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CaesarStone Sdot-Yam (19C) Risk Analysis

Public companies are required to disclose risks that can affect the business and impact the stock. These disclosures are known as “Risk Factors”. Companies disclose these risks in their yearly (Form 10-K), quarterly earnings (Form 10-Q), or “foreign private issuer” reports (Form 20-F). Risk factors show the challenges a company faces. Investors can consider the worst-case scenarios before making an investment. TipRanks’ Risk Analysis categorizes risks based on proprietary classification algorithms and machine learning. CaesarStone Sdot-Yam disclosed 51 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. CaesarStone Sdot-Yam reported the most risks in the “Finance & Corporate” category.

Risk Overview Q4, 2020

Risk Distribution
51Risks
Sector Avg.Finance & CorporateTech & InnovationLegal & RegulatoryProductionAbility to SellMacro & Political
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy

Risk Change Over Time

No filing history is available.

Risks removedRisks addedRisks changedCaesarStone Sdot-Yam Risk Factors
Risk Changed (8)
  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1
    Our share price is impacted by reports from research analysts, publicly announced financial guidance, investor perceptions and our ability to meet other expectations about our business.

    The trading market for our ordinary shares relies in part on the research and reports that equity research analysts publish about us and our business. Recently, two analysts discontinued research coverage of our business. If additional analysts do not establish research coverage, or if the current research analyst ceases coverage of our company or fails to publish reports on our Company regularly, we could lose visibility in the market and demand for our shares may decline, which might cause our share price and trading volume to decline. The price of our ordinary shares could also decline if one or more securities analysts downgrade our ordinary shares or if one or more of those analysts issue other unfavorable commentary. The market price for our ordinary shares has been in the past, and may be in the future, materially and adversely affected by statements made in reports issued by short sellers regarding our business model, our management and our financial accounting. We have also faced difficulty in the past accurately projecting our earnings and have missed certain of our publicly announced guidance. If our financial results for a period do not meet our guidance or if we reduce our guidance for future periods, the market price of our ordinary shares may decline. We have experienced in the past, and may experience in the future, a decline in the value of our shares as a result of the foregoing factors. Public environmental, social and governance ("ESG") and sustainability reporting is becoming more broadly expected by investors, shareholders and other third parties. We may face reputational damage in the event our corporate responsibility initiatives or objectives do not meet the standards set by our investors, shareholders, lawmakers, listing exchanges or other constituencies, or if we are unable to achieve an acceptable ESG or sustainability rating. A low ESG or sustainability rating by a third-party rating service could also result in the exclusion of our common stock from consideration by certain investors. Ongoing focus on corporate responsibility matters by investors and other parties as described above may impose additional costs or expose us to new risks.

  • Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 2
    Fully integrating Lioli's and Omicron's businesses may be more difficult, costly and time-consuming than expected, which may adversely affect our results of operations and the value of our common shares.

    In October 2020, we acquired a majority stake in Lioli Ceramica Pvt. Ltd ("Lioli"), an India-based producer of porcelain slabs (the "Lioli Acquisition") For more information see "Item 5: Operating and Financial Review and Prospects – Recent acquisitions". In December 2020, we acquired Omicron Granite and Tile ("Omicron"), a stone supplier operating 17 locations across Florida, Ohio, Michigan and Louisiana for a cash consideration of $19 million, including Omicron's outstanding debt of approximately $8 million (the "Omicron Acquisition"). While our management has made progress in integrating Lioli's and Omicron's businesses with our existing business, integration efforts are still underway and are expected to continue through 2021 and 2022. The combination of independent businesses is a complex, costly and time-consuming process and we and our management may face significant, ongoing challenges in implementing such integration, many of which may be beyond our control, including but not limited to, difficulties in achieving anticipated cost savings, synergies, business opportunities and growth prospects. For more information, see "-Our limited resources and significant competition for business combination or acquisition opportunities may make it difficult for us to complete a combination or acquisition, and any combination or acquisition that we complete may disrupt our business and fail to achieve our intended objectives." We may also be subject to claims and uncertainties arising from the operations of Lioli's and Omicron's businesses from periods prior to the dates we acquired them. For example, although we believe that we have a good and marketable title to the Lioli manufacturing facility in Morbi, Gujarat, India, there are certain historic discrepancies between records of different local and regional authorities in Gujarat, India, including records of titles to physically non-existing plots, that might result in our ownership to the facility or its parts being challenged, including by title holders of existing and non-existing adjacent plots. Other pre-acquisition claims or liabilities could also be significant. Our ability to seek indemnification from the former owners for these claims or liabilities is limited by various factors, including the specific limitations contained in the respective acquisition agreements and the financial ability of the former owners to satisfy such claims or liabilities. If we are unable to enforce any indemnification rights we may have against the former owners or if the former owners are unable to satisfy their obligations for any reason, including because of their current financial position, or if we do not have any right to indemnification, we could be held liable for the costs or obligations associated with such claims or liabilities, which could adversely affect our operating performance. In addition, as a result of the Lioli Acquisition and the Omicron Acquisition we carry a significant amount of intangible assets (including goodwill) on our balance sheet. As of December 31, 2020, our goodwill and other intangible assets amounted to $47.5 million and $12.1 million, respectively. The future occurrence of potential indicators of impairment could include, for example, a significant adverse change in business climate, an adverse action or assessment by a regulator, unanticipated competition, a material negative change in relationships with significant customers, strategic decisions made in response to economic or competitive conditions, loss of key personnel, or a more-likely-than-not expectation that a reporting unit or a significant portion of a reporting unit will be sold or disposed of, and could result in goodwill impairment charges. Although we have not recorded goodwill impairment charges in the past, we cannot guarantee that we will not experience goodwill impairments in the future.

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Risk Highlights Q4, 2020

Main Risk Category
Finance & Corporate
With 15 Risks
Number of Disclosed Risks
51
No changes from last report
S&P 500 Average: 32
Recent Changes
3Risks added
3Risks removed
8Risks changed
Since Dec 2020
Number of Risk Changed
8
+1
From last report
S&P 500 Average: 1

Risk Word Cloud

our revenues are subject to significant geographic concentration and any disruption to sales within one of our key existing markets, or to sales to a major customer therein, could materially and adversely impact our results of operations and prospects.subject to significant geographic concentrationour headquarters and one of our two manufacturing facilities in israel are located on lands leased by kibbutz sdot-yam from the israel lands administration and the edmond benjamin de rothschild caesarea development corporation ltd. if we are unable to continue to lease such lands from kibbutz sdot-yam, our business and future business prospects may suffer.unable to continue to leasein addition to our traditional engineered quartz offering, we have commenced manufacturing of porcelain products and sales of porcelain, natural stone and other materials, and may pursue a further expansion of our product offering, including introducing new products and materials, which may be unsuccessful, and may divert management's attention and negatively affect our margins and results of operations.expansion of our product offeringthe substantial share ownership position of kibbutz sdot-yam and tene will limit your ability to influence corporate matters.ability to influence corporate mattersa key element of our strategy is to expand our sales in certain markets, such as the united states. failure to expand such sales would have a materially adverse effect on our future growth and prospects.key element of our strategywe may have exposure to greater-than-anticipated tax liabilities.exposure to greater-than-anticipated tax liabilitias a foreign private issuer whose shares are listed on the nasdaq global select market, we may follow certain home country corporate governance practices instead of certain nasdaq requirements.home country corporate governance practicesif we are unable to manufacture and/or ship our existing products globally as planned, our results of operations and prospects will suffer.ship our existing products globallya sizable proportion of our sales in north america is attributable to a limited number of large retailers; any deterioration of our relationships with such retailers or deterioration in their business performance (in fields relevant to the sale of our products) could adversely impact our results of operations.limited number of large retailersa sizable proportion of our sales in north america is attributable to a limited number of large retailers; any deterioration of our relationships with such retailers or deterioration in their business performance (in fields relevant to the sale of our products) could adversely impact our results of operations.sizable proportion of our sales

Risk Factors Full Breakdown - Total Risks 51

Share Price & Shareholder Rights11 | 21.6%
  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1
    Provisions of Israeli law may delay, prevent or make undesirable a merger transaction, or an acquisition of all or a significant portion of our shares.

    Israeli corporate law regulates mergers by mandating certain procedures and voting requirements and requires that a tender offer be affected when more than a specified percentage of shares in a company are purchased. Further, Israeli tax considerations may make potential transactions undesirable to us or to some of our shareholders whose country of residence does not have a tax treaty with Israel granting tax relief to such shareholders from Israeli tax. With respect to mergers, Israeli tax law allows for tax deferral in certain circumstances but makes the deferral contingent on the fulfillment of numerous conditions, including a holding period of two years from the date of the transaction during which certain sales and dispositions of shares of the participating companies are restricted. Moreover, with respect to certain share swap transactions, the tax deferral is limited in time, and when such time expires, the tax becomes payable even if no actual disposition of the shares has occurred. See "ITEM 10.B: Additional Information-Memorandum and Articles of Association-Acquisitions under Israeli law." Under Israeli law, our two external directors have terms of office of three years. Our current external directors have been elected by our shareholders to serve for a three-year term commencing December 1, 2020. These provisions of Israeli law could have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control and may make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us or our shareholders to elect different individuals to our board of directors, even if doing so would be beneficial to our shareholders, and may limit the price that investors may be willing to pay in the future for our ordinary shares.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2
    Your rights and responsibilities as our shareholder will be governed by Israeli law which may differ in some respects from the rights and responsibilities of shareholders of United States corporations.

    Since we are incorporated under Israeli law, the rights and responsibilities of our shareholders are governed by our articles of association and Israeli law. These rights and responsibilities differ in some respects from the rights and responsibilities of shareholders in U.S.-based corporations. In particular, a shareholder of an Israeli company has a duty to act in good faith and in a customary manner in exercising its rights and performing its obligations towards the company and other shareholders and to refrain from abusing its power in the company, including, among other things, in voting at the general meeting of shareholders on certain matters, such as an amendment to the company's articles of association, an increase of the company's authorized share capital, a merger of the company and approval of related party transactions that require shareholder approval. A shareholder also has a general duty to refrain from discriminating against other shareholders. In addition, a controlling shareholder or a shareholder who knows that it possesses the power to determine the outcome of a shareholders' vote or to appoint or prevent the appointment of an office holder in the company or has another power with respect to the company, has a duty to act in fairness towards the company. However, Israeli law does not define the substance of this duty of fairness. See "ITEM 6.C: Directors, Senior Management and Employees-Board Practices- Board Practices-Fiduciary duties and approval of specified related party transactions under Israeli law-Duties of shareholders." Additionally, the parameters and implications of the provisions that govern shareholder behavior have not been clearly determined by the Israeli courts. These provisions may be interpreted to impose additional obligations and liabilities on our shareholders that are not typically imposed on shareholders of United States corporations.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 3
    It may be difficult to enforce a U.S. judgment against us, our officers and directors in Israel or the United States, or to assert U.S. securities laws claims in Israel or serve process on our officers and directors.

    We are incorporated in Israel. Other than one director, none of our directors, or our independent registered public accounting firm, is a resident of the United States. None of our executive officers is resident in the United States. The majority of our assets and the assets of these persons are located outside the United States. Therefore, it may be difficult for an investor, or any other person or entity, to enforce a U.S. court judgment based upon the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws against us or any of these persons in a U.S. or Israeli court, or to effect service of process upon these persons in the United States. Additionally, it may be difficult for an investor, or any other person or entity, to assert U.S. securities law claims in original actions instituted in Israel. Israeli courts may refuse to hear a claim based on a violation of U.S. securities laws on the grounds that Israel is not the most appropriate forum in which to bring such a claim. Even if an Israeli court agrees to hear a claim, it may determine that Israeli law and not U.S. law is applicable to the claim. If U.S. law is found to be applicable, the content of applicable U.S. law must be proved as a fact, which can be a time-consuming and costly process. Certain matters of procedure will also be governed by Israeli law. There is little binding case law in Israel addressing the matters described above.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 4
    The market price of our ordinary shares could be negatively affected by future sales of our ordinary shares.

    As of March 18, 2021, we had 34,441,321 shares outstanding. This included approximately 14,029,494 ordinary shares, or 40.7% of our outstanding ordinary shares, beneficially owned by the Kibbutz and Tene, which can be resold into the public markets in accordance with the restrictions of Rule 144, including volume limitations, applicable to resales by affiliates or holders of restricted securities. Sales by us or by the Kibbutz, Tene or other large shareholders of a substantial number of our ordinary shares in the public market, or the perception that these sales might occur, could cause the market price of our ordinary shares to decline or could materially impair our ability to raise capital through a future sale of, or pay for acquisitions using, our equity securities. The Kibbutz and Tene may require us to affect a registered offering of up to an additional 11,440,000 shares under the Securities Act for resale into the public markets. All shares sold pursuant to an offering covered by such registration statement or statements will be freely transferable. See "ITEM 7.B: Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions-Related Party Transactions-Registration rights agreement." In addition to these registration rights, as of March 18, 2021, 3,033,556 ordinary shares were reserved for issuance under our 2011 option plan and our 2020 Share Incentive Plan of which options to purchase 1,464,500 ordinary shares were outstanding, with a weighted average exercise price of $17.9 per share, and 87,703 restricted stock units ("RSUs") were outstanding. To the extent they are covered by our registration statements on Form S-8, these shares may be freely sold in the public market upon issuance, except for shares held by affiliates who have certain restrictions on their ability to sell.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 5
    As a foreign private issuer whose shares are listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market, we may follow certain home country corporate governance practices instead of certain Nasdaq requirements.

    As a foreign private issuer whose shares are listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market, we are permitted to follow certain home country corporate governance practices instead of certain requirements of the rules of Nasdaq. As permitted under the Israeli Companies Law, our articles of association provide that the quorum for any ordinary meeting of shareholders shall be the presence of at least two shareholders present in person, by proxy or by a voting instrument, who hold at least 25% of the voting power of our shares instead of 33 1/3% of the issued share capital required under Nasdaq requirements. At an adjourned meeting, any number of shareholders constitutes a quorum. In the future, we may also choose to follow Israeli corporate governance practices instead of Nasdaq requirements with regard to, among other things, the composition of our board of directors, compensation of officers and director nomination procedures. In addition, we may choose to follow Israeli corporate governance practice instead of Nasdaq requirements with respect to shareholder approval for certain dilutive events (such as for issuances that will result in a change of control of the company, certain transactions other than a public offering involving issuances of a 20% or more interest in the company and certain acquisitions of the stock or assets of another company) and for the adoption of, and material changes to, equity incentive plans. Accordingly, our shareholders may not be afforded the same protection as provided under Nasdaq corporate governance rules. Following our home country governance practices, as opposed to the requirements that would otherwise apply to a U.S. company listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market, may provide less protection than is accorded to investors of domestic issuers. See "ITEM 16G: Corporate Governance."

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 6
    The substantial share ownership position of Kibbutz Sdot-Yam and Tene will limit your ability to influence corporate matters.

    As of March 18, 2021, the Kibbutz and Tene beneficially owned 40.7% of our outstanding ordinary shares. As a result of this concentration of share ownership and their voting agreement described above, the Kibbutz and Tene are considered controlling shareholders under the Israeli Companies Law, and, acting on their own or together, will continue to have significant voting power on all matters submitted to our shareholders for approval. These matters include: -the composition of our board of directors (other than external directors);-approving or rejecting a merger, consolidation or other business combination; and -amending our articles of association, which govern the rights attached to our ordinary shares. This concentration of ownership of our ordinary shares could delay or prevent proxy contests initiated by other shareholders, mergers, tender offers, open-market purchase programs or other purchases of our ordinary shares that might otherwise give you the opportunity to realize a premium over then-prevailing market price of our ordinary shares. The interests of the Kibbutz or Tene may not always coincide with the interests of our other shareholders. This concentration of ownership may also lead to proxy contests. For example, prior to the voting arrangement between Tene and the Kibbutz, in connection with our annual general meeting of shareholders held in December 2015, the Kibbutz issued a proxy to our shareholders, in which it opposed the independent nominees our board of directors proposed to nominate to the board and suggested two alternative nominees. Such initiatives, which may not coincide with the interests of our other shareholders, result in us incurring unexpected costs and could divert our management's time and attention. This concentration of ownership may also materially and adversely affect our share price. In recent years, Israeli issuers listed on securities exchanges in the United States have also been faced with governance-related demands from activist shareholders, unsolicited tender offers and proxy contests. Responding to these types of actions by activist shareholders could be costly and time-consuming for management and our employees and could disrupt our operations or business model in a way that would interfere with our ability to execute our strategic plan.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 7
    The price of our ordinary shares may be volatile.

    The market price of our ordinary shares could be highly volatile and may fluctuate substantially as a result of many factors, including but not limited to (i) actual or anticipated fluctuations in our results of operations; (ii) variance in our financial performance from the expectations of market analysts; (iii) announcements by us or our competitors of significant business developments, changes in distributor relationships, acquisitions or expansion plans; (iv) changes in the prices of our raw materials or the products we sell; (v) our involvement in litigation, specifically for example, any adverse precedent set in Australia in connection with silica related claims; (vi) our sale of ordinary shares or other securities in the future; (vii) market conditions in our industry; (viii) changes in key personnel; (ix) the trading volume of our ordinary shares; (x) changes in the estimation of the future size and growth rate of our markets; (xi) changes in our board of directors, including director resignations; (xii) actions of investors and shareholders, including short seller reports and proxy contests; and (xiii) general economic and market conditions unrelated to our business or performance, such as increased shipping and handling markets. See also "-The COVID-19 pandemic could further impact end-consumers and the global economy in general, lower demand for our products, disrupt our operations and materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations". In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of a company's securities, securities class action litigation has often been instituted against that company relating to the price of shares. We have been in the past subject to a putative securities class action which was settled and covered by our insurance carriers. We cannot assure you that in the future we may not be subject to further litigation or that it will be fully covered by our insurance carriers.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 8
    Under Israeli law, our board, audit committee and shareholders may be required to reapprove certain of our agreements with Kibbutz Sdot-Yam every three years, and their failure to do so may expose us to liability and cause significant disruption to our business.

    The Companies Law requires that the authorized corporate organs of a public company approve every three years any extraordinary transaction in which a controlling shareholder has a personal interest and that has a term of more than three years, unless a company's audit committee determines, solely with respect to agreements that do not involve compensation to a controlling shareholder or his or her relatives, in connection with services rendered by any of them to the company or their employment with the company, that a longer term is reasonable under the circumstances. Our implementation of this requirement with respect to the agreements entered between us and the Kibbutz may be challenged by regulators and other third parties. Our audit committee has determined that the terms of all the agreements entered into between us and the Kibbutz are reasonable under the relevant circumstances, except for the manpower agreement entered into between the Kibbutz and us on January 1, 2011, as it relates to office holders, and the services agreement entered into between the Kibbutz and us on July 20, 2011 (as amended). See "ITEM 7.B: Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions-Related Party Transactions." Our manpower agreement (as it relates to office holders) and our services agreement, each with the Kibbutz, have been reapproved by our shareholders in November 2018 under the Companies Law requirements and are subject to re-approval in 2021. If our audit committee, board and shareholders do not re-approve the manpower agreement and the services agreement in accordance with the Companies Law, or if it is determined that re-approval of our other agreements with the Kibbutz is required every three years and the re-approval is not obtained, we will be required to terminate such agreements, which may be considered a breach under the terms of such agreements, and could expose us to damage claims and legal fees, and cause significant disruption to our business. In addition, we would be required to find suitable replacements for the services provided to us by the Kibbutz under the manpower agreement and the service agreement, which may take time, and we can provide no assurance that we can obtain the same or better terms with a third party than those we have agreed to with the Kibbutz.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 9
    Our directors and executive officers who are members of Kibbutz Sdot-Yam and Tene may have conflicts of interest with respect to matters involving the Company.

    As of March 18, 2021, the Kibbutz, together Tene, being parties to a voting agreement, beneficially owned 40.7% of our shares. Both the Kibbutz and Tene are deemed our controlling shareholders under the Israeli Companies Law. The Kibbutz and Tene also agreed to use their best efforts to prevent any dilutive transactions that would reduce the Kibbutz's holdings in us below 26% on a fully diluted basis and to cause that at least four directors on behalf of the parties are elected to our board of directors. For more information, see "ITEM 7.A. Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions-Major Shareholders." Two members of our board of directors and a number of our key employees are members of the Kibbutz. Certain of these individuals also serve in different positions in the Kibbutz, including business manager of the Kibbutz. Such individuals have fiduciary duties to both us and Kibbutz Sdot-Yam. As a result, our directors and executive officers who are members of the Kibbutz may have real or apparent conflicts of interest on matters affecting both us and the Kibbutz and, in some circumstances, such individuals may have interests adverse to us. For example, in the annual general meeting of our shareholders held in December 2015, the Kibbutz opposed the independent nominees our board of directors proposed to nominate to the board and suggested two alternative nominees identified by the Kibbutz as independent. In addition, two members of our board of directors, including the chairman of the board of directors, also serve as partners in Tene. Since these individuals have fiduciary duties to both us and Tene, there may be real or apparent conflicts of interest in this respect as well. See "ITEM 6.A: Directors, Senior Management and Employees-Directors and Senior Management."

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 10
    Certain U.S. holders of our ordinary shares may suffer adverse tax consequences if we or any of our non-U.S. subsidiaries are characterized as a "controlled foreign corporation", or a CFC, under Section 957(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

    A non-U.S. corporation is considered a CFC if more than 50% of (1) the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of such corporation entitled to vote, or (2) the total value of the stock of such corporation, is owned, or is considered as owned by applying certain constructive ownership rules, by United States shareholders who each own stock representing 10% or more of the vote or 10% or more of the value on any day during the taxable year of such non-U.S. corporation ("10% U.S. Shareholder"). Because our group includes one or more U.S. subsidiaries, certain of our non-U.S. subsidiaries could be treated as CFCs (regardless of whether we are treated as a CFC). Generally, 10% U.S. Shareholders of a CFC are required to report annually and include currently in its U.S. taxable income such 10% U.S. Shareholder's pro rata share of the CFC's "Subpart F income", "global intangible low-taxed income", and investments in U.S. property by CFCs, regardless of whether we make an actual distribution to such shareholders. "Subpart F income" includes, among other things, certain passive income (such as income from dividends, interests, royalties, rents and annuities or gain from the sale of property that produces such types of income) and certain sales and services income arising in connection with transactions between the CFC and a person related to the CFC. An individual that is a 10% U.S. Shareholder with respect to a CFC generally would not be allowed certain tax deductions or foreign tax credits that would be allowed to a 10% U.S. Shareholder that is a U.S. corporation. Failure to comply with these reporting obligations may subject a 10% U.S. Shareholder to significant monetary penalties and may prevent the statute of limitations with respect to such shareholder's U.S. federal income tax return for the year for which reporting was due from starting. We cannot provide any assurances that we will assist investors in determining whether any of our non-U.S. subsidiaries is treated as a CFC or whether any investor is treated as a 10% U.S. Shareholder with respect to any such CFC or furnish to any 10% U.S. Shareholders information that may be necessary to comply with the aforementioned reporting and tax payment obligations. A United States investor should consult its tax advisors regarding the potential application of these rules to an investment in our ordinary shares.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 11Added
    Our share price is impacted by reports from research analysts, publicly announced financial guidance, investor perceptions and our ability to meet other expectations about our business.

    The trading market for our ordinary shares relies in part on the research and reports that equity research analysts publish about us and our business. Recently, two analysts discontinued research coverage of our business. If additional analysts do not establish research coverage, or if the current research analyst ceases coverage of our company or fails to publish reports on our Company regularly, we could lose visibility in the market and demand for our shares may decline, which might cause our share price and trading volume to decline. The price of our ordinary shares could also decline if one or more securities analysts downgrade our ordinary shares or if one or more of those analysts issue other unfavorable commentary. The market price for our ordinary shares has been in the past, and may be in the future, materially and adversely affected by statements made in reports issued by short sellers regarding our business model, our management and our financial accounting. We have also faced difficulty in the past accurately projecting our earnings and have missed certain of our publicly announced guidance. If our financial results for a period do not meet our guidance or if we reduce our guidance for future periods, the market price of our ordinary shares may decline. We have experienced in the past, and may experience in the future, a decline in the value of our shares as a result of the foregoing factors. Public environmental, social and governance ("ESG") and sustainability reporting is becoming more broadly expected by investors, shareholders and other third parties. We may face reputational damage in the event our corporate responsibility initiatives or objectives do not meet the standards set by our investors, shareholders, lawmakers, listing exchanges or other constituencies, or if we are unable to achieve an acceptable ESG or sustainability rating. A low ESG or sustainability rating by a third-party rating service could also result in the exclusion of our common stock from consideration by certain investors. Ongoing focus on corporate responsibility matters by investors and other parties as described above may impose additional costs or expose us to new risks.

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.