Stock Analysis
Data Source: SEC EDGAR 13F
Updated Hourly

Cato Corp New (CATO)

45 + Investors. Track Smart Money conviction in CATO. See who's accumulating, reducing, or initiating positions.

Current Price
-- USD
Analyst Target
-- (0 analysts)
Upside
0.00%
Net Flow Q/Q
↓ -1
Streak
2Q ▼
Buyers last Q
49%

Smart Money Signals — CATO

Based on 45 hedge funds · latest filing: 2026 Q1 · updated quarterly

📉

Selling streak — 2 quarters in a row

last 6Q
For 2 consecutive quarters, more hedge funds reduced or closed their CATO positions than added to them. Sustained institutional selling is a meaningful warning sign — these are professionals with deep research teams collectively deciding to exit.
🔻

Below peak — only 57% of 3.0Y high

57% of all-time peak
Only 45 funds hold CATO today versus a peak of 79 funds at 2024 Q2 — just 57% of the maximum. Low institutional ownership can mean the stock is out of favor, but it also means there's a large pool of potential buyers if sentiment turns.
〰️

Stable — ownership unchanged year-over-year

fund count last 6Q
The number of hedge funds holding CATO is almost the same as a year ago (-1 funds, -2% change). No significant rush to buy or sell — institutional backing is holding steady.
🟠

More sellers than buyers — 49% buying

17 buying18 selling
Last quarter: 18 funds reduced or exited vs 17 that bought or added. When more than half of active funds are selling, it's a caution flag — especially if the stock price hasn't moved down yet.
➡️

Steady new buyers — ~4 new funds per quarter

new funds entering per quarter
Funds opening this position for the first time: 7 → 5 → 3 → 4. A stable flow of new institutional buyers suggests ongoing interest without signs of either acceleration or slowdown.
🔒

73% of holders stayed for 2+ years

■ 73% conviction (2yr+) ■ 20% medium ■ 7% new
33 out of 45 hedge funds have held CATO for over 2 years without selling. Long-term investors are generally harder to shake out during market stress, creating a stable ownership base that limits the risk of sudden capitulation.
⚠️

Saturation — most institutions already know this story

2 → 7 → 5 → 3 → 4 new funds/Q
New funds entering each quarter: 7 → 5 → 3 → 4. Far fewer institutions are entering now vs. a year ago. When the pool of potential new buyers shrinks this fast, future price support from institutional inflows weakens significantly.
🏛️

Veteran-anchored — 80% veterans vs 8% newcomers

■ 80% veterans ■ 12% 1-2yr ■ 8% new
Entry-cohort mix of 49 holders: 39 (80%) are 2+ year veterans, 6 entered 1–2 years ago, and 4 (8%) joined within the past year. A veteran-weighted cap table skews toward institutional memory over fresh momentum.
✅

Strong quality — 23% AUM from major funds

23% from top-100 AUM funds
16 of 44 holders rank in the top 100 by AUM, accounting for 23% of total institutional value held. A meaningful share of the ownership value comes from the most well-resourced institutions.
1.1
out of 10
Low Exit Risk
Exit risk score 1.1/10 — low institutional crowding. Ownership is below peak levels, holder base is relatively sticky, and buying momentum is positive.

Methodology note: these Smart Money cards use consecutive 13F disclosure snapshots, not trade-by-trade execution data. "Buying", "selling", "new holders", and "trimmed" refer to quarter-over-quarter changes in reported holders, aggregate shares, or disclosed position values between filings. They are useful for ownership regime analysis and crowding, but they do not imply exact trade timing on the filing date.

Institutional Sentiment Summary — CATO

In 2026 Q1, 17 hedge funds were net buyers of CATO (4 opened a new position, 13 added to an existing one), while 18 reduced or exited (13 trimmed, 5 sold completely) — a 49% buyer ratio, indicating roughly balanced activity. Net selling has persisted for two consecutive quarters. 23% of total institutional value in CATO is held by top-100 AUM funds, reflecting strong institutional quality. Net fund flow last quarter: -1 funds (more exits than new entries). Total institutional holders: 45.

Hedge Fund Ownership: CATO

How many hedge funds hold CATO — quarterly history vs. share price
Quarterly hedge fund ownership of CATO vs. share price

Market Analysis: CATO

Analyst Price Targets

Avg. Price Target
--

Analyst Recommendations

Stock Performance

Real-time

Company Profile: CATO

-- --

Institutional ownership data sourced from SEC EDGAR Form 13F-HR filings.

Is It Too Late to Buy Cato Corp New (CATO) Based on Hedge Fund 13F Filings?

Signal Freshness measures how much CATO has moved relative to its sector benchmark (XLY) since the 2026 Q1 13F filing. A stock that has barely outrun its sector is still a relatively fresh entry point — the fund's thesis has not yet been priced in by the broader market.

Since Quarter End March 31, 2026 · 81d ago
CATO
nan%
XLY
nan%

CATO outperformed XLY by nan% since March 31, 2026.

Since 13F Filing Date May 15, 2026 · 36d ago
CATO
nan%
XLY
nan%

Since the filing became public, CATO outperformed XLY by nan% .

Interpretation: The stock is tracking its sector benchmark closely. The signal remains fresh and the entry point is still near the fund's implied reference. Learn more →

Smart Money Signal ?
Limited Smart Money Interest

No strong consensus or elite conviction detected among institutional holders.

5 top-rated funds 0 high-conviction
Consensus
3.4
/ 10
breadth
×
Elite
0.7
/ 10
conviction
Hedge Fund Positioning: CATO
45 + Investors

Track Smart Money conviction in CATO. See who's accumulating, reducing, or initiating positions.

Metric All 13F Filers (2026 Q1) Prior (2025 Q4) Change
Funds Holding 45 46 -2.17%
13F Shares 7M 6M 1.39%
Total Value $18M $20M -8.21%
New Positions 4 3 +1
Increased Positions 12 14 -2
Closed Positions 5 5 -
Reduced Positions 12 20 -8
Total Calls 3 3 -
Total Puts 2 2 -
PUT/CALL Ratio 0.67 0.67 Bullish

Statistics: CATO

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Valuation Measures Data as of: --

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Enterprise Value/Revenue --
Enterprise Value/EBITDA --
Beta (5Y Monthly) --
Short Ratio (Days to Cover) --
Short % of Float --

Financial Highlights

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Profit Margin --
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Institutional Holders (2026 Q1)

45 + investors

Explore institutional interest and hedge fund ownership dynamics. Analyze portfolio weights, new positions, and conviction trends in CATO. Verified SEC 13F-HR filings.

QUARTER:
Top 25 CATO holders by conviction (% of portfolio weight) — 2026 Q1 · Source: SEC Form 13F
# Investor % of Portfolio Shares Mkt Value
1 Aldebaran Capital, LLC 2.55% 1,176,687 $3.3M
2 Peapod Lane Capital LLC 1.77% 766,825 $2.2M
3 Prescott Group Capital Management, L.L.C. 0.06% 224,767 $636K
4 Aristides Capital LLC 0.03% 45,129 $128K
5 RBF Capital, LLC 0.02% 122,154 $346K
6 Verum Partners LLC 0.02% 32,508 $92K
7 Bridgeway Capital Management, LLC 0.01% 146,499 $415K
8 Yacktman Asset Management LP 0.00% 105,445 $298K
9 Investors Research Corp 0.00% 5,300 $15K
10 NFSG Corp 0.00% 6,000 $17K
11 Renaissance Technologies LLC 0.00% 548,350 $1.6M
12 Prelude Capital Management, LLC 0.00% 10,156 $29K
13 XTX Topco Ltd 0.00% 23,959 $68K
14 Empowered Funds, LLC 0.00% 49,989 $141K
15 Arrowstreet Capital, Limited Partnership 0.00% 294,905 $835K
16 Anchor Investment Management, LLC 0.00% 1,297 $4K
17 Two Sigma Advisers, LP 0.00% 41,300 $128K
18 Two Sigma Investments, LP 0.00% 69,915 $198K
19 Squarepoint Ops LLC 0.00% 47,991 $136K
20 Connor, Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. 0.00% 24,172 $68K
21 Citadel Advisors LLC 0.00% 321,200 $909K
22 Tower Research Capital LLC (TRC) 0.00% 1,581 $4K
23 Vanguard Fiduciary Trust Co 0.00% 82,344 $233K
24 Millennium Management LLC 0.00% 47,717 $135K
25 Vanguard Capital Management LLC 0.00% 704,168 $2.0M
Investor Ownership
History 		% of Portfolio Prev % Rank Conviction Avg Buy Price 13F Score™ 3Y / 7Y Sell Timing Shares Mkt Value Change Change % Source Quarter Filed

Frequently Asked Questions — Cato Corp New (CATO)

What does the Smart Money Trend signal show for CATO?

Selling streak — 2 quarters in a row: For 2 consecutive quarters, more hedge funds reduced or closed their CATO positions than added to them. Sustained institutional selling is a meaningful warning sign — these are professionals with deep research teams collectively deciding to exit.

What is the institutional breadth score for CATO?

More sellers than buyers — 49% buying: Last quarter: 18 funds reduced or exited vs 17 that bought or added. When more than half of active funds are selling, it's a caution flag — especially if the stock price hasn't moved down yet.

What is the fund quality score for CATO holders?

Strong quality — 23% AUM from major funds: 16 of 44 holders rank in the top 100 by AUM, accounting for 23% of total institutional value held. A meaningful share of the ownership value comes from the most well-resourced institutions.

How long have hedge funds held CATO?

73% of holders stayed for 2+ years: 33 out of 45 hedge funds have held CATO for over 2 years without selling. Long-term investors are generally harder to shake out during market stress, creating a stable ownership base that limits the risk of sudden capitulation.

Is it too late to buy Cato Corp New (CATO) following the 2026 Q1 hedge fund 13F filings?

As of today, CATO has moved nan% since the 2026 Q1 13F filing date (May 15, 2026), compared to nan% for the XLY sector ETF — an outperformance of nan%. Since the quarter end (March 31, 2026), CATO has gained nan% vs nan% for XLY. The stock is tracking its sector benchmark closely. The signal remains fresh and the entry point is still near the fund's implied reference.

Where does this institutional ownership data come from?

All holdings data is sourced from SEC Form 13F filings, which institutional investment managers with over $100 million in assets are required to submit quarterly. Data is parsed directly from SEC EDGAR.

Disclaimer: The information on this page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice, a recommendation, or an offer to buy or sell any security. Institutional holdings data is sourced from SEC Form 13F filings and reflects positions as of the filing date. Past performance of any fund or portfolio is not indicative of future results. 13Foresight is not a registered investment adviser. Always conduct your own due diligence before making investment decisions.

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