Squarepoint Ops LLC Increases Stock Position in The Cato Co. (NYSE:CATO)

Squarepoint Ops LLC increased its position in The Cato Co. (NYSE:CATO) by 37.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 37,624 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 10,152 shares during the quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC owned about 0.18% of Cato worth $208,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Cato by 0.8% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 931,094 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $5,372,000 after acquiring an additional 7,072 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in Cato by 8.1% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 39,666 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $229,000 after purchasing an additional 2,975 shares in the last quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System acquired a new stake in Cato during the 1st quarter worth approximately $67,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in Cato by 64.6% in the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 7,995 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 3,139 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new position in Cato during the second quarter valued at approximately $88,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 61.10% of the company’s stock.

Cato Price Performance

Shares of CATO opened at $5.62 on Friday. The Cato Co. has a 12 month low of $4.27 and a 12 month high of $7.80. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $4.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $5.19. The stock has a market cap of $115.52 million, a PE ratio of -6.69 and a beta of 1.13.

Cato (NYSE:CATO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $168.63 million for the quarter. Cato had a negative return on equity of 9.19% and a negative net margin of 2.71%.

Cato Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 16th were paid a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, September 16th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 12.10%. Cato’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -80.95%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, StockNews.com lowered shares of Cato from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, August 23rd.

Cato Profile

The Cato Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a specialty retailer of fashion apparel and accessories primarily in the southeastern United States. It operates through two segments, Retail and Credit. The company's stores and e-commerce websites offer a range of apparel and accessories, including dressy, career, and casual sportswear; and dresses, coats, shoes, lingerie, costume jewelry, and handbags, as well as men's wear, and lines for kids and infants.