CATO NYSE Week ended 31 Jul 2026

Weekly Investor Report

Cato Corporation · Consumer Cyclical · Apparel Retail

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Latest close 3.42 USD
3.6% latest week
Weekly setup

Constructive, but selective

The weekly trend is active. Price is 9.6% above the Trend Line and sits at 35.7% of its 52-week range. The latest completed week returned 3.6%, after a 2.1% four-week move. The latest factor snapshot indicates quality ranks weakly versus its universe; growth is moderate; valuation is neither clearly cheap nor expensive. Options positioning is bearish with 39/100 conviction, while the latest news-sentiment score is 53/100. Near-term considerations: earnings are due in 18d.

Setup score 44 out of 100
Latest Close 3.42 USD 31 Jul 2026
1W Return 3.6% latest completed week
4W Return 2.1% short-term follow-through
12W Return 18.3% quarterly tape
Trend Breadth 36.5% 19 of 52 weeks active
Volume Ratio 1.7x vs 13-week average
What is working
  • The trend backdrop is active with a 4-week active streak.
  • Price is above the Trend Line, keeping the weekly tape constructive.
  • Activity pressure is positive on the latest completed week.
  • Volume is elevated versus the 13-week average, confirming attention.
What could go wrong
  • Price is below Fair Value, so the market is still discounting the latest tape.
  • Next-week expectancy is negative at 42.23% based on similar historical setup states.
  • Activity pressure is weak, so confirmation is not yet broad enough.
  • The share remains more than 20% below its 52-week high.
What to watch next
  • Trend Line remains the key weekly regime level.
  • Activity pressure is the gauge to monitor for confirmation or fade.
  • A volume ratio above 1.5x would show stronger participation in the next move.
Price follow-through 3.6% Latest completed week; four-week move 2.1%. Indicator stack 34/74 Trend and activity pressure are weighted against the latest 12-week confirmation window. Trend backdrop Active The trend backdrop defines the current weekly regime. Patient Capital Quiet Activity-pressure buy-signal status for institutional accumulation timing. Next-Week Expectancy Negative 42.23% Historical one-week expectancy contributes to the evidence score when direction is confirmed. Options pressure Bearish 39/100 conviction; expected move 29.4%. News sentiment 53/100 30 relevant articles in the latest sentiment read. Event risk 18d Next report is scheduled for 20 Aug 2026; event risk rises as the date approaches.
01 · Price action

Where price is—and whether the trend supports it

The weekly trend is active. Price is 9.6% above the Trend Line and sits at 35.7% of its 52-week range. The latest completed week returned 3.6%, after a 2.1% four-week move.

Study the full chart

52-week price path

Price vs Trend Line and Fair Value
Price Trend Line Fair Value
02 · Volume and demand

Is real participation confirming the move?

Latest weekly volume is 1.7x the 13-week average. Participation is unusually strong and confirms that the move is attracting attention.

26-week volume confirmation

Bar height shows volume; colour shows the weekly price direction
6 Feb 13 Feb 20 Feb 27 Feb 6 Mar 13 Mar 20 Mar 27 Mar 3 Apr 10 Apr 17 Apr 24 Apr 1 May 8 May 15 May 22 May 29 May 5 Jun 12 Jun 19 Jun 26 Jun 3 Jul 10 Jul 17 Jul 24 Jul 31 Jul
Up week Down week
Demand beneath price

Activity pressure and institutional-style signals

These indicators assess whether participation is improving beneath the headline price move. They are supporting evidence, not proof of institutional buying.

Activity pressure path

Latest 0.3812-week average 0.17

12-week confirmation

Trend active4/12Active trend-backdrop weeks in the latest 12-week window.
Positive pressure11/12Weeks with constructive activity pressure in the latest 12-week window.
Positive leadership0/12Weeks with positive relative leadership in the latest 12-week window.
Activity pressure0.38Current proprietary activity-pressure read.
Buy signals0Accumulation signal count in the latest 12 weeks.
Reversal markers0No reversal markers

No recent accumulation markers. No reversal markers.

03 · Momentum and leadership

Is performance persistent—and is the stock leading?

Performance is 2.1% over four weeks, 18.3% over 12 weeks, and 22.6% over one year. The current trend has remained active for 4 consecutive weeks.

Performance by holding period

1W3.6%
4W2.1%
12W18.3%
26W12.1%
52W22.6%
Active trend streak4 weeks
Active weeks in one year19
Trend breadth36.5%

Activity pressure vs relative leadership

Activity pressureRelative leadership
Pressure1.23Latest activity-pressure read.
Pressure change17.3%Four-week change in activity pressure.
Leadership-7.30Latest relative-leadership reading.
RS change21.3%Four-week change in relative leadership.
04 · Fundamentals and valuation

What investors are paying for—and the quality behind it

The latest factor snapshot indicates quality ranks weakly versus its universe; growth is moderate; valuation is neither clearly cheap nor expensive.

Open full factor analysis
Factor week 26 Jul 2026 Financial statements through 30 Apr 2026 Field coverage 91% Model confidence 91%

Relative factor standing

Higher display scores are better. Each score is converted from the underlying universe rank, where rank 1 is best.

Overall factor strength46/100Blend of value, momentum, and quality. Underlying universe rank 55; rank 1 is best.
Value73/100Relative valuation strength. Underlying universe rank 28; rank 1 is best.
Quality10/100Profitability and accounting quality. Underlying universe rank 91; rank 1 is best.
Momentum33/100Medium-term price momentum. Underlying universe rank 68; rank 1 is best.
Growth28/100Revenue and earnings growth. Underlying universe rank 73; rank 1 is best.
How to read this

Quality and valuation are separate questions

A strong company can still carry a demanding valuation. This report shows profitability, growth, balance-sheet strength, and the price paid for those characteristics separately.

Valuation

How much investors are paying for earnings, sales, and cash flow.

P/E
-
Price divided by trailing earnings.
Price / sales
0.1x
Market value relative to trailing revenue.
EV / EBITDA
23.5x
Enterprise value relative to operating cash earnings.
Free-cash-flow yield
3.6%
Free cash flow as a share of enterprise value.

Business quality

Margins and the return generated on invested capital.

Gross margin
33.1%
Gross profit retained from each unit of revenue.
Operating margin
-0.3%
Operating profit retained from revenue.
Free-cash-flow margin
1.0%
Free cash flow generated from revenue.
Return on invested capital
-0.5%
Operating return generated on invested capital.

Growth and financial strength

Recent business growth and accounting strength.

Revenue growth
1.8%
Latest one-year revenue growth.
EPS growth
-
Latest one-year earnings-per-share growth.
Free-cash-flow growth
-
Latest one-year free-cash-flow growth.
Piotroski F-score
6/9
Nine-point accounting-strength checklist.

Shareholder return and balance sheet

Cash returned to owners and financial leverage.

Dividend yield
0.0%
Cash dividends relative to market value.
Buyback yield
0.3%
Net share repurchases relative to market value.
Shareholder yield
0.3%
Dividend yield plus net buyback yield.
Net debt / EBITDA
15.1x
Balance-sheet debt relative to operating cash earnings.
05 · Ownership, options, and sentiment

What other market participants are doing

Options, insider transactions, market sentiment, and activity-pressure signals can confirm or challenge the price story. None should be used alone.

Options positioningBearish

CATO shows bearish options pressure with a 39/100 conviction score, put-call volume ratio of 1.90, expected move of 29.4%, and Sharemaestro trend signal active.

Conviction39/100
Expected move29.4%
Put/call volume1.90
Pressure-21
Speculation2
Volatility96
Trend agreement79
Open options detail
Insider activity-

No recent insider transactions are stored for this company.

News sentiment53/100

Weighted news tone is neutral across 30 relevant articles.

6 positive · 22 neutral · 2 negative
Patient CapitalQuiet

Activity-pressure buy-signal evidence highlights potential institutional accumulation windows.

No recent buy signal
06 · Catalysts and risk

What can move the shares—and how volatile the path has been

Event timing, options-implied movement, drawdown, and weekly return distribution frame the risk around the current setup.

Next earnings18dNext report is scheduled for 20 Aug 2026; event risk rises as the date approaches.
Options expected move29.4%Nearest-chain priced movement where available.
52-week drawdown-30.4%Distance below the 52-week high.
13-week volatility4.1%Standard deviation of weekly returns.

Weekly gains and losses

Latest 26 completed weeks

Each bar is one week. Gains rise above the zero line; losses fall below it. Taller bars mean a larger weekly move.

Weeks higher16 of 2610 weeks finished lower.
Best week+11.6%Week of 22 May.
Worst week-7.5%Week of 17 Jul.
Latest week+3.6%Week of 31 Jul.

Shape of recent returns

Strong gains2
Modest gains14
Flat weeks0
Modest losses7
Sharp losses3
Recent vol4.1%13-week weekly-return volatility.
Base vol7.1%52-week weekly-return volatility.
Up/down split25/26Count of positive and negative weeks in the 52-week window.
Average skew5.8% / -4.3%Average positive week versus average negative week.
07 · Sector and peer context

Is this stock leading—or simply moving with its group?

Sector and industry breadth distinguish company-specific strength from a broad group move.

08 · Evidence and weekly data

The underlying research record

Every top-level statement above should be traceable to a stored market, fundamental, event, or positioning observation.

Weekly tape40/100

Trend, activity pressure, participation, and risk combine to a 40/100 tape read.

 Indicator analysis43/100

Latest 12-week confirmation: trend 4/12, activity pressure 11/12, relative leadership 0/12.

Activity pressure 0.38; No reversal markers Next-Week ExpectancyNegative 42.23%

Next-week expectancy is negative with a 42.23% historical one-week setup read.

Adds short-term historical context without overriding trend, activity, or relative leadership. Factors39/100

O'Shaughnessy factor stack blends value, quality, momentum, and confidence.

Tiny Titans rank 20; Buyback Yield rank 37; Small Cap Core rank 41 Patient CapitalQuiet

Activity-pressure buy-signal evidence highlights potential institutional accumulation windows.

No recent buy signal Options53/100

CATO shows bearish options pressure with a 39/100 conviction score, put-call volume ratio of 1.90, expected move of 29.4%, and Sharemaestro trend signal active.

Bearish · Put-side pressure · Expected move 29.4% Sentiment53/100

Weighted news tone is neutral across 30 relevant articles.

Enterprise value to revenue forward of Cato Corporation (The) – NYSE:CATO Insiders50/100

No recent insider transaction evidence is stored.

 Earnings18d

Next report is scheduled for 20 Aug 2026; event risk rises as the date approaches.
WeekCloseReturnTrend LineFair ValuePressureLeadershipVolumeTrend
31 Jul 20263.42 USD3.6%3.12 USD4.32 USD1.23-7.30745.0KOn
24 Jul 20263.30 USD2.8%3.11 USD4.35 USD1.11-9.56379.6KOn
17 Jul 20263.21 USD-7.5%3.10 USD4.37 USD1.12-12.66828.6KOn
10 Jul 20263.47 USD3.6%3.09 USD4.40 USD1.13-7.13527.2KOn
3 Jul 20263.35 USD0.3%3.09 USD4.42 USD1.05-9.2872.1KOff
26 Jun 20263.34 USD1.2%3.10 USD4.44 USD1.12-7.69176.8KOff
19 Jun 20263.30 USD3.1%3.10 USD4.47 USD1.14-10.95170.7KOff
12 Jun 20263.20 USD0.6%3.10 USD4.49 USD1.24-12.95495.6KOff
5 Jun 20263.18 USD-1.9%3.11 USD4.52 USD1.02-13.26514.5KOff
29 May 20263.24 USD-1.2%3.13 USD4.54 USD0.76-13.84251.7KOff
22 May 20263.28 USD11.6%3.15 USD4.56 USD0.32-11.551.0MOff
15 May 20262.94 USD1.7%3.18 USD4.59 USD-0.21-20.22208.9KOff
8 May 20262.89 USD1.0%3.21 USD4.62 USD-0.61-21.66414.3KOff
1 May 20262.86 USD-1.0%3.26 USD4.64 USD-0.64-20.84100.2KOff
How to use this report

This is a completed-week research summary. It explains the available evidence and its conflicts; it does not predict a guaranteed outcome or replace your own risk assessment. Fundamental figures may refer to an earlier financial reporting period, which is shown above.