Keysight Technologies (1KT) Risk Analysis
Risk Overview Q2, 2025
Source: the company's latest filing for the period ended Jul 31, 2025, filed Aug 29, 2025
Risk Change Over Time
- Demand - Risk 1A decreased demand for our customers' products or trade barriers or restrictions could adversely affect our results of operations.
Our business depends on our customers' ability to manufacture, design, and sell their products in the marketplace. International trade disputes affecting our customers could adversely affect our business. There have been recent and ongoing changes to U.S. tariff policy, resulting in broad-based increases in tariff rates. Commencing in the second quarter of fiscal 2025, new U.S. tariffs applying to imports from all countries were announced, including significantly higher rates on imports from China. In response, several countries, including China, have imposed or threatened to impose retaliatory measures on imports from the U.S. The U.S. government has announced various modifications and delays to its tariff policy and further changes may be made in the future. Many of our suppliers, vendors, customers, partners, and other entities with whom we do business have strong ties to doing business in China and other countries impacted by the increased tariffs. Increased tariffs on sales to or imports from impacted countries, including China, will increase the cost of our customers' components and raw materials, which could make our customers' products and services more expensive and could reduce demand for our customers' products. A decrease in demand or significant change in operations from our customers due to international trade disputes could adversely affect our operating results and financial condition. If the U.S.' relationship with countries subject to increased tariffs results in additional trade disputes, trade protection measures, retaliatory actions and increased barriers, policies that favor domestic industries, or increased import or export licensing requirements or restrictions, we could suffer additional unforeseen adverse effects on our operating results and financial condition. Our customers and suppliers have at times become subject to U.S. export restrictions and sanctions, such as being added to the U.S. Department of Commerce's "Lists of Parties of Concern" and having U.S. export privileges denied or suspended. When a customer or supplier of ours becomes subject to such sanctions, we suspend our business with such customer or supplier. Because of the continued tense political and economic relationship between the U.S. and China and between the U.S. and Russia, new restrictions or sanctions have been imposed with little notice, which could leave us without an adequate alternative solution to compensate for our inability to continue to do business with such customer or supplier. Some of our suppliers and customers in the supply chain are working on unique solutions and products in the market, and it may be difficult if not impossible to replace them, especially with short notice. We cannot predict what impact future sanctions could have on our customers or suppliers, and therefore, our business. Any export restrictions or sanctions and any tariffs or other trade restriction imposed on our customers or suppliers could adversely affect our financial condition and business.
Risk Highlights Q2, 2025
Risk Word Cloud
Risk Factors Full Breakdown - Total Risks 38
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1Our share price may fluctuate significantly.
Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") under the ticker symbol "KEYS." The market price of our common stock may fluctuate widely, depending on many factors, some of which may be beyond our control, including, but not limited to: - actual or anticipated fluctuations in our operating results due to factors related to our business;- success or failure of our business strategy;- our quarterly or annual earnings, or those of other companies in our industry;- our ability to obtain third-party financing as needed;- announcements by us or our competitors of significant acquisitions or dispositions;- changes in accounting standards, policies, guidance, interpretations or principles;- the failure of securities analysts to cover our common stock;- changes in earnings estimates by securities analysts or our ability to meet those estimates;- the operating and share price performance of other comparable companies;- investor perception of our company;- natural or other disasters that investors believe may affect us;- overall market fluctuations;- results from any material litigation or government investigations;- changes in laws or regulations affecting our business;- changes to our tax rate that may affect our profitability;- new or expanded trade barriers, tariffs and restrictions;- economic conditions such as inflation or recession;- geopolitical conflicts; and - other external factors. Stock markets in general have experienced volatility that has often been unrelated to the operating performance of a particular company. These broad market fluctuations have adversely affected the trading price of our common stock. When the market price of a company's shares drops significantly, shareholders often institute securities class action lawsuits against the company. A lawsuit against us could cause us to incur substantial costs and could divert the time and attention of management and other resources.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2Certain provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws, and of Delaware law, may prevent or delay an acquisition of the company, which could decrease the trading price of our common stock.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws contain, and Delaware law contains, provisions that are intended to deter coercive takeover practices and inadequate takeover bids by making such practices or bids unacceptably expensive to the bidder and to encourage prospective acquirers to negotiate with our board of directors rather than to attempt a hostile takeover. These provisions include, but are not limited to: - the inability of our shareholders to call a special meeting;- the inability of our shareholders to act without a meeting of shareholders;- rules regarding how shareholders may present proposals or nominate directors for election at shareholder meetings;- the right of our board of directors to issue preferred stock without shareholder approval;- the division of our board of directors into three classes of directors, with each class serving a staggered three-year term, and this classified board provision could have the effect of making the replacement of incumbent directors more time consuming and difficult;- a provision that shareholders may only remove directors with cause; and - the ability of our directors, and not shareholders, to fill vacancies on our board of directors. In addition, because we have not chosen to be exempt from Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (the "DGCL"), this provision could also delay or prevent a change of control that some shareholders may favor. Section 203 provides that, subject to limited exceptions, persons that acquire, or are affiliated with a person that acquires, more than 15 percent of the outstanding voting stock of a Delaware corporation (an "interested stockholder") shall not engage in any business combination with that corporation, including by merger, consolidation or acquisitions of additional shares, for a three-year period following the date on which the person became an interested stockholder, unless (i) prior to such time, the board of directors of such corporation approved either the business combination or the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder; (ii) upon consummation of the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owned at least 85 percent of the voting stock of such corporation at the time the transaction commenced (excluding for purposes of determining the voting stock outstanding (but not the outstanding voting stock owned by the interested stockholder) the voting stock owned by directors who are also officers or held in employee benefit plans in which the employees do not have a confidential right to tender or vote stock held by the plan); or (iii) on or subsequent to such time the business combination is approved by the board of directors of such corporation and authorized at a meeting of shareholders by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the outstanding voting stock of such corporation not owned by the interested stockholder. We believe these provisions will protect our shareholders from coercive or otherwise unfair takeover tactics by requiring potential acquirers to negotiate with our board of directors and by providing our board of directors with more time to assess any acquisition proposal. These provisions are not intended to make us immune from takeovers. However, these provisions will apply even if the offer may be considered beneficial by some shareholders and could delay or prevent an acquisition that our board of directors determines is not in the best interests of the company and our shareholders. These provisions may also prevent or discourage attempts to remove and replace incumbent directors.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 3Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation designates that the state courts in the State of Delaware or, if no state court located within the State of Delaware has jurisdiction, the federal court for the District of Delaware, as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by our shareholders, which could discourage lawsuits against the company and our directors and officers.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provide that unless the board of directors otherwise determines, the state courts in the State of Delaware or, if no state court located within the State of Delaware has jurisdiction, the federal court for the District of Delaware, will be the sole and exclusive forum for any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our directors or officers to the company or our shareholders, any action asserting a claim against us or any of our directors or officers arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL or Keysight's amended and restated certificate of incorporation or bylaws, or any action asserting a claim against us or any of our directors or officers governed by the internal affairs doctrine. This exclusive forum provision may limit the ability of our shareholders to bring a claim in a judicial forum that such shareholders find favorable for disputes with us or our directors or officers, which may discourage such lawsuits against us and our directors and officers.
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