**UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION**

###### ** ****Washington, D.C. 20549**

**Form 10-K**

|   |   |                                                                                            |
|--------|--------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| þ |   | **ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO  SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934**       |
|   |
|   |   | **For the fiscal year ended January 28, 2012**                                                  |
|   |
| **or** |
|   |
| **o**  |   | **TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT  TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)   OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934** |

###### **Commission File Number 1-31340**

**The Cato Corporation**

*Registrant*

|                                                                                                        |   |                                                    |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------|---------------------------------------------------------|
| **Delaware**                                                                                                |   | **56-0484485**                                          |
| *State of Incorporation*                                                                                    |   | *I.R.S. Employer Identification Number*                 |
|                                                                                                        |
| **8100 Denmark Road**

**Charlotte,   North Carolina 28273-5975**

*Address of Principal Executive Offices* |   | **704/554-8510**

*Registrant’s Telephone Number* |

 

**Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of theAct:**

| **Title of Class**              | **Name of Exchange on Which  Registered** |
|---------------------------------|-------------------------------------------|
| Class A Common Stock            | New York Stock  Exchange                  |
| Preferred Share Purchase Rights | New York Stock  Exchange                  |

** **

**Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of theAct:**

None

 

     Indicateby check mark if the Registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined inRule 405 of the Securities Act.   Yes  ̈    No þ 

     Indicateby check mark if the Registrant is not required to file reports pursuant toSection 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act.   Yes  ̈    No þ 

     Indicateby check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports required tobe filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrantwas required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to suchfiling requirements for the past 90 days.  Yes þ    No  ̈ 

     Indicateby check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted onits corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to besubmitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of thischapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that theregistrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes þ  No □

      Indicate by check mark,if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of theRegulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to thebest of the Registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statementsincorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendmentto this Form 10-K.   ̈ 

     Indicateby check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, anaccelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company.  Seethe definitions of “large accelerated filer”, “accelerated filer” and “smallerreporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. 

     Largeaccelerated filer þ    Acceleratedfiler  ̈    Non-accelerated filer  ̈    Smaller reporting company  ̈ 

                                                                                                (Do not checkif a smaller reporting company)

 

     Indicateby check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in ExchangeAct Rule 12b-2). Yes  ̈    No þ 

     Theaggregate market value of the Registrant’s Class A Common Stock held bynon-affiliates of the Registrant as of July 30, 2011, the last business day ofthe Company’s most recent second quarter, was $771,757,291 based on the lastreported sale price per share on the New York Stock Exchange on that date. 

     As ofMarch 27, 2012, there were 27,420,237 shares of Class A Common Stockand 1,743,525 shares of Convertible Class B Common Stock outstanding.

 

**DOCUMENTSINCORPORATED BY REFERENCE**

     Portions of the proxy statementrelating to the 2012 annual meeting of shareholders are incorporated byreference into the following part of this annual report:

 

 

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