What if you'd held CATO?
A $1,000 investment in Cato Corporation (The) Class A (CATO) at the month-end close of 1987-04 would be worth $2,902 at the close of 2026-08 — +190.2% total return, dividends reinvested. The same $1,000 in the S&P 500 would be worth $26,730.
Your scenario
Result
If you'd bought $1,000 at the start of each year
Value of $1,000 invested on January 1 of each year, held to 2026-08, dividends included.
Every year, $1,000 from 1987
| Year | Value of $1,000 | Year return |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | $1,000 | — |
| 1988 | $990 | -1.0% |
| 1989 | $886 | -10.6% |
| 1990 | $177 | -80.0% |
| 1991 | $3,569 | +1918.0% |
| 1992 | $5,805 | +62.7% |
| 1993 | $7,441 | +28.2% |
| 1994 | $2,738 | -63.2% |
| 1995 | $2,994 | +9.3% |
| 1996 | $1,978 | -33.9% |
| 1997 | $3,597 | +81.9% |
| 1998 | $4,053 | +12.7% |
| 1999 | $5,314 | +31.1% |
| 2000 | $5,998 | +12.9% |
| 2001 | $8,586 | +43.2% |
| 2002 | $10,080 | +17.4% |
| 2003 | $9,884 | -1.9% |
| 2004 | $14,329 | +45.0% |
| 2005 | $16,396 | +14.4% |
| 2006 | $17,976 | +9.6% |
| 2007 | $12,706 | -29.3% |
| 2008 | $12,777 | +0.6% |
| 2009 | $17,633 | +38.0% |
| 2010 | $24,837 | +40.9% |
| 2011 | $22,723 | -8.5% |
| 2012 | $28,593 | +25.8% |
| 2013 | $33,394 | +16.8% |
| 2014 | $45,972 | +37.7% |
| 2015 | $41,414 | -9.9% |
| 2016 | $35,137 | -15.2% |
| 2017 | $20,066 | -42.9% |
| 2018 | $19,466 | -3.0% |
| 2019 | $25,885 | +33.0% |
| 2020 | $14,616 | -43.5% |
| 2021 | $26,898 | +84.0% |
| 2022 | $15,548 | -42.2% |
| 2023 | $12,982 | -16.5% |
| 2024 | $7,811 | -39.8% |
| 2025 | $6,189 | -20.8% |
| 2026 | $7,511 | +21.4% |
Best and worst month-end to buy
The best single month-end close to have bought CATO was 1990-12 ($0.09): $1,000 then is $42,469 today. The worst was 2015-02 ($24.13): $1,000 then is $155.
FAQ
What would $1,000 in CATO be worth today?
A $1,000 investment in Cato Corporation (The) Class A (CATO) at the start of 1987 would be worth about $2,902 today, a total return of +190.2%. Dividends are reinvested in these figures.
What were the best and worst years for CATO?
Cato Corporation (The) Class A (CATO)'s strongest calendar year since 1987 was 1991, a +1918.0% return — $1,000 held through that year became about $20,180 by year-end. Its weakest year was 1990, at -80.0%.
Does the calculator include dividends and splits?
Yes where available. Prices are adjusted for both stock splits and reinvested dividends (total return), the same measure brokerages use.
How much would $100 per month in CATO have grown?
Investing $100 at the end of every month since 1987-04 would have grown to about $96,253 on $47,300 invested.
Did CATO beat the S&P 500?
Over the same period, $1,000 in the S&P 500 index would be worth $26,730. CATO trailed the S&P 500 by +89.1% in total return.
Is this investment advice?
No. Wall Street Regrets is an entertainment and education tool. Every number is a historical calculation, not a prediction, and past performance never guarantees future results.
Methodology
Cato Corporation (The) Class A (CATO) historical total-return data from 1987-04 to 2026-08, reduced to month-end closes for the tables above.
Returns use adjusted close prices from Yahoo Finance historical data — adjusted for stock splits and reinvested dividends — the same convention used by major brokerages. A "year" scenario invests $1,000 at the prior December's month-end close and values it at the latest available month-end close. Non-USD amounts are converted at historical month-end exchange rates (Yahoo Finance): to USD on the buy date and back to your currency at the latest rate, so the return reflects the currency move as well as the asset.
Month-end resolution means intra-month extremes are not captured in tables; the calculator uses exact trading-day closes where daily data is available. Figures ignore taxes, fees, and the currency effects of non-USD listings. History is not a forecast. Wall Street Regrets is entertainment, not investment advice.
What if you'd held…
Data: adjusted close prices via Yahoo Finance. As of 2026-08. Not financial advice.