Advertisement
- United States
- /
- Specialty Stores
- /
- NYSE:CATO
How Does Cato's (NYSE:CATO) CEO Pay Compare With Company Performance?
John Derham Cato has been the CEO of The Cato Corporation (NYSE:CATO) since 1999, and this article will examine the executive's compensation with respect to the overall performance of the company. This analysis will also evaluate the appropriateness of CEO compensation when taking into account the earnings and shareholder returns of the company.
View our latest analysis for Cato
How Does Total Compensation For John Derham Cato Compare With Other Companies In The Industry?
According to our data, The Cato Corporation has a market capitalization of US$165m, and paid its CEO total annual compensation worth US$5.3m over the year to February 2020. We note that's an increase of 23% above last year. While we always look at total compensation first, our analysis shows that the salary component is less, at US$1.3m.
For comparison, other companies in the same industry with market capitalizations ranging between US$100m and US$400m had a median total CEO compensation of US$2.4m. Hence, we can conclude that John Derham Cato is remunerated higher than the industry median. Moreover, John Derham Cato also holds US$19m worth of Cato stock directly under their own name, which reveals to us that they have a significant personal stake in the company.
| Component | 2020 | 2019 | Proportion (2020) |
| Salary | US$1.3m | US$1.3m | 25% |
| Other | US$4.0m | US$3.0m | 75% |
| Total Compensation | US$5.3m | US$4.3m | 100% |
On an industry level, around 19% of total compensation represents salary and 81% is other remuneration. Cato is paying a higher share of its remuneration through a salary in comparison to the overall industry. If non-salary compensation dominates total pay, it's an indicator that the executive's salary is tied to company performance.
The Cato Corporation's Growth
The Cato Corporation has seen its earnings per share (EPS) increase by 6.2% a year over the past three years. Its revenue is down 15% over the previous year.
We generally like to see a little revenue growth, but the modest EPS growth gives us some relief. These two metrics are moving in different directions, so while it's hard to be confident judging performance, we think the stock is worth watching. We don't have analyst forecasts, but you could get a better understanding of its growth by checking out this more detailed historical graph of earnings, revenue and cash flow.
Has The Cato Corporation Been A Good Investment?
Since shareholders would have lost about 45% over three years, some The Cato Corporation investors would surely be feeling negative emotions. This suggests it would be unwise for the company to pay the CEO too generously.
In Summary...
As previously discussed, John is compensated more than what is normal for CEOs of companies of similar size, and which belong to the same industry. While we have not been overly impressed by the business performance, the shareholder returns have been utterly depressing, over the last three years. And the situation doesn't look all that good when you see John is remunerated higher than the industry average. With such poor returns, we would understand if shareholders had concerns related to the CEO's pay.
It is always advisable to analyse CEO pay, along with performing a thorough analysis of the company's key performance areas. In our study, we found 3 warning signs for Cato you should be aware of, and 1 of them is a bit unpleasant.
Important note: Cato is an exciting stock, but we understand investors may be looking for an unencumbered balance sheet and blockbuster returns. You might find something better in this list of interesting companies with high ROE and low debt.
If you’re looking to trade Cato, open an account with the lowest-cost* platform trusted by professionals, Interactive Brokers. Their clients from over 200 countries and territories trade stocks, options, futures, forex, bonds and funds worldwide from a single integrated account. Promoted
New: AI Stock Screener & Alerts
Our new AI Stock Screener scans the market every day to uncover opportunities.
• Dividend Powerhouses (3%+ Yield)
• Undervalued Small Caps with Insider Buying
• High growth Tech and AI Companies
Or build your own from over 50 metrics.
This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
*Interactive Brokers Rated Lowest Cost Broker by StockBrokers.com Annual Online Review 2020
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com.
About NYSE:CATO
Cato
Operates as a specialty retailer of fashion apparel and accessories primarily in the southeastern United States.
Flawless balance sheet and slightly overvalued.
Similar Companies
Market Insights
Advertisement
Weekly Picks
LO
Lou_Basenese on Optimi Health ·
The Only Psychedelic Company Already Selling MDMA and Psilocybin to Real Patients, Yet Priced Like It Doesn’t Exist
Fair Value:US$1157.5% undervalued
48 followersusers have followed this narrative
2 commentsusers have commented on this narrative
8 likesusers have liked this narrative
WE
WealthAP on Novo Nordisk ·
Novo Nordisk (NVO): Is the "Easy Growth" Story Over?
Fair Value:DKK 407.7721.4% undervalued
69 followersusers have followed this narrative
0 commentsusers have commented on this narrative
8 likesusers have liked this narrative
VA
ValueInvestingSubstack on Zoetis ·
Zoetis down -50% over the past year
Fair Value:US$92.9218.9% undervalued
23 followersusers have followed this narrative
0 commentsusers have commented on this narrative
9 likesusers have liked this narrative
CE
CentryResearch on Centrus Energy ·
Centrus Energy: The Next Nuclear Bottleneck Isn't Reactors. It's Fuel.
Fair Value:US$19013.7% undervalued
24 followersusers have followed this narrative
0 commentsusers have commented on this narrative
10 likesusers have liked this narrative
Recently Updated Narratives
WI
WisetoWealth on PayPal Holdings ·
The Underrated Transformation of a Digital Payments Giant
Fair Value:US$90.3137.8% undervalued
3 followersusers have followed this narrative
0 commentsusers have commented on this narrative
0 likesusers have liked this narrative
BL
Blagget on Terra Balcanica Resources ·
The C$4M Explorer Positioned to Become Europe's First Antimony Mine
Fair Value:CA$0.487.5% undervalued
2 followersusers have followed this narrative
0 commentsusers have commented on this narrative
0 likesusers have liked this narrative
DA
david_6nroa on Charter Communications ·
Charter is undervalued - Here's why.
Fair Value:US$87.0741.6% overvalued
1 followerusers have followed this narrative
0 commentsusers have commented on this narrative
0 likesusers have liked this narrative
Popular Narratives
CU
CubanEros on Microsoft ·
A wonderful business at reasonable price.
Fair Value:US$419.919.1% undervalued
81 followersusers have followed this narrative
0 commentsusers have commented on this narrative
6 likesusers have liked this narrative
OS
oscargarcia on NVIDIA ·
The company that went from selling GPUs to gamers to becoming the AI arms dealer of the 21st century.
Fair Value:US$28026.1% undervalued
186 followersusers have followed this narrative
9 commentsusers have commented on this narrative
15 likesusers have liked this narrative
BE
benjamin_lvieq on PayPal Holdings ·
PayPal: PayPal Doesn't Need to Grow – It Needs to Stop Falling – A Mispriced Cash Machine With a Cannibal Buyback
Fair Value:US$6513.6% undervalued
72 followersusers have followed this narrative
2 commentsusers have commented on this narrative
11 likesusers have liked this narrative
Trending Discussion
DE
derek_3wsdg on Teladoc Health ·
You’ve overlooked the activist investor factor. Travis Cocke’s Voss has announced 5% ownership through a 13G filing. They’ve added to that 5% since, and in doing so, have created a structural trap door for 27.42 Million Shares actively sold short. Chuck will announce lots of positives on July 29 but it’s what Voss announces shortly after that will rock the overextended Teledoc shorts. The Walmart partnership is the tip of the iceberg. The market is missing the sheer regulatory and enterprise friction of modern corporate healthcare. Teladoc isn't a "consumer app"; it is the primary digital infrastructure integrated directly into the legacy backends of Tier-1 insurance companies and fortune 500 employers, covering 105 million+ lives. Teladoc is acting as the digital top-of-funnel engine for the world's largest retailer. If Voss pushes the narrative that Teladoc is effectively the outsourced digital brain of Walmart's entire healthcare footprint, the fair value shifts from a basic health multiple to an enterprise distribution premium. Additionally , we are in a structural gold rush for high-quality, legally compliant, longitudinal medical data to train vertical healthcare AI models. Large technology hyperscalers and pharmaceutical giants cannot simply scrape the internet for this; they need structured clinical inputs. Teladoc sits on one of the largest de-identified virtual medical datasets on earth. From the activist playbook , we’ll see Voss demand the immediate creation of a Data & Diagnostics Licensing Division, transforming a legacy liability into an incredibly high-margin, pure-software data asset that requires zero human clinician hours to scale. Chuck is doing great work and deserves credi5 for the Teledoc turnaround but it will be Travis Cocke who will be responsible for a share price way beyond your $15 valuation.
1
|0
