The Cato Corporation (CATO) Balance Sheet
CATO balance sheet, FY2026
January 31, 2026 · U.S. dollars$421.4M assets = $264.1M liabilities + $157.3M equity
Both columns are drawn to the same scale: what CATO owns equals what it owes plus shareholders’ equity. Hover a block for its value.
CATO financial health
Current ratio1.24
Adequate · current assets cover current liabilities 1.24×
Debt / equity0.96
Moderate leverage · $0.96 of debt for each $1 of equity
Equity / assets37.3%
Balanced · of assets funded by shareholders
Cash / debt50.7%
Partial cover · cash & short-term investments vs total debt
Goodwill & intangibles0.0%
Mostly tangible · of total assets
Descriptive bands, not a rating. Fiscal FY2026.
CATO balance sheet trends, FY2017–FY2026
| Metric | Trend | Then | Latest | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total assets | $606.3MFY2017 | $421.4MFY2026 | −4.0%/yr | |
| Total liabilities | $222.4MFY2017 | $264.1MFY2026 | +1.9%/yr | |
| Shareholders’ equity | $383.9MFY2017 | $157.3MFY2026 | −9.4%/yr | |
| Cash & short-term investments | $248.5MFY2017 | $76.3MFY2026 | −12.3%/yr | |
| Total debt | $210.3MFY2020 | $150.4MFY2026 | −5.4%/yr | |
| Net cash (debt) | $1.9MFY2020 | −$74.1MFY2026 | −$76.0M | |
| Working capital | $271.9MFY2017 | $37.4MFY2026 | −$234.5M | |
| Book value per share | $13.99FY2017 | $8.25FY2026 | −5.7%/yr | |
| Current ratio | 2.58FY2017 | 1.24FY2026 | −1.34 | |
| Debt / equity | 0.66FY2020 | 0.96FY2026 | +0.29 | |
| Shares outstanding | 27.4MFY2017 | 19.1MFY2026 | −4.0%/yr |
Change is the average annual growth (CAGR) or the difference between the first and latest year.
CATO assets
Cash & ST investmentsReceivablesInventoryOther currentPP&EGoodwill & intangiblesLT investmentsOther non-current
CATO liabilities and equity
Current liabilitiesLong-term debtOther long-term liabilitiesEquity
CATO debt vs cash
Total debtCash & ST investmentsNet cash (debt)
Debt includes short- and long-term borrowings and, where reported, lease obligations.
CATO balance sheet
| FY2026 | FY2025 | FY2024 | FY2023 | FY2022 | FY2021 | FY2020 | FY2019 | FY2018 | FY2017 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assets | ||||||||||
| Cash & short-term investments | $76.3M | $77.7M | $103.0M | $128.7M | $165.8M | $143.9M | $212.2M | $207.3M | $196.9M | $248.5M |
| Cash & equivalents | $19.5M | $20.3M | $23.9M | $20.0M | $19.8M | $17.5M | $11.8M | $24.6M | $78.0M | $47.2M |
| Short-term investments | $56.9M | $57.4M | $79.0M | $108.7M | $146.0M | $126.4M | $200.4M | $182.7M | $118.8M | $201.2M |
| Receivables | $25.5M | $24.5M | $29.8M | $26.5M | $55.8M | $52.7M | $26.1M | $28.1M | $28.0M | $30.3M |
| Inventory | $83.7M | $110.7M | $98.6M | $112.1M | $124.9M | $84.1M | $115.4M | $119.6M | $121.5M | $145.7M |
| Other current assets | $7.8M | $10.2M | $11.8M | $10.5M | $9.2M | $9.8M | $9.1M | $16.7M | $26.0M | $19.3M |
| Total current assets | $193.3M | $223.2M | $243.1M | $277.7M | $355.7M | $290.6M | $362.8M | $371.7M | $372.5M | $443.8M |
| Property, plant & equipment (net) | $207.7M | $209.2M | $218.7M | $244.7M | $244.3M | $272.4M | $289.5M | $94.3M | $109.4M | $126.4M |
| Goodwill & intangible assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $20.6M | $0 | $0 | $0 | $835,000 |
| Long-term investments | $1.1M | $1.1M | $2.1M | $1.9M | $1.8M | $1.3M | $1.3M | $1.8M | $2.1M | $1.6M |
| Other non-current assets | $19.3M | $18.8M | $23.0M | $28.9M | $31.9M | $6.7M | $31.4M | $31.2M | $32.1M | $33.7M |
| Total assets | $421.4M | $452.4M | $486.8M | $553.1M | $633.8M | $591.5M | $685.0M | $499.0M | $516.1M | $606.3M |
| Liabilities | ||||||||||
| Accounts payable | $65.0M | $88.6M | $87.8M | $92.0M | $109.5M | $73.8M | $68.4M | $84.3M | $82.6M | $105.2M |
| Short-term debt | $53.5M | $57.6M | $61.1M | $67.4M | $66.8M | $63.4M | $63.1M | — | — | — |
| Deferred revenue | — | — | — | — | — | — | −$68.4M | $7.7M | $12.6M | $13.8M |
| Total current liabilities | $155.9M | $188.2M | $188.0M | $203.0M | $244.1M | $181.9M | $199.3M | $142.2M | $139.1M | $171.9M |
| Long-term debt | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Lease obligations | $150.4M | $145.9M | $153.1M | $174.8M | $184.3M | $206.7M | $210.3M | — | — | — |
| Other long-term liabilities | $108.2M | $139.9M | $106.5M | $123.6M | $135.4M | $163.0M | $169.2M | $40.0M | $50.6M | $50.5M |
| Total liabilities | $264.1M | $290.1M | $294.5M | $326.5M | $379.6M | $345.0M | $368.5M | $182.2M | $189.7M | $222.4M |
| Shareholders' equity | ||||||||||
| Common stock & paid-in capital | $667,000 | $678,000 | $694,000 | $691,000 | $728,000 | $762,000 | $820,000 | $826,000 | $85.9M | $96.1M |
| Retained earnings (deficit) | $25.0M | $31.9M | $64.3M | $104.7M | $134.2M | $129.3M | $203.5M | $210.5M | $225.9M | $288.0M |
| Treasury stock | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | $0 | $0 |
| Accumulated other comprehensive income | $274,000 | $153,000 | $395,000 | −$1.2M | −$280,000 | $1.2M | $1.4M | −$77,000 | −$321,000 | −$214,000 |
| Minority interest | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | $0 | $0 |
| Total shareholders' equity | $157.3M | $162.3M | $192.3M | $226.6M | $254.2M | $246.5M | $316.5M | $316.8M | $326.4M | $383.9M |
| Key figures | ||||||||||
| Total debt | $150.4M | $145.9M | $153.1M | $174.8M | $184.3M | $206.7M | $210.3M | — | — | — |
| Net cash (debt) | −$74.1M | −$68.2M | −$50.2M | −$46.1M | −$18.6M | −$62.8M | $1.9M | — | — | — |
| Working capital | $37.4M | $34.9M | $55.1M | $74.7M | $111.5M | $108.6M | $163.5M | $229.5M | $233.4M | $271.9M |
| Tangible book value | $157.3M | $162.3M | $192.3M | $226.6M | $254.2M | $225.9M | $316.5M | $316.8M | $326.4M | $383.1M |
| Book value per share | $8.25 | $8.43 | $9.92 | $11.37 | $12.04 | $10.94 | $13.33 | $12.79 | $12.99 | $13.99 |
| Shares outstanding | 19.1M | 19.2M | 19.4M | 19.9M | 21.1M | 22.5M | 23.7M | 24.8M | 25.1M | 27.4M |
| Current ratio | 1.24 | 1.19 | 1.29 | 1.37 | 1.46 | 1.60 | 1.82 | 2.61 | 2.68 | 2.58 |
| Quick ratio | 0.65 | 0.54 | 0.71 | 0.76 | 0.91 | 1.08 | 1.20 | 1.66 | 1.62 | 1.62 |
| Debt / equity | 0.96 | 0.90 | 0.80 | 0.77 | 0.73 | 0.84 | 0.66 | — | — | — |
| Equity / assets | 37.3% | 35.9% | 39.5% | 41.0% | 40.1% | 41.7% | 46.2% | 63.5% | 63.2% | 63.3% |
| Jul '26 | Apr '26 | Jan '26 | Oct '25 | Jul '25 | Apr '25 | Jan '25 | Oct '24 | Jul '24 | Apr '24 | Jan '24 | Oct '23 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assets | ||||||||||||
| Cash & short-term investments | $96.4M | $83.6M | $76.3M | $79.0M | $90.8M | $80.0M | $77.7M | $86.2M | $104.7M | $105.4M | $103.0M | $118.6M |
| Cash & equivalents | $37.8M | $28.1M | $19.5M | $22.8M | $34.2M | $31.3M | $20.3M | $20.2M | $30.8M | $39.1M | $23.9M | $25.0M |
| Short-term investments | $58.6M | $55.6M | $56.9M | $56.2M | $56.5M | $48.6M | $57.4M | $66.0M | $73.9M | $66.2M | $79.0M | $93.6M |
| Receivables | $20.5M | $33.2M | $25.5M | $26.1M | $26.2M | $26.8M | $24.5M | $24.8M | $29.8M | $31.7M | $29.8M | $31.1M |
| Inventory | $82.5M | $92.5M | $83.7M | $94.1M | $97.3M | $109.4M | $110.7M | $107.2M | $96.0M | $101.3M | $98.6M | $98.9M |
| Other current assets | $9.1M | $7.9M | $7.8M | $11.3M | $11.6M | $10.2M | $10.2M | $12.1M | $13.1M | $11.3M | $11.8M | $12.5M |
| Total current assets | $208.5M | $217.2M | $193.3M | $210.4M | $225.8M | $226.4M | $223.2M | $230.2M | $243.5M | $249.6M | $243.1M | $261.1M |
| Property, plant & equipment (net) | $194.0M | $201.2M | $207.7M | $219.2M | $190.9M | $194.5M | $209.2M | $174.4M | $189.8M | $204.2M | $218.7M | $189.9M |
| Goodwill & intangible assets | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Long-term investments | $0 | $0 | $1.1M | $0 | $0 | $0 | $1.1M | $0 | $0 | $0 | $2.1M | $0 |
| Other non-current assets | $20.9M | $20.7M | $19.3M | $20.6M | $20.2M | $19.9M | $18.8M | $19.8M | $22.3M | $23.3M | $23.0M | $36.4M |
| Total assets | $423.4M | $439.2M | $421.4M | $450.2M | $436.9M | $440.8M | $452.4M | $424.4M | $455.6M | $477.1M | $486.8M | $487.4M |
| Liabilities | ||||||||||||
| Accounts payable | $73.8M | $79.7M | $65.0M | $72.5M | $85.4M | $90.9M | $88.6M | $84.2M | $84.6M | $87.0M | $87.8M | $86.9M |
| Short-term debt | $47.8M | $52.1M | $53.5M | $42.3M | $53.9M | $52.5M | $57.6M | $45.8M | $51.1M | $55.8M | $61.1M | $51.4M |
| Deferred revenue | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | −$84.6M | $518,000 | — | — |
| Total current liabilities | $153.5M | $168.2M | $155.9M | $152.1M | $175.3M | $182.5M | $188.2M | $169.5M | $173.6M | $183.8M | $188.0M | $184.2M |
| Long-term debt | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Lease obligations | $138.6M | $145.0M | $150.4M | $160.0M | $129.9M | $132.6M | $145.9M | $109.1M | $123.4M | $137.6M | $153.1M | $122.6M |
| Other long-term liabilities | $102.1M | $104.3M | $108.2M | $130.5M | $89.4M | $93.4M | $101.8M | $77.8M | $86.9M | $96.4M | $106.5M | $85.8M |
| Total liabilities | $255.5M | $272.5M | $264.1M | $282.6M | $264.7M | $275.9M | $290.1M | $247.3M | $260.5M | $280.2M | $294.5M | $270.1M |
| Shareholders' equity | ||||||||||||
| Common stock & paid-in capital | $672,000 | $674,000 | $667,000 | $667,000 | $666,000 | $666,000 | $678,000 | $693,000 | $694,000 | $694,000 | $694,000 | $695,000 |
| Retained earnings (deficit) | $35.1M | $34.0M | $25.0M | $35.9M | $41.1M | $34.3M | $31.9M | $47.4M | $66.1M | $69.5M | $64.3M | $91.2M |
| Accumulated other comprehensive income | −$217,000 | $14,000 | $274,000 | $278,000 | $259,000 | $191,000 | $153,000 | $172,000 | $323,000 | −$353,000 | $395,000 | −$515,000 |
| Total shareholders' equity | $167.9M | $166.7M | $157.3M | $167.6M | $172.2M | $164.9M | $162.3M | $177.1M | $195.1M | $196.9M | $192.3M | $217.3M |
| Key figures | ||||||||||||
| Total debt | $138.6M | $145.0M | $150.4M | $160.0M | $129.9M | $132.6M | $145.9M | $109.1M | $123.4M | $137.6M | $153.1M | $122.6M |
| Net cash (debt) | −$42.2M | −$61.4M | −$74.1M | −$81.0M | −$39.1M | −$52.6M | −$68.2M | −$22.8M | −$18.8M | −$32.3M | −$50.2M | −$4.0M |
| Working capital | $55.0M | $49.0M | $37.4M | $58.3M | $50.5M | $43.9M | $34.9M | $60.7M | $69.9M | $65.8M | $55.1M | $76.8M |
| Tangible book value | $167.9M | $166.7M | $157.3M | $167.6M | $172.2M | $164.9M | $162.3M | $177.1M | $195.1M | $196.9M | $192.3M | $217.3M |
| Book value per share | $8.77 | $8.42 | $7.97 | $9.05 | $9.22 | $8.83 | $8.55 | $9.18 | $10.11 | $10.17 | $9.35 | $11.19 |
| Shares outstanding | 19.1M | 19.8M | 19.7M | 18.5M | 18.7M | 18.7M | 19.0M | 19.3M | 19.3M | 19.4M | 20.6M | 19.4M |
| Current ratio | 1.36 | 1.29 | 1.24 | 1.38 | 1.29 | 1.24 | 1.19 | 1.36 | 1.40 | 1.36 | 1.29 | 1.42 |
| Quick ratio | 0.76 | 0.69 | 0.65 | 0.69 | 0.67 | 0.59 | 0.54 | 0.65 | 0.77 | 0.75 | 0.71 | 0.81 |
| Debt / equity | 0.83 | 0.87 | 0.96 | 0.95 | 0.75 | 0.80 | 0.90 | 0.62 | 0.63 | 0.70 | 0.80 | 0.56 |
| Equity / assets | 39.7% | 38.0% | 37.3% | 37.2% | 39.4% | 37.4% | 35.9% | 41.7% | 42.8% | 41.3% | 39.5% | 44.6% |
Quarterly columns are labeled by the month the quarter ended. Figures in U.S. dollars as reported (latest annual report filed March 25, 2026); data from EODHD.
CATO financial position
At the end of fiscal 2026 (January 31, 2026), Cato had total assets of $421.4 million (down 6.8% from a year earlier), total liabilities of $264.1 million and shareholders' equity of $157.3 million. It held $76.3 million in cash and short-term investments against $150.4 million of debt, net debt of $74.1 million. Its current ratio was 1.24. In the latest quarter (ended July 31, 2026) total assets were $423.4 million and equity $167.9 million.
Related: CATO income statement, CATO cash flow statement, CATO key metrics. See the CATO stock overview for the latest quote and news.
CATO balance sheet FAQ
What are Cato's total assets?
Cato reported total assets of $421.4 million at the end of fiscal 2026 (January 31, 2026), compared with $452.4 million a year earlier.
How much debt does Cato have?
Cato had $150.4 million of total debt at the end of fiscal 2026, including short-term borrowings and lease obligations. Its debt-to-equity ratio was 0.96.
How much cash does Cato have?
Cato held $76.3 million in cash and short-term investments at the end of fiscal 2026; with $150.4 million of debt that is net debt of $74.1 million.
What is Cato's book value?
Cato's shareholders' equity (book value) was $157.3 million at the end of fiscal 2026, or $8.25 per share.
What is Cato's current ratio?
Cato had current assets of $193.3 million and current liabilities of $155.9 million, a current ratio of 1.24 (it can cover its short-term obligations).