The CatoCATO +1.23%65 Shareholder Yield % is -28.18% as of Apr. 2026. GuruFocus rates CATO with a GF Score™ of 65/100 and a GF Value™ of $4.18 (Modestly Undervalued). The stock has 2 warning signs investors should review. Among 1,089 Retail - Cyclical companies, The Cato ranks worse than 92.56% on this metric.
Shareholder Yield % is how much money shareholders receive from a company that is in the form of cash dividends, net stock repurchases, and debt reduction. It is a measure of shareholder return.
As of today, The Cato's Shareholder Yield % was -28.18%.
The Cato (NYSE:CATO) Shareholder Yield % Explanation
Shareholder Yield % is how much money shareholders receive from a company that is in the form of cash dividends, net stock repurchases, and debt reduction. The term was coined by William W. Priest of Epoch Investment Partners in a paper in 2005 entitled The Case for Shareholder Yield as a Dominant Driver of Future Equity Returns. William Priest indicated that "shareholder yield is a term that we came up with to reflect the various ways dividends can be paid to owners of a business in a publicly-traded company."
Dividend Yield % shows how much a company pays out in dividends each year relative to its stock price, which is most obvious form of shareholder return.
Buyback Yield % is the net repurchase of shares outstanding over the market capital of the company. Shares repurchases also increase shareholder value by returning the money back to shareholders.
Net Debt Paydown Yield % is the change in average of four quarters of company's total debt over a company's market cap. Assuming the total value of a company remains that same, shareholder value is increased as debt is reduced.
The Cato Shareholder Yield % Related Terms
The Cato Shareholder Yield % Historical Data
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The historical data trend for The Cato's Shareholder Yield % 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.
CATO vs KMFG, BIRD, BRIA: Shareholder Yield % Comparison
For the Apparel Retail subindustry, The Cato's Shareholder Yield %, along with its competitors' market caps and Shareholder Yield % 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 Shareholder Yield % vs Retail - Cyclical Industry
For the Retail - Cyclical industry and Consumer Cyclical sector, The Cato's Shareholder Yield % distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where The Cato's Shareholder Yield % falls into.
* 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.
* All the data are calculated by TTM values. Note that if a companies is traded in several exchanges, then we calculate the company level data for Shareholder Yield % using the primary share class stock data. The calculation result in definition page is for demonstration purpose only, and it's showing the share class level data. Therefore, the numbers in the calculation may differ from elsewhere if the stock is not a primary share.
The Cato (CATO) has a Shareholder Yield % of -28.18% as of Apr. 2026. Shareholder Yield is how much money shareholders receive from a company that is in the form of cash dividends, net stock repurchases, and debt reduction. View historical data on The Cato and its competitors. According to the industry distribution chart, The Cato ranks #1008 out of 1089 companies in the Retail - Cyclical industry, placing it in the top 92.6%.
Is The Cato's Shareholder Yield % too high?
The Cato's current Shareholder Yield % is -28.18%. Based on the distribution chart, The Cato ranks #1008 out of 1089 companies in the Retail - Cyclical industry, which is in the bottom quartile relative to peers. Overall, The Cato has a GF Score™ of 65/100 and is considered Modestly Undervalued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does The Cato's Shareholder Yield % compare to KMFG and BIRD?
According to the Retail - Cyclical industry distribution chart, The Cato ranks #1008 out of 1089 companies for Shareholder Yield %. This places The Cato in the lower half of its industry. The industry median Shareholder Yield % is 1.15. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Shareholder Yield % for a Retail - Cyclical company?
The median Shareholder Yield % among Retail - Cyclical companies is 1.15, based on 1,089 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Shareholder Yield % significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Shareholder Yield % 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 Shareholder Yield % mean?
A high Shareholder Yield % can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Shareholder Yield is how much money shareholders receive from a company that is in the form of cash dividends, net stock repurchases, and debt reduction. View historical data on The Cato and its competitors. For the Retail - Cyclical industry, the median Shareholder Yield % is 1.15 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. The Cato's current Shareholder Yield % is -28.18%. 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 $4.18, compared to a current price of $3.28 — trading 21.5% below its estimated fair value. The current Shareholder Yield % is -28.18%. The Cato's overall GF Score™ is 65/100 with 2 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Shareholder Yield % calculated?
Shareholder Yield % is calculated from a company's financial statements. For The Cato (CATO), the current Shareholder Yield % is -28.18% as of Apr. 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 $3.28 is trading 21.5% below its estimated GF Value™ of $4.18.
GuruFocus considers The Cato to be Modestly Undervalued.
Key valuation signals for CATO:
Shareholder Yield %: -28.18%
GF Value™: $4.18 vs. price of $3.28 (21.5% 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.
65GF Score
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