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Church & Dwight (CHD) Risk Analysis

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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.

Church & Dwight disclosed 35 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Church & Dwight reported the most risks in the “Legal & Regulatory” category.

Risk Overview Q2, 2026

Risk Distribution

23% Legal & Regulatory

23% Ability to Sell

20% Finance & Corporate

17% Production

9% Tech & Innovation

9% Macro & Political

Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy

This chart displays the stock's most recent risk distribution according to category. TipRanks has identified 6 major categories: Finance & corporate, legal & regulatory, macro & political, production, tech & innovation, and ability to sell.

Risk Change Over Time

2022

S&P500 Average

Sector Average

Risks removed

Risks added

Risks changed

Church & Dwight Risk Factors

New Risk (0)

Risk Changed (0)

Risk Removed (0)

No changes from previous report

The chart shows the number of risks a company has disclosed. You can compare this to the sector average or S&P 500 average.

The quarters shown in the chart are according to the calendar year (January to December). Businesses set their own financial calendar, known as a fiscal year. For example, Walmart ends their financial year at the end of January to accommodate the holiday season.

Risk Highlights Q2, 2026

Main Risk Category

Legal & Regulatory

With 8 Risks

Legal & Regulatory

With 8 Risks

Number of Disclosed Risks

No changes from last report

S&P 500 Average: 31

No changes from last report

S&P 500 Average: 31

Recent Changes

0Risks added

0Risks removed

0Risks changed

Since Jun 2026

0Risks added

0Risks removed

0Risks changed

Since Jun 2026

Number of Risk Changed

No changes from last report

S&P 500 Average: 1

No changes from last report

S&P 500 Average: 1

See the risk highlights of Church & Dwight in the last period.

Risk Word Cloud

The most common phrases about risk factors from the most recent report. Larger texts indicate more widely used phrases.

Risk Factors Full Breakdown - Total Risks 35

Legal & Regulatory

Total Risks: 8/35 (23%)Above Sector Average

Regulation1 | 2.9%

Regulation - Risk 1

Current and future laws and regulations in the countries in which we and our suppliers operate could expose us to increased costs and other adverse consequences.

The development, manufacturing, processing, formulation (including stability), packaging, labeling, marketing, distribution and sale of our products are subject to regulation by federal agencies, including the U.S. FDA, the FTC, the EPA and the CPSC and foreign regulators and agencies. In addition, our and our suppliers' operations are subject to the oversight of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the National Labor Relations Board. Our activities are also regulated by various agencies of the states, localities and foreign countries in which our products and their constituent materials and components are manufactured and sold. In particular, the FDA and foreign counterparts regulate the formulation, safety, development, manufacturing, packaging, labeling and distribution of condoms, home pregnancy test kits, vaginal lubricants, electric and battery powered medical devices, wound dressings, over-the-counter medicines, homeopathic products and dietary supplements. The FDA or a similar foreign agency also exercises oversight over cosmetic products such as depilatories, hair care and skin care products. In addition, under a memorandum of understanding between the FDA and the FTC, the FTC has jurisdiction over the promotion and advertising of these products, and the FTC regulates the promotion and advertising of our other products as well. As part of its regulatory authority, the FDA may periodically conduct inspections of the physical facilities, machinery, processes and procedures that we and our suppliers use to manufacture regulated products and may identify compliance issues that would require us and our suppliers to make certain changes in our manufacturing facilities and processes. The failure of a facility to be in compliance may lead to regulatory action against the products made in that facility, including seizure, injunction or recall, as well as to possible action against the owner of the facility/manufacturer. We may be required to make additional expenditures to address these issues or possibly stop selling certain products until the compliance issue has been remediated. Likewise, any future determination by the FDA, the EPA or a similar foreign agency, or by us in reviewing our compliance with applicable rules and regulations, that our products or quality systems do not comply with applicable regulations could result in future compliance activities, including product withdrawals or recalls, import detentions, injunctions preventing the shipment of products, or other enforcement actions. For example, the FDA may determine that a particular claim that we use to support the marketing of a product is not substantiated or permissible under products' regulatory classification, may not accept the evidence of safety for a new product that we may wish to market, may challenge the safety or effectiveness of existing products based on, among other things, changes in formulations, inadequate stability or "shelf-life," consumer complaints, or improper labeling, may take action against our homeopathic products, such as our Zicam products, on the basis that they are unapproved drugs, and may determine that our dietary supplement business manufacturing, packaging, labeling and holding operations do not comply with cGMPs. Similarly, we may identify these or other issues in internal compliance reviews of our operations and the operations and products of vendors and acquired companies. These other issues may include the identification of contaminants or non-compliant levels of particular ingredients. Any of the foregoing could subject us to adverse publicity, force us to incur unanticipated costs and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Additionally, delays in the acceptance, review and approval of products by the FDA or the EPA, or other required governmental approvals, may result from government shutdowns due to the failure by Congress to enact regular appropriations. We are subject to regulations regarding the transportation, storage or use of certain chemicals to protect the environment, as well as the Commission's rules with respect to "conflict minerals." Recent trade policies, tariffs and government regulations affecting trade between the U.S. and other countries, as well as sanctions by the U.S. and the European Union in response to the Russia/Ukraine war, have introduced greater uncertainty and volatility. In addition, renewed significant governmental actions pertaining to pandemics or other health emergencies, including lockdowns, quarantines or other restrictions on the ability of our employees to travel or perform necessary business functions or our ability to develop, manufacture, distribute, market or sell our products, or the ability of our suppliers, customers or third-party partners to effectively run their operations, may negatively impact our ability to manufacture, distribute, market and sell our products. We are not able to predict the nature of these changes or of such future laws, regulations, repeals or interpretations or to predict the effect additional or shifting governmental regulation, when and if it occurs, would have on our business in the future. Such developments could require reformulation of certain products to meet new standards, recalls or discontinuance of certain products not able to be reformulated, additional record-keeping requirements, increased documentation of the properties of certain products, additional or different labeling, additional scientific substantiation, expanded adverse event reporting or other new requirements. There is also an increased risk of fraud or corruption in certain foreign jurisdictions and related difficulties in maintaining effective internal controls. Additionally, we could be subject to future inquiries or investigations by governmental and other regulatory bodies, which may be delayed or disrupted due to any government furlough. We could also be adversely affected by violations, or allegations of violations, of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar international anti-bribery laws. The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar international anti-bribery laws generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments to government officials or other third parties for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business.

Litigation & Legal Liabilities1 | 2.9%

Litigation & Legal Liabilities - Risk 1

Litigation, arbitration or regulatory matters where the outcome is uncertain could entail significant expense.

From time to time, we are the subject of, or party to, various pending or threatened legal actions (including class actions), government investigations and proceedings, including, without limitation, those with allegations relating to commercial transactions, product liability, ingredients, consumer, employment, antitrust, environmental, health, safety and compliance-related matters. Such proceedings are subject to many uncertainties and the outcome of certain pending or threatened legal actions, investigations and proceedings may not be reasonably predictable and any related damages, injunctions and/or settlements may not be estimable.

Taxation & Government Incentives2 | 5.7%

Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 1

Changes in tax laws and regulations or in our operations may impact our effective tax rate and may adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results.

Our future effective tax rate could be affected by changes in or the interpretation tax laws and regulations, changes in the mix of earnings in countries with differing statutory tax rates, or changes in the valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities. In addition, we evaluate our deferred income tax assets and record a valuation allowance if it is "more likely than not" that all or a portion of the deferred tax asset will not be realized. If the actual amount of our future taxable income is less than the amount we are currently projecting with respect to specific tax jurisdictions, or if there is a change in the time period within which the deferred tax asset becomes deductible, we could be required to record a valuation allowance against our deferred tax assets. The recording of a valuation allowance would result in an increase in our effective tax rate and would have an adverse effect on our operating results. In addition, changes in statutory tax rates may change our deferred tax assets or liability balances, which would also impact our effective tax rate. On October 4, 2021, members of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development ("OECD") agreed to a global minimum tax rate of 15%. On December 20, 2021, OECD published its model rules on the agreed minimum tax known as the Global Anti-Base Erosion ("GloBE") rules. The GloBE Rules consist of an interlocking and coordinated system of rules which are designed to be implemented into the domestic law of each jurisdiction and operate together to ensure large multinational enterprise groups are subject to a minimum effective tax rate of 15% on any excess profits arising in each jurisdiction where they operate. On December 15, 2022, the European Council approved its directive to implement Pillar Two of the GloBE rules regarding a 15% global minimum tax rate. Many aspects of Pillar Two were effective for tax years beginning in January 2024, with certain remaining impacts becoming effective in 2025. On January 5, 2026 the OECD published Tax Challenges Arising from Digitalisation of the Economy- Global Anti-Base Erosion Model Rules (Pillar Two), Side-by-Side Package. The Package includes certain safe-harbors applicable to certain U.S. parented multi-national corporations, and is required to be adopted by OECD member States to be effective. However, if these safe harbors are modified or not adopted, Pillar Two may increase our future effective tax rate. We will continue to monitor Pillar Two legislation as it evolves and and assess its potential impact on our global tax position.

Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 2

Resolutions of tax disputes may adversely affect our earnings and cash flow.

Significant judgment is required in determining our effective tax rate and in evaluating our tax positions. We provide for uncertain tax positions with respect to tax positions that do not meet the recognition thresholds or measurement standards mandated by applicable accounting guidance. Fluctuations in federal, state, local and foreign taxes or changes to uncertain tax positions, including related interest and penalties, may impact our effective tax rate and our financial results. We are regularly under audit by tax authorities, and although we believe our tax estimates are reasonable, the final outcome of tax audits and related litigation could be materially different than that reflected in our historical income tax provisions and accruals. In addition, when particular tax matters arise, a number of years may elapse before such matters are audited and finally resolved. Favorable resolution of such matters could be recognized as a reduction to our effective tax rate in the year of resolution. Unfavorable resolution of any tax matter could increase the effective tax rate. Any resolution of a tax issue may require the use of cash in the year of resolution.

Environmental / Social4 | 11.4%

Environmental / Social - Risk 1

We are subject to increasingly stringent privacy and data security regulation.

We collect, use and store personal data of our employees, customers and other third parties in the ordinary course of business, and we are required to comply with increasingly complex and changing data privacy and security laws and regulations, as well as self-regulatory regimes, that apply to the collection, storage, use, transmission and protection of personal information and other consumer and employee data, including particularly the transfer of personal data between or among countries. High-profile security breaches of the information systems of a number of government agencies and U.S. companies may result in increased regulations and new security laws. The current administration and Congress in the United States, as well as state legislators, may seek to pass more stringent regulations in these areas, or more aggressively enforce existing regulations. As of January 1, 2026, comprehensive privacy laws are in effect in 20 states, complicating our privacy compliance obligations through the introduction of increasingly disparate requirements across the various U.S. jurisdictions in which we operate. Additionally, certain other states have enacted specific health data privacy laws and other states are considering similar legislation. This imposes significant compliance costs and exposes us to substantial risks, particularly with respect to health data and other sensitive data. While Congress is considering legislation that may preempt some or all of such U.S. state privacy laws, such legislation may also provide a more expansive private right of action for privacy claims than exists under current state laws. We are currently subject to numerous and evolving federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations that protect the privacy and security of personal information, such as the California Consumer Privacy Act ( the "CCPA") as amended, other comprehensive US state privacy laws, the California Online Privacy Protection Act, the Personal information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing (CAN-SPAM) Act, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), and Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act. Moreover, our use or sharing of certain data may subject us to the Video Privacy Protection Act ("VPPA"), and the California Invasion of Privacy Act ("CIPA"). Private plaintiffs and class action lawyers are increasingly bringing claims alleging violations of VPPA and CIPA, and courts have made inconsistent decisions regarding such claims. Such claims could thus lead to significant statutory damages or pressure to settle. The CCPA contains significant obligations and requirements that have resulted in a greater compliance burden with respect to our operations and data usage of California residents, which will continue to increase our costs. The CCPA covers businesses that obtain or access personal information of California consumers, grants consumers enhanced privacy rights and control over their personal information and imposes significant requirements on covered companies with respect to consumer data privacy rights. The CCPA provides consumers with the right to opt out of the sale and "sharing" of their personal information. In November 2020, California voters adopted the CPRA that amends the CCPA, including creating a new agency to implement and enforce the law and enhancing and strengthening regulatory requirements and individual protections under the CCPA. As of January 2026, 19 other states have enacted, and more are considering, similar privacy, data protection and information security laws, which may subject us to additional requirements and restrictions that could have an impact on our business, further complicating our privacy compliance obligations through the introduction of increasingly disparate requirements across the various U.S. jurisdictions in which we operate. Additionally, several states have enacted health-specific privacy laws or strengthened protections of health- and location-related data, and other states are considering similar legislation. Our website ecommerce and customer relations businesses that store, process or transmit payment cardholder data are subject to be Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance requirements as mandated by the credit card companies (Visa, Mastercard, and American Express) and the Payment Card Institute Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS). Moreover, the increasing use of ad-blocking technologies, browser and device privacy settings, and consumer opt-out choices may reduce advertising effectiveness and negatively impact our revenue. In addition to state-specific data breach notification laws (which exist in all US states and territories), evolving federal cybersecurity laws may require us to provide notifications about cybersecurity incidents in limited timeframes and before investigations are complete. Our businesses' failure to comply with these laws and regulations could expose us to breach of contract claims, substantial fines, penalties and other liabilities and expenses, costs for remediation and harm to our reputation. Outside of the USA and globally, legislators and regulators have adopted stricter and more complex privacy, cybersecurity, and data protection regimes. In Europe, the European Union ("EU") has adopted strict data privacy regulations and similar regimes have been adopted in other jurisdictions (e.g. the UK). Following the passage of the EU's General Data Protection Regulation ((EU) 2016/679) ("GDPR") and the Regulation on Privacy and Electronic Communications (the "ePrivacy Regulation"), data privacy and security compliance in the EU are increasingly complex and challenging. The GDPR in particular has broad extraterritorial effect and imposes a strict data protection compliance regime with significant penalties for non-compliance (up to 4% of worldwide annual turnover or €20 million, whichever is higher). The United Kingdom ("UK") has adopted the UK General Data Protection Regulation, or UK GDPR; the EU GDPR and UK GDPR are herein collectively referred to as GDPR. The GDPR imposes stringent data protection requirements for the processing of personal data, whenever GDPR applies to such processing, such as certain processing in the EEA, or in the UK. With respect to the personal data it protects, the GDPR requires, among other things, controller accountability, consents from Data Subjects or another acceptable legal basis to process the personal data, notification within 72 hours of a personal data breach where required, data integrity and security, and fairness and transparency regarding the storage, use or other processing of the personal data. The GDPR also provides rights to Data Subjects relating notably to information, access, rectification, erasure of the personal data and the right to object to the processing. Despite Brexit, the UK also has data protection laws equivalent to the GDPR. Uncertainty about compliance with these data protection laws remains, with the possibility that data protection authorities located in different EU Member States may interpret GDPR differently, or requirements of national laws may vary between the EU Member States, or guidance on GDPR and compliance practices may be often updated or otherwise revised. Any of these events will increase the complexity and costs of processing personal data in the European Economic Area, UK or Switzerland or concerning individuals located in these jurisdictions. It is also important to note that many countries are following the EU in producing a broad omnibus law in relation to privacy protection and enhanced cybersecurity requirements. In Asia, privacy and cybersecurity requirements are becoming more prescriptive and may include localization, mandatory breach notification obligations, security baseline requirements and cross-border transfer constraints. As a result of the various privacy, cybersecurity, and data protection regimes that apply to our operations globally, we may need to adapt our technologies or practices, incur material compliance and operational costs, restrict certain features or data uses in some jurisdictions, implement region-specific solutions, renegotiate vendor and customer terms, and/or change our business operations. Failure to comply with applicable privacy, cybersecurity, or data protection requirements, or failure to prevent or promptly detect and remediate a security incident, could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. We may also face audits, inquiries or investigations by one or more domestic or foreign government agencies relating to our compliance with these regulations. An adverse outcome under any such process could subject us to fines, penalties or orders to cease, delay or modify collection, use or transfers of personal data. We could also face rights requests, complaints, claims, or litigation from those persons whose data we collect, use and store as well as related enforcement actions and penalties. Any of these events or other circumstances related to our collection, use and transfer of personal data could also lead to negative media attention, damage to our reputation in the market or otherwise adversely affect our business.

Environmental / Social - Risk 2

Environmental matters create potential liability risks.

We must comply with various environmental laws and regulations in the jurisdictions in which we operate, including those relating to the handling and disposal of solid and hazardous wastes and the remediation of contamination associated with the use and disposal of hazardous substances. A release of such substances due to an accident or intentional act could result in substantial liability to governmental authorities or to third parties. We have incurred, and will continue to incur, capital and operating expenditures and other costs in complying with environmental laws and regulations.

Environmental / Social - Risk 3

Changing focus and sensitivity by governmental, non-governmental organizations, customers, consumers and investors to sustainability issues, including those related to climate resilience, plastic usage and ingredients, could result in increased operating or manufacturing costs and compliance challenges, which could adversely affect our business.

As climate resilience and other sustainability issues became more prominent in recent years, so has scrutiny by federal, state and local governments, non-governmental organizations and our customers, consumers and investors. This has resulted in new regulatory requirements such as various state-level Extended Producer Responsibility programs, California's climate reporting legislation, the European Union's ("EU") Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive ("CSRD") and customer and consumer standards, as well as regulatory actions and executive orders issued by the current U.S. presidential administration that have targeted these areas. In addition, our stakeholders may continue to demand transparency regarding our diversity and inclusion efforts and they may receive scrutiny from U.S. regulators, investors and policy groups in connection with the new presidential administration's priorities, and certain stakeholders have expressed negative sentiment regarding certain corporate sustainability initiatives. Our efforts to manage environmental impacts including addressing chemicals of concern and otherwise reducing or mitigating adverse effects on the environment, may not align with the expectations of all stakeholders and could expose us to increased regulatory or legal scrutiny. For example, some of our major customers have requested that we respond to various questionnaires, including the Carbon Disclosure Project ("CDP") integrated corporate questionnaires, and then use our responses and CDP scores regarding climate change, water and forests to evaluate us. Compliance with these requirements, standards and disclosure requests may be challenging and could cause disruptions in the manufacture of our products and/or result in increases in operating costs, and additional legal, compliance and regulatory risks and costs. We may also be required to contribute funds to support recycling and other waste management infrastructure, and/or incur costs associated with making necessary changes to our operations and controlling, assessing and reporting on certain sustainability metrics. These disruptions and additional costs could make our products more costly and less competitive than other products, which would adversely affect our business.

Environmental / Social - Risk 4

Any failure to achieve our sustainability goals or to effectively respond to new or current legal, regulatory or stakeholder sustainability requirements could adversely affect our business and reputation.

While we strive to minimize adverse impacts of our global operations, our ability to achieve any stated sustainability goal, target, or objective is subject to numerous factors and conditions, many of which are outside of our control. We could lose revenue if our consumers change brands, major retailers delist our products or our retail customers move business from us because we have not effectively responded to regulatory requirements, complied with their sustainability requirements or met their expectations related to our sustainability efforts, including with respect to climate resilience, plastic usage, or ingredients. In addition, our actual or perceived failure to achieve or make sufficient progress towards our stated sustainability goals or comply with sustainability related regulations could result in litigation, regulatory scrutiny or adverse publicity, which could damage our reputation, reduce consumer demand and devalue our brand equity. Further, sustainability-conscious investors may choose not to invest in our securities if we do not comply with their expectations, and investment managers may not include our securities in sustainability-designated funds. These areas have become increasingly politicized, and our efforts to address the concerns of some stakeholders could cause adverse impact to our relationships with other stakeholders.

Ability to Sell

Total Risks: 8/35 (23%)Above Sector Average

Competition1 | 2.9%

Competition - Risk 1

We face intense competition in our markets.

We face intense competition from consumer products companies, both in the U.S. and in international markets. Most of our products compete with other widely-advertised promoted and merchandised brands within each product category and from retailers, including supermarkets, mass merchandisers, wholesale clubs, drugstores, convenience stores, home stores, dollar and other discount stores, pet and other specialty stores and websites and other e-commerce channels, which are increasingly offering private label and retailer-branded brands and generic non-branded products in certain categories, which typically are sold at lower prices, and consumers are increasingly seeking lower cost "private label" products. In China, in particular we face strong competition from local manufacturers offering both generic and branded products. The use of evolving technology to develop more complex pricing models by retailers has led and may continue to lead to pricing pressures in some categories. In addition, an increase in consumers purchasing more "private label" or other lower price brands has increased competition in certain product categories in particular, including diagnostic kits and oral analgesics, and there has been increased consumer shifts to private label products across multiple categories. Shifting consumer behavior, including continuing shifts to online shopping, has also increased competition in e-commerce in many of our categories, from our larger legacy competitors and newer digitally native brands which have increasingly moved into consumer products and staples. Many of our competitors are large companies, including, among others, P&G, The Clorox Company, Colgate-Palmolive Company, S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc., Nestlé S.A., Haleon plc, Henkel, Reckitt Benckiser Group plc, LifeStyles Healthcare, Kenvue Inc., Pfizer Inc., Bayer AG, NBTY, Inc., Koninklijke Philips N.V., Unilever PLC, Sanofi, Edgewell Personal Care, Panoxyl, Starface, GOJO Industries, Inc., and Peach & Lily. Many of these companies have greater financial resources than we do, and these competitors, as well as new market entrants, may therefore, have the capacity to outspend us on advertising and promotional activities and introduce competing products or adopt new technologies, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, more quickly, successfully and effectively, and respond more effectively to changing business and economic conditions than we can. Our products generally compete based on performance, brand recognition, price, value or other benefits to consumers. Significant price competition may require us to reduce the prices for some of our products to price levels that do not offset manufacturing cost increases, to respond to competitive and customer pressures and to maintain market share. Increases to our prices, because of inflationary pressures or otherwise, could cause declining sales of products whose prices we have increased. In response to inflationary pressures and other factors, we have raised prices on many of our products across our global portfolio of brands in recent years. Ongoing periods of high inflation or increased costs resulting from higher tariffs imposed by the U.S. or other countries could lead to additional price increases on these or our other products, adversely impacting demand for our products. Advertising, promotion, merchandising and packaging also have a significant impact on retail customer decisions regarding the brands and product lines they sell and on consumer purchasing decisions. A newly introduced consumer product (whether improved or newly developed) usually encounters intense competition requiring substantial expenditures for advertising, sales promotion and trade merchandising. If a product gains consumer acceptance, it normally requires continued advertising, promotional support and product improvements to maintain its relative market position. If our advertising, marketing and promotional programs, including the use of digital and social media to reach consumers, are not effective, our sales growth may decline.

Demand5 | 14.3%

Demand - Risk 1

A continued change in the retail environment and changing consumer preferences could cause our sales to decline.

Despite increasing shifts to e-commerce, sales of our products remain highest in the traditional mass merchandiser, food and drug retail stores, and our products are also sold in club stores and dollar store channels. However, alternative retail channels, including direct to consumer, e-commerce retailers, hard discounters, subscription services and buying clubs, have become more prevalent and the volume of consumer products that are sold through such alternative retail channels is continuing to increase, which may affect customer and consumer preferences, including any pricing pressures for consumer goods as retailers face added costs to build or further expand their e-commerce capacity. In addition, a growing number of alternative sales channels and business models, such as niche brands, native online brands, private label and store brands, direct-to-consumer brands and channels and discounter channels, have emerged in the markets we serve. In particular, the growing presence of, and increasing sales through, e-commerce retailers have affected, and may continue to affect, consumer behavior or preferences (as consumers increasingly shop online and via mobile and social applications) and market dynamics, including any pricing pressures for consumer goods as retailers face added costs to build their e-commerce capacity. In 2025, some of our largest customers launched private label brands that compete with our products and may continue to expand those offerings in the future. Further, consumer preferences continue to evolve due to a number of factors, including fragmentation of the consumer market and changes in consumer demographics, including the aging of the general population and the emergence of Generation Z and Generation Alpha who have different spending, consumption and purchasing habits and are increasingly shifting to "private label" products and new nontraditional brands rather than maintaining allegiance to historical brands; evolving consumer concerns or perceptions regarding sustainability practices of manufacturers, including the environmental impacts of products and the sourcing and sustainability of, packaging materials, such as plastic packaging, and their environmental impact; greenhouse gas emissions; waste disposal practices; a growing demand for natural or organic products and ingredients; changing consumer sentiment toward non-local products or sources among different demographic groups; evolving consumer concerns or perceptions regarding the effects of ingredients or substances present in certain consumer products; reduced brand loyalty; and concerns regarding human capital practices. We and many of our competitors have increased our online sales as a result of shifting consumer behavior, benefiting from scale, brand recognition, and other factors. However, as consumers continue to shift their behavior, retailers may incur higher e-commerce operating costs and will seek to recover those costs by passing them onto customers and manufacturers. Additionally, we cannot predict the extent to which our increased e-commerce demand will continue or the impact on our profits as retailers seek to recover higher e-commerce related operating costs. Any significant changes in consumer preferences or behavior could materially and negatively impact demand for our products and, in turn, our net sales and results of operations. Consumer preferences are also influenced by the perception of our brand images or those of our products, the success of advertising and marketing campaigns, our ability to engage with consumers in the manner they prefer, including through the use of digital media or assets, and the perception of our advertising content, use of social media and extent of engagement in political and social issues. If we are not successful in continuing to adapt to changing consumer preferences and market dynamics or expanding sales through e-commerce retailers or alternative retail channels, consumers may reduce their purchasing of the Company's products which would negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations and cash flows.

Demand - Risk 2

New products and product line extensions may not gain widespread customer acceptance, may be otherwise discontinued, or cause sales of existing products to decline.

Our future performance and growth depend on our ability to successfully identify, develop and introduce new products, product line extensions, products in adjacent categories to our current products, and anticipate changes in consumer preferences. In addition, some of our products have shorter product life spans and depend heavily on our ability to continuously and timely introduce innovative new products to the marketplace. The successful development and introduction of new products involves substantial research, development, marketing and promotional expenditures, which we may be unable to recover if the new products do not gain widespread market acceptance. New product development and marketing efforts, including efforts to enter markets or product categories in which we have limited or no prior experience, have inherent risks. These risks include product development or launch delays, competitor actions, regulatory approval hurdles and the failure of new products and line extensions to achieve anticipated levels of market acceptance. In addition, sales generated by new products could result in an associated decline in sales of existing products. Each year, we introduce new products across the majority of our brands, including launches into new "white space" categories. However, there is no assurance that our new products will continue to have widespread acceptance. Success in launching new products is also dependent on our ability to deliver effective and efficient marketing in an evolving media landscape (including digital and social media), which is subject to dynamic and increasingly restrictive privacy requirements. If product introductions are not successful, costs associated with these efforts may not be fully recouped and our net earnings or margins could be adversely affected. From time to time, we have discontinued certain products and product lines, which resulted in returns from customers, asset write-offs and shutdown costs. We may suffer similar adverse consequences in the future to the extent we discontinue products that do not meet retailer or consumer expectations or no longer satisfy consumer demand.

Demand - Risk 3

Loss of any of our principal customers could significantly decrease our sales and profitability.

A limited number of customers account for a large percentage of our net sales and/or net sales of specific product lines. Walmart is our largest customer, accounting for approximately 23% of net sales in each of 2025, 2024, and 2023. Our top four customers accounted for approximately 44%, 43%, and 44% of net sales in 2025, 2024, and 2023, respectively. We expect that a significant portion of our net sales will continue to be derived from a small number of customers and that these percentages may increase if the growth of mass merchandisers continues. As a result, changes in the strategies of any of our largest customers, including a reduction in the number of brands they carry or of shelf space they dedicate to private label products, could materially harm our net sales and profitability. Any loss of or significant reduction in sales to one of our key customers could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Changes in consumer behavior, including continued shifting to online shopping instead of physical retail shopping, could also impact our sales to our largest customers. Some of our retail customers have experienced and may experience in the future declining financial performance, which could affect their ability to pay amounts due to us on a timely basis or at all. If these impacts are prolonged, they can further increase the difficulty of planning for operations. Moreover, the use of evolving technology by our customers to develop more complex pricing models may lead to category pricing pressures. We could also lose a significant customer due to customer service levels or real or perceived product quality or appearance issues. As our business is based primarily upon individual sales orders rather than long-term contracts and most customer agreements include customer termination rights after short notice, many of our customers could reduce their purchasing levels or cease buying products from us at any time and for any reason.

Demand - Risk 4

Market category declines and changes to our product and geographic mix may impact the achievement of our sales growth targets, planned pricing and financial results.

A significant percentage of our revenues come from mature markets that are subject to high levels of competition where product differentiation is more challenging and price competitors can erode profit margins. During 2025, approximately 82% of our sales were generated in U.S. markets. U.S. markets for consumer products are considered mature and commonly characterized by high household penetration, particularly with respect to our most significant product categories, such as laundry detergents, deodorizers, household cleaning products, toothpastes, antiperspirants and deodorants. Our ability to quickly innovate to differentiate our products (including product packaging and sustainability profiles) to meet changing consumer demands is essential, especially in light of e-commerce significantly reducing the barriers for even small competitors to quickly introduce new brands and products directly to consumers. Even if we are successful in increasing sales within our product categories, a continuing or accelerating decline in the overall markets for our products could have a negative impact on our financial results. We have implemented price increases and may implement additional price increases in the future, including to account for increased costs, which may slow sales growth or create volume declines in the short term as customers and consumers adjust to these price increases.

Demand - Risk 5

Decreases in demand for our products would decrease our sales and profitability.

Factors that can affect demand include competitors' products, advertising and pricing actions, inflationary pressures, rates of unemployment, consumer confidence, health care costs, including increased costs as a result of changes in federal regulations, significant shifts in government policies, the deterioration of economic or trade relations between countries or regions, commodity costs, fuel and other energy costs and other economic factors affecting consumer spending behavior, including gasoline and home heating oil pricing, reduced unemployment benefits in periods of high unemployment, restrictions on travel and access to public spaces, and changes in tax policies, other effects of governmental shutdowns or a lapse of appropriations or fear of exposure to or actual impacts of a widespread disease outbreak. In particular, we derive a substantial percentage of our revenues from sales of laundry detergent, and the continued customer demand for these products is critical to our future success. There has been a decrease in demand for some of our products in recent years, including condoms, as a result of demographic and other changes. We believe that inflation drove a decline in consumer spending for our Waterpik brand, as a growing number of water flosser consumers switched to competitors' value-branded products. An increasing number of our products are more discretionary in nature and, therefore, are more likely to be affected by consumer decisions to control spending.

Sales & Marketing1 | 2.9%

Sales & Marketing - Risk 1

We rely on the policies of our key retail customers.

Larger and increasingly consolidated retailers have an increasing influence, and have sought to obtain lower pricing, special packaging inventory practices, logistics or other changes to the customer-supplier relationship as a result of this influence. To the extent we provide concessions or better trade terms to those customers, our profit margins are reduced. Further, if we are unable to effectively respond to the demands of our customers, these customers could reduce their purchases of our products and increase their purchases of products from competitors. Reductions in inventory by our customers, including as a result of consolidation in the retail industry, or these customers managing their working capital requirements, could result in reduced orders for our products and adversely affect our results of operations and cash flows for financial periods affected by such reductions. Protracted unfavorable market conditions have caused many of our customers to more critically analyze the number of brands they sell, and reduce or discontinue certain of our product lines, particularly those products that were not number one or two in their category. In addition, private label and retail-branded products sold by retail trade chains are typically sold at lower prices than branded products. As consumers look for opportunities to decrease discretionary spending, our customers have discontinued or reduced distribution of some of our products to encourage those consumers to purchase the customers' less expensive and, in some cases, more profitable private label and retail-branded products (primarily in the stain fighters, diagnostic kits and oral analgesics categories).

Brand / Reputation1 | 2.9%

Brand / Reputation - Risk 1

Damage to the reputation of one or more of our leading brands could adversely affect us.

Our financial success is directly dependent on the reputation and success of our brands, particularly our power brands. Seven of our brands are designated as "power brands" because they compete in large categories, and we believe they have the potential for significant global expansion. Those seven brands are ARM & HAMMER; OXICLEAN; TOUCHLAND; BATISTE; WATERPIK; THERABREATH; and HERO and represent approximately 70% of our net sales and profits. The effectiveness of these brands could suffer if our marketing plans or product initiatives do not have the desired impact on a brand's image or its ability to attract consumers. Our brands could suffer damage to their reputations due to real or perceived, sustainability, quality or safety issues, including as a result of, among other things, significant product recalls, product-related litigation, defects or impurities in our products, product misuse, changing consumer perceptions of certain ingredients or environmental impacts (including packaging, energy and water use and waste management), or allegations of product tampering. In addition, as our sales on various e-commerce platforms grow, we may be unable to prevent sales of counterfeit, pirated, or stolen goods, unlawful or unethical sales, unauthorized resellers online, or sales in violation of our policies. As a result of the decline in market share and a deterioration in the financial performance of our Vitamins, Minerals and Supplements ("VMS") business, which includes the VITAFUSION and L'IL CRITTERS trade names, the Company recorded impairment charges in the third quarter of 2024, and completed the divestiture of the VMS business on December 31, 2025. On May 1, 2025, we announced that we would exit the Flawless, Spinbrush and Waterpik showerhead businesses, which we exited by the end of 2025. Additionally, claims made in our marketing campaigns may become subject to litigation alleging false advertising and could cause us to alter our marketing plans and may affect sales or result in the imposition of significant damages against us. Widespread use of social media and networking sites by consumers has greatly increased the accessibility and speed of dissemination of negative information and misinformation. Negative online consumer reviews or inaccurate posting or comments about us or our brands in the media or on any social networking website, whether accurate or inaccurate, or the disclosure of non-public sensitive information through social media, could generate adverse publicity that could damage the reputation of our brands. In addition, given the association of our individual products with us, an issue with one of our products could negatively affect the reputation of our other products, or us as a whole. In addition, the legal, regulatory and ethical landscape around the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning is rapidly evolving. The Company's ability to timely adopt and adapt to this emerging technology in an effective and ethical manner may impact its reputation and ability to compete, and this technology could be, among other things, false, biased, or inconsistent with the Company's values and strategies. Further, the use of generative artificial intelligence tools may compromise confidential or sensitive information, put the Company's intellectual property at risk, or subject the Company to claims of intellectual property infringement, all of which could damage the Company's reputation.

Finance & Corporate

Total Risks: 7/35 (20%)Below Sector Average

Share Price & Shareholder Rights2 | 5.7%

Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1

Our amended and restated bylaws include an exclusive forum provision.

Our amended and restated bylaws include an "exclusive forum" provision, which may limit the ability of our stockholders to bring a claim in a judicial forum that such stockholders find favorable for disputes with us or our directors or officers, which may discourage such lawsuits against us and our directors and officers. If a court outside of Delaware were to find this exclusive forum provision inapplicable to, or unenforceable in respect of, one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings described above, we could incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition results of operations or cash flows.

Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2

Our business could be negatively impacted as a result of stockholder activism, an unsolicited takeover proposal or a proxy contest or short sellers.

In recent years, proxy contests, unsolicited takeovers and other forms of stockholder activism have been directed against numerous companies in our industry, including us. If such a campaign or proposal were to be made against us, we would likely incur significant costs. Stockholder activists may also seek to involve themselves in the governance, strategic direction and operations of our business, or in our sustainability management and disclosure, through stockholder proposals or otherwise disrupting our business and diverting the attention of our management and employees, and any perceived uncertainties as to our future direction resulting from such a situation could result in the loss of potential business opportunities, the perception that we need a change in the direction of our business, or the perception that we are unstable or lack continuity, which may be exploited by our competitors, cause concern to our current or potential customers, and may make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified personnel and business partners. Actions of activist stockholders may cause significant fluctuations in our stock price based on temporary or speculative market perceptions or other factors that do not necessarily reflect the underlying fundamentals and prospects of our business. We may also be the target of short sellers who engage in negative publicity campaigns that may use selective information that may be presented out of context or that may misrepresent facts and circumstances.

Accounting & Financial Operations3 | 8.6%

Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 1

Our continued growth and expansion, reliance on third-party service providers and implementation of new accounting standards could adversely affect our internal control over financial reporting.

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. Internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S. Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting cannot provide absolute assurance that a misstatement of our financial statements would be prevented or detected. Our continuing growth and expansion in domestic and globally dispersed markets, such as our acquisition of the ZICAM, THERABREATH, HERO, TOUCHLAND and other businesses, may place significant additional pressure on our system of internal control over financial reporting and require us to update our internal control over financial reporting to integrate such acquisitions. Moreover, we engage the services of third parties to assist with business operations and financial reporting processes, which injects additional monitoring obligations and risk into the system of internal control, including as a result of cyberattacks. When we are required to comply with new or revised accounting standards, we must make any appropriate changes to our internal control over financial reporting to fully implement the standards, which may require significant effort and judgment. Any failure to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting could limit our ability to report our results of operations accurately and on a timely basis, or to detect and prevent fraud and could expose us to regulatory enforcement action and stockholder claims.

Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 2

The estimates and assumptions on which our financial projections are based may prove to be inaccurate, which may cause our actual results to materially differ from such projections, which may adversely affect expectations regarding our future profitability and cash flows, which may impact our stock price.

Our financial projections, including, among other things, any sales or earnings guidance or outlook we may provide from time to time, are dependent on certain estimates and assumptions related to, among other things, category growth, development and launch of innovative new products, market share projections, product pricing and sale, volume and product mix, foreign exchange rates and volatility, tax rates, commodity prices, distribution, cost savings, accruals for estimated liabilities, including litigation reserves, measurement of benefit obligations for pension and other postretirement benefit plans, and our ability, among other things, to generate sufficient cash flow to reinvest in our existing business, fund internal growth, repurchase our stock, make acquisitions, pay dividends and meet our debt obligations. Our financial projections are based, among other things, on historical experience, various other estimates and assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances and at the time they are made, and our actual results may differ materially from our financial projections. Any material variation between our financial projections and our actual results may adversely affect expectations regarding our future profitability and cash flow, which may impact our stock price.

Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 3

Impairment of our goodwill and other long-lived intangible and tangible assets may result in a reduction in net income.

We have a material amount of goodwill, trademarks and other intangible assets, as well as other long-lived tangible assets, which are periodically evaluated for impairment in accordance with current accounting standards. Declines in our profitability and/or estimated cash flows related to specific intangible assets, as well as potential changes in market valuations for similar assets and market discount rates, have resulted in impairment charges from time to time, and may result in future impairment charges. Refer to "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a more detailed discussion.

Debt & Financing1 | 2.9%

Debt & Financing - Risk 1

We have substantial indebtedness and we may incur substantially more debt in the future.

As of December 31, 2025, we had approximately $2,205.0 million of total consolidated indebtedness, net of debt issuance costs. This amount of indebtedness could have important consequences, including: - making it more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations;- limiting our ability to fund potential acquisitions;- requiring us to dedicate a portion of our cash flow from operations to payments on our indebtedness, which would reduce the availability of cash flow to fund capital expenditures and other general corporate purposes;- limiting our flexibility in reacting to general adverse economic conditions or changes in our business and the industry in which we operate;- limiting our ability to repurchase our Common Stock; and - placing us at a competitive disadvantage compared to our competitors that have less debt. Additionally, our revolving facility is subject to certain financial and other customary covenants. In the event of a breach of those covenants, our lenders under the credit facility may be entitled to accelerate the related debt (and any lenders in respect of any other debt to which a cross-default provision applies may be entitled to accelerate such other debt), and we could be required to seek amendments or waivers under the debt instruments or to refinance the debt. We may incur substantial additional indebtedness in the future to fund acquisitions, to repurchase shares or to fund other activities for general business purposes. If additional new debt is added to the current debt levels, the related risks that we now face could intensify. A substantial increase in our indebtedness could also have a negative impact on our credit ratings. In this regard, a deterioration in our credit ratings could adversely affect the interest rate available to us in future financings, as well as our liquidity, competitive position and access to capital markets. The U.S. Federal Reserve raised interest rates in recent years, and while it has cut interest rates at recent meetings, and signaled that it expects to hold rates steady or decrease rates in the future, additional increases or the failure to reduce rates could impact the interest rates available to us for borrowings in the future. Any decision regarding future borrowings will be based on the facts and circumstances existing at the time, including market conditions and impact to our credit ratings.

Corporate Activity and Growth1 | 2.9%

Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 1

We may be unable to successfully identify, finance, complete and integrate future strategic acquisitions, or successfully complete or realize the anticipated benefits of strategic divestitures.

We may continue to pursue and consummate additional acquisitions, divestitures or substantial investments in complementary businesses or products in the future. However, we may not be able to identify and successfully negotiate suitable strategic acquisitions at attractive valuations, obtain financing for future acquisitions on satisfactory terms or otherwise complete future acquisitions. Potential acquisitions may be significantly larger than the ones completed in the past and may require us to increase our levels of debt, potentially resulting in us being assigned a lower credit rating. Increases in interest rates in recent years may make it more difficult to borrow at attractive rates to fund future acquisitions. In recent periods, competition from other consumer products companies that are seeking similar opportunities has been particularly strong, and valuations for potential acquisition assets have been high, which has placed pressure on our ability to identify, structure and execute transactions. In addition, acquisitions and investments entail various risks, including the difficulty of entering new markets, product categories, or business models, the challenges of integrating the operations and personnel of the acquired businesses or products, the potential disruption of our ongoing business and the ongoing business of the acquired company, the need to review and, if necessary, upgrade processes and systems of the acquired company to conform to our own processes and systems and applicable legal and regulatory requirements, managing an increasingly broad and complex range of businesses and products, and, generally, our potential inability to obtain the desired financial and strategic benefits from the acquisition or investment. Any of these risks may divert management and other resources, require us to incur unanticipated costs or delay the anticipated positive impact on our business and results of the acquisition. The risks associated with assimilation are increased to the extent we acquire businesses that have stand-alone operations or businesses that are in new categories that cannot easily be integrated or operations or sources of supply outside of the U.S. and Canada, for which products are manufactured locally by third parties. Acquired companies or operations or newly-created ventures may not be profitable or may not achieve sales levels and profitability that justify the investments made. In addition, future acquisitions or investments could result in substantial cash expenditures, the potentially dilutive issuances of new equity by us or the incurrence of additional debt or business acquisition liabilities, or the assumption of contingent liabilities, such as those relating to advertising claims, environmental issues and litigation. To the extent that the economic benefits associated with an acquisition or investment diminish in the future we may be required to record impairments of intangible assets. In addition, if the performance of an acquired company or business is less robust than expected, the Company has in the past recorded, and may, in the future, be required to record, impairments of intangible assets. Any impairment charges could adversely affect the Company's financial condition, margins and results of operations. The Company has divested and may, in the future, divest certain assets, businesses or brands. In 2025, we exited from the Flawless, Spinbrush, Waterpik showerhead businesses and divested of our VMS business. We completed the sale of our VMS business at the end of 2025. These and other future potential divestitures could affect the profitability of the Company as a result of the gains or losses on such sale of a business or brand, the loss of the operating income or sales resulting from such sale or the costs or liabilities that are not assumed by the acquirer that may negatively impact profitability and cash flow subsequent to any divestiture. When we undertake to divest assets or a business, we may encounter difficulty finding buyers or executing alternative exit strategies, which could impact the achievement of our strategic objectives. We could also fail to obtain necessary regulatory approval or incur unexpected or higher costs or charges than planned and could experience unanticipated impacts to our business, any of which could have a negative impact on our results of operations. If the Company is unable to complete a divestiture or successfully transition a divested business, including the effective management of the related separation and overhead costs, transition services, and the maintenance of relationships with customers, suppliers, and other business partners, its business and financial results could be negatively impacted. The Company may also be required to recognize impairment charges or other losses as a result of a divestiture. Adverse economic conditions continue to impact a portion of our businesses and potential recessionary economic conditions may impact consumer demand for certain of our products and put downward pressure on product prices, and we will continue to evaluate our business portfolio.

Production

Total Risks: 6/35 (17%)Below Sector Average

Manufacturing1 | 2.9%

Manufacturing - Risk 1

We may be subject to product liability claims, withdrawals or recalls or other legal proceedings and from time to time we are involved in litigation, arbitration or regulatory matters where the outcome is uncertain and which could entail significant expense.

From time to time, we are subject to product liability or other product-related claims. We may be required to pay for losses or injuries actually or purportedly caused by our products, including losses or injuries caused by raw materials or other components provided by third party suppliers that are included in our products. Claims could be based on allegations that, among other things, our products contain contaminants, are improperly tested, labeled or designed, or provide inadequate instructions regarding their use or inadequate warnings of potential dangers related to their use. Whether or not successful, product liability claims could result in negative publicity that could harm our sales and operating results and the reputation of our brands. In addition, if one of our products is found to be defective or non-compliant with applicable rules or regulations, we could be required to withdraw or recall it, which could result in adverse publicity and significant expenses. Although we maintain product liability and product recall insurance coverage, potential product liability or other product-related damages claims and/or withdrawal and recall costs may exceed the amount of insurance coverage or may be excluded under the terms of the policy.

Employment / Personnel1 | 2.9%

Employment / Personnel - Risk 1

We may not be able to attract, retain and develop key personnel.

The labor market in the United States is very competitive. Our future performance depends in significant part upon the continued service of our executive officers and other key personnel, including at our plants. Competition for qualified plant personnel remains intense. The failure to effectively manage executive succession planning, or the loss of other key employees could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations. This effect could be exacerbated if any officers or other key employees left as a group or at the same time. Our success also depends, in part, on our continuing ability to attract, retain and develop a diverse and highly qualified workforce. Competition for such talent remains, and there can be no assurance that we can retain our key employees or attract, assimilate and retain other highly qualified personnel in the future, and the U.S. labor market has experienced wage inflation, sustained labor shortages, and a shift towards remote work. Factors that may affect our ability to attract and retain sufficient numbers of key employees include employee morale, our reputation, competition from other employers and the availability of qualified personnel in a tightening labor market. Our retention rates remain robust. Currently, global voluntary turnover for 2025 was at 6.9%, compared to 7.7% in 2024. Overall turnover for 2025 is 24.9%, up from 14.3% in 2024. This includes one-time involuntary actions within Waterpik and supply chain, the closure of the New Zealand site as well as the divestiture of our VMS business. Due to these large reductions in our workforce, we finished 2025 above the industry average of 18.7%. The overall turnover rate, excluding VMS, would have been 16.8% and below industry average. Global plant voluntary turnover for 2025 was at 6.9%, down from 7.9% in 2024. The total plant turnover was 33%, which is higher than the industry standard for plants at 29.5%. International turnover for 2025 was down to 14.9%, compared to 15.5% in 2024. In addition, labor costs in the U.S. have risen in recent periods. Labor cost is one of the primary components in the cost of operating our business. If we face labor shortages and increased labor costs as a result of increased competition for employees, higher employee turnover rates, increases in employee benefits costs, or labor union organizing efforts, our operating expenses could increase and our growth and results of operations could be adversely impacted. Labor shortages, higher employee turnover rates and labor union organizing efforts could also lead to disruptions in our business. We may be unable to increase prices of our products in order to pass future increased labor costs onto our customers, in which case our margins would be negatively affected. Additionally, if we increase product prices to cover increased labor costs, the higher prices could adversely affect sales volumes.

Supply Chain1 | 2.9%

Supply Chain - Risk 1

We rely on a number of contract manufacturers and suppliers, including sole source contract manufacturers and suppliers for certain products, and supply chain issues may result in product shortages or disruptions to the Company's business.

We rely on a number of contract manufacturers and suppliers for certain of our commodities and raw materials, including sole source suppliers for certain of our raw materials, packaging, product components, finished products and other necessary supplies. New suppliers must be qualified pursuant to our standards and may also have to be qualified under governmental and industry standards and any other standards of our customers, which can require additional investment and time. We could experience material disruptions in production and other supply chain issues, largely because of shortages in supplier labor which continues to impact the availability of many raw and packaging materials, which continues to result in out-of-stock conditions. In addition, continued out-of-stock supplies or products due to supply chain issues may cause our customers to switch to competitors' products that are more available. Moreover, our relationships with customers could be adversely affected if new or existing suppliers are unable to meet any standards set by us, government or industry regulations, or our customers, if we are unable to contract with suppliers at the quantity, quality and price levels needed for our business, if any of our key suppliers becomes insolvent, ceases or significantly reduces its operations or experiences financial distress, or if any environmental, economic or other outside factors impact its operations. We may be unable to qualify any needed new contract manufacturers or suppliers or maintain supplier arrangements and relationships based on a variety of factors; we may be unable to contract with suppliers at the quantity, quality and price levels needed for our business; certain of our suppliers may not meet the standards of our customers or licensors; or certain of our key contract manufacturers or suppliers may become insolvent or experience other financial distress or face closure or suspension of operations. If any of these events occurs and we have failed to identify and qualify an alternative vendor, then we may be unable to meet our contractual obligations and customer expectations, which could damage our reputation and result in lost customers and sales, or the incurrence of fines or higher than expected expenses. Further, in recent years, we have experienced continuing strain on our supply chain network and its ability to meet demands, including from disruptions from pandemics, ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, and other factors. In addition, our supply chain is dependent on materials, components and other products from Asia and other geographies that may be subject to disruptions in the supply chain, resulting in shortages that would affect our revenue and operating margins. Further, we could miscalculate our anticipated production capacity or expansion needs in any of our categories, such as our mouth rinse or acne treatment categories to meet the anticipated demand of our customers in existing and new markets.

Costs3 | 8.6%

Costs - Risk 1

Reduced availability of transportation or disruptions in our transportation network could adversely affect us.

We distribute our products and receive raw materials and packaging components primarily by truck, rail and ship and through various ports of entry. Reduced availability of trucking, rail or shipping capacity due to labor shortages, adverse weather conditions, natural disasters, including climatic and weather-related events, allocation of assets to other industries or geographies or otherwise, work stoppages, closure of operations due to government restrictions or sick employees or other impacts of pandemics, strikes or shutdowns of ports of entry or such transportation sources, could lead to inflationary cost pressures, cause us to incur unanticipated expenses and impair our ability to distribute our products or receive our raw materials or packaging components in a timely manner, which could disrupt our operations, strain our customer relationships and competitive position.

Costs - Risk 2

We are subject to cost overruns and delays, regulatory requirements, and miscalculations in capacity needs with respect to our expansion projects and our manufacturing facilities, as well as disruptions to our manufacturing facilities and those of our contract manufacturers and other suppliers.

From time to time, we initiate planned and unplanned expansion projects with respect to our facilities and those of our contract manufacturers and other suppliers which are subject to risks of, and we have from time to time experienced, delay or cost overruns resulting from numerous factors, including the following: shortages of equipment, materials or skilled labor; work stoppages; unscheduled delays in the delivery of ordered materials and equipment; unanticipated cost increases; difficulties in obtaining necessary permits or in meeting permit conditions; difficulties in meeting regulatory or quality requirements or obtaining regulatory approvals; availability of suppliers to certify equipment for existing and enhanced regulations; design and engineering problems; failure or delay of third party service providers; and civil unrest, labor disputes, natural disasters and pandemics. If we were to experience delays or cost overruns in the future it could result in product allocation and retailer frustration, the loss of a significant customer or customers and the material decrease of the sales of one or more of our products. In addition, we could miscalculate our anticipated capacity needs in any of our categories, such as our laundry detergent, cat litter and dietary supplement categories, including as a result of meeting the anticipated demand of our customers, or expansion into new product lines or into new markets. Additionally, the supply of our products depends on the uninterrupted efficient operation of our manufacturing facilities and those of our contract manufacturers and other suppliers and our ability to meet customer service levels. The manufacturing of certain of our products is concentrated in one or more of our plants, contract manufacturers or other suppliers, with limited alternate qualified facilities available. Many of our manufacturing processes and those of our contract manufacturers and other suppliers are complex and present difficult technical challenges to obtain the manufacturing yields necessary to operate profitably and may require complex and specialized equipment which can be expensive to repair or replace with required lead times of up to a year. Any event that disrupts or otherwise negatively impacts manufacturing facilities, manufacturing systems or equipment, or contract manufacturers or other suppliers could result in the delivery of inferior products or affect our ability to meet customer requirements or service levels.

Costs - Risk 3

Volatility and increases in the price of raw and packaging materials or energy costs could erode our profit margins.

The principal raw materials and packaging used by us and certain of our suppliers and contract manufacturers include surfactants (cleaning agents), paper products and resin-based molded components. Volatility, and increases in the costs of raw materials without offsetting price increases, disruptions in production or transportation, or increases in the costs of energy, labor, shipping and other necessary services, or other inflationary pressures, including market conditions, inflation, banking failures, supplier capacity restraints, geopolitical developments (including the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East and political upheaval in the Middle East and Europe), tariffs on imported materials or the impact of tariffs on products or materials exported outside of the U.S., new regulations or economic policies, federal government spending disputes and government shutdowns, port congestions, strikes or delays, transport capacity restraints, or other disruptions, could significantly affect our profit margins if we are unable to pass along any higher costs in the form of price increases or otherwise achieve cost efficiencies, such as in manufacturing and distribution. While slowing year-over-year, inflationary pressures continued in 2025, and we continue to be affected by increased costs impacting our supplies, transportation or manufacturing processes which could impact our gross margin. While we have increased prices on a majority of our products in recent years, there is no assurance that we will be able to fully offset any input costs increases, through cost reduction programs or price increases of our products or enter locked-in price arrangements or hedge agreements, especially given the competitive environment. Sustained, those price increases may lead to declines in volume as competitors may reduce their prices or customers may decide not to pay higher prices or to purchase lower priced alternatives, which could lead to sales declines and loss of market share. While we seek to project tradeoffs between price increases and volume, our projections may not accurately predict the volume impact of price increases. In addition, volatility in certain commodity markets could significantly affect our production cost. Additionally, increased tariffs, or proposed increases to tariffs, imposed by the U.S. or other countries could have the impact of increasing costs on a wide range of products and services, including on our products and items used to manufacture and deliver our products, and could lead to increased prices, price volatility and reduced demand for our products. From time to time, we use hedge agreements to mitigate the volatility of commodities and diesel fuel prices. The hedge agreements are designed to add stability to product costs, enabling us to make pricing decisions and lessen the economic impact of abrupt changes in prices over the term of the contract. However, in periods of declining fuel or other commodity prices, the hedge agreements can have the effect of locking us in at above-market prices.

Tech & Innovation

Total Risks: 3/35 (9%)Below Sector Average

Innovation / R&D1 | 2.9%

Innovation / R&D - Risk 1

Investments in our facilities and operations, including investments in new facilities, equipment, technologies and digital transformation, may result in periods of decreased production or increased costs and such investments may not achieve the intended financial benefits.

We incur significant costs on an ongoing basis to upgrade and maintain various facilities, equipment, or technologies, including data management, improved equipment, and artificial intelligence to upgrade our operations and increase productivity. Additionally, we have in the past, and may in the future, incur increased costs or periods of decreased production relating to upgrading facilities, equipment and technologies, transferring production among our facilities, utilizing third-party contract manufacturers, closing existing facilities, expanding existing facilities, and opening new facilities. If the cost of our investments is higher than anticipated, the investments are not sufficient to meet our business needs, we are unable to fully utilize new or upgraded facilities, or we are unable to complete our improvement and expansion projects in a timely manner or in accordance with our specifications, we may be delayed in realizing the intended benefits or our financial performance could be negatively affected.

Trade Secrets1 | 2.9%

Trade Secrets - Risk 1

Failure to effectively utilize, successfully assert intellectual property rights, and the loss or expiration of such rights, could materially adversely affect our competitiveness. Infringement by us of third-party intellectual property rights could result in costly litigation and/or the modification or discontinuance of our products.

We rely on trademark, trade secret, patent and copyright laws to protect our intellectual property rights. The market for our products depends to a significant extent upon the value associated with our trademarks and brand names. We own the material trademarks and brand names used in connection with the marketing and distribution of our major products both in the U.S. and in other countries. While we hold several valuable patents on our products, they may not serve as an effective barrier to entry for new competitors. Although most of our material intellectual property is registered in the U.S. and in certain foreign countries in which we operate, we cannot be sure that our intellectual property rights will be sufficient or effectively utilized or, if necessary, successfully asserted. There is a risk that we will not be able to obtain and perfect our own intellectual property rights, or, where appropriate, license from others intellectual property rights necessary to support our ability to manufacture, import, export, market and/or sell certain products in certain countries or globally or launch new product. We cannot be sure that these rights, if obtained, will not be invalidated, circumvented or challenged in the future, and we could incur significant costs in connection with legal actions relating to such rights. In addition, even if such rights are obtained in the U.S., the laws of some of the other countries in which our products are or may be manufactured or sold do not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as the laws of the U.S. If other parties infringe our intellectual property rights, they may dilute the value of our brands in the marketplace, which could diminish the value that consumers associate with our brands and harm our sales. Our failure to perfect, successfully assert or license intellectual property rights could make us less competitive and could have a material adverse effect on our business, including our ability to manufacture, import, export, market and/or sell certain products within certain countries or globally, our operating results, cash flows and our financial condition. In addition, if our products are found to infringe intellectual property rights of others, the owners of those rights could bring legal actions against us claiming substantial damages for past infringement and seeking to enjoin manufacturing, importing, exporting, marketing and/or sale of the affected products in certain countries or globally. If these legal actions are successful, in addition to any potential liability for damages from past infringement, we could be required to obtain a license in order to continue to manufacture, import, export, market and/or sell the affected products, in certain countries or globally potentially adding significant costs. We might not prevail in any action brought against us or we may be unsuccessful in securing any license for continued use and therefore have to discontinue the manufacture, importing, exporting, marketing and/or sale of a product in certain countries or globally.

Technology1 | 2.9%

Technology - Risk 1

We rely significantly on information technology. Any inadequacy, interruption, theft or loss of data, malicious attack, integration failure, failure to maintain the security, confidentiality or privacy of sensitive data residing on our systems or other security failure of that technology could harm our ability to effectively operate our business and damage the reputation of our brands.

We rely extensively on information technology systems, some of which are managed by third-party service providers, to conduct our business. These systems include, but are not limited to, programs and processes relating to internal communications and communications with other parties, ordering and managing materials from suppliers, converting materials to finished products, shipping product to customers, billing customers and receiving and applying payment, processing transactions, summarizing and reporting results of operations, complying with regulatory, legal or tax requirements, collecting and storing customer, consumer, employee, investor, and other stakeholder information and personal data, and other processes necessary to manage our business. We sell certain of our products directly to consumers online and through websites, mobile apps and connected devices, and we offer promotions, rebates, customer loyalty and other programs through which it may receive personal information, and we or our vendors could experience cyber-attacks, privacy breaches, data breaches or other incidents that may result in unauthorized access, disclosure and misuse of consumer, customer, employee, vendor or Company information. Increased information technology security threats and more sophisticated computer crime, including viruses and malware, ransomware attacks, misuse of artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies, denial of service and phishing attacks and advanced persistent threats, pose a potential risk to the security of our information technology systems, networks, and services, and those of our customers and other business partners, as well as the confidentiality, availability, and integrity of our data, and the data of our customers and other business partners. The rapid evolution and increased adoption of artificial intelligence technologies may intensify our cybersecurity risks. As a result, our information technology systems, networks or service providers could be damaged or cease to function properly or we could suffer a loss or disclosure of business, personal or stakeholder information, due to any number of causes, including catastrophic events, power outages and security breaches. Although we have business continuity plans in place and have implemented an incident response plan to address cybersecurity incidents, if these plans do not provide effective alternative processes on a timely basis, we may suffer interruptions in our ability to manage or conduct our operations which may adversely affect our business. In addition, if our service providers, suppliers or customers experience a breach or unauthorized disclosure or system failure, their businesses could be disrupted or otherwise negatively affected, which may result in a disruption in our supply chain or reduced customer orders or other business operations. Moreover, any costs related to a breach may exceed the amount of insurance coverage or be excluded under the terms of our cybersecurity policy. As cyberattacks increase in frequency and magnitude, we may be unable to obtain cybersecurity insurance in amounts and on terms we view as appropriate for our operations. Our information technology systems and our third-party providers' systems, have been, and will likely continue to be, subject to advanced computer viruses or other malicious codes, ransomware, unauthorized access attempts, denial of service attacks, phishing, social engineering, hacking and other cyberattacks. These risks also may be present to the extent that any of our partners, distributors, joint venture partners or suppliers using separate information systems, not integrated with our information systems, suffers a cybersecurity incident and could result in increased costs related to their inability to timely deliver on their commitments to us and/or our involvement in investigations or notifications conducted by these third parties. These risks may also be present to the extent a business we have acquired that does not use our information systems, experiences a system shutdown, service disruption, or cybersecurity incident. Due to the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as other evolving geo-political tensions, there is a possibility that the escalation of tensions could result in cyberattacks that could either directly or indirectly affect our operations. Such attacks may originate from nation states or attempts by outside parties, hackers, criminal organizations or other threat actors. In addition, insider actors–malicious or otherwise– could cause technical disruptions and/or confidential data leakage. To date, we have seen no material impact on our business or operations from these attacks; however, we cannot guarantee that our security efforts will prevent attacks and resulting breaches or breakdowns of our, or our third-party service providers' databases or systems. In recent periods, several of our peer or similarly situated companies have experienced cybersecurity incidents. In addition, although we have policies and procedures in place governing cybersecurity risk, the secure storage of personal information collected by us or our third-party service providers, data breaches due to human error (including through the improper use of AI) or intentional or unintentional conduct may occur in the future, especially as we have shifted to more employees and other workers working remotely and having access to our technology infrastructure remotely. While we continuously perform enterprise-wide upgrades to our systems and will continue to monitor and upgrade systems as appropriate, legacy systems may be vulnerable to increased risk. Additionally, if a new system does not function properly, it could affect our ability to order supplies, process and deliver customer orders and process and receive payments for our products. This could adversely impact our results of operations and cash flows. Upgraded or new technology may not function as designed and any such upgrades may not go as planned. Moreover, because the techniques, tools and tactics used in cyberattacks frequently change and may be difficult to detect for periods of time, we may face difficulties in anticipating and implementing adequate preventative measures or fully mitigating harms after such an attack. As such, we may need to expend additional resources and incur additional costs in the future to continue to protect against or address problems caused by any business interruptions or data security breaches. Cyber threats are becoming more sophisticated, are constantly evolving and are being made by groups and individuals with a wide range of expertise and motives, and this increases the difficulty of detecting and successfully defending against them. Cyberattacks have also become more difficult to detect and respond to since they increasingly exploit AI and machine learning techniques, such as generative AI-phishing, deepfake impersonations, automated vulnerability discovery, adaptive malware, and large-scale credential-stuffing campaigns. We have incurred, and will continue to incur, expenses to comply with privacy and data protection standards and protocols imposed by law, regulation, industry standards and contractual obligations. Increased regulation of data collection, use, and retention practices, including self-regulation and industry standards, changes in existing laws and regulations, including reporting requirements, enactment of new laws and regulations, increased enforcement activity, and changes in interpretation of laws, could increase our cost of compliance and operation, limit our ability to grow our business or otherwise harm our business.

Macro & Political

Total Risks: 3/35 (9%)Below Sector Average

International Operations1 | 2.9%

International Operations - Risk 1

We are subject to risks related to our expansion and international operations that could adversely affect our results of operations.

Our ability to continue to grow our sales and profits is dependent on expanding in the locations in which we already do business and entering into new geographic locations, both of which require significant resources and investments which would affect our risk profile. Further, our international operations subject us to risks customarily associated with foreign operations, including: - Changing macroeconomic conditions in our markets, including as a result of inflation, interest rates, volatile commodity prices and increases in the cost of raw and packaging materials, labor, energy and logistics, which could impact our manufacturing operations and that of our third-party partners;- currency fluctuations;- the Russia/Ukraine war and ongoing and new conflicts in the Middle East and increased tensions between China and Taiwan, and political developments in the Middle East, Europe and elsewhere;- widespread health emergencies, such as COVID-19 or other pandemics or epidemics;- import and export license and taxation requirements and restrictions;- trade restrictions, including local investment or exchange control regulations, increased tariffs or other changes to economic and trade policies in the U.S. or abroad, including tariffs imposed in response to the economic policies of the U.S.;- changes in tariffs and taxes;- the effect of foreign income taxes, value-added taxes and withholding taxes, including the inability to recover amounts owed to us by foreign governments, and the determination of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (the "I.R.S.") regarding the applicability of certain regulations, including those promulgated under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, to our international transactions;- the possibility of expropriation, confiscatory taxation or price controls;- restrictions on or the costs related to repatriating foreign profits back to the U.S.;- political or economic instability, and civil unrest;- potential disruption from wars and military conflicts, terrorism or other types of violence;- disruptions in the global transportation network, such as work stoppages, strikes or shutdowns of ports of entry or such other transportation sources, or other labor unrest;- extreme weather events resulting in power loss, damage to infrastructure and reduced economic development in vulnerable areas;- compliance with laws and regulations concerning ethical business practices, including without limitation, the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and United Kingdom Bribery Act;- difficulty in enforcing contractual and intellectual property rights;- regulatory and quality system requirements for certain products; and - difficulties in staffing and managing international operations. Major developments in trade relations, including the imposition of new or increased tariffs or sanctions by the U.S. and/or other countries or other changes put in place by the U.S. presidential administration, and any emerging nationalist trends in specific countries could alter the trade environment and consumer purchasing. All the foregoing risks could have a significant impact on our ability to commercialize our products on a competitive basis in international markets. In addition, in all foreign jurisdictions in which we operate, we are subject to laws and regulations that govern foreign investment, foreign trade and currency exchange transactions. The imposition of tariffs on products imported from certain countries in recent years has introduced greater uncertainty with respect to trade policies and government regulations affecting trade between the U.S. and other countries. The sanctions introduced in response to the Ukraine conflict have further exacerbated these issues. Major developments in trade relations, including the imposition of new or increased tariffs by the U.S. and/or other countries, and any emerging nationalist trends in specific countries could alter the trade environment and consumer purchasing behavior which, in turn, could have a material effect on our balance sheet and results of operations. All the foregoing risks could have a significant impact on our ability to commercialize our products on a competitive basis in international markets and may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, cash flows or financial position.

Natural and Human Disruptions1 | 2.9%

Natural and Human Disruptions - Risk 1

Our operating results have been, and could be in the future, adversely affected by natural disasters, public health crises, political crises, or other catastrophic events, or unfavorable worldwide, regional and local economic and financial market conditions.

Our operations, as well as the operations of our third-party manufacturers, suppliers and customers, may be subject to disruption from a variety of causes, including a protracted economic downturn or recessionary conditions, material shortages, inflation, financial difficulties, work stoppages, cyberattacks, and other disruptions in information technology systems, demonstrations, political instability or uncertainty in the U.S. or abroad, rising geopolitical tensions and hostilities (for example in the Middle East or between China and Taiwan), disease outbreaks or pandemics (for example, an outbreak of a virus such as COVID-19), acts of war, terrorism, fire, earthquakes, flooding or other natural disasters, disruptions in logistics, fuel and energy costs (for example, the price of gasoline), loss or impairment of key manufacturing sites, supplier capacity constraints, raw material and product quality or safety issues, industrial accidents or other occupational health and safety issues. If a major disruption were to occur, it could result in harm to people or the natural environment, delays in shipments of products to customers or suspension of operations. Other financial uncertainties in our major markets and unstable geopolitical conditions in certain markets, including civil unrest and governmental changes, could undermine global consumer confidence and reduce consumers' purchasing power, thereby reducing demand for our products. Restrictions on our ability to transfer earnings or capital across borders, price controls, limitations on profits, retaliatory tariffs, targeted boycotts of U.S. products and services, import authorization requirements and other restrictions on business activities which have been or may be imposed or expanded as a result of political and economic instability, deterioration of economic relations between countries or otherwise, could impact our profitability. In addition, U.S. trade sanctions against countries designated by the U.S. government as state sponsors of terrorism and/or financial institutions accepting transactions for commerce within such countries could increase, which could make it difficult or impossible for us to continue to make sales to customers in such countries. The imposition of retaliatory sanctions against U.S. multinational corporations by countries that are or may become subject to U.S. trade sanctions, or the delisting of our branded products by retailers in various countries in reaction to U.S. trade sanctions or other governmental action or policy, could also negatively affect our business. In February 2025, President Trump announced new tariffs on imports from certain countries, including Canada, Mexico and China. The scope, duration and magnitude of these additional tariffs, as well as a government's adoption of "buy national" policies or retaliation by another government against such tariffs or policies, as well as the potential impact of changed purchasing decisions of consumers and retailers in these or other countries in response to these policies, have introduced significant uncertainty into the market and may affect the prices of and demand for our products. While the current impact of such actions may vary by market and may not be material in all cases, future changes in trade policies, particularly if escalated or sustained could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Ongoing political uncertainty in many countries, has resulted in, and we expect will continue to experience, indirect impacts of the conflict in Ukraine and increased hostilities and political volatility in the Middle East, including increases in the cost of raw and packaging materials and commodities (including the price of oil), supply chain and logistics challenges and foreign currency volatility. It is not possible to predict the broader or longer-term consequences these conflicts or the sanctions imposed to date. Increasing natural disasters in connection with climate and weather-related events could also be a direct threat to our third-party vendors, service providers or other stakeholders, including disruptions of supply chains or information technology or other necessary services for our Company.

Capital Markets1 | 2.9%

Capital Markets - Risk 1

Our business is exposed to domestic and foreign currency fluctuations.

We are exposed to foreign currency exchange rate risk (both transaction and translation) with respect to our sales, profits, assets and liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. Dollar. Outside of the U.S., sales and costs are denominated in a variety of currencies, including the Canadian Dollar, Euro, Pound, Mexican Peso, Australian Dollar, Japanese Yen and Chinese Yuan, among others. A weakening of the currencies in which sales are generated relative to the currencies in which costs are denominated would decrease operating profits and cash flow. Changes in currency exchange rates may also affect the relative prices at which we purchase materials and services in foreign markets. Although we, from time to time, enter into forward exchange contracts to reduce the impact of foreign exchange rate fluctuations related to anticipated but not yet committed sales or purchases denominated in the U.S. Dollar, Canadian Dollar, Pound, Euro, Mexican Peso, Australian Dollar, Japanese Yen and Chinese Yuan, foreign currency fluctuations could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

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.