Sign in

CATO on NYSE

Cato Corporation

American women's clothing retailer

The Cato Corporation is an American retailer of women's fashions and accessories. The company is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. As of January 2016, the company operated 1,372 stores under the names Cato, Cato Plus, It's Fashion, It's Fashion Metro and Versona.3 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Price unavailable

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

$653.8MRevenue, fiscal 20265
-$5.9MNet income, fiscal 20265
1946Founded1

Compare with Victoria’s Secret, Zumiez or Torrid, or pick any stock.

  • TickerCATO on NYSE1
  • Industryclothing industry, retail1
  • HeadquartersCharlotte1
  • Websitewww.catofashions.com
  • Incorporated inDE6
  • Business address8100 Denmark Road, Charlotte, Nc 28273-59756
  • Filer categoryNon-accelerated filer, Smaller reporting company6
  • Legal formCorporation4
  • LEI529900R4SJUY7GCUU8654
  • StatusActive4
  • LEI statusLapsed (not renewed)4
  • Registered addressc/o The Corporation Trust Company, Corporation Trust Center, 1209 Orange Street, 19801 Wilmington, United States4
  • Registered withDivision of Corporations, Department of State, 4015134

See how the biggest companies compare on our leaderboards

Cato and Cato Plus, Spalding Village
Photo: Michael Rivera, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons9

The Cato Corporation is an American retailer of women's fashions and accessories. The company is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. As of January 2016, the company operated 1,372 stores under the names Cato, Cato Plus, It's Fashion, It's Fashion Metro and Versona.3

Financials

From the company’s reports to the SEC. Every number links to the filing it came from.

Key numbers, fiscal 2026

-1.9%Operating margin5
-0.9%Net margin5
0.6%Revenue growth, 20265
-3.8%Return on equity5
-$5.2MFree cash flow5

What sells

Revenue by product, business segment and region, as the company reports it to the SEC.

Business segments

Reportable Segments, Retail brought in 100% of the revenue Cato Corporation broke down this way in fiscal 2026.

  1. Reportable Segments, Retail$651.2M5100%up 1% from 2025
  2. Reportable Segments, Credit$2.7M50%down 2% from 2025
Business segments by year
Business segments202420252026
Reportable Segments, Retail$705.4M$647.1M$651.2M
Reportable Segments, Credit$2.6M$2.7M$2.7M

Where the money goes

Where each dollar of revenue went, fiscal 2026

  • Cost of revenue65¢$431.6M
  • Selling, general and admin34¢$226.3M
  • Interest0¢$115.0K
  • Income tax0¢$1.6M

Out of $653.8M in revenue.5 The company lost money this year.

Financial statements

Revenue10111213145$653.8M in 2026−21% since 2019
0$250.0M$500.0M$750.0M$1.0B2019: $829.7M$829.7M20192020: $825.3M$825.3M2020−1%2021: $575.1M$575.1M2021−30%2022: $769.3M$769.3M2022+34%2023: $759.3M$759.3M2023−1%2024: $708.1M$708.1M2024−7%2025: $649.8M$649.8M2025−8%2026: $653.8M$653.8M2026+1%
Operating income10111213145-$12.7M in 2026
-$100.0M-$50.0M0$50.0M2019: $33.1M$33.1M20192020: $43.2M$43.2M2020+31%2021: -$72.8M-$72.8M20212022: $39.0M$39.0M20222023: -$3.6M-$3.6M20232024: -$17.9M-$17.9M2024+400%2025: -$26.4M-$26.4M2025+47%2026: -$12.7M-$12.7M2026−52%
Net income10111213145-$5.9M in 2026
-$50.0M-$25.0M0$25.0M$50.0M2019: $30.5M$30.5M20192020: $35.9M$35.9M2020+18%2021: -$47.5M-$47.5M20212022: $36.8M$36.8M20222023: $29.0K$29.0K2023−100%2024: -$23.9M-$23.9M20242025: -$18.1M-$18.1M2025−25%2026: -$5.9M-$5.9M2026−67%

Every line of the income statement as filed: the last 3 fiscal years, latest first.5

Period ending2026-01-312025-01-312024-01-31
Retail sales$646.8M$642.1M$700.3M
Other revenue (principally finance charges, late fees and layaway charges)$7.0M$7.7M$7.7M
Total revenues$653.8M$649.8M$708.1M
Cost of goods sold (exclusive of depreciation shown below)$431.6M$436.4M$464.3M
Selling, general and administrative (exclusive of depreciation shown below)$226.3M$231.4M$252.7M
Depreciation$10.0M$9.8M$9.9M
Interest expense$115.0K$59.0K$35.0K
Interest and other income-$6.7M-$11.8M-$5.1M
Costs and expenses, net$661.3M$665.9M$721.9M
Loss before income taxes-$7.5M-$16.1M-$13.8M
Income tax (benefit) expense-$1.6M$1.9M$10.1M
Basic earnings (loss) per share-$0.31-$0.97-$1.17
Diluted earnings (loss) per share-$0.31-$0.97-$1.17
Dividends per share$0.00$0.51$0.68
Net loss-$5.9M-$18.1M-$23.9M
Net unrealized gain (loss) on available-for-sale securities for fiscal years 2025, 2024, and 2023, respectively$121.0K-$242.0K$1.6M
Comprehensive loss-$5.8M-$18.3M-$22.3M

Compare Cato Corporation with another company

Corporate structure

Cato Corporation sits at the top of its group. 2 entities, 1 country on record. Switch between the flow chart and the network, and select any entity to see its details.

Major holders of Cato Corporation

  • GROUP ONE TRADING LLC Filed SCHEDULE 13G/A on Cato Corporation, latest Sep 8, 2026 (2 filings since Aug 13, 2026)
  • Amit Mohan Agarwal Filed SCHEDULE 13G/A on Cato Corporation, latest Aug 20, 2026 (14 filings since Feb 7, 2025)
  • Aldebaran Capital, LLC Filed SCHEDULE 13G on Cato Corporation, latest Nov 8, 2024
  • DIMENSIONAL FUND ADVISORS LP Filed SC 13G/A on Cato Corporation, latest Oct 31, 2024 (4 filings since Feb 8, 2022)
  • BlackRock Filed SC 13G/A on Cato Corporation, latest Jul 8, 2024 (5 filings since Jan 25, 2022)
  • John P. D. Cato Filed SC 13G/A on Cato Corporation, latest Feb 15, 2024 (3 filings since Mar 30, 2022)
  • VANGUARD GROUP INC Filed SC 13G/A on Cato Corporation, latest Feb 9, 2023 (2 filings since Feb 9, 2022)
  • Cato Corporation Charlotte, North Carolina, United States
    • Cato of Subsidiary · Florida, United States

Built from parent and subsidiary links from GLEIF, the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (CC0); subsidiaries listed in Exhibit 21 of annual reports filed with the SEC; major holders from Schedules 13D and 13G. Each entity in the chart links to its source.

What it owns

What Cato Corporation reports owning in its annual reports to the SEC: buildings, land and equipment, real estate and locations, investments, intangible assets and inventory, at the end of its latest fiscal year and a year before.

Property and equipment

ItemLatestA year beforeChange
Property and equipment, before depreciation$314.4M5 Jan 31, 2026$318.8M5 Feb 1, 2025−1.4%
Accumulated depreciation$260.6M5 Jan 31, 2026$258.5M5 Feb 1, 2025+0.8%
Property and equipment, net$53.7M5 Jan 31, 2026$60.3M5 Feb 1, 2025−10.9%
Operating-lease assets (leased space)$153.9M5 Jan 31, 2026$148.9M5 Feb 1, 2025+3.4%

Investments

ItemLatestA year beforeChange
Cash and cash equivalents$16.8M5 Jan 31, 2026$20.3M5 Feb 1, 2025−17.2%
Marketable securities, current$56.9M5 Jan 31, 2026$57.4M5 Feb 1, 2025−1.0%
Debt securities available for sale$56.9M5 Jan 31, 2026$57.4M5 Feb 1, 2025−1.0%

Inventory

ItemLatestA year beforeChange
Inventory, total$83.7M5 Jan 31, 2026$110.7M5 Feb 1, 2025−24.4%

The story

In 1946, the company founder, Wayland Cato, left United Merchants to launch his own business in Charlotte with his sons, Wayland Henry Cato, Jr., and Edgar Thomas.

Five main-street stores were opened in the first year, with two more being opened in 1947. Earnings for that year were $404,000. The company continued to open stores through the 1950s, including some in shopping centers.

The company went public in 1968, took itself private in 1980, then went public again in 1987. Early in the 1990s, the business avoided bankruptcy by implementing a new discount pricing strategy and updating its inventory.

Cato stores are typically located in strip malls anchored by a national discounter like Walmart.

From Wikipedia’s article on Cato Corporation, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.7

Leadership

Who has led Cato Corporation, and when. Pick a name to see everywhere that person has worked.

Chief executive

  1. John P. D. Cato2003–now

Chair

  1. Wayland H. Cato Jr.2003
  2. John P. D. Cato2005–now

President

  1. John P. D. Cato2003–now

Chief financial officer

  1. Reynolds C. Faulkner2006
  2. Thomas W. Stoltz2006–2008
  3. John R. Howe2008–2021
  4. Charles D. Knight2022–now
197019801990200020102020
Board members and other officers (51)

Products and brands

Cato and Cato Plus—Junior, misses and plus sizes

It's Fashion—Juniors, and Plus size

It's Fashion Metro—Larger It's Fashion stores that also include clothing for men, big and tall men, infants and toddlers

Versona -- "Exclusive" apparel and accessories

From Wikipedia’s article on Cato Corporation, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.7

Subsidiaries and ownership

Subsidiaries (Exhibit 21)

  • Cato of Florida, LLC8

The subsidiaries the company lists in Exhibit 21 of its annual report, as filed.

Timeline

  1. Sep 18, 20268-K Other events74
  2. Aug 25, 20268-K Results of operations75
  3. May 26, 20268-K Results of operations; Shareholder vote76
  4. Mar 25, 20268-K Results of operations77
  5. Mar 23, 20268-K Results of operations78
  6. Nov 24, 20258-K Results of operations79
  7. Aug 26, 20258-K Results of operations80
  8. May 27, 20258-K Results of operations; Shareholder vote81
  9. Mar 24, 20258-K Results of operations82
  10. Mar 19, 20258-K Entered a material agreement; Ended a material agreement; New debt or obligation83
  11. Nov 25, 20248-K Results of operations; Regulation FD disclosure84
  12. Aug 27, 20248-K Results of operations85
  13. Sep 17, 2003New chief executive John P. D. Cato becomes CEO20
  14. 2002Went public Listed on NYSE1
  15. 1946Founded Founded1

Calendar

Coming up

  1. Nov 19, 2026Reports results for the quarter ending Oct/202686

When it reported results

  1. Aug 25, 2026Reported quarterly or annual results75
  2. May 26, 2026Reported quarterly or annual results76
  3. Mar 25, 2026Reported quarterly or annual results77
  4. Mar 23, 2026Reported quarterly or annual results78
  5. Nov 24, 2025Reported quarterly or annual results79
  6. Aug 26, 2025Reported quarterly or annual results80
  7. May 27, 2025Reported quarterly or annual results81
  8. Mar 24, 2025Reported quarterly or annual results82

Upcoming dates from Nasdaq's calendar; past results from the company's 8-K filings (Item 2.02). The full markets calendar

Filings

148 filings to the SEC since October 2021: 5 annual reports, 15 quarterly reports, 26 major events, 65 insider forms, 31 large holders, 6 other. The latest 20:

  1. Sep 18, 20268-K EDGAR
  2. Sep 8, 2026SCHEDULE 13G/A EDGAR
  3. Aug 27, 202610-Q EDGAR
  4. Aug 25, 20268-K EDGAR
  5. Aug 20, 2026SCHEDULE 13G/A EDGAR
  6. Aug 13, 2026SCHEDULE 13G EDGAR
  7. Jul 17, 2026SCHEDULE 13G/A EDGAR
  8. May 28, 202610-Q EDGAR
  9. May 26, 20268-K EDGAR
  10. May 21, 2026SCHEDULE 13G/A EDGAR
  11. May 20, 2026SCHEDULE 13G/A EDGAR
  12. May 5, 2026SCHEDULE 13G/A EDGAR
  13. Apr 10, 2026DEF 14A DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT EDGAR
  14. Apr 9, 2026SCHEDULE 13G/A EDGAR
  15. Mar 25, 202610-K EDGAR
  16. Mar 25, 20268-K/A EDGAR
  17. Mar 23, 20268-K FORM 8K EDGAR
  18. Dec 16, 2025SCHEDULE 13G/A EDGAR
  19. Nov 25, 202510-Q FORM 10Q EDGAR
  20. Nov 24, 20258-K EDGAR

The 148 filings since October 2021 can be filtered by form type and year here when JavaScript is on.

Every filing from the last five years, summarized. The full record is on SEC EDGAR.

Insider trades

3 open-market trades by officers, directors and large owners since October 2021: 2 buys and 1 sales. Grants, option exercises and gifts are left out.

DateWhoTradeSharesPriceValueFiling
Nov 17, 2023PATRICK BAILEY WDirectorSale3,000$6.85$20.6KForm 4
Nov 25, 2022CATO JOHN P DCHAIRMAN/PRESIDENT/CEOBuy3,000$10.38$31.1KForm 4
Nov 22, 2021PATRICK BAILEY WDirectorBuy3,000$16.61$49.8KForm 4

From Forms 4 filed with the SEC.

Major holders

Investors who own more than 5% of the shares must tell the SEC: a 13D if they may seek to influence the company, a 13G if they hold passively.

Executive pay

What the company paid its top executives, from the summary compensation table in its proxy statement. Total pay includes salary, bonus, stock and option awards and other pay, as the company valued them.

YearExecutiveAgeSalaryTotal pay
2025John P. D. Cato$1.5M$1.5M94
2025Charles D. Knight$507.5K94
2025Gordon D. Smith$421.4K$425.1K94
2024Chairman, President &Chief Executive Officer$1.5M$2.4M94
2024Executive Vice President &Chief Financial Officer$487.5K$602.4K94
2024Executive Vice PresidentChief Real Estate & Store Development Officer$412.6K$511.0K94
2023Chairman, President &Chief Executive Officer$1.4M$2.9M94
2023Executive Vice President &Chief Financial Officer$437.5K$603.5K94
2023Executive Vice PresidentChief Real Estate & Store Development Officer$400.9K$559.2K94

Held by these funds

The largest holders among investment managers' 13F reports for the quarter ending Jun 30, 2026, the top 25 of 43. Change is in shares since the quarter before.

FundSharesValueShare of the fundChange
Aldebaran Capital, LLC1,169,986$3.8M2.8%−6,701
Peapod Lane Capital LLC778,940$2.5M1.7%+12,115
Vanguard Capital Management LLC711,699$2.3M0.0%+7,531
Renaissance Technologies LLC561,950$1.8M0.0%+13,600
Dimensional Fund Advisors LP468,532$1.5M0.0%−129,807
BlackRock, Inc.406,411$1.3M0.0%+14,940
Arrowstreet Capital, Limited Partnership294,905$955.5K0.0%No change
Prescott Group Capital Management, L.L.C.224,767$728.2K0.1%No change
Bridgeway Capital Management, LLC155,791$504.8K0.0%+9,292
Geode Capital Management, LLC154,380$500.3K0.0%No change
Yacktman Asset Management LP105,445$341.6K0.0%No change
Marquette Asset Management, LLC103,328$334.8K0.0%New
Vanguard Fiduciary Trust Co82,903$268.6K0.0%+559
RBF Capital, LLC82,827$268.4K0.0%−39,327
State Street Corp68,846$223.1K0.0%−2,700
Empowered Funds, LLC49,989$162.0K0.0%No change
Squarepoint Ops LLC48,749$157.9K0.0%+758
Aristides Capital LLC46,319$150.1K0.0%+1,190
NewEdge Advisors, LLC42,436$137.5K0.0%New
Northern Trust Corp32,672$105.9K0.0%−5,956
Verum Partners LLC32,508$105.3K0.0%No change
Citadel Advisors LLC27,047$87.6K0.0%−7,399
Goldman Sachs Group Inc25,963$84.1K0.0%+22
Millennium Management LLC24,800$80.4K0.0%−22,917
Connor, Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd.23,913$77.5K0.0%−259

13F reports cover disclosed long positions in U.S. stocks only.

SEC filer profile

How Cato Corporation is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, from its EDGAR record and the cover page of its latest annual report.

  • Name on EDGARCATO CORP2
  • CIK0000018255
  • Employer ID (EIN)56-048448595
  • Filer statusNon-accelerated filer not an emerging growth company; a smaller reporting company95
  • Incorporated inDelaware95
  • Fiscal year endsJanuary 302
  • Industry code (SIC)5621 Retail-Women's Clothing Stores2
  • SEC reviewing officeOffice of Trade & Services, Division of Corporation Finance2
  • Business address8100 Denmark Road, Charlotte, NC 28273-59752
  • Phone70455173522
  • Shares outstanding17,976,854 Common Class A shares; 1,763,652 Common Class B shares as of Jan 31, 202695
  • Public float$46.2M as of Aug 2, 202595
  • AuditorPricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Charlotte, North Carolina PCAOB ID 238; it also attests to the company’s internal control over financial reporting95
  • On EDGAR sinceFeb 14, 19942
  • Filings1,157 in all: 4 (549), 8-K (147), SC 13G/A (112), 10-Q (97), SC 13G (43), 3 (33), DEF 14A (32), 10-K (27)2
    All 32 form types

    5 (17), SCHEDULE 13G/A (14), UPLOAD (14), S-8 (11), 11-K (9), CORRESP (9), 4/A (8), 10-K/A (6), 10-K405 (5), 5/A (3), 8-K/A (3), SCHEDULE 13G (3), CERTNYS (2), DEFR14A (2), NT 10-K (2), 10-K405/A (1), 10-Q/A (1), 3/A (1), 8-A12B (1), 8-A12B/A (1), 8-A12G (1), ARS (1), NO ACT (1), PRE 14A (1)

  • Latest filingsAnnual report (10-K) Mar 25, 2026
    Quarterly report (10-Q) Aug 27, 2026
    Proxy statement (DEF 14A) Apr 10, 2026
    Latest 8-K (8-K) Sep 18, 2026

Securities registered for trading

ClassSymbolExchange
Class A - Common Stock, par value $.033 per shareCATONew York Stock Exchange

From the cover page of the 10-K filed Mar 25, 2026 (Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act).95

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20
  21. 21
  22. 22
  23. 23
  24. 24
  25. 25
  26. 26
  27. 27
  28. 28
  29. 29
  30. 30
  31. 31
  32. 32
  33. 33
  34. 34
  35. 35
  36. 36
  37. 37
  38. 38
  39. 39
  40. 40
  41. 41
  42. 42
  43. 43
  44. 44
  45. 45
  46. 46
  47. 47
  48. 48
  49. 49
  50. 50
  51. 51
  52. 52
  53. 53
  54. 54
  55. 55
  56. 56
  57. 57
  58. 58
  59. 59
  60. 60
  61. 61
  62. 62
  63. 63
  64. 64
  65. 65
  66. 66
  67. 67
  68. 68
  69. 69
  70. 70
  71. 71
  72. 72
  73. 73
  74. 74
    SEC EDGAROther events
  75. 75
  76. 76
  77. 77
  78. 78
  79. 79
  80. 80
  81. 81
  82. 82
  83. 83
  84. 84
  85. 85
  86. 86
  87. 87
  88. 88
  89. 89
  90. 90
  91. 91
  92. 92
  93. 93
  94. 94
  95. 95