CATO - Cato: Debt-Free Retailer With Fortress Balance Sheet And Hidden Real Estate
- Cato’s fortress balance sheet including over $150 million in net cash and $27 million in expected income tax refunds provides certainty that the company can survive a prolonged COVID-19 downturn.
- The company’s competitors are collapsing, as COVID-19 has forced many to close stores or declare bankruptcy.
- Cato owns hidden real estate assets that are worth more than the company’s enterprise value, including a 350-acre mixed-use development and 185 acres of industrial land.
- The company’s valuation is extremely compelling, with Cato trading under 1.0x normalized EV/EBITDA and a normalized FCF yield of ~100%.
- The company has repurchased $9.7 million shares of its common stock during the pandemic and increased the program by an additional 1.5 million shares on November 19. A reinstated dividend could be next.
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Cato: Debt-Free Retailer With Fortress Balance Sheet And Hidden Real Estate