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American Education Center (AMCT) Risk Analysis

Public companies are required to disclose risks that can affect the business and impact the stock. These disclosures are known as “Risk Factors”. Companies disclose these risks in their yearly (Form 10-K), quarterly earnings (Form 10-Q), or “foreign private issuer” reports (Form 20-F). Risk factors show the challenges a company faces. Investors can consider the worst-case scenarios before making an investment. TipRanks’ Risk Analysis categorizes risks based on proprietary classification algorithms and machine learning. American Education Center disclosed 40 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. American Education Center reported the most risks in the “Finance & Corporate” category.

Risk Overview Q4, 2020

Source: the company's latest filing for the period ended Dec 31, 2020, filed Apr 15, 2021

Risk Distribution
40Risks
Sector Avg.Finance & CorporateTech & InnovationLegal & RegulatoryProductionAbility to SellMacro & Political
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy

Risk Change Over Time

No filing history is available.

Risks removedRisks addedRisks changedAmerican Education Center Risk Factors
  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1
    Our VIE Arrangements with Zhongwei and Zhongwei's shareholders may not be effective in providing control over Zhongwei.

    We expect to continue to rely on the VIE Arrangements to control and operate the business of Zhongwei. However, the VIE Arrangements may not be as effective in providing us with the necessary control over Zhongwei and its operations. For example, Zhongwei and the Zhongwei's shareholders could breach their contractual arrangements with us by, among other things, failing to conduct their operations in an acceptable manner or taking other actions that are detrimental to our interests. If we had direct ownership of Zhongwei, we would be able to exercise our rights as a shareholder to effect changes in the board of directors of Zhongwei, which in turn could implement changes, subject to any applicable fiduciary obligations, at the management and operational level. However, under the current VIE Arrangements, we rely on the performance by Zhongwei and Zhongwei's shareholders of their respective obligations under the contracts to exercise control over Zhongwei. Zhongwei's shareholders may not act in the best interests of our company or may not perform their obligations under these contracts. Such risks exist throughout the period in which we intend to operate certain portions of our business through the VIE Arrangements with Zhongwei. If any disputes relating to these contracts remain unresolved, we will have to enforce our rights under these contracts through the operations of PRC law and arbitration, litigation, and other legal proceedings and therefore will be subject to uncertainties in the PRC legal system. Therefore, our VIE Arrangements with Zhongwei and Zhongwei's shareholders may not be as effective in ensuring our control over the relevant portion of our business operations as direct ownership would be.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2
    Zhongwei's shareholders have potential conflicts of interest with our company which may adversely affect our business and financial condition.

    Zhongwei's shareholders may have potential conflicts of interest with us. These shareholders may not act in the best interest of our Company or may breach, or cause Zhongwei to breach the existing contractual arrangements we have with them and Zhongwei, which would have a material and adverse effect on our ability to effectively control Zhongwei and receive economic benefits from it. For example, the shareholders may be able to cause our agreements with Zhongwei to be performed in a manner adverse to us by, among other things, failing to remit payments due under the contractual arrangements to us on a timely basis. We cannot assure you that when conflicts of interest arise, any or all of these shareholders will act in the best interests of our Company or such conflicts will be resolved in our favor. Currently, we do not have any arrangements to address potential conflicts of interest between these shareholders and our Company. If we cannot resolve any conflicts of interest or disputes between us and those shareholders, we would have to rely on legal proceedings, which may materially disrupt our business. There is also substantial uncertainty as to the outcome of any such legal proceeding.

  • Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 3
    We may not be able to consolidate the financial results of Zhongwei or such consolidation could materially and adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.

    Our business is expected to be conducted through Zhongwei, which currently is considered for accounting purposes as a VIE, and we are considered the primary beneficiary, enabling us to consolidate the financial results of Zhongwei in our consolidated financial statements. In the event that in the future Zhongwei would no longer meet the definition of a VIE, or we are deemed not to be the primary beneficiary, we would not be able to consolidate line by line its financial results in our consolidated financial statements for PRC purposes. Also, if in the future an affiliate company becomes a VIE and we become the primary beneficiary, we would be required to consolidate that entity's financial results in our consolidated financial statements for PRC purposes. If such entity's financial results were negative, this could have a corresponding negative impact on our operating results for PRC purposes. However, any material variations in the accounting principles, practices, and methods used in preparing financial statements for PRC purposes from the principles, practices, and methods generally accepted in the United States and in the SEC accounting regulations must be discussed, quantified, and reconciled in financial statements for the United States and SEC purposes.

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Risk Highlights Q4, 2020

Main Risk Category
Finance & Corporate
With 19 Risks
Number of Disclosed Risks
40
+7
From last report
S&P 500 Average: 32
Recent Changes
7Risks added
0Risks removed
0Risks changed
Since Dec 2020
Number of Risk Changed
0
No changes from last report
S&P 500 Average: 1

Risk Word Cloud

our business is subject to fluctuations caused by seasonality or other factors beyond our control, which may cause our operating results to fluctuate from quarter to quarter.our operating results to fluctuateour historical financial and operating results are not indicative of our future performance, and our financial and operating results are difficult to forecast.indicative of our future performanceif the prc government deems that the vie arrangements do not comply with prc regulatory restrictions on foreign investment in the relevant industries, or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change in the future, we could be subject to severe penalties or be forced to relinquish our interests in those operations.interpretation of existing regulations changethe ownership of our common stock is concentrated among a small number of shareholders, and if our principal shareholders, director, and officers choose to act together, they may be able to significantly influence management and operations, which may prevent us from taking actions that may be favorable to you.ownership of our common stockbecause we rely on a limited number of customers for a large portion of our revenue, the loss of one or more of these customers could materially harm our business.large portion of our revenuewe do not intend to pay cash dividends on our shares of common stock in the foreseeable future.intend to pay cash dividendsif the prc government deems that the vie arrangements do not comply with prc regulatory restrictions on foreign investment in the relevant industries, or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change in the future, we could be subject to severe penalties or be forced to relinquish our interests in those operations.forced to relinquish our interestsif the price of our common stock is volatile when we are trading, purchasers of our shares of common stock could incur substantial losses.price of our common stockthe outbreak, and threat or perceived threat of outbreak, of covid-19 has negatively impacted the ability of our student customers and their families to travel to the u.s., which could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial conditionability of our student customerscompliance with changing regulations of corporate governance and public disclosure will result in additional expenses.changing regulations of corporate governance

Risk Factors Full Breakdown - Total Risks 40

Share Price & Shareholder Rights10 | 25.0%
  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1Added
    Our VIE Arrangements with Zhongwei and Zhongwei's shareholders may not be effective in providing control over Zhongwei.

    We expect to continue to rely on the VIE Arrangements to control and operate the business of Zhongwei. However, the VIE Arrangements may not be as effective in providing us with the necessary control over Zhongwei and its operations. For example, Zhongwei and the Zhongwei's shareholders could breach their contractual arrangements with us by, among other things, failing to conduct their operations in an acceptable manner or taking other actions that are detrimental to our interests. If we had direct ownership of Zhongwei, we would be able to exercise our rights as a shareholder to effect changes in the board of directors of Zhongwei, which in turn could implement changes, subject to any applicable fiduciary obligations, at the management and operational level. However, under the current VIE Arrangements, we rely on the performance by Zhongwei and Zhongwei's shareholders of their respective obligations under the contracts to exercise control over Zhongwei. Zhongwei's shareholders may not act in the best interests of our company or may not perform their obligations under these contracts. Such risks exist throughout the period in which we intend to operate certain portions of our business through the VIE Arrangements with Zhongwei. If any disputes relating to these contracts remain unresolved, we will have to enforce our rights under these contracts through the operations of PRC law and arbitration, litigation, and other legal proceedings and therefore will be subject to uncertainties in the PRC legal system. Therefore, our VIE Arrangements with Zhongwei and Zhongwei's shareholders may not be as effective in ensuring our control over the relevant portion of our business operations as direct ownership would be.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2Added
    Zhongwei's shareholders have potential conflicts of interest with our company which may adversely affect our business and financial condition.

    Zhongwei's shareholders may have potential conflicts of interest with us. These shareholders may not act in the best interest of our Company or may breach, or cause Zhongwei to breach the existing contractual arrangements we have with them and Zhongwei, which would have a material and adverse effect on our ability to effectively control Zhongwei and receive economic benefits from it. For example, the shareholders may be able to cause our agreements with Zhongwei to be performed in a manner adverse to us by, among other things, failing to remit payments due under the contractual arrangements to us on a timely basis. We cannot assure you that when conflicts of interest arise, any or all of these shareholders will act in the best interests of our Company or such conflicts will be resolved in our favor. Currently, we do not have any arrangements to address potential conflicts of interest between these shareholders and our Company. If we cannot resolve any conflicts of interest or disputes between us and those shareholders, we would have to rely on legal proceedings, which may materially disrupt our business. There is also substantial uncertainty as to the outcome of any such legal proceeding.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 3
    We are an "emerging growth company," and we cannot be certain if the reduced reporting requirements applicable to emerging growth companies will make our Common Stock less attractive to investors.

    We are an "emerging growth company," as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act, or the JOBS Act. For as long as we continue to be an emerging growth company, we may take advantage of exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies, including not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our annual reports and proxy statements and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years, although we could lose that status sooner if our revenues exceed $1.07 billion, if we issue more than $1,000,000,000 in non-convertible debt in a three year period, or if the market value of our Common Stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700,000,000 as of any April 30 before that time, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the following April 30. We cannot predict if investors will find our Common Stock less attractive because we may rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our Common Stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our Common Stock and our stock price may be more volatile. We have elected to use the extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards under Section 102(b)(2) of the Jobs Act, that allows us to delay the adoption of new or revised accounting standards that have different effective dates for public and private companies until those standards apply to private companies. As a result of this election, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with the public company effective dates.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 4
    The ownership of our Common Stock is concentrated among a small number of shareholders, and if our principal shareholders, director, and officers choose to act together, they may be able to significantly influence management and operations, which may prevent us from taking actions that may be favorable to you.

    Our ownership is concentrated among a small number of shareholders, including our founder, director, officers, and entities related to these persons. Accordingly, these shareholders, acting together, will have the ability to exert substantial influence over all matters requiring approval by our shareholders, including the election and removal of directors and any proposed merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of our assets. This concentration of ownership could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of the Company or impeding a merger or consolidation, takeover or other business combination that could be favorable to you.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 5
    Our Common Stock is considered a "penny stock" which is subject to restrictions on marketability, so you may not be able to sell your shares.

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, has adopted regulations which generally define "penny stock" to be an equity security that has a market price of less than $5.00 per share or an exercise price of less than $5.00 per share, subject to specific exemptions. The market price of our common stock is currently less than $5.00 per share and therefore is designated as a "penny stock" according to SEC rules. This designation requires any broker or dealer selling these securities to disclose some information concerning the transaction, obtain a written agreement from the purchaser and determine that the purchaser is reasonably suitable to purchase the securities. These rules may restrict the ability of brokers or dealers to sell the common stock and may affect the ability of investors to sell their shares. These regulations may likely have the effect of limiting the trading activity of the Company's common stock and reducing the liquidity of an investment in its common stock. In addition, investors may find it difficult to obtain accurate quotations of the common stock and may experience a lack of buyers to purchase our Company's stock or a lack of market makers to support the stock price. We will be subject to the penny stock rules adopted by the SEC that require brokers to provide extensive disclosure to their customers prior to executing trades in penny stocks. These disclosure requirements may cause a reduction in the trading activity of our common stock, which in all likelihood would make it difficult for our shareholders to sell their shares.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 6
    Because we are not subject to compliance with rules requiring the adoption of certain corporate governance measures, our shareholders have limited protections against interested director transactions, conflicts of interest, and similar matters.

    The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as well as rule changes proposed and enacted by the SEC, the New York and NYSE AMEX Equities exchanges and the Nasdaq Stock Market, as a result of Sarbanes-Oxley, require the implementation of various measures relating to corporate governance. These measures are designed to enhance the integrity of corporate management and the securities markets and apply to securities which are listed on those exchanges or the Nasdaq Stock Market. Because we are not presently required to comply with many of the corporate governance provisions and because we chose to avoid incurring the substantial additional costs associated with such compliance any sooner than necessary, we have not yet adopted these measures. We do not currently have independent audit or compensation committees. As a result, our sloe director has the ability, among other things, to determine his own level of compensation. Until we comply with such corporate governance measures, regardless of whether such compliance is required, the absence of such standards of corporate governance may leave our shareholders without protections against interested director transactions, conflicts of interest and similar matters and investors may be reluctant to provide us with funds necessary to expand our operations.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 7
    There may not be an active, liquid trading market for our equity securities.

    Our common stock trades exclusively on the OTCQB Marketplace since September 2016. Trading volumes on the OTCQB Marketplace can fluctuate significantly, which could make it difficult for investors to execute transactions in our securities and could cause declines or volatility in the prices of our common stock.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 8
    If the price of our common stock is volatile when we are trading, purchasers of our shares of common stock could incur substantial losses.

    When and if an active market develops for our securities, the market price of our Common Stock could fluctuate significantly for many reasons, including reasons unrelated to our specific performance, such as reports by industry analysts, investor perceptions, or announcements by our competitors regarding their own performance, as well as general economic and industry conditions. For example, to the extent that other large companies within our industry experience declines in their share price, our share price may decline as well. Fluctuations in operating results or the failure of operating results to meet the expectations of public market analysts and investors may negatively impact the price of our securities. Quarterly operating results may fluctuate in the future due to a variety of factors that could negatively affect revenues or expenses in any particular quarter, including vulnerability of our business to a general economic downturn; changes in the laws that affect our products or operations; competition; compensation related expenses; application of accounting standards; and our ability to obtain and maintain all necessary regulatory and industry certifications and/or approvals to conduct our business. In addition, when the market price of a company's shares drops significantly, shareholders could institute securities class action lawsuits against the company. A lawsuit against us could cause us to incur substantial costs and could divert the time and attention of our management and other resources. Moreover, we cannot assure you that any securities analysts will initiate or maintain research coverage of our company and our shares of common stock. We do not control analysts or the content and opinions included in their reports. The price of our shares of common stock could decline if one or more equity research analysts downgrade our shares of common stock or if analysts issue other unfavorable commentary or cease publishing reports about us or our business.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 9
    Shares of our Common Stock represent equity interests and are subordinate to existing and future indebtedness.

    Shares of our Common Stock represent equity interests in our Company and, as such, rank junior to any indebtedness of our Company now existing or created in the future, as well as to the rights of any preferred shares that may be issued in the future. In the future, we may incur substantial amounts of debt and other obligations that will rank senior to our Common Stock or to which our Common Stock will be structurally subordinated.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 10
    Provisions in our charter documents and Nevada law could discourage or prevent a takeover, even if an acquisition would be beneficial to our shareholders.

    Provisions of our articles of incorporation and bylaws, as well as provisions of Nevada law, could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us, even if beneficial to our shareholders. Provisions include (i) authorizing the issuance of "blank check" preferred shares that could be issued by our board of directors to increase the number of outstanding shares and thwart a takeover attempt; (ii) prohibiting cumulative voting in the election of directors, which would otherwise allow less than a majority of our shareholders to elect director candidates; and (iii) advance notice provisions in connection with shareholder proposals that may prevent or hinder any attempt by our shareholders to bring business to be considered by shareholders at a meeting or replace our Company's board of directors.

See a full breakdown of risk according to category and subcategory. The list starts with the category with the most risk. Click on subcategories to read relevant extracts from the most recent report.

FAQ

What are “Risk Factors”?
Risk factors are any situations or occurrences that could make investing in a company risky. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requires that publicly traded companies disclose their most significant risk factors. This is so that potential investors can consider any risks before they make an investment. They also offer companies protection, as a company can use risk factors as liability protection. This could happen if a company underperforms and investors take legal action as a result. It is worth noting that smaller companies, that is those with a public float of under $75 million on the last business day, do not have to include risk factors in their 10-K and 10-Q forms, although some may choose to do so.
How do companies disclose their risk factors?
Publicly traded companies initially disclose their risk factors to the SEC through their S-1 filings as part of the IPO process. Additionally, companies must provide a complete list of risk factors in their Annual Reports (Form 10-K) or (Form 20-F) for “foreign private issuers”. Quarterly Reports also include a section on risk factors (Form 10-Q) where companies are only required to update any changes since the previous report. According to the SEC, risk factors should be reported concisely, logically and in “plain English” so investors can understand them.
How can I use TipRanks risk factors in my stock research?
Use the Risk Factors tab to get data about the risk factors of any company in which you are considering investing. You can easily see the most significant risks a company is facing. Additionally, you can find out which risk factors a company has added, removed or adjusted since its previous disclosure. You can also see how a company’s risk factors compare to others in its sector. Without reading company reports or participating in conference calls, you would most likely not have access to this sort of information, which is usually not included in press releases or other public announcements. A simplified analysis of risk factors is unique to TipRanks.
What are all the risk factor categories?
TipRanks has identified 6 major categories of risk factors and a number of subcategories for each. You can see how these categories are broken down in the list below. 1. Financial & Corporate Accounting & Financial Operations - risks related to accounting loss, value of intangible assets, financial statements, value of intangible assets, financial reporting, estimates, guidance, company profitability, dividends, fluctuating results. Share Price & Shareholder Rights – risks related to things that impact share prices and the rights of shareholders, including analyst ratings, major shareholder activity, trade volatility, liquidity of shares, anti-takeover provisions, international listing, dual listing. Debt & Financing – risks related to debt, funding, financing and interest rates, financial investments. Corporate Activity and Growth – risks related to restructuring, M&As, joint ventures, execution of corporate strategy, strategic alliances. 2. Legal & Regulatory Litigation and Legal Liabilities – risks related to litigation/ lawsuits against the company. Regulation – risks related to compliance, GDPR, and new legislation. Environmental / Social – risks related to environmental regulation and to data privacy. Taxation & Government Incentives – risks related to taxation and changes in government incentives. 3. Production Costs – risks related to costs of production including commodity prices, future contracts, inventory. Supply Chain – risks related to the company’s suppliers. Manufacturing – risks related to the company’s manufacturing process including product quality and product recalls. Human Capital – risks related to recruitment, training and retention of key employees, employee relationships & unions labor disputes, pension, and post retirement benefits, medical, health and welfare benefits, employee misconduct, employee litigation. 4. Technology & Innovation Innovation / R&D – risks related to innovation and new product development. Technology – risks related to the company’s reliance on technology. Cyber Security – risks related to securing the company’s digital assets and from cyber attacks. Trade Secrets & Patents – risks related to the company’s ability to protect its intellectual property and to infringement claims against the company as well as piracy and unlicensed copying. 5. Ability to Sell Demand – risks related to the demand of the company’s goods and services including seasonality, reliance on key customers. Competition – risks related to the company’s competition including substitutes. Sales & Marketing – risks related to sales, marketing, and distribution channels, pricing, and market penetration. Brand & Reputation – risks related to the company’s brand and reputation. 6. Macro & Political Economy & Political Environment – risks related to changes in economic and political conditions. Natural and Human Disruptions – risks related to catastrophes, floods, storms, terror, earthquakes, coronavirus pandemic/COVID-19. International Operations – risks related to the global nature of the company. Capital Markets – risks related to exchange rates and trade, cryptocurrency.