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Side-by-side financial comparison of CATO CORP (CATO) and LEE ENTERPRISES, Inc (LEE). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
CATO CORP is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($155.4M vs $130.1M, roughly 1.2× LEE ENTERPRISES, Inc). CATO CORP runs the higher net margin — -3.3% vs -4.3%, a 1.0% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, CATO CORP posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (6.3% vs -10.0%). LEE ENTERPRISES, Inc produced more free cash flow last quarter ($3.7M vs $-12.9M). Over the past eight quarters, CATO CORP's revenue compounded faster (-5.7% CAGR vs -5.8%).
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.
Lee Enterprises, Inc. is a publicly traded American media company. It publishes 72 daily newspapers in 25 states, and more than 350 weekly, classified, and specialty publications. Lee Enterprises was founded in 1890 by Alfred Wilson Lee and is based in Davenport, Iowa.
CATO vs LEE — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q3 FY2026 vs Q1 FY2026
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $155.4M | $130.1M |
| Net Profit | $-5.2M | $-5.6M |
| Gross Margin | 32.7% | — |
| Operating Margin | -5.3% | 4.0% |
| Net Margin | -3.3% | -4.3% |
| Revenue YoY | 6.3% | -10.0% |
| Net Profit YoY | 65.6% | 66.5% |
| EPS (diluted) | $-0.28 | $-0.92 |
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 | $130.1M | ||
| Q3 25 | $176.5M | $139.1M | ||
| Q2 25 | $170.2M | $141.3M | ||
| Q1 25 | $157.9M | $137.4M | ||
| Q4 24 | $146.2M | $144.6M | ||
| Q3 24 | $168.6M | $158.6M | ||
| Q2 24 | $177.1M | $150.6M | ||
| Q1 24 | $174.9M | $146.6M |
| Q4 25 | $-5.2M | $-5.6M | ||
| Q3 25 | $6.8M | $-6.4M | ||
| Q2 25 | $3.3M | $-1.9M | ||
| Q1 25 | $-14.1M | $-12.5M | ||
| Q4 24 | $-15.1M | $-16.7M | ||
| Q3 24 | $95.0K | $-10.1M | ||
| Q2 24 | $11.0M | $-4.3M | ||
| Q1 24 | — | $-12.2M |
| Q4 25 | 32.7% | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 36.8% | — | ||
| Q2 25 | 35.8% | — | ||
| Q1 25 | 29.2% | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 29.6% | — | ||
| Q3 24 | 35.3% | — | ||
| Q2 24 | 36.5% | — | ||
| Q1 24 | 32.1% | — |
| Q4 25 | -5.3% | 4.0% | ||
| Q3 25 | 3.1% | -1.0% | ||
| Q2 25 | 2.0% | 3.3% | ||
| Q1 25 | -15.2% | -3.3% | ||
| Q4 24 | -11.6% | -2.3% | ||
| Q3 24 | -0.4% | -2.3% | ||
| Q2 24 | 3.5% | 3.3% | ||
| Q1 24 | -9.5% | -3.1% |
| Q4 25 | -3.3% | -4.3% | ||
| Q3 25 | 3.9% | -4.6% | ||
| Q2 25 | 1.9% | -1.4% | ||
| Q1 25 | -8.9% | -9.1% | ||
| Q4 24 | -10.3% | -11.6% | ||
| Q3 24 | 0.1% | -6.4% | ||
| Q2 24 | 6.2% | -2.8% | ||
| Q1 24 | — | -8.3% |
| Q4 25 | $-0.28 | $-0.92 | ||
| Q3 25 | $0.35 | $-1.02 | ||
| Q2 25 | $0.17 | $-0.31 | ||
| Q1 25 | $-0.73 | $-2.07 | ||
| Q4 24 | $-0.79 | $-2.80 | ||
| Q3 24 | $0.01 | $-1.68 | ||
| Q2 24 | $0.54 | $-0.73 | ||
| Q1 24 | $-1.15 | $-2.06 |
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 | $12.6M |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | — | — |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $167.6M | $-48.7M |
| Total Assets | $450.2M | $592.6M |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | — | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | $79.0M | $12.6M | ||
| Q3 25 | $90.8M | $10.0M | ||
| Q2 25 | $80.0M | $14.1M | ||
| Q1 25 | $77.7M | $4.7M | ||
| Q4 24 | $86.2M | $6.1M | ||
| Q3 24 | $104.7M | $9.6M | ||
| Q2 24 | $105.4M | $13.4M | ||
| Q1 24 | $103.0M | $16.1M |
| Q4 25 | $167.6M | $-48.7M | ||
| Q3 25 | $172.2M | $-43.3M | ||
| Q2 25 | $164.9M | $-40.5M | ||
| Q1 25 | $162.3M | $-38.9M | ||
| Q4 24 | $177.1M | $-26.7M | ||
| Q3 24 | $195.1M | $-9.9M | ||
| Q2 24 | $196.9M | $4.0M | ||
| Q1 24 | $192.3M | $7.9M |
| Q4 25 | $450.2M | $592.6M | ||
| Q3 25 | $436.9M | $601.7M | ||
| Q2 25 | $440.8M | $622.7M | ||
| Q1 25 | $452.4M | $623.9M | ||
| Q4 24 | $424.4M | $633.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $455.6M | $649.2M | ||
| Q2 24 | $477.1M | $677.5M | ||
| Q1 24 | $486.8M | $684.8M |
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 | $4.5M |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $-12.9M | $3.7M |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | -8.3% | 2.9% |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 0.3% | 0.6% |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | — | — |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | $-7.5M | $1.5M |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | $-12.4M | $4.5M | ||
| Q3 25 | $11.8M | $-6.3M | ||
| Q2 25 | $3.9M | $8.9M | ||
| Q1 25 | $-6.5M | $-790.0K | ||
| Q4 24 | $-22.1M | $-7.3M | ||
| Q3 24 | $3.1M | $-261.0K | ||
| Q2 24 | $5.7M | $-1.9M | ||
| Q1 24 | $-11.2M | $3.2M |
| Q4 25 | $-12.9M | $3.7M | ||
| Q3 25 | $10.4M | $-8.3M | ||
| Q2 25 | $2.8M | $8.3M | ||
| Q1 25 | $-7.8M | $-2.2M | ||
| Q4 24 | $-23.8M | $-8.9M | ||
| Q3 24 | $1.6M | $-2.9M | ||
| Q2 24 | $2.4M | $-5.5M | ||
| Q1 24 | $-13.5M | $1.3M |
| Q4 25 | -8.3% | 2.9% | ||
| Q3 25 | 5.9% | -6.0% | ||
| Q2 25 | 1.7% | 5.9% | ||
| Q1 25 | -5.0% | -1.6% | ||
| Q4 24 | -16.3% | -6.1% | ||
| Q3 24 | 0.9% | -1.8% | ||
| Q2 24 | 1.4% | -3.6% | ||
| Q1 24 | -7.7% | 0.9% |
| Q4 25 | 0.3% | 0.6% | ||
| Q3 25 | 0.8% | 1.4% | ||
| Q2 25 | 0.6% | 0.4% | ||
| Q1 25 | 0.9% | 1.0% | ||
| Q4 24 | 1.2% | 1.1% | ||
| Q3 24 | 0.9% | 1.7% | ||
| Q2 24 | 1.8% | 2.4% | ||
| Q1 24 | 1.3% | 1.3% |
| 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% |
LEE
| Advertising And Marketing Services | $60.0M | 46% |
| Subscription And Circulation | $57.7M | 44% |
| Other | $12.4M | 10% |
