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Cato Corporation(CATO)

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ADVISORIES YOU CAN VERIFY
QUALITY SIGNAL
1-STAR RATING
PASS
LAST CLOSE
$2.47
09/22/2026
(24-hour delay)

Advisory History & Simulated Performance *

*as per simulation (see disclosures)
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Advisory Performance History (Simulated)Advisory Performance History info

Upturn Advisory & Investor View for CATO

09/22/2026: CATO (1-star) is currently NOT-A-BUY. Pass it for now.

How to Read the Upturn Advisory

The Upturn Star Rating and the current BUY, SELL, or PASS advisory are generated by Upturn’s AI advisory engine based on proprietary signal analysis, price behavior, advisory history, and historical signal performance.

Company fundamentals, valuation, risks, and news provide supporting context about the business.

Price Behavior

Downtrend
PRICE PATH

Downtrend

The stock has experienced a sustained decline in price over recent periods.

Choppy
PRICE STABILITY

Choppy

The stock has experienced frequent reversals and pronounced short-term price swings.

Analysis of Past Performance

Type Stock
Historic Profit -67.79%
Avg. Invested days 29
Today’s Advisory PASS
Upturn Advisory Rating upturn star rating icon
Upturn Advisory Performance Upturn Advisory Performance icon 1.0
Stock Returns Performance Upturn Returns Performance icon 1.0
Upturn Profits based on simulation icon Profits based on simulation
Upturn last close icon Last Close 09/22/2026

Upturn Scorecard

Upturn Star Rating

CATO receives a 3-star rating, supported by solid company fundamentals. The rating is constrained by weak unit economics, and weak price momentum.

Company Fundamentals

CATO has solid overall fundamentals (4 stars), with soft financial health, solid growth momentum, and solid ownership. In FY2026 versus FY2025, strong earnings growth (+68.2%) is partially offset by soft cash generation (FCF margin -0.8%), moderate revenue growth (+0.6%), soft profitability (net margin -0.9%).

Financial Health Rating

CATO's financial health is supported by moderate efficiency, including operating-expense and cost-of-revenue discipline (opex 34.6% of revenue). Profitability is soft (2 stars), which helps explain the 2-star overall score.

Growth Momentum Score

Free-cash-flow growth is CATO's strongest growth driver at +81.1% FY2026 versus FY2025 (strong, 5 stars). By comparison, earnings growth (+68.2%, strong) is also strong, while revenue growth (+0.6%, moderate) holds the profile back, so recent growth is not broad-based across the business.

Ownership

Institutional ownership is 32.4% and approximately 81.0% of outstanding shares are publicly tradable, supporting liquidity and institutional participation. Insider ownership of 13.90% supports management-shareholder alignment.

Top 5 Institutional Investors

Aldebaran Capital LLC 5.91%
Peapod Lane Capital LLC 3.91%
Vanguard Capital Management, LLC 3.54%
Renaissance Technologies Corp 2.75%
Dimensional Fund Advisors, Inc. 2.35%

Unit Economics (Per $1K Revenue)

CATO generates approximately $325 of gross profit, $-22 of operating income, and $-8 of free cash flow for every $1,000 of revenue. Based on FY2026 results. Strong cash conversion and healthy margins support the rating, although capital efficiency remains below the highest tier.

Economic Dimensions

Effective Tax Rate: 21.21%

Quantitative Style Profile

CATO has a liquid, relatively low-volatility profile. Weak momentum is the primary drawback, while valuation that is moderately attractive rather than deeply discounted.

Style Classification

Quality Focused

Low VolatilitySmall / Mid Cap RiskHighly Liquid / Institution-Friendly

Key Highlights

Company Size Small-Cap Stock
Market Capitalization 49.18M USD
Price to earnings Ratio -
1Y Target Price 23
Price to earnings Ratio -
1Y Target Price 23
Volume (30-day avg) 170.1K shares
Beta 0.55
52 Weeks Range 2.30 - 4.67
Updated Date 09/22/2026
52 Weeks Range 2.30 - 4.67
Updated Date 09/22/2026
Dividends yield (FY) -
Basic EPS (TTM) -0.29

Analyzing Revenue: Products, Geography and Growth

Revenue by Products

Product revenue - Year on Year

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Valuation

Trailing PE -
Forward PE 17.15
Enterprise Value 93.65M
Price to Sales(TTM) 0.08
Enterprise Value 93.65M
Price to Sales(TTM) 0.08
Enterprise Value to Revenue 0.15
Enterprise Value to EBITDA 65.12
Shares Outstanding 18.15M
Shares Floating 14.70M
Shares Outstanding 18.15M
Shares Floating 14.70M
Percent Insiders 13.9
Percent Institutions 32.4

Financial Metrics

🧭 Investment Snapshot

Total Revenue (Scale)

Information icon Total money earned from selling products or services before any costs. It is needed to understand the scale of the business and its ability to generate income.

Net Income (Profit)

Information icon Final profit after all expenses, interest, and taxes are deducted. It is needed to determine the overall profitability available to shareholders.

Free Cash Flow (Cash Strength)

Information icon Cash remaining after operating activities and capital expenditures, showing cash available for growth. It is needed to evaluate the company’s ability to invest, pay dividends, or reduce debt.

📈 Growth & Strength

Operating Income (Core Profit)

Information icon Profit from core operations after deducting all operating expenses. It is needed to measure how efficiently the company runs its primary business activities.

EBITDA (Cash Earnings)

Information icon Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization, indicating operating cash potential. It is needed to compare operating performance across companies without accounting or financing differences.

Gross Profit (Unit Profitability)

Information icon Revenue minus cost of revenue, showing profit after direct production costs. It is needed to evaluate core business profitability before overhead expenses.

🛡️ Financial Safety

Cash (Liquidity Buffer)

Information icon Total cash and cash equivalents on hand. It is needed to evaluate immediate liquidity and financial flexibility.

Total Debt (Leverage Risk)

Information icon Total debt including both short-term and long-term components. It is needed to assess the company’s leverage and financial risk.

Net Working Capital (Short-Term Health)

Information icon Current assets minus current liabilities, indicating short-term liquidity strength. It is needed to assess whether the company can meet its short-term obligations.

🧱 Balance Sheet Strength

Stockholder Equity (Net Worth)

Information icon Total equity value held by shareholders. It is needed to understand the net worth of the company from the owners’ perspective.

Total Assets (Asset Base)

Information icon The full value of everything the company owns, including cash, inventory, equipment, and investments. It is needed to understand the resource base used to generate revenue.

Income Before Tax (Pre-Tax Earnings)

Information icon Income before provision for income taxes. It is needed to analyze profitability independent of tax structures.

⚙️ Cost & Drag Factors

Cost of Revenue (Production Cost)

Information icon Direct costs required to produce and deliver the products or services sold. It is needed to assess efficiency in production and service delivery.

Total Operating Expenses (Operating Cost)

Information icon Indirect costs of running the business such as salaries, marketing, and administration. It is needed to understand how much it costs to sustain ongoing business operations.

Income Tax Expense (Tax Drag)

Information icon Amount of taxes paid or payable to the government. It is needed to evaluate the impact of taxation on overall profitability.

About Cato Corporation

Exchange NYSE
Headquarters Charlotte, NC, United States
IPO Launch date 1987-04-23
Chairman, President & CEO Mr. John P. Derham Cato
Sector Consumer Cyclical
Industry Apparel Retail
Full time employees 6700
Full time employees 6700

The Cato Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a specialty retailer of fashion apparel and accessories primarily in the southeastern United States. It operates through two segments, Retail and Credit. The company's stores and e-commerce websites offer a range of apparel and accessories, including dressy, career, and casual sportswear; and dresses, coats, shoes, lingerie, costume jewelry, and handbags, as well as men's wear, and lines for kids and infants. It operates its stores and e-commerce websites under the Cato, Cato Fashions, Cato Plus, It's Fashion, It's Fashion Metro, and Versona names. It also provides credit card services and layaway plans for customers. The Cato Corporation was incorporated in 1946 and is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.