CATOConsumer Cyclical · Apparel Retail

CATO Stock Forecast: The Cato Corp. Price Predictions for 2026-2027

Last close, 8 Oct 2026

$2.38

+0.42% on the day

Ticker Nerd's systematic factor model, run across ~4,600 US stocks, ranks it 35 of 100 as at 8 Oct 2026 — in the lower half.

Market cap

$47.6M

Ticker Nerd rank

35 / 100

Median analyst target

—

Analysts covering

Revenue$165.5M−6.2% y/y

Operating income−$972K

Net income$1.1M

Free cash flow$13.1M

Quarterly, 8 quarters to 31 July 2026 · latest quarter's figure shown

Total return, dividends reinvested

−0.4%

−6.3%

YTD

−23.0%

−45.0%

From 52W high

−45.9%

From 52W low

+1.7%

$2.34

$4.40

52-week range, adjusted closes · the dot is the last close

Ticker Nerd rank

CATO stock analysis: one number for the whole business

Consensus tells you what everyone already believes. The model scores The Cato Corp. on its factor families — the same systematic rank behind the Ticker Nerd portfolio.

Where the model ranks itAs at 8 Oct 2026

35 / 100

Percentile across ~4,600 US stocks on Ticker Nerd’s systematic factor model. Higher is better. How the model is built and tested

Growth

Size

Accruals

Volatility

Issuance

Quality

Revisions

Value

Momentum

Growth (88): Sales and profits are climbing, and climbing faster than before.

Momentum (11): The shares have been drifting down relative to others.

Built and run by Aslam Ghouse, an ex-Goldman Sachs quant trader with fourteen years in markets.

Wall Street

CATO stock forecast 2026-2027: analyst price targets & predictions

The bullish and bearish analyst opinions on CATO, reported as data — targets and ratings, the market's view beside the model's.

Share price and the analyst range, 12 monthsAdjusted close, US dollars

Price targets and ratings are third-party analyst estimates, reported here as data. They are not Ticker Nerd forecasts, and they are frequently wrong.

Data provided by Twelve Data

What Wall Street says1 analysts

0 Buy1 Hold0 Sell

Price targets and ratings are third-party analyst estimates, reported here as data. They are not Ticker Nerd forecasts, and they are frequently wrong.

Market Radar

This page is one stock. Monday covers all of them.

Computed off the Friday close and sent before the US open.

Market Radar reports the week’s largest rank changes across roughly 4,600 US stocks, the factor behind each one, and where the market went. CATO appears on the weeks it earns a place.

Performance

CATO vs the S&P 500

Both lines are total return — dividends reinvested — so the comparison is honest on both sides.

Over the twelve months to 8 Oct 2026, The Cato Corp. returned −45.0% against +16.2% for the S&P 500, dividends included.

CATO vs S&P 500, last 12 monthsTotal return, rebased to 100

Download this chart as an image — free to reuse; link this page as the source.

Data provided by Twelve Data

Estimates

CATO analyst estimate revisions

Not the forecast itself — the direction analysts are revising it. Revision direction is one of the model's factor families.

Fundamentals

The Cato Corp. (CATO) financial data

A margin means little on its own. Each bar marks where the figure sits across the whole US universe we score.

Valuation

Trailing P/E: −7.7×
Price / sales: 0.1×
Price / book: 0.3×
EV / EBITDA: −16.6×

Growth & margins

Revenue growth (YoY): −6.2%
Earnings growth (YoY): −83.2%
Gross margin: 33.4%
Operating margin: −0.6%
Net margin: −0.9%

Returns & dividend

Return on equity: −3.3%
Return on assets: −2.1%
Dividend yield: 28.5%

Bars mark the percentile across the ~4,600 US stocks Ticker Nerd covers, among those reporting the figure.

Key statistics

The Cato Corp. (CATO) statistics: revenue, profit & scale

The headline figures, each with its date. Every row carries its own link — cite it straight from here.

The Cato Corp. has a market value of $47.6M and an enterprise value of $90.2M.
Revenue in the twelve months to 31 July 2026: $643.7M. The latest quarter shrank 6.2% year on year.
Net income over the same four quarters: −$5.6M, a −0.9% net margin.
Diluted earnings per share, trailing twelve months: $−0.30.
Free cash flow in the twelve months to 31 July 2026: $1.6M, after $3.8M of capital spending.
The Cato Corp. spent $422K on share buybacks in the twelve months to 31 July 2026.
Shares outstanding: 19.9M.
Trailing P/E: −7.7×; forward P/E: 1.8× — the forward figure prices analyst consensus estimates, not reported earnings.
Forward dividend yield: 28.51%, paying out 148% of earnings.
The Cato Corp. employs 6,700 people — $96K of revenue per employee.

Statement figures: company filings via Twelve Data, four quarters to 31 July 2026 · market figures as at 8 Oct 2026

Data provided by Twelve Data

Peers

CATO vs competitors

The nearest names by industry and size, scored by the same model — like for like.

Its peer group, ranked by the same modelApparel Retail

Company	Market cap	TKN rank
CATOThe Cato Corp.	$47.6M	35
BRIABrilliA, Inc.	$42.9M	2
RENTRent the Runway, Inc.	$61.1M	36
LVLULulu's Fashion Lounge Holdings, Inc.	$34.9M	61
DXLGDestination XL Group, Inc.	$20.2M	49
AKAa.k.a. Brands Holding Corp.	$118.2M	58
TLYSTilly's, Inc.	$135.4M	98

Look up any of the roughly 4,600 stocks we score.

The rank is the raw material. Whether the rules would actually own The Cato Corp. — and when they’d sell — is the membership. See the Ticker Nerd 20 →

News

Latest CATO news & analysis

CATO ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL THIRD AND FOURTH QUARTER STORE CLOSINGS

PRNewsWire · 18 Sept 2026negative

The Cato Corporation announced plans to close approximately 70 additional underperforming stores in the third and fourth quarters of fiscal 2026, bringing total planned store closures for the year to approximately 120. The announcement was made from the company's headquarters in Charlotte, N.C. on Sept. 18, 2026.

Why it matters — CATO watchers would care because the accelerated pace of store closures signals continued contraction of the company's physical retail footprint and persistent underperformance of its store base.

Cato vs Lulus: Which Apparel Retailer Has More Upside Potential?

Zacks Investment Research · 4 Sept 2026neutral

Zacks Investment Research published an industry piece examining Cato versus rival Lulus amid selective growth in the U.S. apparel and shoes retail sector. The report highlights resilient consumer spending, demand for performance footwear, comfort-focused styles and denim, alongside digital and direct-to-consumer expansion broadening customer reach.

Why it matters — The analysis places Cato within broader industry trends that could shape its competitive positioning and growth prospects.

Cato's Q2 Earnings Down Y/Y on Lower Consumer Spending

Zacks Investment Research · 26 Aug 2026negative

Cato reported Q2 earnings per share and sales that declined year over year, according to Zacks Investment Research. The results were impacted by weaker consumer spending, lower merchandise margins, and occupancy-cost deleverage.

Why it matters — CATO watchers would note that the company's quarterly financial performance weakened versus the prior year, driven by softer consumer demand and margin pressures.

CATO REPORTS 2Q RESULTS

PRNewsWire · 20 Aug 2026negative

The Cato Corporation reported second-quarter net income of $1.1 million, or $0.06 per diluted share, for the quarter ended August 1, 2026, down from net income of $6.8 million, or $0.35 per diluted share, in the same period a year earlier.

Why it matters — The results show a significant year-over-year decline in quarterly profitability for Cato.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about CATO stock

Is CATO stock a buy right now?

Of the 1 analysts covering The Cato Corp., 0 rate it a Buy, 1 a Hold and 0 a Sell. Ticker Nerd's systematic factor model ranks The Cato Corp. 35 out of 100 across roughly 4,600 US stocks as at 8 Oct 2026. None of this is personal advice — it does not consider your circumstances.

How does Ticker Nerd's model rank CATO?

As at 8 Oct 2026, The Cato Corp. ranks 35 out of 100 on Ticker Nerd's systematic factor model — a percentile across roughly 4,600 US stocks, built from its factor families. Its strongest factor family is Growth (88 of 100).

What is the CATO stock forecast for 2030?

No analyst covering The Cato Corp. publishes a 2030 price target — Wall Street targets run 12 to 18 months out. Sites quoting a 2030 price for CATO are extrapolating price history, which says nothing about the business.

How has CATO stock performed over the past year?

The Cato Corp. returned -45.0% over the 12 months to 8 Oct 2026, with dividends reinvested. Past performance does not indicate future returns.

What does The Cato Corp. do?

What is the latest news on CATO?

The most recent item we track (PRNewsWire, 18 Sept 2026): "CATO ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL THIRD AND FOURTH QUARTER STORE CLOSINGS". The Cato Corporation announced plans to close approximately 70 additional underperforming stores in the third and fourth quarters of fiscal 2026, bringing total planned store closures for the year to approximately 120. The announcement was made from the company's headquarters in Charlotte, N.C. on Sept. 18, 2026.

Company

About The Cato Corp.

The Cato Corporation Class A Common Stock represents ownership in The Cato Corporation, a specialty retailer focused on women’s apparel, shoes, and accessories. The company operates through its Retail and Credit segments, combining brick-and-mortar stores with an online presence to serve customers across fashion and value-oriented shopping channels. Its retail banners include concepts such as Cato and Versona, which target different style and pricing preferences within the apparel market. The Credit segment supports customer purchases through credit card and credit authorization services, adding a financial-services component to the business model. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, The Cato Corporation plays a niche role in the consumer discretionary sector by offering apparel and accessories across multiple shopping formats and customer segments.

CEO Mr. John P. Derham Cato · 6,700 employees · United States · https://www.catofashions.com