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The CatoCATO +1.22%59 Intrinsic Value: DCF (Dividends Based) is $ as of Jul. 31, 2026. GuruFocus rates CATO with a GF Score™ of 59/100 and a GF Value™ of $4.17 (Modestly Undervalued). The stock has 2 warning signs investors should review. Among 120 Retail - Cyclical companies, The Cato ranks worse than 833332.5% on this metric.
Note: Discounted Dividend model is only suitable for companies who have a consistant distribution history. If the company's dividends does not remain steady over a long period, results may not be accurate due to the low consistency. The model is also only suitable for predictable companies (Business Predictability Rank higher than 1-Star) with dividend payments. If the company's Predictability Rank is 1-Star or Not Rated, or if the company does not pay dividend, the data will not be stored into our database.
The Cato's Predictability Rank is 1-Star. Thus, this page is only used for demonstration purposes and the DCF related results in the screener and portfolio will appear as zero.
The historical rank and industry rank for The Cato's Intrinsic Value: DCF (Dividends Based) or its related term are showing as below:
During the past 13 years, the highest Price-to-Intrinsic-Value-DCF (Dividends Based) Ratio of The Cato was 1.04. The lowest was 0.87. And the median was 0.96.
CATO's Price-to-DCF (Dividends Based) is not ranked *
in the Retail - Cyclical industry.
Industry Median: 0.955 * Ranked among companies with meaningful Price-to-DCF (Dividends Based) only.
What you need to know about Discounted Dividends model:
1. The Discounted Dividends model evaluates a company based on its future dividends distribution power
2. Dividend growth is taken into account; therefore a company with a higher dividend growth rate is worth more if everything else is the same.
3. Since we are projecting future growth, it is assumed that the company will grow at the same rate as it did during the past 10 years. Therefore this model works better for the companies with consistently steady dividends distributed.
4. The Discounted Dividends model works poorly for inconsistent dividends distributor like high growth companies.
5. Your expected return from the investment is a reasonable discount rate assumption.
6. A larger margin of safety should be required for companies with less dividends distributed.
The Cato Intrinsic Value: DCF (Dividends Based) Related Terms
The Cato Intrinsic Value: DCF (Dividends Based) Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for The Cato's Intrinsic Value: DCF (Dividends Based) can be seen below:
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
The Cato Intrinsic Value: DCF (Dividends Based) Chart
For the Apparel Retail subindustry, The Cato's Price-to-DCF (Dividends Based), along with its competitors' market caps and Price-to-DCF (Dividends Based) data, can be viewed below:
* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.
The Cato Price-to-DCF (Dividends Based) vs Retail - Cyclical Industry
For the Retail - Cyclical industry and Consumer Cyclical sector, The Cato's Price-to-DCF (Dividends Based) distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where The Cato's Price-to-DCF (Dividends Based) falls into.
The Cato Intrinsic Value: DCF (Dividends Based) Calculation
This is the intrinsic value calculated from the Discounted Dividend Model with default parameters. The calculation method is the same as Discounted Cash Flow model except adjusted dividend are used in the calculation instead of free cash flow. This is the default method of calculation with GuruFocus DCF calculator.
Usually a two-stage model is used in calculating the intrinsic value with discounted cash flow model. The first stage is called growth stage; the second is called the terminal stage. In the growth stage the company grows at a faster rate. Because it cannot grow at that rate forever, a lower rate is used for the terminal stage.
GuruFocus DDM calculator is a two-stage model. The default values are defined as:
1. Discount Rate: d = 11% A reasonable discount rate assumption should be at least the long term average return of the stock market, which can be estimated from risk free rate plus risk premium of stock market. GuruFocus uses 10-Year Treasury Constant Maturity Rate as the risk-free rate and rounded up to the nearest integer. It is updated daily. The current risk-free rate is 4.65%. Please go to Economic Indicators page for more information. Please note that we use the 10-Year Treasury Constant Maturity Rate of the country/region where the company is headquartered. If the data for that country/region is not available, then we will use the 10-Year Treasury Constant Maturity Rate of the United States as default. Then we added a risk premium of 6% to get the estimated discount rate. Some investors use their expected rate of return, which is also reasonable. A typical discount rate can be anywhere between 6% - 20%.
2. Dividend Growth Rate in the growth stage: g1 = %
The Growth Rate in the growth stage is initially set as the default 10-Year Dividend Growth Rate. In cases where the 10-year growth rate is unavailable, it defaults to using the 5-Year Dividend Growth Rate. If both the 10-year and 5-year growth rates are unavailable, the system defaults to the 3-Year Dividend Growth Rate.
However, it's important to note that there is a growth rate range. If the calculated growth rate exceeds 20%, it will be capped at 20%. Conversely, if the calculated growth rate falls below 5%, it will be adjusted to 5% to maintain a reasonable range.
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3. Years of Growth Stage: y1 = 10
4. Terminal Growth Rate: g2 = 4%
5. Dividends per Share: adjusted dividends per share = $. GuruFocus uses adjusted dividends per share by default to ensure that the valuation reflects the total value of the company, as the actual dividend is only a portion of the total value.
All of the default settings can be changed in the DCF calculator and the results are calculated automatically.
The Cato's Intrinsic Value: DCF (Dividends Based) for today is calculated as:
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
What does a Intrinsic Value: DCF (Dividends Based) of $ mean?
The Cato (CATO) has a Intrinsic Value: DCF (Dividends Based) of $ as of Jul. 31, 2026. Intrinsic Value: DCF (Dividends Based) is the stock value based on a two-stage discounted dividend model. View historical data on The Cato and its competitors. Over the past decade, The Cato's Intrinsic Value: DCF (Dividends Based) has ranged from 0.87 to 1.04. According to the industry distribution chart, The Cato ranks #999999 out of 120 companies in the Retail - Cyclical industry.
Is The Cato's Intrinsic Value: DCF (Dividends Based) too high?
The Cato's current Intrinsic Value: DCF (Dividends Based) is $. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 0.87 to a high of 1.04. Based on the distribution chart, The Cato ranks #999999 out of 120 companies in the Retail - Cyclical industry, which is in the bottom quartile relative to peers. Overall, The Cato has a GF Score™ of 59/100 and is considered Modestly Undervalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does The Cato's Intrinsic Value: DCF (Dividends Based) compare to LVLU and KMFG?
According to the Retail - Cyclical industry distribution chart, The Cato ranks #999999 out of 120 companies for Intrinsic Value: DCF (Dividends Based). This places The Cato in the lower half of its industry. The industry median Intrinsic Value: DCF (Dividends Based) is 0.96. Historically, The Cato's own Intrinsic Value: DCF (Dividends Based) has ranged from 0.87 to 1.04 over the past decade. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Intrinsic Value: DCF (Dividends Based) for a Retail - Cyclical company?
The median Intrinsic Value: DCF (Dividends Based) among Retail - Cyclical companies is 0.96, based on 120 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Intrinsic Value: DCF (Dividends Based) significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Intrinsic Value: DCF (Dividends Based) should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Intrinsic Value: DCF (Dividends Based) mean?
A high Intrinsic Value: DCF (Dividends Based) can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Intrinsic Value: DCF (Dividends Based) is the stock value based on a two-stage discounted dividend model. View historical data on The Cato and its competitors. For the Retail - Cyclical industry, the median Intrinsic Value: DCF (Dividends Based) is 0.96 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. The Cato's current Intrinsic Value: DCF (Dividends Based) is $. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is The Cato stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, The Cato (CATO) is currently considered Modestly Undervalued. The stock's GF Value™ is $4.17, compared to a current price of $3.33 — trading 20.1% below its estimated fair value. The current Intrinsic Value: DCF (Dividends Based) is $. The Cato's overall GF Score™ is 59/100 with 2 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Intrinsic Value: DCF (Dividends Based) calculated?
Intrinsic Value: DCF (Dividends Based) is calculated from a company's financial statements. For The Cato (CATO), the current Intrinsic Value: DCF (Dividends Based) is $ as of Jul. 31, 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.
Is The Cato (CATO) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, The Cato stock appears to be undervalued.
The current stock price of $3.33 is trading 20.1% below its estimated GF Value™ of $4.17.
GuruFocus considers The Cato to be Modestly Undervalued.
Key valuation signals for CATO:
Intrinsic Value: DCF (Dividends Based): $
GF Value™: $4.17 vs. price of $3.33 (20.1% below fair value)
No single metric tells the full story. See the CATO stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
The Cato Corp seeks to offer quality fashion apparel and accessories at low prices every day, in junior/missy and plus sizes. The Cato concept's stores and e-commerce website feature a broad assortment of apparel and accessories, including dressy, career, and casual sportswear, dresses, coats, shoes, lingerie, costume jewelry, and handbags. Management believes the Company's success is dependent upon its ability to differentiate its stores from department stores, mass merchandise discount stores, and competing specialty stores. The key elements of the Company's business are: Merchandise Assortment, Value Pricing, Strip Shopping Center Location, Customer Service, Credit and Layaway Programs.
59GF Score
Get the complete analysis for CATO
Intrinsic Value: DCF (Dividends Based) is just one metric. See GF Value™, 30-year financials, guru trades, warning signs, and more.
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