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Side-by-side financial comparison of CATO CORP (CATO) and NLIGHT, INC. (LASR). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
CATO CORP is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($155.4M vs $81.2M, roughly 1.9× NLIGHT, INC.). CATO CORP runs the higher net margin — -3.3% vs -6.0%, a 2.7% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, NLIGHT, INC. posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (71.3% vs 6.3%). NLIGHT, INC. produced more free cash flow last quarter ($15.9M vs $-12.9M). Over the past eight quarters, NLIGHT, INC.'s revenue compounded faster (35.0% CAGR vs -5.7%).
The Cato Corporation is an American retailer of women's fashions and accessories. The company is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. As of January 2016, the company operated 1,372 stores under the names Cato, Cato Plus, It's Fashion, It's Fashion Metro and Versona.
nLight Inc. is a global developer and manufacturer of high-performance semiconductor lasers, fiber lasers, and related optical components. Its products serve key segments including industrial precision manufacturing, aerospace and defense, medical equipment, and advanced research, with customers across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific.
CATO vs LASR — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q3 FY2026 vs Q4 FY2025
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $155.4M | $81.2M |
| Net Profit | $-5.2M | $-4.9M |
| Gross Margin | 32.7% | 30.7% |
| Operating Margin | -5.3% | -6.7% |
| Net Margin | -3.3% | -6.0% |
| Revenue YoY | 6.3% | 71.3% |
| Net Profit YoY | 65.6% | 80.3% |
| EPS (diluted) | $-0.28 | $-0.10 |
Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align.
8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend
Side-by-side quarterly history. Quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years line up.
| Q4 25 | $155.4M | $81.2M | ||
| Q3 25 | $176.5M | $66.7M | ||
| Q2 25 | $170.2M | $61.7M | ||
| Q1 25 | $157.9M | $51.7M | ||
| Q4 24 | $146.2M | $47.4M | ||
| Q3 24 | $168.6M | $56.1M | ||
| Q2 24 | $177.1M | $50.5M | ||
| Q1 24 | $174.9M | $44.5M |
| Q4 25 | $-5.2M | $-4.9M | ||
| Q3 25 | $6.8M | $-6.9M | ||
| Q2 25 | $3.3M | $-3.6M | ||
| Q1 25 | $-14.1M | $-8.1M | ||
| Q4 24 | $-15.1M | $-25.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $95.0K | $-10.3M | ||
| Q2 24 | $11.0M | $-11.7M | ||
| Q1 24 | — | $-13.8M |
| Q4 25 | 32.7% | 30.7% | ||
| Q3 25 | 36.8% | 31.1% | ||
| Q2 25 | 35.8% | 29.9% | ||
| Q1 25 | 29.2% | 26.7% | ||
| Q4 24 | 29.6% | 2.4% | ||
| Q3 24 | 35.3% | 22.4% | ||
| Q2 24 | 36.5% | 23.5% | ||
| Q1 24 | 32.1% | 16.8% |
| Q4 25 | -5.3% | -6.7% | ||
| Q3 25 | 3.1% | -10.9% | ||
| Q2 25 | 2.0% | -6.9% | ||
| Q1 25 | -15.2% | -18.6% | ||
| Q4 24 | -11.6% | -55.8% | ||
| Q3 24 | -0.4% | -21.0% | ||
| Q2 24 | 3.5% | -25.1% | ||
| Q1 24 | -9.5% | -33.1% |
| Q4 25 | -3.3% | -6.0% | ||
| Q3 25 | 3.9% | -10.3% | ||
| Q2 25 | 1.9% | -5.8% | ||
| Q1 25 | -8.9% | -15.7% | ||
| Q4 24 | -10.3% | -52.7% | ||
| Q3 24 | 0.1% | -18.4% | ||
| Q2 24 | 6.2% | -23.2% | ||
| Q1 24 | — | -30.9% |
| Q4 25 | $-0.28 | $-0.10 | ||
| Q3 25 | $0.35 | $-0.14 | ||
| Q2 25 | $0.17 | $-0.07 | ||
| Q1 25 | $-0.73 | $-0.16 | ||
| Q4 24 | $-0.79 | $-0.52 | ||
| Q3 24 | $0.01 | $-0.21 | ||
| Q2 24 | $0.54 | $-0.25 | ||
| Q1 24 | $-1.15 | $-0.29 |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | $79.0M | $98.7M |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | — | — |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $167.6M | $226.7M |
| Total Assets | $450.2M | $315.2M |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | — | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | $79.0M | $98.7M | ||
| Q3 25 | $90.8M | $81.1M | ||
| Q2 25 | $80.0M | $78.8M | ||
| Q1 25 | $77.7M | $82.2M | ||
| Q4 24 | $86.2M | $65.8M | ||
| Q3 24 | $104.7M | $41.5M | ||
| Q2 24 | $105.4M | $49.4M | ||
| Q1 24 | $103.0M | $61.3M |
| Q4 25 | $167.6M | $226.7M | ||
| Q3 25 | $172.2M | $218.5M | ||
| Q2 25 | $164.9M | $216.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | $162.3M | $212.8M | ||
| Q4 24 | $177.1M | $216.4M | ||
| Q3 24 | $195.1M | $235.3M | ||
| Q2 24 | $196.9M | $239.5M | ||
| Q1 24 | $192.3M | $244.4M |
| Q4 25 | $450.2M | $315.2M | ||
| Q3 25 | $436.9M | $298.7M | ||
| Q2 25 | $440.8M | $295.3M | ||
| Q1 25 | $452.4M | $290.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | $424.4M | $270.2M | ||
| Q3 24 | $455.6M | $291.3M | ||
| Q2 24 | $477.1M | $294.3M | ||
| Q1 24 | $486.8M | $302.8M |
Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency
How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating Cash FlowLast quarter | $-12.4M | $17.5M |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $-12.9M | $15.9M |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | -8.3% | 19.6% |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 0.3% | 2.0% |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | — | — |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | $-7.5M | $12.3M |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | $-12.4M | $17.5M | ||
| Q3 25 | $11.8M | $5.2M | ||
| Q2 25 | $3.9M | $-1.4M | ||
| Q1 25 | $-6.5M | $-20.0K | ||
| Q4 24 | $-22.1M | $-3.9M | ||
| Q3 24 | $3.1M | $-5.6M | ||
| Q2 24 | $5.7M | $-4.2M | ||
| Q1 24 | $-11.2M | $11.4M |
| Q4 25 | $-12.9M | $15.9M | ||
| Q3 25 | $10.4M | $2.4M | ||
| Q2 25 | $2.8M | $-3.8M | ||
| Q1 25 | $-7.8M | $-2.3M | ||
| Q4 24 | $-23.8M | $-6.5M | ||
| Q3 24 | $1.6M | $-7.2M | ||
| Q2 24 | $2.4M | $-6.4M | ||
| Q1 24 | $-13.5M | $9.8M |
| Q4 25 | -8.3% | 19.6% | ||
| Q3 25 | 5.9% | 3.7% | ||
| Q2 25 | 1.7% | -6.1% | ||
| Q1 25 | -5.0% | -4.5% | ||
| Q4 24 | -16.3% | -13.7% | ||
| Q3 24 | 0.9% | -12.9% | ||
| Q2 24 | 1.4% | -12.6% | ||
| Q1 24 | -7.7% | 22.1% |
| Q4 25 | 0.3% | 2.0% | ||
| Q3 25 | 0.8% | 4.2% | ||
| Q2 25 | 0.6% | 3.9% | ||
| Q1 25 | 0.9% | 4.4% | ||
| Q4 24 | 1.2% | 5.5% | ||
| Q3 24 | 0.9% | 2.9% | ||
| Q2 24 | 1.8% | 4.2% | ||
| Q1 24 | 1.3% | 3.5% |
| Q4 25 | — | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 1.72× | — | ||
| Q2 25 | 1.17× | — | ||
| Q1 25 | — | — | ||
| Q4 24 | — | — | ||
| Q3 24 | 32.95× | — | ||
| Q2 24 | 0.52× | — | ||
| Q1 24 | — | — |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
CATO
| Retail Segment | $154.7M | 100% |
| Credit Card | $5.3M | 3% |
LASR
| Aerospaceand Defense | $56.3M | 69% |
| Microfabrication | $14.2M | 18% |
| Industrial | $10.7M | 13% |
