cato8k4qtr2020
FALSE 0000018255 0000018255 2021-03-18 2021-03-18
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
450 Fifth Street NW
Washington, D.C. 29549
 
 
 
Form
8-K
 
CURRENT REPORT
 
PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)
 
OF
THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported):
 
March 18, 2021
 
THE CATO CORPORATION
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
Delaware
1-31340
56-0484485
(State or Other Jurisdiction
of
 
Incorporation
(Commission
File Number)
(IRS Employer
Identification No.)
8100 Denmark Road
,
Charlotte
,
North Carolina
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)
28273-5975
(Zip Code)
(704)
554-8510
(Registrant’s Telephone
 
Number, Including Area Code)
Not Applicable
(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)
 
Check the
 
appropriate box
 
below if
 
the Form
 
8-K filing
 
is intended
 
to simultaneously
 
satisfy the
 
filing obligation
 
of the
 
registrant
under any of the following provisions:
 
 
 
Written communications pursuant to
 
Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
 
 
Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange
 
Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
 
 
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d
 
-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
 
 
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e
 
-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class
Trading Symbol(s)
Name of each exchange on which registered
Class A - Common Stock, par value $.033 per share
CATO
New York Stock Exchange
 
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging
 
growth company as defined in as defined in Rule 405
 
of the Securities
Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b
 
-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).
Emerging growth company
 
 
 
If an emerging growth company,
 
indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to
 
use the extended transition period for
complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards
 
provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.
 
 
2
 
THE CATO
 
CORPORATION
 
Item 2.02.
 
Results of Operations and Financial Condition.
 
On March 18, 2021, The Cato Corporation issued a press release regarding its financial results
for the fourth quarter ending January 30, 2021.
 
A copy of this press release is furnished as
Exhibit 99.1 hereto.
 
Item 9.01.
 
Financial Statements and Exhibits.
 
(d)
 
Exhibits
 
 
Exhibit 104 – Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within Inline XBRL
document)
 
 
 
 
 
3
 
Signatures
 
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant
 
has duly caused this
report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly
 
authorized.
 
 
THE CATO
 
CORPORATION
 
 
March 19, 2021
/s/ John P.
 
D. Cato
Date
John P.
 
D. Cato
Chairman, President and
Chief Executive Officer
March 19, 2021
/s/ John R. Howe
Date
John R. Howe
Executive Vice President
Chief Financial Officer
 
 
 
 
 
4
 
Exhibit Index
 
Exhibit
Exhibit
No.
99.1
Exhibit 104 – Cover Page Interactive Data File
(embedded within Inline XBRL document)
104
 
 
exhibit991
https://cdn.kscope.io/41b21ccc5e33f242aa9b9c8c0fbe72f5-exhibit991p1i0.gif
 
 
 
 
8100 Denmark Road
P.O.
 
Box 34216
Charlotte, NC
 
28234
(704) 554-8510
 
EXHIBIT 99.1
 
The CATO Corporation
 
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
 
For Further Information Contact:
 
John R. Howe
 
Executive Vice President
 
Chief Financial Officer
 
704-551-7315
 
CATO
 
REPORTS 4Q AND FULL-YEAR LOSS
 
 
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (March 18, 2021)
 
–– The Cato Corporation (NYSE: CATO)
 
today reported losses
for the fourth quarter and year ended January 30, 2021.
 
For the fourth quarter, the Company
reported a net loss of $6.9 million, or ($0.31) per diluted share, compared to a net loss of $3.2 million
or ($0.13) per diluted share for the prior fourth quarter ended February 1, 2020.
 
Full-year fiscal 2020
net loss was $46.1 million or ($1.96) per diluted share compared to income of $35.9 million or $1.46
earnings per diluted share for 2019.
 
Sales for fiscal fourth quarter ended January 30, 2021 were $153.2 million, a decrease of 19% from
sales of $188.4 million for the fourth quarter ended February 1, 2020. For the quarter, same-store
sales decreased 20% from last year.
 
For the year, the Company's sales decreased 30% to $567.5
million from 2019 sales of $816.2 million.
 
Same-store sales for the year decreased 32% to last year.
 
"We began 2020 with a focus on growing the business,” said John Cato, Chairman, President and
Chief Executive Officer. “As a
 
result of the COVID-19 pandemic, our focus quickly shifted to
protecting the business.”
 
Fourth-quarter gross margin decreased to 29.9% of sales from 34.3% of sales in 2019 primarily due
to a reduction in merchandise contribution combined with the effects of deleveraging occupancy
expense.
 
Selling, general and administrative expenses were 37.0% of sales compared to 35.6% in
the prior year.
 
SG&A costs as a percent of sales were higher in the quarter primarily due to a store
impairment charge of $6.2 million, partially offset by the elimination of incentive compensation
compared to prior year and company-wide expense reductions. A pre-tax loss and the beneficial
 
8100 Denmark Road
P.O.
 
Box 34216
Charlotte, NC
 
28234
(704) 554-8510
 
effects of the CARES Act resulted in $2.4 million of tax benefit versus expense of $0.8 million last
year.
For 2020, gross margin decreased to 23.7% of sales from 37.6% of sales in 2019 due to a reduction
in merchandise contribution combined with the effects of deleveraging occupancy and buying
expenses.
 
Selling, general and administrative expenses increased to 36.1% of sales compared to
32.3% in the prior year.
 
The selling, general and administrative rate increase was primarily due to
impairment charges of $13.7 million and the effects of deleveraging corporate expenses, partially
offset by the elimination of incentive compensation and company-wide expense reductions.
 
Income
tax benefit for the year was $25.1 million compared to an expense of $7.3 million last year.
 
"2020 was a challenging year for specialty apparel retail.
 
We made some difficult decisions in an
effort to sustain our business in the wake of the pandemic," Mr.
 
Cato said.
 
“Despite the challenges of
the COVID-19 pandemic, Cato continues to maintain a strong balance sheet, with $143.9 million in
unrestricted cash and short-term investments and no debt.
 
As we begin to regain ground lost during
2020, our priority will continue to be the health and safety of our associates and customers, providing
a safe shopping environment, while offering great value to our customers.”
 
For the fiscal year ended
January 30, 2021, the Company opened 76 stores, relocated 3 stores and closed 27 stores.
 
As of
January 30, 2021, the Company operated 1,330 stores in 33 states.
 
As the effects of the pandemic continue into 2021, there remains a high level of uncertainty about
when these effects will subside, the continued impact they will have on our customers’ buying habits
and the duration of supply chain disruption.
 
In light of these uncertainties, we are not planning any
store development for 2021, are keeping our capital expenditures to a minimum and not providing a
2021 outlook.
Statements, in this press release that express a belief,
 
expectation or intention, as well as those that are not historical
fact, including, without limitation, any statements regarding
 
the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the
Company’s business, under the Private Securities
 
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We can give no assurance
 
that actual
results or events will not differ materially from those expressed
 
or implied in any such forward-looking statements. Such
forward-looking statements are based on current expectations
 
that are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties
and other factors that could cause actual results to differ
 
materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking
statements.
 
Such factors include, but are not limited to, the following:
 
any actual or perceived deterioration in the
conditions that drive consumer confidence and spending,
 
including, but not limited to, prevailing social, economic, political
and public health conditions and uncertainties, levels of unemployment,
 
fuel, energy and food costs, wage rates, tax rates,
interest rates, home values, consumer net worth and
 
the availability of credit; changes in laws, regulations
 
or
governmental policies affecting our business, including
 
but not limited to tariffs; uncertainties regarding the impact
 
of any
governmental action regarding, or responses to, the foregoing
 
conditions; competitive factors and pricing pressures;
 
our
ability to predict and respond to rapidly changing fashion
 
trends and consumer demands; our ability to successfully
implement our new store development strategy to increase
 
new store openings and our ability of any such new stores
 
to
 
8100 Denmark Road
P.O.
 
Box 34216
Charlotte, NC
 
28234
(704) 554-8510
 
grow and perform as expected; adverse weather,
 
public health threats (including the global coronavirus
 
(COVID-19)
pandemic) or similar conditions that may affect our sales or operations;
 
inventory risks due to shifts in market demand,
including the ability to liquidate excess inventory at anticipated
 
margins; and other factors discussed under “Risk
 
Factors”
in Part I, Item 1A of the Company’s most recently filed
 
annual report on Form 10-K and in other reports we file with or
furnish to the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”)
 
from time to time.
 
The Company does not undertake, to
publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements
 
made in this press release even if experience or future changes
make it clear that any outcomes expressed or implied by
 
such forward-looking statements will not be realized.
 
The
Company is not responsible for any changes made to this
 
press release by wire or internet services.
 
# # #
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
8100 Denmark Road
P.O.
 
Box 34216
Charlotte, NC
 
28234
(704) 554-8510
 
THE CATO CORPORATION
 
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (UNAUDITED)
FOR THE PERIODS ENDED JANUARY 30, 2021 AND FEBRUARY 1, 2020
 
(Dollars in thousands, except per share data)
 
Quarter Ended
Twelve Months Ended
January 30,
%
February 1,
%
January 30,
%
February 1,
%
2021
 
Sales
2020
 
Sales
2021
 
Sales
2020
 
Sales
REVENUES
 
Retail sales
$
153,233
100.0%
$
188,404
100.0%
$
567,516
100.0%
$
816,184
100.0%
 
Other revenue (principally finance,
 
late fees and layaway charges)
2,185
1.4%
2,475
1.3%
7,595
1.3%
9,151
1.1%
 
Total revenues
155,418
101.4%
190,879
101.3%
575,111
101.3%
825,335
101.1%
GROSS MARGIN (Memo)
45,784
29.9%
64,577
34.3%
134,329
23.7%
307,278
37.6%
COSTS AND EXPENSES, NET
 
Cost of goods sold
107,449
70.1%
123,827
65.7%
433,187
76.3%
508,906
62.4%
 
Selling, general and administrative
56,726
37.0%
67,065
35.6%
205,079
36.1%
263,802
32.3%
 
Depreciation
3,568
2.3%
3,963
2.1%
14,681
2.6%
15,485
1.9%
 
Interest and other income
(3,027)
-2.0%
(1,574)
-0.8%
(6,630)
-1.2%
(6,065)
-0.7%
 
Cost and expenses, net
164,716
107.5%
193,281
102.6%
646,317
113.9%
782,128
95.8%
Income (Loss) Before Income Taxes
(9,298)
-6.1%
(2,402)
-1.3%
(71,206)
-12.6%
43,207
5.3%
Income Tax (Benefit)/Expense
(2,370)
-1.5%
808
0.4%
(25,069)
-4.4%
7,310
0.9%
Net Income (Loss)
$
(6,928)
-4.5%
$
(3,210)
-1.7%
$
(46,137)
-8.1%
$
35,897
4.4%
Basic Earnings Per Share
$
(0.31)
$
(0.13)
$
(1.96)
$
1.46
Diluted Earnings Per Share
$
(0.31)
$
(0.13)
$
(1.96)
$
1.46
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
8100 Denmark Road
P.O.
 
Box 34216
Charlotte, NC
 
28234
(704) 554-8510
 
THE CATO CORPORATION
 
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(Dollars in thousands)
January 30,
February 1,
2021
2020
(Unaudited)
(Unaudited)
ASSETS
Current Assets:
Cash and cash equivalents
 
$
17,510
$
11,824
Short-term investments
 
126,416
200,387
Restricted cash
 
3,918
3,896
Accounts receivable - net
52,320
26,088
Merchandise inventories
 
84,123
115,365
Other current assets
5,839
5,237
Total Current Assets
 
290,126
362,797
Property and Equipment – net
 
72,550
88,667
Noncurrent Deferred Income Taxes
5,685
8,636
Other Assets
 
22,850
24,073
Right-of-Use Assets, net
199,817
200,803
 
TOTAL
$
591,028
$
684,976
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
Current Liabilities:
$
116,913
$
136,153
Current Lease Liability
63,421
63,149
Noncurrent Liabilities
19,536
21,976
Lease Liability
143,315
147,184
Stockholders' Equity
247,843
316,514
 
TOTAL
$
591,028
$
684,976