The Cato Corporation (CATO)Consumer Cyclical | Apparel Retail | Charlotte, United States | NYSE
2.65 USD
-0.01
(-0.376%) ⇩
(Aug. 28, 2026, 4 p.m.
EDT)
After hours: 2.65 |
Hot Take ↕ | Aug. 22, 2026, 2:07 a.m. EDT
The Cato Corporation is currently trapped in a severe structural decline with no visible path to recovery. The business fundamentals are deteriorating rapidly, evidenced by a crushing nine-year price trajectory where the stock has lost nearly 90% of its value. The company is bleeding cash, reporting negative earnings growth of over 80%, shrinking revenues, and negative returns on both assets and equity. While the valuation metrics like P/E and P/B appear attractive due to the depressed share price, these are value traps reflecting the reality that the company cannot generate profit or grow sales. The recent news of a loss in Q4 confirms the operational rot. Furthermore, the options market is screaming 'sell,' with put buyers dominating the landscape, signaling that even speculative investors see little hope for a bounce. The meager dividend paid is likely unsustainable given the negative free cash flow and is not enough to offset the capital destruction. Avoid this security entirely. |
| Model | MAE |
|---|---|
| MSTL ✓ | 0.050235 |
| AutoETS | 0.051293 |
| AutoARIMA | 0.051344 |
| AutoTheta | 0.053373 |
Forecast horizon: 45 days | Selected: MSTL
| Forecast Reliability | |
|---|---|
| Score | 32% |
| H-stat | 12.04 |
| Ljung-Box p | 0.000 |
| Jarque-Bera p | 0.000 |
| Excess Kurtosis | 1.64 |
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Sector | Consumer Cyclical |
| Ex Dividend Date | 2024-09-15 |
| Last Dividend Date | 2024-09-15 |
| Debt to Equity Ratio | 82.564 |
| Revenue per Share | 34.401 |
| Market Cap | 52,766,664 |
| Forward P/E | 2.04 |
| Beta | 0.58 |
| Profit Margins | -0.87% |
| Website | https://www.catofashions.com |
As of Aug. 22, 2026, 2:07 a.m. EDT: Speculators are overwhelmingly positioning for downside protection rather than upside participation. Put open interest is significantly higher than call open interest across all expirations, with deep out-of-the-money puts holding massive volume relative to calls. This indicates a strong consensus among retail traders that the stock will likely trade lower, despite the low implied volatility suggesting a lack of panic pricing.
| Date | Dividend | Yield % |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-09-16 | 0.170000 | 3.769401 |
| 2024-06-10 | 0.170000 | 3.035714 |
| 2024-03-25 | 0.170000 | 3.189493 |
| 2023-12-15 | 0.170000 | 2.449568 |
| 2023-09-08 | 0.170000 | 2.260638 |
| 2023-06-09 | 0.170000 | 2.111801 |
| 2023-03-20 | 0.170000 | 1.951780 |
| 2022-12-22 | 0.170000 | 1.884701 |
| 2022-09-09 | 0.170000 | 1.750772 |
| 2022-06-10 | 0.170000 | 1.503095 |
| 2022-03-21 | 0.170000 | 1.108214 |
| 2021-12-17 | 0.170000 | 1.067839 |
| 2021-09-10 | 0.170000 | 1.060511 |
| 2021-06-04 | 0.110000 | 0.688360 |
| 2020-03-06 | 0.330000 | 2.337111 |
| 2019-12-13 | 0.330000 | 1.853933 |
| 2019-09-13 | 0.330000 | 1.914153 |
| 2019-06-07 | 0.330000 | 2.596381 |
| 2019-03-08 | 0.330000 | 2.500000 |
| 2018-12-07 | 0.330000 | 2.328864 |
| 2018-09-14 | 0.330000 | 1.578192 |
| 2018-06-08 | 0.330000 | 1.367026 |
| 2018-03-09 | 0.330000 | 2.736318 |
| 2017-12-08 | 0.330000 | 2.133161 |
| 2017-09-08 | 0.330000 | 2.501895 |
| 2017-06-01 | 0.330000 | 1.637717 |
| 2017-03-02 | 0.330000 | 1.366460 |
| 2016-12-08 | 0.330000 | 1.059390 |
| 2016-09-08 | 0.330000 | 1.007326 |
| 2016-06-02 | 0.330000 | 0.861394 |
| 2016-03-03 | 0.300000 | 0.825310 |
| 2015-12-10 | 0.300000 | 0.778412 |
| 2015-09-10 | 0.300000 | 0.889680 |
| 2015-06-04 | 0.300000 | 0.797448 |
| 2015-03-05 | 0.300000 | 0.712758 |
| 2014-12-11 | 0.300000 | 0.748503 |
| 2014-09-11 | 0.300000 | 0.854701 |
| 2014-06-05 | 0.300000 | 1.007387 |
| 2014-03-06 | 0.300000 | 1.028101 |
| 2013-12-12 | 0.050000 | 0.162496 |
| 2013-09-12 | 0.050000 | 0.187688 |
| 2013-06-06 | 0.050000 | 0.196002 |
| 2013-03-07 | 0.050000 | 0.197785 |
| 2012-12-12 | 2.250000 | 8.627301 |
| 2012-09-06 | 0.250000 | 0.787402 |
| 2012-06-07 | 0.250000 | 0.841468 |
| 2012-03-01 | 0.230000 | 0.859813 |
| 2011-12-15 | 0.230000 | 0.939926 |
| 2011-09-08 | 0.230000 | 0.984589 |
| 2011-06-09 | 0.230000 | 0.841258 |
| 2011-03-03 | 0.185000 | 0.757266 |
| 2010-12-16 | 0.185000 | 0.656261 |
| 2010-09-09 | 0.185000 | 0.764463 |
| 2010-06-10 | 0.185000 | 0.774059 |
| 2010-03-04 | 0.165000 | 0.784220 |
| 2009-12-17 | 0.165000 | 0.855365 |
| 2009-09-10 | 0.165000 | 0.879531 |
| 2009-06-04 | 0.165000 | 0.811608 |
| 2009-03-05 | 0.165000 | 1.249054 |
| 2008-12-18 | 0.165000 | 1.178571 |
| 2008-09-11 | 0.165000 | 0.897715 |
| 2008-06-05 | 0.165000 | 1.034483 |
| 2008-03-06 | 0.165000 | 1.107383 |
| 2007-12-20 | 0.165000 | 1.057692 |
| 2007-09-06 | 0.165000 | 0.764243 |
| 2007-06-07 | 0.165000 | 0.768872 |
| 2007-03-08 | 0.150000 | 0.698649 |
| 2006-12-14 | 0.150000 | 0.622924 |
| 2006-09-07 | 0.150000 | 0.657318 |
| 2006-06-08 | 0.150000 | 0.672043 |
| 2006-03-09 | 0.130000 | 0.654582 |
| 2005-12-15 | 0.130000 | 0.585586 |
| 2005-09-08 | 0.130000 | 0.666325 |
| 2005-06-09 | 0.130000 | 0.643989 |
| 2005-03-10 | 0.116667 | 0.570778 |
| 2004-12-16 | 0.116667 | 0.625002 |
| 2004-09-09 | 0.116667 | 0.858266 |
| 2004-06-10 | 0.116667 | 0.783701 |
| 2004-03-11 | 0.106667 | 0.790516 |
| 2003-12-18 | 0.106667 | 0.801204 |
| 2003-09-11 | 0.106667 | 0.725626 |
| 2003-06-05 | 0.106667 | 0.764090 |
| 2003-03-13 | 0.100000 | 0.893389 |
| 2002-12-19 | 0.100000 | 0.701590 |
| 2002-09-12 | 0.100000 | 0.789474 |
| 2002-06-06 | 0.100000 | 0.584795 |
| 2002-03-07 | 0.090000 | 0.674663 |
| 2001-12-20 | 0.090000 | 0.752089 |
| 2001-09-17 | 0.090000 | 0.782609 |
| 2001-09-10 | 0.135000 | 1.088710 |
| 2001-06-07 | 0.090000 | 0.681474 |
| 2001-03-15 | 0.083333 | 0.803210 |
| 2000-12-20 | 0.083333 | 0.934576 |
| 2000-09-07 | 0.066667 | 0.837701 |
| 2000-06-08 | 0.066667 | 0.941181 |
| 2000-03-09 | 0.066667 | 0.914290 |
| 1999-12-16 | 0.050000 | 0.631579 |
| 1999-09-09 | 0.050000 | 0.487805 |
| 1999-06-03 | 0.050000 | 0.566038 |
| 1999-03-11 | 0.036667 | 0.530125 |
| 1998-12-17 | 0.033333 | 0.470584 |
| 1998-09-10 | 0.033333 | 0.423276 |
| 1998-05-28 | 0.030000 | 0.298755 |
| 1998-03-12 | 0.030000 | 0.354680 |
| 1997-12-18 | 0.026667 | 0.500006 |
| 1997-09-11 | 0.026667 | 0.421058 |
| 1997-05-29 | 0.026667 | 0.820523 |
| 1997-03-13 | 0.026667 | 0.727282 |
| 1996-12-19 | 0.026667 | 0.820523 |
| 1996-09-12 | 0.026667 | 0.640008 |
| 1996-05-30 | 0.026667 | 0.507943 |
| 1996-03-14 | 0.026667 | 0.457149 |
| 1995-12-14 | 0.026667 | 0.581825 |
| 1995-09-07 | 0.026667 | 0.561411 |
| 1995-06-15 | 0.026667 | 0.507943 |
| 1995-03-07 | 0.026667 | 0.711120 |
| 1994-12-13 | 0.026667 | 0.615392 |
| 1994-09-06 | 0.026667 | 0.372098 |
| 1994-05-31 | 0.026667 | 0.320004 |
| 1994-03-08 | 0.016667 | 0.119050 |
| 1993-12-14 | 0.016667 | 0.125003 |
| 1993-09-07 | 0.016667 | 0.119050 |
| 1993-06-01 | 0.016444 | 0.121308 |
| 1993-03-09 | 0.008889 | 0.069566 |
| 1992-12-15 | 0.008889 | 0.086958 |
| 1992-09-08 | 0.008889 | 0.118520 |
| 1992-06-02 | 0.008889 | 0.156865 |
| 1990-03-05 | 0.008889 | 0.727282 |
| 1989-12-13 | 0.008889 | 0.571436 |
| 1989-09-08 | 0.008889 | 0.390249 |
| 1989-06-05 | 0.008889 | 0.410261 |
| 1989-03-06 | 0.008889 | 0.457149 |
| 1988-12-12 | 0.008889 | 0.444450 |
| 1988-09-02 | 0.008889 | 0.666675 |
| 1988-06-08 | 0.008889 | 0.444450 |
| 1988-03-09 | 0.008889 | 0.421058 |
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| 52 Week Change | -0.38850576 |
| Address1 | 8,100 Denmark Road |
| All Time High | 44.89 |
| All Time Low | 0.25 |
| Ask | 2.65 |
| Ask Size | 200 |
| Audit Risk | 5 |
| Average Daily Volume10 Day | 283,660 |
| Average Daily Volume3 Month | 115,575 |
| Average Volume | 115,575 |
| Average Volume10Days | 283,660 |
| Beta | 0.577 |
| Bid | 2.63 |
| Bid Size | 5,100 |
| Board Risk | 8 |
| Book Value | 8.768 |
| City | Charlotte |
| Compensation As Of Epoch Date | 1,767,139,200 |
| Compensation Risk | 5 |
| Country | United States |
| Crypto Tradeable | 0 |
| Currency | USD |
| Current Price | 2.65 |
| Current Ratio | 1.358 |
| Custom Price Alert Confidence | HIGH |
| Date Short Interest | 1,786,665,600 |
| Day High | 2.7 |
| Day Low | 2.6316 |
| Debt To Equity | 82.564 |
| Display Name | The Cato |
| Dividend Date | 1,727,654,400 |
| Earnings Growth | -0.827 |
| Earnings Quarterly Growth | -0.832 |
| Earnings Timestamp | 1,787,229,000 |
| Earnings Timestamp End | 1,795,091,400 |
| Earnings Timestamp Start | 1,795,091,400 |
| Ebitda | -5,459,000 |
| Ebitda Margins | -0.00848 |
| Enterprise To Ebitda | -17.514 |
| Enterprise To Revenue | 0.149 |
| Enterprise Value | 95,611,504 |
| Eps Forward | 1.3 |
| Eps Trailing Twelve Months | -0.29 |
| Esg Populated | 0 |
| Ex Dividend Date | 1,726,444,800 |
| Exchange | NYQ |
| Exchange Data Delayed By | 0 |
| Exchange Timezone Name | America/New_York |
| Exchange Timezone Short Name | EDT |
| Fifty Day Average | 3.2564 |
| Fifty Day Average Change | -0.6064 |
| Fifty Day Average Change Percent | -0.1862179 |
| Fifty Two Week Change Percent | -38.850574 |
| Fifty Two Week High | 4.92 |
| Fifty Two Week High Change | -2.27 |
| Fifty Two Week High Change Percent | -0.4613821 |
| Fifty Two Week Low | 2.59 |
| Fifty Two Week Low Change | 0.06000018 |
| Fifty Two Week Low Change Percent | 0.023166094 |
| Fifty Two Week Range | 2.59 - 4.92 |
| Financial Currency | USD |
| First Trade Date Milliseconds | 546,096,600,000 |
| Five Year Avg Dividend Yield | 7.73 |
| Float Shares | 14,835,888 |
| Forward Eps | 1.3 |
| Forward P E | 2.0384617 |
| Full Exchange Name | NYSE |
| Full Time Employees | 6,700 |
| Fullday Change | -0.00999999 |
| Fullday Change Percent | -0.375939 |
| Fullday Price | 2.65 |
| Gmt Off Set Milliseconds | -14,400,000 |
| Governance Epoch Date | 1,785,542,400 |
| Gross Margins | 0.33365002 |
| Gross Profits | 214,762,000 |
| Has Pre Post Market Data | 1 |
| Held Percent Insiders | 0.13896 |
| Held Percent Institutions | 0.37995997 |
| Implied Shares Outstanding | 19,911,949 |
| Industry | Apparel Retail |
| Industry Disp | Apparel Retail |
| Industry Key | apparel-retail |
| Ir Website | http://www.catofashions.com/investors.cfm |
| Is Earnings Date Estimate | 1 |
| Language | en-US |
| Last Dividend Date | 1,726,444,800 |
| Last Dividend Value | 0.17 |
| Last Fiscal Year End | 1,769,817,600 |
| Last Split Date | 1,119,916,800 |
| Last Split Factor | 3:2 |
| Long Business Summary | 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. |
| Long Name | The Cato Corporation |
| Market | us_market |
| Market Cap | 52,766,664 |
| Market State | CLOSED |
| Max Age | 86,400 |
| Message Board Id | finmb_258697 |
| Most Recent Quarter | 1,785,542,400 |
| Net Income To Common | -5,592,000 |
| Next Fiscal Year End | 1,801,353,600 |
| Non Diluted Market Cap | 53,090,561 |
| Open | 2.66 |
| Operating Margins | -0.00587 |
| Overall Risk | 9 |
| Payout Ratio | 0.0 |
| Peg Ratio | 1.17 |
| Phone | 704 554 8510 |
| Post Market Change | 0.0 |
| Post Market Change Percent | 0.0 |
| Post Market Price | 2.65 |
| Post Market Time | 1,787,961,324 |
| Previous Close | 2.66 |
| Price Hint | 4 |
| Price To Book | 0.30223542 |
| Price To Sales Trailing12 Months | 0.081978336 |
| Profit Margins | -0.0086900005 |
| Quick Ratio | 0.744 |
| Quote Source Name | Delayed Quote |
| Quote Type | EQUITY |
| Recommendation Key | none |
| Region | US |
| Regular Market Change | -0.00999999 |
| Regular Market Change Percent | -0.375939 |
| Regular Market Day High | 2.7 |
| Regular Market Day Low | 2.6316 |
| Regular Market Day Range | 2.6316 - 2.7 |
| Regular Market Open | 2.66 |
| Regular Market Previous Close | 2.66 |
| Regular Market Price | 2.65 |
| Regular Market Time | 1,787,947,202 |
| Regular Market Volume | 92,686 |
| Return On Assets | -0.02125 |
| Return On Equity | -0.03289 |
| Revenue Growth | -0.062 |
| Revenue Per Share | 34.401 |
| Sand P52 Week Change | 0.20504117 |
| Sector | Consumer Cyclical |
| Sector Disp | Consumer Cyclical |
| Sector Key | consumer-cyclical |
| Share Holder Rights Risk | 10 |
| Shares Outstanding | 18,148,297 |
| Shares Percent Shares Out | 0.02 |
| Shares Short | 398,212 |
| Shares Short Previous Month Date | 1,784,073,600 |
| Shares Short Prior Month | 411,308 |
| Short Name | Cato Corporation (The) |
| Short Percent Of Float | 0.024300002 |
| Short Ratio | 4.42 |
| Source Interval | 15 |
| State | NC |
| Symbol | CATO |
| Total Cash | 93,765,000 |
| Total Cash Per Share | 4.896 |
| Total Debt | 138,628,992 |
| Total Revenue | 643,665,984 |
| Tradeable | 0 |
| Trailing Annual Dividend Rate | 0.0 |
| Trailing Annual Dividend Yield | 0.0 |
| Trailing Eps | -0.29 |
| Trailing Peg Ratio | None |
| Triggerable | 1 |
| Two Hundred Day Average | 3.15455 |
| Two Hundred Day Average Change | -0.50455 |
| Two Hundred Day Average Change Percent | -0.15994357 |
| Type Disp | Equity |
| Volume | 92,686 |
| Website | https://www.catofashions.com |
| Zip | 28,273-5975 |