AU Optronics (AU7) Risk Analysis
Risk Overview Q4, 2019
Source: the company's latest filing for the period ended Dec 31, 2019, filed Mar 27, 2020
Risk Change Over Time
No filing history is available.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1We have voluntarily delisted our ADSs from NYSE and may terminate the registration of our securities with the SEC in the future, and this may adversely affect our share price.
On September 9, 2019, our board of directors resolved to delist our ADSs from NYSE. The voluntary delisting was sought in view of the costs of maintaining the listing of the ADSs in the United States. On September 20, 2019, we filed with the SEC a Form 25 to effect the delisting from the NYSE. As soon as we are eligible, we intend to file a Form 15 with the SEC to terminate the registration of the ADSs and the underlying ordinary shares under the Exchange Act. We will remain subject to all SEC requirements, including reporting obligations, until such time as our ADSs and the underlying ordinary shares are deregistered. Since the delisting came into effect on October 1, 2019, our ADSs have been traded in the U.S. over-the-counter market, and Citibank, N.A. has continued to act as our ADSs depositary pursuant to the existing deposit agreement. The delisting of the ADSs from the NYSE and the possible deregistration under the Exchange Act may have a negative impact on the price of our ADSs and shares of common stock. Following the delisting from NYSE, the ADSs have traded on the U.S. over-the-counter market. Compared with the NYSE, the U.S. over-the-counter market has a smaller trading volume, less liquidity and an information disclosure regime that is less robust. These characteristics may make it more difficult for holders of our ADSs to sell their securities. In addition, broker-dealers have certain regulatory burdens imposed upon them that may discourage them from effecting transactions in our ADSs, further limiting the liquidity of our ADSs. The delisting may result in holders of our ADSs surrendering their ADSs in exchange for the underlying shares and selling them on the Taiwan Stock Exchange. As a result, the market price of our ADSs may be depressed, and the investors may find it more difficult to sell our ADSs.
Risk Highlights Q4, 2019
Risk Word Cloud
Risk Factors Full Breakdown - Total Risks 65
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1AddedWe have voluntarily delisted our ADSs from NYSE and may terminate the registration of our securities with the SEC in the future, and this may adversely affect our share price.
On September 9, 2019, our board of directors resolved to delist our ADSs from NYSE. The voluntary delisting was sought in view of the costs of maintaining the listing of the ADSs in the United States. On September 20, 2019, we filed with the SEC a Form 25 to effect the delisting from the NYSE. As soon as we are eligible, we intend to file a Form 15 with the SEC to terminate the registration of the ADSs and the underlying ordinary shares under the Exchange Act. We will remain subject to all SEC requirements, including reporting obligations, until such time as our ADSs and the underlying ordinary shares are deregistered. Since the delisting came into effect on October 1, 2019, our ADSs have been traded in the U.S. over-the-counter market, and Citibank, N.A. has continued to act as our ADSs depositary pursuant to the existing deposit agreement. The delisting of the ADSs from the NYSE and the possible deregistration under the Exchange Act may have a negative impact on the price of our ADSs and shares of common stock. Following the delisting from NYSE, the ADSs have traded on the U.S. over-the-counter market. Compared with the NYSE, the U.S. over-the-counter market has a smaller trading volume, less liquidity and an information disclosure regime that is less robust. These characteristics may make it more difficult for holders of our ADSs to sell their securities. In addition, broker-dealers have certain regulatory burdens imposed upon them that may discourage them from effecting transactions in our ADSs, further limiting the liquidity of our ADSs. The delisting may result in holders of our ADSs surrendering their ADSs in exchange for the underlying shares and selling them on the Taiwan Stock Exchange. As a result, the market price of our ADSs may be depressed, and the investors may find it more difficult to sell our ADSs.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2ADS holders will not have the same rights as our shareholders, which may affect the value of the ADSs.
ADS holders' rights as to the shares represented by such holders' ADSs are governed by the deposit agreement. ADS holders will not be able to exercise voting rights on an individual basis. If holders representing at least 51% of our ADSs outstanding at the relevant record date instruct the depositary to vote in the same manner regarding a resolution, including the election of directors, the depositary will cause all shares represented by the ADSs to be voted in that manner. If, at the relevant record date, the depositary does not receive instructions representing at least 51% of ADSs outstanding to vote in the same manner for any resolution, including the election of directors, ADS holders will be deemed to have instructed the depositary or its nominee to authorize all the shares represented by the ADS holders' ADSs to be voted at the discretion of our Chairman or his designee, which may not be in the ADS holders' interest. Moreover, while shareholders who own 1% or more of our total issued shares are entitled to submit one proposal to be considered at our annual general meetings and submit a roster of candidates to be considered for nomination to our board of directors at our shareholders' meeting for the election of directors, only holders representing at least 51% or more of our ADSs outstanding at the relevant record date are entitled to submit one proposal to be considered at our annual general meetings or one nomination to our board of directors, in accordance with the deposit agreement. Hence, only one proposal or one nomination can be submitted on behalf of all ADS holders.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 3ADS holders' rights to participate in our rights offerings are limited, which could cause dilution to the holdings of ADS holders.
We may from time to time distribute rights to our shareholders, including rights to acquire our securities. Under the deposit agreement, the depositary will not offer ADS holders those rights unless both the distribution of the rights and the underlying securities to all our ADS holders are either registered under the Securities Act or exempt from registration under the Securities Act. Although we may be eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions under the Securities Act available to certain foreign issuers for rights offerings, we can give no assurances that we will be able to establish an exemption from registration under the Securities Act, and we are under no obligation to file a registration statement for any of these rights. Accordingly, ADS holders may be unable to participate in our rights offerings and may experience dilution with respect to their holdings.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 4Non-ROC holders of ADSs who withdraw our shares will be required to obtain a foreign investor investment identification and appoint a local custodian and agent and a tax guarantor in the ROC.
Under current ROC law, if you are a non-ROC person (other than a PRC person) and wish to withdraw and hold our shares from a depositary receipt facility, you will be required to obtain a foreign investor investment identification, or a Foreign Investor Investment I.D., issued in accordance with the ROC Regulations Governing Investment in Securities by Overseas Chinese and Foreign Nationals (the "Investment Regulations"). You also will be required to appoint an eligible agent in the ROC to open a securities trading account and a Taiwan Depository & Clearing Corporation book-entry account and a bank account, to pay ROC taxes, remit funds, exercise shareholders' rights and perform such other functions as you may designate upon such withdrawal. In addition, you will be required to appoint a custodian bank to hold the securities in safekeeping, make confirmation and settle trades and report all relevant information. Without obtaining such Foreign Investor Investment I.D. under the Investment Regulations and opening such accounts, the non-ROC withdrawing holder would be unable to hold or subsequently sell our shares withdrawn from the depositary receipt facility on the Taiwan Stock Exchange or otherwise. There can be no assurance that such withdrawing holder would be able to obtain the Foreign Investor Investment I.D. and open such accounts in a timely manner. With the exception of a foreign institutional investor with a fixed place of business or business agent within the ROC, non-ROC holders of ADSs (other than a PRC person) withdrawing our shares represented by ADSs also are required under current ROC law and regulations to appoint an agent in the ROC for filing tax returns and making tax payments. Such agent must meet certain qualifications set by the ROC Ministry of Finance and, upon appointment, becomes a guarantor of such withdrawing holder's ROC tax obligations ("Tax Guarantor"). Generally, the evidence of the appointment of such agent and the approval of such appointment by the ROC tax authorities may be required as conditions to such withdrawing holder's repatriation of the profits. There can be no assurance that such withdrawing holder would be able to appoint and obtain approval for such agent in a timely manner. Also, if any non-ROC person (other than a PRC person) receives 10% or more of our total issued shares upon a single withdrawal, such non-ROC person must obtain prior approval from the Investment Commission of the Ministry of Economic Affairs (the "MOEAIC"). There can be no assurance that such withdrawing holder would be able to obtain such approval in a timely manner. Pursuant to the Regulations Governing Securities Investment and Futures Trading in Taiwan by Mainland Area Investors (the "Mainland Investors Regulations"), only qualified domestic institutional investors ("QDIIs") approved by the China Securities Regulatory Commission and registered with the Taiwan Stock Exchange or Taiwan Futures Exchange are permitted to withdraw and hold our shares from a depositary receipt facility. In order to hold our shares, such QDIIs are required to appoint an agent, custodian and Tax Guarantor as required by the Mainland Investors Regulations. If the aggregate amount of our shares held by any QDII or shares received by any QDII upon a single withdrawal reaches 10% or more of our total issued shares, such QDII must obtain the prior approval from the MOEAIC. We cannot assure you that such approval would be granted. In addition, PRC investors' investments in our shares are subject to various restrictions; specifically, there are restrictions on the amount remitted to the ROC for investments by QDIIs, either individually or jointly. Accordingly, the qualification criteria for a PRC person to make an investment and the investment threshold imposed by the ROC government might cause an ADS holder who is a PRC person to be unable to withdraw and hold our shares.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 5The protection of the interests of our public shareholders available under our Articles of Incorporation and the laws governing ROC corporations is different from that which applies to a U.S. corporation.
Our corporate affairs are governed by our Articles of Incorporation and by the laws governing ROC corporations. The rights and responsibilities of our shareholders and members of our board of directors under ROC law are different from those that apply to a U.S. corporation. Directors of ROC corporations are required to conduct business faithfully and act with the care of good administrators. However, the duty of care required of a ROC corporation's directors may not be the same as the fiduciary duty of a director of a U.S. corporation. In addition, controlling shareholders of U.S. corporations owe fiduciary duties to minority shareholders, while controlling shareholders in ROC corporations do not. The ROC Company Act also requires that a shareholder continuously hold at least 1% of our issued shares for at least six months in order to request that our independent director institute an action against a director on the company's behalf. Therefore, our public shareholders may have more difficulty protecting their interests against actions of our management, members of our board of directors or controlling shareholders than they would as shareholders of a U.S. corporation.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 6As a foreign private issuer, we are permitted to follow certain home-country corporate governance practices instead of applicable SEC and NYSE requirements, which may result in less protection than is accorded to investors under rules applicable to domestic issuers.
As a foreign private issuer, we are permitted to follow certain home-country corporate governance practices instead of those otherwise required under the NYSE rules for domestic issuers, including, but not limited to: - the evaluation standards for director's independence;- the requirements for non-management directors to meet regularly without management;- the requirement to have nominating committee;- the requirement to have a remuneration committee/corporate governance committee set up pursuant to the NYSE rules;- the requirement for shareholders' approval on all equity-based compensation and material revisions thereto; and - the requirement to adopt NYSE corporate governance guidelines. For a detailed discussion of the differences between our corporate governance practices and the NYSE listing standards, see "Item 16-16.G. Corporate Governance" for more information. Following our home-country governance practices as opposed to the requirements that would otherwise apply to a U.S. company listed on the NYSE may provide less protection than is accorded to investors under the NYSE rules applicable to domestic issuers. In addition, as a foreign private issuer, we are exempt from certain rules and regulations under the Exchange Act, related to the furnishing and content of proxy statements, and our officers, directors and principal shareholders are exempt from the reporting and short-swing profit recovery provisions contained in Section 16 of the Exchange Act. In addition, we are not required under the Exchange Act, to file annual, quarterly and current reports and financial statements with the SEC as frequently or as promptly as domestic companies whose securities are registered under the Exchange Act.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 7Potential conflicts of interest with our affiliates may cause us to lose opportunities to expand and improve our operations.
We face potential conflicts of interest with our affiliates, such as Qisda Corporation ("Qisda") and its subsidiaries, including BenQ Corporation. Qisda is our largest shareholder, owning directly 6.99% of our outstanding shares as of December 31, 2019 and is also one of our large customers. Qisda and its subsidiaries accounted for approximately 3.5%, 3.9% and 3.8% of our net revenue in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. Qisda and its subsidiaries' substantial interest in our company may lead to conflicts of interest affecting our sales decisions or allocations. One of our directors, Mr. Peter Chen, is the Chairman and President of Qisda. Furthermore, Mr. Kuen-Yao (K.Y.) Lee, our director and former Chairman, is also a director of Qisda and Chairman of BenQ Corporation. See "Item 6. Directors, Senior Management and Employees-6.A. Directors and Senior Management." As a result, conflicts of interest between their duties to Qisda and/or its subsidiaries and us may arise. We cannot assure you that when conflicts of interest arise with respect to Qisda and/or its subsidiaries, the conflicts of interest will be resolved in our favor. These conflicts may result in lost corporate opportunities, including opportunities that are never brought to our attention, or actions that may prevent us from taking advantage of opportunities to expand and improve our operations.
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