ESOP · DOL Form 5500 · 2023

The Cato Corporation ESOP

Data updated 2026-08-25

$29M
Total assets Below avg plan size
2,802
Participants Above avg headcount
79th
Percentile by assets National rank
$10,219
Avg per participant Low balance/head
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Official DOL plan name: The Cato Corporation Employee Stock Ownership Plan · Sponsored by The Cato Corporation · North Carolina · Retail Trade

$29M in assets, 2,802 participants

The Cato Corporation's The Cato Corporation Employee Stock Ownership Plan reported $29M in total assets and 2,802 participants in its 2023 DOL Form 5500 filing, ranking in the 79th percentile by assets among filed plans. Figures are as reported by the plan sponsor to the Department of Labor, not audited or endorsed by PlainRetire.

  • #7,330 in Retail Trade (8,414 peers)

Coverage in North Carolina

The Cato Corporation Employee Stock Ownership Plan covers 2,802 participants in North Carolina, 3.4x the typical North Carolina plan (state average ~819 per filing). Assets: $29M.

#7,330
in Retail Trade (8,414 peers)
-24.6%
assets change YoY
0.3×
vs typical plan assets (national mean)

The plan reported a net loss of $9M for the year, a single-year figure driven by markets and benefit payments, not a measure of plan health.

The Cato Corporation Employee Stock Ownership Plan's outsized position by total assets

The Cato Corporation Employee Stock Ownership Plan vs every filed plan by assets

End-of-year total assets · plan year 2023 · DOL Form 5500

$28,634,037 Top 21% higher than 79% of 127,068 filed plans

This plan $0 $2,050,000,000 every filed plan with reported assets, bucketed by value

Dashed line + filled bar = this entry, among filed plans.

Source U.S. Department of Labor Form 5500 filings (EBSA) · plan year 2023

The Cato Corporation Employee Stock Ownership Plan's large-plan peer group by participant headcount

Plan-year 2023 Form 5500 filings with a reported participant count, partitioned by headcount band, not by assets. The Cato Corporation Employee Stock Ownership Plan lands in the large band (2,802 participants).

What changed between DOL Form 5500 filings

plan year 2022 → plan year 2023

  • The Cato Corporation Employee Stock Ownership Plan reported net income rose from -$29M in the plan year 2022 filing to -$9M in the plan year 2023 filing.
  • The Cato Corporation Employee Stock Ownership Plan end-of-year assets fell from $38M in the plan year 2022 filing to $29M in the plan year 2023 filing.
  • The Cato Corporation Employee Stock Ownership Plan reported participants rose from 2,736 in the plan year 2022 filing to 2,802 in the plan year 2023 filing.

See the national 2022→2023 release diff →

EBSA filing schedule strip

Filing strip 560484485 · The Cato Corporation PY 2023 · ESOP

The Cato Corporation Employee Stock Ownership Plan · $29M · 2,802 · 79th

  • ASSETS $29M
  • PCT 2,802
  • EIN 79th
  • RANK ESOP
  • PHOTO near Unwired Revolution, Inc. Employee Stock Ownership and 401(k) Plan
  • IND ind #7330

Stamps derive from this plan's Form 5500 line items (assets, participants, type, EIN, cohort placement) - not a quality rating of the sponsor. Read with What is an ESOP? → · Plans in North Carolina →

The Cato Corporation Employee Stock Ownership Plan in the asset neighbourhood

Lnl Abga Money Purchase Plan$29MUnwired Revolution, Inc. Employee Stock Ownership and 401(k) PlanUnwired Revolution, Inc. Emp…$29MThe Cato Corporation Employee Stock Ownership PlanThe Cato Corporation Employe…$29MJb Warranties Corp Employee Stock Ownership PlanJb Warranties Corp Employee …$29MSchenectady Steel Co., Inc. Employee Stock Ownership PlanSchenectady Steel Co., Inc. …$29M
End-of-year total assets ($M) among The Cato Corporation Employee Stock Ownership Plan and nearest nationwide ESOP peers. Source: DOL Form 5500 plan year 2023.

North Carolina filing particulars

Total Assets (Beginning of Year)$38M
Net Assets (End of Year)$29M
Net Income-$9M
Employer EIN560484485
Plan Effective Date1979-01-28
Filing StatusFILING RECEIVED

Sponsor Plan History (The Cato Corporation)

Sponsor-wide plan assets over time

All The Cato Corporation plans reported in each filing year

Latest sponsor-wide plan assets
$89M 12.251169302586803% vs 2022
2024 filing year
$85M$90M$95M$100M$105M 202220232024 $101M $88.5M ▼ -12.2%
Year Plans Participants Total Assets
2022 2 5,553 $101M
2023 2 5,539 $99M
2024 2 5,260 $89M

Nearby ESOP Plans in North Carolina

Peer ESOP plans, same state, same plan type, ranked by total assets.

The Cato Corporation Employee Stock Ownership Plan vs. nearby ESOP plans in North Carolina, assets vs. participants Scatter plot of 6 data points. 0100020003000 050100150200 Total assets ($M) Participants The Cato Corporation Employee Stock Ownership Plan, Total assets ($M): 28.634037 · Participants: 2802The Cato Corporation Employee Stock Ownership PlanColumbia Forest Products, Inc. Employee Stock Ownership Plan and Trust, Total assets ($M): 181.705477 · Participants: 1330Columbia Forest Products, Inc. Employee Stock Ownership Plan and TrustEcmd, Inc. Employee Stock Ownership Plan, Total assets ($M): 131.739406 · Participants: 922Ecmd, Inc. Employee Stock Ownership PlanPrecision Walls, Inc. Employee Stock Ownership Plan, Total assets ($M): 111.490037 · Participants: 1028Precision Walls, Inc. Employee Stock Ownership PlanRobert E. Mason & Associates, Inc. Employee Stock Ownership Plan, Total assets ($M): 102.100516 · Participants: 273Robert E. Mason & Associates, Inc. Employee Stock Ownership PlanState Utility Contractors, Inc. Employee Stock Ownership Plan, Total assets ($M): 85.875992 · Participants: 144State Utility Contractors, Inc. Employee Stock Ownership Plan
The Cato Corporation Employee Stock Ownership Plan vs. nearby ESOP plans in North Carolina, assets vs. participants
Compare The Cato Corporation Employee Stock Ownership Plan side-by-side with 3 peers →

The Cato Corporation Employee Stock Ownership Plan's out-of-state ESOP peers by assets and headcount

Outside North Carolina, the nearest ESOP by assets is Unwired Revolution, Inc. Employee Stock Ownership and 401(k) Plan in AZ ($29M); by covered participants it is Wright Service Corp. Employee Stock Ownership Plan in IA (2,792 participants). Same-state nearby plans are listed separately above.

Similar participant headcount

Nearest other-state filings by covered participants (2,802 participants); asset peers above are excluded.

DOL Form 5500 plan year 2023. Asset totals can differ widely at the same headcount; neither axis is a quality rating.

Frequently Asked Questions

How did The Cato Corporation Employee Stock Ownership Plan assets move in 2023? ▼
The Cato Corporation Employee Stock Ownership Plan declined sharply - down 24.6% during 2023, from $38M to $29M. Reported net income was -$9M.
How have The Cato Corporation plan assets changed over time? ▼
Across 3 plan years on file (2022-2024), The Cato Corporation's sponsor-wide assets declined 12.3%, from $101M to $89M.
Where does The Cato Corporation Employee Stock Ownership Plan rank by assets among Form 5500 filers? ▼
The Cato Corporation Employee Stock Ownership Plan ranks in the 79th percentile by end-of-year assets among 127,072 plans that reported assets for plan year 2023 (in the top quartile of all filed plans by assets).
Which ESOP plans are similar in size to The Cato Corporation Employee Stock Ownership Plan? ▼
Among ESOP plans in other states, the closest by assets is Unwired Revolution, Inc. Employee Stock Ownership and 401(k) Plan in AZ ($29M, 21 participants).
Which ESOP plans cover a similar participant headcount to The Cato Corporation Employee Stock Ownership Plan? ▼
Among ESOP plans in other states, the closest by covered participants is Wright Service Corp. Employee Stock Ownership Plan in IA (2,792 participants, $231M in assets).

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), Form 5500 public disclosure dataset. Plan year 2023.

Source: DOL EFAST2 filing system (efast.dol.gov) - original filing retrieval by EIN 560484485.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Data sourced from U.S. Department of Labor Form 5500 filings (EBSA). See our methodology for details.