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Genesis Energy (GEL) Risk Analysis
Risk Overview Q2, 2026
Risk Change Over Time
- Cyber Security - Risk 1Artificial intelligence presents risks and challenges that can impact our business, including by posing security risks to our confidential information, proprietary information and personal data.
Issues in the development and use of artificial intelligence, combined with an uncertain regulatory environment, may result in reputational harm, liability, or other adverse consequences to our business operations. As with many technological innovations, artificial intelligence presents risks and challenges that could impact our business. We may adopt and integrate generative artificial intelligence tools into our systems for specific use cases reviewed by legal and information security. Our vendors may incorporate generative artificial intelligence tools into their offerings without disclosing this use to us, and the providers of these generative artificial intelligence tools may not meet existing or rapidly evolving regulatory or industry standards with respect to privacy and data protection and may inhibit our or our vendors' ability to maintain an adequate level of service and experience. If we, our vendors, or our third-party partners experience an actual or perceived breach of privacy or security incident because of the use of generative artificial intelligence, we may lose valuable intellectual property and confidential information, and our reputation and the public perception of the effectiveness of our security measures could be harmed. Further, bad actors around the world use increasingly sophisticated methods, including the use of artificial intelligence, to engage in illegal activities involving the theft and misuse of personal information, confidential information, and intellectual property. Any of these outcomes could damage our reputation, result in the loss of valuable property and information, and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Risk Highlights Q2, 2026
Risk Word Cloud
Risk Factors Full Breakdown - Total Risks 57
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1Non-traditional investment criteria used by many investors may diminish investor interest in us and reduce the value of our common units and our access to capital.
Recently, investor advocacy groups, certain institutional investors and many investment funds have increased their focus on non-traditional investment criteria, such as environmental, social and governance (ESG) and sustainability goals. In particular, numerous investment firms, banks, insurance companies and other financial institutions have made pledges to reduce their carbon emissions, which in many cases may involve reducing or eliminating their investments in organizations involved in the production, transport and use of fossil fuels. In connection with this trend, investor demand for and valuation of our common units may decline, and our access to the debt and equity capital necessary to finance our growth projects and to refinance our existing debt obligations when due may be reduced, either of which could adversely impact our businesses.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2Individual members of the Davison family can exert significant influence over us and may have conflicts of interest with us and may be permitted to favor their interests to the detriment of our other unitholders.
James E. Davison and James E. Davison, Jr., each of whom is a director of our general partner, each own a significant portion of our common units, including our Class B Common Units, the holders of which elect our directors. Other members of the Davison family also own a significant portion of our common units. Collectively, members of the Davison family and their affiliates own approximately 9% of our Class A Common Units and 77% of our Class B Common Units and are able to exert significant influence over us, including the ability to elect at least a majority of the members of our board of directors and the ability to control most matters requiring board approval, such as material business strategies, mergers, business combinations, acquisitions or dispositions of assets, issuances of additional partnership securities, incurrences of debt or other financings and payments of distributions. In addition, the existence of a controlling group (if one were to form) may have the effect of making it difficult for, or may discourage or delay, a third party from seeking to acquire us, which may adversely affect the market price of our common units. Further, conflicts of interest may arise between us and other entities for which members of the Davison family serve as officers or directors. In resolving any conflicts that may arise, such members of the Davison family may favor the interests of another entity over our interests. Members of the Davison family own, control and have interests in diverse companies, some of which may (or could in the future) compete directly or indirectly with us. As a result, the interests of the members of the Davison family may not always be consistent with our interests or the interests of our other unitholders. Members of the Davison family could also pursue acquisitions or business opportunities that may be complementary to our business. Our organizational documents allow the holders of our units (including affiliates, like the Davisons') to take advantage of such corporate opportunities without first presenting such opportunities to us. As a result, corporate opportunities that may benefit us may not be available to us in a timely manner, or at all. To the extent that conflicts of interest may arise among us and any member of the Davison family, those conflicts may be resolved in a manner adverse to us or you. Other potential conflicts may involve, among others, the following situations: our general partner is allowed to take into account the interest of parties other than us, such as one or more of its affiliates, in resolving conflicts of interest; our general partner may limit its liability and reduce its fiduciary duties, while also restricting the remedies available to our unitholders for actions that, without such limitations, might constitute breaches of fiduciary duty; our general partner determines the amount and timing of asset purchases and sales, capital expenditures, borrowings, issuance of additional partnership securities, reimbursements and enforcement of obligations to the general partner and its affiliates, retention of counsel, accountants and service providers and cash reserves, each of which can also affect the amount of cash that is distributed to our unitholders; and our general partner determines which costs incurred by it and its affiliates are reimbursable by us and the reimbursement of these costs and of any services provided by our general partner could adversely affect our ability to pay cash distributions to our unitholders.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 3Our Class B Common Units may be transferred to a third party without unitholder consent, which could affect our strategic direction.
Unlike the holders of common stock in a corporation, our unitholders have only limited voting rights on matters affecting our business and, therefore, limited ability to influence management's decisions regarding our business. Only holders of our Class B Common Units have the right to elect our board of directors. Holders of our Class B Common Units may transfer such units to a third party without the consent of the unitholders. The new holders of our Class B Common Units may then be in a position to replace our board of directors and officers of our general partner with its own choices and to control the strategic decisions made by our board of directors and officers.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 4Our general partner has a limited call right that may require common unitholders to sell their units at an undesirable time or price.
If at any time our general partner, the partnership, and our subsidiaries collectively own 80% or more of the Class A Common Units or Class B Common Units, our general partner will have the right, but not the obligation, which it may assign to us, to acquire all, but not less than all, of the remaining common units of such class held by persons other than our general partner, the partnership or our subsidiaries at a price not less than their then-current market price. As a result, common unitholders may be required to sell their common units at an undesirable time or price. Such unitholders may also incur a tax liability upon such sale of their units.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 5Unitholders may have liability to repay distributions that were wrongfully distributed to them.
Under certain circumstances, unitholders may have to repay amounts wrongfully returned or distributed to them. Under Section 17-607 of the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act, we may not make a distribution to you if the distribution would cause our liabilities to exceed the fair value of our assets. Delaware law provides that for a period of three years from the date of an impermissible distribution, limited partners who received the distribution and who knew at the time of the distribution that it violated Delaware law will be liable to the limited partnership for the distribution amount. Substituted limited partners are liable both for the obligations of the assignor to make contributions to the partnership that were known to the substituted limited partner at the time it became a limited partner and for those obligations that were unknown if the liabilities could have been determined from the partnership agreement. Neither liabilities to partners on account of their partnership interest nor liabilities that are non-recourse to the partnership are counted for purposes of determining whether a distribution is permitted.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 6Unitholder liability may not be limited if a court finds that unitholder action constitutes control of our business.
A general partner of a partnership generally has unlimited liability for the obligations of the partnership, except for those contractual obligations of the partnership that are expressly made without recourse to the general partner. Our partnership is organized under Delaware law, and we conduct business in other states. The limitations on the liability of holders of limited partner interests for the obligations of a limited partnership have not been clearly established in some states in which we do business or may do business in from time to time in the future. Unitholders could be liable for any and all of our obligations as if unitholders were a general partner if a court or government agency were to determine that: we were conducting business in a state but had not complied with that particular state's partnership statute; or unitholders right to act with other unitholders to remove or replace our general partner, to approve some amendments to our partnership agreement or to take other actions under our partnership agreement constitutes "control" of our business.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 7Our unitholders will be required to pay taxes on income (as well as deemed distributions, if any) from us even if they do not receive any cash distributions from us.
Our unitholders will be required to pay any federal income taxes and, in some cases, state and local income taxes on their share of our taxable income (as well as deemed distributions and gains on the sale of assets or businesses, if any) even if unitholders receive no cash distributions from us. Our unitholders may not receive cash distributions from us equal to their share of our taxable income (or deemed distributions and gains on the sale of assets or businesses, if any) or even the tax liability that results from that income (or deemed distribution).
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 8Tax gain or loss on the disposition of our units could be more or less than expected.
If our unitholders sell their units, they will recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the amount realized and their tax basis in those units. Because distributions in excess of their allocable share of our net taxable income decrease their tax basis in their units, the amount, if any, of such prior excess distributions with respect to the units a unitholder sells will, in effect, become taxable income to the unitholder if it sells such units at a price greater than its tax basis in those units, even if the price received is less than its original cost. A substantial portion of the amount realized, whether or not representing gain, may be ordinary income due to potential recapture items, including depreciation recapture. In addition, because the amount realized includes a unitholder's share of our non-recourse liabilities, if our unitholders sell their units, they may incur a tax liability in excess of the amount of cash they receive from the sale.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 9Unitholders may be subject to limitations on their ability to deduct interest expense by us.
Our ability to deduct interest paid or accrued on indebtedness properly allocable to our trade or business during our taxable year may be limited in certain circumstances. If this limitation were to apply with respect to a taxable year, it could result in an increase in the taxable income allocable to a unitholder for such taxable year without any corresponding increase in the cash available for distribution to such unitholder. However, in certain circumstances, a unitholder may be able to utilize a portion of a business interest deduction subject to this limitation in future taxable years. Unitholders should consult their tax advisors regarding the impact of this business interest deduction limitation on an investment in our units.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 10Our business would be adversely affected if we failed to comply with the Jones Act foreign ownership provisions.
We are subject to the Jones Act and other federal laws that restrict maritime cargo transportation between points in the U.S. only to vessels operating under the U.S. flag, built in the U.S., at least 75% owned and operated by U.S. citizens (or owned and operated by other entities meeting U.S. citizenship requirements to own vessels operating in the U.S. coastwise trade and, in the case of limited partnerships, where the general partner meets U.S. citizenship requirements) and manned by U.S. crews. To ensure compliance with the Jones Act, we must be U.S. citizens qualified to document vessels for coastwise trade. We could cease being a U.S. citizen if certain events were to occur, including if non-U.S. citizens were to own 25% or more of our equity interest or were otherwise deemed to control us or our general partner. We are responsible for monitoring ownership to ensure compliance with the Jones Act. The consequences of our failure to comply with the Jones Act provisions on coastwise trade, including failing to qualify as a U.S. citizen, would have an adverse effect on us as we may be prohibited from operating our vessels in the U.S. coastwise trade or, under certain circumstances, permanently lose U.S. coastwise trading rights or be subject to fines or forfeiture of our vessels.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 11We will treat each purchaser of our common units as having the same tax benefits without regard to the common units actually purchased. The IRS may challenge this treatment, which could adversely affect the value of our common units.
Because we cannot match transferors and transferees of our common units, we adopt depreciation and amortization conventions that may not conform to all aspects of existing Treasury Regulations and may result in audit adjustments to our unitholders' tax returns without the benefit of additional deductions. A successful IRS challenge to those conventions could adversely affect the amount of tax benefits available to a common unitholder. It also could affect the timing of these tax benefits or the amount of gain from a sale of common units and could have a negative impact on the value of our common units or result in audit adjustments to the common unitholder's tax returns.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 12Our unitholders will likely be subject to state and local taxes in states where they do not live as a result of an investment in our units.
In addition to federal income taxes, our unitholders will likely be subject to other taxes, including foreign, state and local taxes, unincorporated business taxes and estate inheritance or intangible taxes that are imposed by the various jurisdictions in which we do business or own property, even if our unitholders do not live in any of those jurisdictions. Our unitholders will likely be required to file foreign, state, and local income tax returns and pay state and local income taxes in some or all of these jurisdictions. Further, our unitholders may be subject to penalties for failure to comply with those requirements. We currently own assets and do business in several states including Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Arkansas and Oklahoma. Many of the states we currently do business in impose a personal income tax. It is our unitholders' responsibility to file all applicable U.S. federal, foreign, state and local tax returns. Unitholders should consult with their own tax advisors regarding the filing of such tax returns, the payment of such taxes, and the deductibility of any taxes paid.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 13We generally prorate our items of income, gain, loss and deduction between transferors and transferees of our units each month based upon the ownership of our units on the first day of each month, instead of on the basis of the date a particular unit is transferred. The IRS may challenge this treatment, which could change the allocation of items of income, gain, loss and deduction among our unitholders.
We generally prorate our items of income, gain, loss, and deduction between transferors and transferees of our units each month based upon the ownership of our units on the first day of each month (the "Allocation Date"), instead of on the basis of the date a particular unit is transferred. Similarly, we generally allocate (i) certain deductions for depreciation of capital additions, (ii) gain or loss realized on a sale or other disposition of our assets and (iii) in the discretion of the general partner, any other extraordinary item of income, gain, loss or deduction based upon ownership on the Allocation Date. Treasury Regulations allow a similar monthly simplifying convention, but such regulations do not specifically authorize all aspects of our proration method. If the IRS were to challenge our proration method, we may be required to change the allocation of items of income, gain, loss and deduction among our unitholders.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 14A unitholder whose units are loaned to a "short seller" to cover a short sale of units may be considered as having disposed of those units. If so, such unitholder would no longer be treated for tax purposes as a partner with respect to those units during the period of the loan and may recognize gain or loss from the disposition.
Because a unitholder whose units are loaned to a "short seller" to cover a short sale of units may be considered as having disposed of the loaned units, such unitholder may no longer be treated for tax purposes as a partner with respect to those units during the period of the loan to the short seller and the unitholder may recognize gain or loss from such disposition. Moreover, during the period of the loan to the short seller, any of our income, gain, loss or deduction with respect to those units may not be reportable by the unitholder and any cash distributions received by the unitholder as to those units could be fully taxable as ordinary income. Unitholders desiring to assure their status as partners and avoid the risk of gain recognition from a loan to a short seller are urged to modify any applicable brokerage account agreements to prohibit their brokers from borrowing their units.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 15The amount that a Class A Convertible Preferred unitholder would receive upon liquidation may be less than the liquidation value of the Class A Convertible Preferred Units.
In general, we intend to specially allocate to the Class A Convertible Preferred Units items of our gross income in an amount equal to the distributions paid in respect of the Class A Convertible Preferred Units during the taxable year. If the distributions paid in respect of the Class A Convertible Preferred Units during a taxable year exceed the amount of our gross income allocated to the Class A Convertible Preferred Units for such taxable year (as in the case of prior distributions during the PIK period), the per unit capital account balance of the Class A Convertible Preferred unitholders would be reduced by the amount of such excess. If we were to dissolve or liquidate, after satisfying all of our liabilities, our unitholders (including the Class A Convertible Preferred unitholders) would be entitled to receive liquidating distributions in accordance with their capital account balances. In such event, Class A Convertible Preferred unitholders would be specially allocated items of gross income and gain in a manner designed to cause the capital account balance of a preferred unit to equal the liquidation value of a preferred unit. If we were to have insufficient gross income and gain to cause the capital account balance to equal the liquidation value of a preferred unit, then the amount that a Class A Convertible Preferred unitholder would receive upon liquidation would be less than the liquidation value of the Class A Convertible Preferred Units, even though there may be cash available for distribution to the holders of common units or any other junior securities with respect to their capital accounts.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 16Our significant unitholders may sell units or other limited partner interests in the trading market, which could reduce the market price of our common units.
As of December 31, 2025, we have a number of significant unitholders. For example, certain members of the Davison family (including their affiliates) and management owned approximately 14.0 million, or approximately 11%, of our common units. From time to time, we also may have other unitholders that have large positions in our common units. In the future, any such parties may acquire additional interest or dispose of some or all of their interest. If they dispose of a substantial portion of their interest in the trading markets, such sales could reduce the market price of common units. In connection with certain transactions, we have put in place resale shelf registration statements, which allow unit holders thereunder to sell their common units at any time (subject to certain restrictions) and to include those securities in any equity offering we consummate for our own account.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 17We may issue additional common units without common unitholders' approval, which would dilute their ownership interests.
We may issue an unlimited number of limited partner interests of any type without the approval of our common unitholders. The issuance of additional common units or other equity securities of equal or senior rank will have the following effects: our unitholders' proportionate ownership interest in us will decrease; the amount of cash available for distribution on each unit may decrease; the relative voting strength of each previously outstanding unit may be diminished; and the market price of our common units may decline.
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.