The Cato Corporation
- Market Cap (Float-Adj) (Float-adjusted market cap computed by the low-float screener — matches the screener row. May differ from the standard cap (price × all shares outstanding) reported elsewhere.)
- $62.5M
- Price
- $3.13
- % Change (Daily % change from the live per-ticker quote feed.)
- -5.44%
- Volume
- 169.7K
Quote data as of 7:03 AM ET
About
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. As of January 29, 2022, the company operated 1,311 stores in 32 states. It also provides credit card services to its customers, as well as layaway plans for customers who agree to make periodic payments. The company was incorporated in 1946 and is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Quick stats
Shares outstanding20.0M
Computed float14.7M
Float sourceUnknown
Cash runway (months)Unknown
Dilution risk—
Has warrants—
Has convertibles—
Active shelf (Shelf registration (e.g. Form S-3) currently in effect — the company is pre-cleared to issue and sell new shares quickly. A standing dilution risk.)—
Active ATM (At-the-market offering — a program to sell newly issued shares directly into the open market at prevailing prices, diluting existing holders over time.)—
Key info
SectorConsumer Cyclical
IndustryApparel - Retail
CIK (Central Index Key — the unique ID the SEC assigns to every filer. Use it to look up the company's filings on EDGAR.)0000018255
Websitehttps://www.catofashions.com
AI Summary
AI-generated2mo agostandardmixedearningsCATO REPORTS 1Q EARNINGS
Cato reported Q1 diluted EPS of $0.47, a significant improvement from $0.17 a year ago, driven largely by a $5.7 million pre-tax tariff refund.
Retail sales rose 0.7% to $169.5 million with same-store sales up 3%, but gross margin expansion was partially offset by higher markdowns.
Management warned that rising inflation, particularly in fuel and food, will negatively impact future sales and reduce customer discretionary income.
The company repurchased 107,823 shares during the quarter and closed six stores while opening two, ending the period with 1,065 locations.
Red flags
- EPS beat driven by one-time tariff refund rather than organic operational improvement
- Management explicitly forecasts negative sales impact from inflation
- Continued store closures (6 closed vs 2 opened) suggests ongoing structural challenges