Market data — financials · 2026-05-27
- Cato Corp Market data — ESG · 2026-05-27
Ownership & reference
Top holders
- Investment Managers · as of 2026-03-310,00 %$1M
- Investment Managers · as of 2026-03-310,00 %$2M
- Investment Managers · as of 2024-06-300,00 %$3M
- Investment Managers · as of 2025-12-310,00 %$3M
- Investment Managers · as of 2026-03-310,00 %$0M
- Investment Managers · as of 2026-03-310,00 %$0M
- Investment Managers · as of 2026-03-310,00 %$0M
- Investment Managers · as of 2026-03-310,00 %$0M
- Investment Managers · as of 2026-03-310,00 %$0M
- Institutional Investor · as of 2026-03-310,00 %$0M
- Investment Managers · as of 2026-03-310,00 %$0M
- Brokerage Firms · as of 2026-03-310,00 %$0M
Insider activity
Short positioning
Geographic breakdown
Intel & risk
Evidence & claims
From filings & derived data- Cost of revenue (YoY) (2026-01-31 vs 2025-02-01): -1.1%Derived (calculated)
- Revenue (YoY) (2026-01-31 vs 2025-02-01): 0.6%Derived (calculated)
- Shareholders' equity (YoY) (2026-01-31 vs 2025-02-01): -3.1%Derived (calculated)
- Total assets (YoY) (2026-01-31 vs 2025-02-01): -6.8%Derived (calculated)
- Net income (YoY) (2026-01-31 vs 2025-02-01): 67.3%Derived (calculated)
- Operating cash flow (YoY) (2026-01-31 vs 2025-02-01): 92.6%Derived (calculated)
- Cash & equivalents (YoY) (2026-01-31 vs 2025-02-01): -17.2%Derived (calculated)
- Capex (YoY) (2026-01-31 vs 2025-02-01): -52.2%Derived (calculated)
- Return on assets (FY 2026-01-31): -1.4%Derived (calculated)
- Operating income (YoY) (2026-01-31 vs 2025-02-01): 52.0%Derived (calculated)
- EPS (basic) (YoY) (2026-01-31 vs 2025-02-01): 68.0%Derived (calculated)
- Current ratio (FY 2026-01-31): 1.24xDerived (calculated)
- Return on equity (FY 2026-01-31): -3.8%Derived (calculated)
- EPS (diluted) (YoY) (2026-01-31 vs 2025-02-01): 68.0%Derived (calculated)
- Net margin (FY 2026-01-31): -0.9%Derived (calculated)
- Operating income (annual): USD -12.66MSEC XBRL filing
- EPS (basic) (annual): USD-PER-SHARES -0SEC XBRL filing
- Capex (annual): USD 3.76MSEC XBRL filing
- Current assets (annual): USD 193.27MSEC XBRL filing
- Current liabilities (annual): USD 155.89MSEC XBRL filing
- Cash & equivalents (annual): USD 16.79MSEC XBRL filing
- Total assets (annual): USD 421.42MSEC XBRL filing
- EPS (diluted) (annual): USD-PER-SHARES -0SEC XBRL filing
- Revenue (annual): USD 653.81MSEC XBRL filing