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Genfit (GNFTF) 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. Genfit disclosed 73 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Genfit reported the most risks in the “Finance & Corporate” category.

Risk Overview Q4, 2020

Source: the company's latest filing for the period ended Dec 31, 2020, filed Apr 23, 2021

Risk Distribution
73Risks
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 changedGenfit Risk Factors
New Risk (3)
  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1
    Our stock price may never reach a price at which certain bondholders will deem conversion economically viable, in which case we would need to repay the nominal amount at maturity in October 2025. The terms of our convertible bonds require us to meet certain operating covenants, and if we fail to comply with those covenants the bondholders would be able to accelerate our repayment obligations. Additionally, the conversion of some or all of our bonds into ordinary shares would dilute the ownership interests of existing shareholders.

    In October 2017, we issued bonds convertible and/or exchangeable into new and/or existing ordinary shares due October 16, 2022, for a nominal amount of €180.0 million, or 6,081,081 bonds that would convert into 6,081,081 new ordinary shares if such bonds were settled into new ordinary shares in the event of conversion. The bonds bear interest at a nominal rate of 3.5% payable semi-annually in arrears on April 16 and October 16 of each year with a first interest payment date having occurred of April 16, 2018. On January 29, 2021, we amended the terms and conditions of these bonds - mainly we extended the maturity by an additional three years, from October 16, 2022 to October 16, 2025, and increased the conversion ratio from one (1) share per bond to 5.5 shares for one bond, i.e., an implicit conversion price of €5.38 per share instead of €29.60. In addition, we carried out a partial repurchase resulting in €94.3 million nominal amount of bonds remaining outstanding on January 29, 2021 (compared to €180 million nominal amount initially). Between this date and the date of this Annual Report, 1,252,159 additional bonds have been converted and the outstanding nominal amount is therefore €57.2 million. As of the date of this Annual Report, our stock price remains below €5.38. Even if many bonds have already been converted, it is possible that if our stock price does not reach a price at which the bondholders will deem conversion economically viable, we will be required to repay the nominal amount at maturity in October 2025. Our ability to repay the bonds at maturity depends in part on our future performance, which is subject to the success of our research and development programs and future operations, as well as on economic, financial and competitive factors that are beyond our control. In addition, we may incur additional debt in the future, some of which may be secured debt. Even if we are permitted by the terms and conditions of the convertible bonds to incur additional debt or to take other measures with regard to the incurrence of new debt, the terms of the bonds could reduce our ability to repay new debts at maturity. The agreement governing the bonds contains customary negative covenants and events of default. The negative covenants include restrictions on creating other liens on our assets, incurring certain additional indebtedness and engaging in certain mergers or acquisitions. If we default under the agreement governing the bonds, the bondholders may accelerate all of our repayment obligations, which would significantly harm our business and prospects and could cause the price of our ordinary shares to decline. Finally, the conversion of some or all of our currently outstanding convertible bonds into ordinary shares would dilute the ownership interests of existing shareholders, including holders of our ADSs. Any sales in the public market of the ordinary shares issuable upon such conversion or any anticipated conversion of our convertible bonds into ordinary shares could adversely affect prevailing market prices of our ordinary shares. We have carried out a specific review of our liquidity risk and consider that we will be able to meet our maturities for the next 12 months. As of December 31, 2020, the Group has €172.49 million in cash, cash equivalents and other financial assets (as of December 31, 2019: €278.47 million). In view of these amounts as of December 31, 2020, and in light of the renegotiation of the convertible bonds in January 2021, including the extension of their maturity, we do not consider that we are exposed to a short-term liquidity risk. In particular, we believe that the amount of cash, cash equivalents and current financial instruments is sufficient to ensure our financing, in view of its projects and current obligations, over the next twelve months.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2
    The market price of our equity securities is particularly volatile and may decline regardless of our operating performance.

    The trading price for our ADSs and ordinary shares has fluctuated, and is likely to continue to fluctuate, substantially. The stock market in general and the market for biopharmaceutical companies in particular have experienced extreme volatility that has often been unrelated to the operating performance ofc particular companies. As a result of this volatility, investors may not be able to sell their ADSs or ordinary shares at or above the price originally paid for the security. The market price for our ADSs and ordinary shares may be influenced by many factors, including: - announcements of clinical trial results;- actual or anticipated fluctuations in our financial condition and operating results;- actual or anticipated changes in our growth rate relative to our competitors;- competition from existing products or new products that may emerge;- announcements by us or our competitors of significant acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures, collaborations, or capital commitments;- failure to meet or exceed financial estimates and projections of the investment community or that we provide to the public;- issuance of new or updated research or reports by securities analysts;- fluctuations in the valuation of companies perceived by investors to be comparable to us;- share price and volume fluctuations attributable to inconsistent trading volume levels of our shares;- additions or departures of key management or scientific personnel;- lawsuits threatened or filed against us, including securities litigation, disputes or other developments related to proprietary rights, including patents, litigation matters, and our ability to obtain patent protection for our technologies;- changes to coverage policies or reimbursement levels by commercial third-party payors and government payors and any announcements relating to coverage policies or reimbursement levels;- announcement or expectation of additional debt or equity financing efforts;- sales of our ordinary shares or ADSs by us, our insiders or our other shareholders; and - general economic and market conditions. These and other market and industry factors may cause the market price and demand for our ordinary shares and ADSs to fluctuate substantially, regardless of our actual operating performance, which may limit or prevent investors from readily selling their ordinary shares or ADSs and may otherwise negatively affect the liquidity of the trading market for our ordinary shares and ADSs.

  • Debt & Financing - Risk 3
    We will require substantial additional funding to develop and commercialize our products, if approved, which may not be available to us, in particular given our current financial situation, or to our current or future collaborators on acceptable terms, or at all, and, if not so available, may require us or them to delay, limit, reduce or cease our operations.

    We are currently advancing elafibranor through clinical development in PBC and other drug candidates through clinical or preclinical development. Additionally, we are also planning formal validation studies of an IVD powered by NIS4 in preparation for submitting the test for marketing authorization for clinical care. Developing pharmaceutical and diagnostic products, including conducting preclinical studies and clinical trials, along with obtaining necessary validation, is expensive. Subject to obtaining regulatory approval of any of our drug candidates or an IVD powered by NIS4, we or our current or future collaborators expect to incur significant commercialization expenses for product sales, marketing, manufacturing and distribution. We anticipate incurring significant expenses in connection with our planned commercialization of an IVD powered by NIS4, along with an increase in our product development, scientific, commercial and administrative personnel and expansion of our facilities and infrastructure in the United States, France and other countries. We also expect to incur additional costs associated with operating as a public company in the United States and further plan on expanding our operations in the United States, Europe and in other territories. This risk is particularly heightened due to our current financial situation. We will continue to require substantial additional capital in connection with our continuing operations, including continuing our clinical development and pre-commercialization activities. Because successful development of our drug candidates and diagnostic program is uncertain, we are unable to estimate the actual funds required to complete the research and development and commercialization of our products under development.

  • Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 4
    We have entered, and may in the future enter into, collaboration, licensing or co-marketing agreements with third parties for the development and eventual commercialization of our product candidates and NIS4 diagnostic technology, and may not generate revenues from these agreements.

    We have limited experience in product development and marketing and may seek to enter into collaborations with third parties for the development and potential commercialization of our product candidates including those at an early and preclinical stage, particularly those candidates outside of our main therapeutic areas of interest. In January 2019, we entered into a license agreement with Labcorp to allow them to deploy NIS4 in the clinical research space and in September 2020, we entered into a five-year exclusive licensing agreement for NIS4 technology with Labcorp to develop and commercialize an LDT powered by NIS4 technology for clinical diagnostics. In June 2019, we entered into a collaboration and license agreement with Terns Pharmaceuticals, Inc., or Terns, pursuant to which we granted Terns rights to develop and commercialize elafibranor in Greater China for the treatment of NASH and PBC. Should we seek to collaborate with additional third parties with respect to our development programs, we may not be able to locate a suitable collaborator and may not be able to enter into an agreement on commercially reasonable terms or at all. Any new collaboration may require additional expenditures, increase our short and long term investments, require us to issue new shares and dilute our existing shareholders or disrupt our management team or activities.  With our current agreements, or even if we succeed in securing collaborators for the development and commercialization of our product candidates, we have limited control over the amount and timing that our collaborators may dedicate to the development or commercialization of our product candidates. These collaborations and licensing agreements pose a number of risks, including: - the means and resources used within the framework of these agreements remain, for the most part, at the discretion of the partner;- the partner might not fulfill its contractual obligations;- the partner might interrupt the development or commercialization or decide to interrupt or not renew the development or commercialization programs due to a change in strategic orientation, a lack of financing or external factors such as an acquisition that would reallocate resources or induce different priorities;- the partner might develop, independently or with the assistance of third parties, products, in the case of pharmaceuticals or in-vitro tests, in the case of diagnostic technologies that are in direct or indirect competition with our product candidates or future IVD powered by NIS4 if it believes that it is easier to successfully commercialize competing products under more attractive economic conditions than ours;- the partner, as holder of the commercialization and distribution rights on a product candidate or technology for a set time period or a specific territory or territories, might not allocate sufficient resources to these activities;- the partner might not protect or defend our intellectual property rights in an appropriate manner or might use exclusive information that belongs to us in a manner resulting in disputes that may compromise or discredit our exclusive information or expose us to potential disputes;- the partner might not respect the property rights of third parties, which might expose us to litigation and potentially involve our liability;- disputes might arise between us and the partner, which could result in delays or suspension of the commercialization of the product candidate, or legal action or costly procedures that would monopolize resources as well as divert management's attention;- we might lose certain important rights obtained through these partnerships, notably in the case of change of control of our company;- the collaboration might be terminated and, in such case, require additional financing to further develop or market the product candidate licensed to it;- the partner has access to our discoveries and might use this information to develop future competing products;- the collaboration, due to its nature, might have a negative impact on our attractiveness for collaborators or potential acquirers;- the collaboration might not result in the development and commercialization of the product candidate(s) in an optimal fashion or never fulfill its objectives; and - if the partner were to take part in a merger, the continuity of advancement and the central nature of our commercialization program might be delayed, reduced or suspended by it. Thus, collaboration agreements may not lead to development or commercialization of product candidates in the most efficient manner or at all. For example, although we have entered into a license agreement with Labcorp to enable them to develop and commercialize an LDT powered by NIS4 for clinical research and clinical diagnostic purposes, Labcorp is under no obligation to do so and may choose not to further develop and deploy the test. There is no guarantee that our collaboration with Labcorp will result in widespread clinical or commercial use of an LDT powered by NIS4 for clinical care. Similarly, although we have entered into a collaboration and license agreement with Terns for the treatment of NASH and PBC with elafibranor in Greater China, Terns is under no obligation to do so and may choose not to further develop and market elafibranor in either indication or within all relevant territories. There is no guarantee that our partnership with Terns will successfully result in a generalized clinical or commercial use of elafibranor for these indications and in those jurisdictions. Some collaboration agreements may be terminated without cause on short notice. Once a collaboration agreement is signed, it may not lead to commercialization of a product candidate. We also face competition in seeking out collaborators. If we are unable to secure new collaborations that achieve the collaborator's objectives and meet our expectations, we may be unable to advance our product candidates and may not generate meaningful revenues.

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Risk Highlights Q4, 2020

Main Risk Category
Finance & Corporate
With 24 Risks
Number of Disclosed Risks
73
-9
From last report
S&P 500 Average: 32
Recent Changes
3Risks added
12Risks removed
20Risks changed
Since Dec 2020
Number of Risk Changed
20
+20
From last report
S&P 500 Average: 1

Risk Word Cloud

a dispute concerning the infringement or misappropriation of our proprietary rights or the proprietary rights of others could be time-consuming and costly, and an unfavorable outcome could harm our business.misappropriation of our proprietary rightsif we are unable to protect the confidentiality of our trade secrets, our business and competitive position would be harmed.confidentiality of our trade secretsour stock price may never reach a price at which certain bondholders will deem conversion economically viable, in which case we would need to repay the nominal amount at maturity in october 2025. the terms of our convertible bonds require us to meet certain operating covenants, and if we fail to comply with those covenants the bondholders would be able to accelerate our repayment obligations. additionally, the conversion of some or all of our bonds into ordinary shares would dilute the ownership interests of existing shareholders.ownership interests of existing shareholdersas a foreign private issuer, we are permitted and we expect to follow certain home country practices in relation to corporate governance matters that differ significantly from nasdaq's corporate governance standards. these practices may afford less protection to shareholders than they would enjoy if we complied fully with the corporate governance standards of the nasdaq global select market.relation to corporate governance matterswe may use hazardous chemicals and biological materials in our business. any claims relating to improper handling, storage or disposal of these materials could be time-consuming and costly.claims relating to improper handlingwe are subject to transparency, ethics and healthcare laws and regulations that may require substantial compliance efforts and could expose us to criminal sanctions, civil penalties, contractual damages, reputational harm and diminished profits and future earnings, among other penalties.expose us to criminal sanctionsgovernment restrictions on pricing and reimbursement, as well as other healthcare payor cost-containment initiatives, may negatively impact our ability or that of our current or future collaborators to generate revenues even if we or they obtain regulatory approval to market a product.healthcare payor cost-containment initiativesour future growth depends, in part, on our or our collaborators' ability to penetrate international markets, where we or they would be subject to additional regulatory burdens and other risks and uncertainties.ability to penetrate international marketsour stock price may never reach a price at which certain bondholders will deem conversion economically viable, in which case we would need to repay the nominal amount at maturity in october 2025. the terms of our convertible bonds require us to meet certain operating covenants, and if we fail to comply with those covenants the bondholders would be able to accelerate our repayment obligations. additionally, the conversion of some or all of our bonds into ordinary shares would dilute the ownership interests of existing shareholders.to accelerate our repayment obligationsclinical failure can occur at any stage of clinical development, as was the case with our phase 3 resolve-it trial of elafibranor in nash. the results of earlier clinical trials are not necessarily predictive of future results and elafibranor in pbc or any other product candidate that we or our collaborators advance through clinical trials may not have favorable results in later clinical trials, which may delay, limit or prevent our ability to receive regulatory approval or marketing authorization.necessarily predictive of future results

Risk Factors Full Breakdown - Total Risks 73

Share Price & Shareholder Rights16 | 21.9%
  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1Changed
    Our stock price may never reach a price at which certain bondholders will deem conversion economically viable, in which case we would need to repay the nominal amount at maturity in October 2025. The terms of our convertible bonds require us to meet certain operating covenants, and if we fail to comply with those covenants the bondholders would be able to accelerate our repayment obligations. Additionally, the conversion of some or all of our bonds into ordinary shares would dilute the ownership interests of existing shareholders.

    In October 2017, we issued bonds convertible and/or exchangeable into new and/or existing ordinary shares due October 16, 2022, for a nominal amount of €180.0 million, or 6,081,081 bonds that would convert into 6,081,081 new ordinary shares if such bonds were settled into new ordinary shares in the event of conversion. The bonds bear interest at a nominal rate of 3.5% payable semi-annually in arrears on April 16 and October 16 of each year with a first interest payment date having occurred of April 16, 2018. On January 29, 2021, we amended the terms and conditions of these bonds - mainly we extended the maturity by an additional three years, from October 16, 2022 to October 16, 2025, and increased the conversion ratio from one (1) share per bond to 5.5 shares for one bond, i.e., an implicit conversion price of €5.38 per share instead of €29.60. In addition, we carried out a partial repurchase resulting in €94.3 million nominal amount of bonds remaining outstanding on January 29, 2021 (compared to €180 million nominal amount initially). Between this date and the date of this Annual Report, 1,252,159 additional bonds have been converted and the outstanding nominal amount is therefore €57.2 million. As of the date of this Annual Report, our stock price remains below €5.38. Even if many bonds have already been converted, it is possible that if our stock price does not reach a price at which the bondholders will deem conversion economically viable, we will be required to repay the nominal amount at maturity in October 2025. Our ability to repay the bonds at maturity depends in part on our future performance, which is subject to the success of our research and development programs and future operations, as well as on economic, financial and competitive factors that are beyond our control. In addition, we may incur additional debt in the future, some of which may be secured debt. Even if we are permitted by the terms and conditions of the convertible bonds to incur additional debt or to take other measures with regard to the incurrence of new debt, the terms of the bonds could reduce our ability to repay new debts at maturity. The agreement governing the bonds contains customary negative covenants and events of default. The negative covenants include restrictions on creating other liens on our assets, incurring certain additional indebtedness and engaging in certain mergers or acquisitions. If we default under the agreement governing the bonds, the bondholders may accelerate all of our repayment obligations, which would significantly harm our business and prospects and could cause the price of our ordinary shares to decline. Finally, the conversion of some or all of our currently outstanding convertible bonds into ordinary shares would dilute the ownership interests of existing shareholders, including holders of our ADSs. Any sales in the public market of the ordinary shares issuable upon such conversion or any anticipated conversion of our convertible bonds into ordinary shares could adversely affect prevailing market prices of our ordinary shares. We have carried out a specific review of our liquidity risk and consider that we will be able to meet our maturities for the next 12 months. As of December 31, 2020, the Group has €172.49 million in cash, cash equivalents and other financial assets (as of December 31, 2019: €278.47 million). In view of these amounts as of December 31, 2020, and in light of the renegotiation of the convertible bonds in January 2021, including the extension of their maturity, we do not consider that we are exposed to a short-term liquidity risk. In particular, we believe that the amount of cash, cash equivalents and current financial instruments is sufficient to ensure our financing, in view of its projects and current obligations, over the next twelve months.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2Changed
    The market price of our equity securities is particularly volatile and may decline regardless of our operating performance.

    The trading price for our ADSs and ordinary shares has fluctuated, and is likely to continue to fluctuate, substantially. The stock market in general and the market for biopharmaceutical companies in particular have experienced extreme volatility that has often been unrelated to the operating performance ofc particular companies. As a result of this volatility, investors may not be able to sell their ADSs or ordinary shares at or above the price originally paid for the security. The market price for our ADSs and ordinary shares may be influenced by many factors, including: - announcements of clinical trial results;- actual or anticipated fluctuations in our financial condition and operating results;- actual or anticipated changes in our growth rate relative to our competitors;- competition from existing products or new products that may emerge;- announcements by us or our competitors of significant acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures, collaborations, or capital commitments;- failure to meet or exceed financial estimates and projections of the investment community or that we provide to the public;- issuance of new or updated research or reports by securities analysts;- fluctuations in the valuation of companies perceived by investors to be comparable to us;- share price and volume fluctuations attributable to inconsistent trading volume levels of our shares;- additions or departures of key management or scientific personnel;- lawsuits threatened or filed against us, including securities litigation, disputes or other developments related to proprietary rights, including patents, litigation matters, and our ability to obtain patent protection for our technologies;- changes to coverage policies or reimbursement levels by commercial third-party payors and government payors and any announcements relating to coverage policies or reimbursement levels;- announcement or expectation of additional debt or equity financing efforts;- sales of our ordinary shares or ADSs by us, our insiders or our other shareholders; and - general economic and market conditions. These and other market and industry factors may cause the market price and demand for our ordinary shares and ADSs to fluctuate substantially, regardless of our actual operating performance, which may limit or prevent investors from readily selling their ordinary shares or ADSs and may otherwise negatively affect the liquidity of the trading market for our ordinary shares and ADSs.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 3
    Future sales, or the possibility of future sales, of a substantial number of our ADSs or ordinary shares could adversely affect the price of our ADSs and ordinary shares.

    As of April13, 2021, we had 45,775,250 ordinary shares issued and outstanding. Sales of a substantial number of our ADSs or ordinary shares, or the perception that such sales will occur, could cause a decline in the market price of our securities and could impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities. A substantial number of our ordinary shares and ADSs are now generally freely tradable, subject, in the case of sales by our affiliates, to the volume limitations and other provisions of Rule 144 under the Securities Act. If holders of these shares sell, or indicate an intent to sell, substantial amounts of our securities in the public market, the trading price of our securities could decline significantly.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 4
    The rights of shareholders in companies subject to French corporate law differ in material respects from the rights of shareholders of corporations incorporated in the United States.

    We are a French company with limited liability. Our corporate affairs are governed by our bylaws and by the laws governing companies incorporated in France. The rights of shareholders and the responsibilities of members of our board of directors are in many ways different from the rights and obligations of shareholders in companies governed by the laws of U.S. jurisdictions. For example, in the performance of its duties, our board of directors is required by French law to consider the interests of our company, its shareholders, its employees and other stakeholders, rather than solely our shareholders and/or creditors. It is possible that some of these parties will have interests that are different from, or in addition to, your interests as a shareholder or holder of ADSs. See the sections of this annual report titled "Item 6. Directors, Senior Management and Employees-Board Practices" and the documents referenced in "Item 10. Additional Information-Memorandum and Articles of Association."

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 5
    U.S. investors may have difficulty enforcing civil liabilities against our company and directors and senior management and the experts named in this annual report.

    Certain members of our board of directors and senior management and certain experts named in this annual report are non-residents of the United States, and all or a substantial portion of our assets and the assets of such persons are located outside the United States. As a result, it may not be possible to serve process on such persons or us in the United States or to enforce judgments obtained in U.S. courts against them or us based on civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States. Additionally, it may be difficult to assert U.S. securities law claims in actions originally instituted outside of the United States. Courts outside the United States may refuse to hear a U.S. securities law claim because non-U.S. courts may not be the most appropriate forums in which to bring such a claim. Even if a court outside the United States agrees to hear a claim, it may determine that the law of the jurisdiction in which the non-U.S. court resides, and not U.S. law, is applicable to the claim. Further, 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, and certain matters of procedure would still be governed by the law of the jurisdiction in which the non-U.S. court resides. In particular, there is some doubt as to whether French courts would recognize and enforce certain civil liabilities under U.S. securities laws in original actions or judgments of U.S. courts based upon these civil liability provisions. In addition, awards of punitive damages in actions brought in the United States or elsewhere may be unenforceable in France. An award for monetary damages under the U.S. securities laws would be considered punitive if it does not seek to compensate the claimant for loss or damage suffered but is intended to punish the defendant. French law provides that a shareholder, or a group of shareholders, may initiate a legal action to seek indemnification from the directors of a corporation in the corporation's interest if it fails to bring such legal action itself. If so, any damages awarded by the court are paid to the corporation and any legal fees relating to such action may be borne by the relevant shareholder or the group of shareholders. The enforceability of any judgment in France will depend on the particular facts of the case as well as the laws and treaties in effect at the time. The United States and France do not currently have a treaty providing for recognition and enforcement of judgments, other than arbitration awards, in civil and commercial matters.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 6
    Our bylaws and French corporate law contain provisions that may delay or discourage a takeover attempt.

    Provisions contained in our bylaws and French corporate law could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us, even if doing so might be beneficial to our shareholders. In addition, provisions of our bylaws impose various procedural and other requirements, which could make it more difficult for shareholders to effect certain corporate actions. These provisions include the following: - under French law, the owner of 95% of voting rights of a public company listed on a regulated market in a Member State of the European Union or in a state party to the European Economic Area, or EEA, Agreement, including from the main French stock exchange, has the right to force out minority shareholders following a tender offer made to all shareholders;- under French law, certain foreign investments in companies incorporated under French laws are subject to the prior authorization from the French Minister of the Economy, where all or part of the target's business and activity relate to a strategic sector, such as energy, transportation, public health, telecommunications, etc.;- a merger (i.e., in a French law context, a share for share exchange following which our company would be dissolved into the acquiring entity and our shareholders would become shareholders of the acquiring entity) of our company into a company incorporated in the European Union would require the approval of our board of directors as well as a two-thirds majority of the votes held by the shareholders present, represented by proxy or voting by mail at the relevant meeting;- a merger of our company into a company incorporated outside of the European Union would require 100% of our shareholders to approve it;- under French law, a cash merger is treated as a share purchase and would require the consent of each participating shareholder;- our shareholders have granted and may grant in the future our board of directors broad authorizations to increase our share capital or to issue additional ordinary shares or other securities, such as warrants, to our shareholders, the public or qualified investors, including as a possible defense following the launching of a tender offer for our shares;- our shareholders have preferential subscription rights on a pro rata basis on the issuance by us of any additional securities for cash or a set-off of cash debts, which rights may only be waived by the extraordinary general meeting by a two-thirds majority vote of our shareholders or on an individual basis by each shareholder;- our board of directors has the right to appoint directors to fill a vacancy created by the resignation or death of a director, subject to the approval by the shareholders of such appointment at the next shareholders' meeting, which prevents shareholders from having the sole right to fill vacancies on our board of directors;- our board of directors can be convened by our chairman, including upon request from our managing director, if any, or, when no board meeting has been held for more than two consecutive months, from directors representing at least one-third of the total number of directors;- our board of directors meetings can only be regularly held if at least half of the directors attend either physically or by way of videoconference or teleconference enabling the directors' identification and ensuring their effective participation in the board's decisions;- our shares are registered or bearer, if the legislation so permits, according to the shareholder's choice;- approval of at least a majority of the votes held by shareholders present, represented by a proxy, or voting by mail at the relevant ordinary shareholders' general meeting is required to remove directors with or without cause;- advance notice is required for nominations to the board of directors or for proposing matters to be acted upon at a shareholders' meeting, except that a vote to remove and replace a director can be proposed at any shareholders' meeting without notice;- our bylaws can be changed in accordance with applicable French laws and regulations;- the crossing of certain thresholds has to be disclosed and can impose certain obligations; see the documents referenced in the section of this annual report titled "Item 10. Additional Information-Memorandum and Articles of Association;"- transfers of shares shall comply with applicable insider trading rules and regulations and, in particular, with the Market Abuse Directive and Regulation dated April 16, 2014; and - pursuant to French law, the sections of our Bylaws relating to the number of directors and election and removal of a director from office, may only be modified by a resolution adopted by two-thirds of the votes of our shareholders present, represented by a proxy or voting by mail at the meeting.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 7
    You may not be able to exercise your right to vote the ordinary shares underlying your ADSs.

    Holders of ADSs may exercise voting rights with respect to the ordinary shares represented by the ADSs only in accordance with the provisions of the deposit agreement. The deposit agreement provides that, upon receipt of notice of any meeting of holders of our ordinary shares, the depositary will fix a record date for the determination of ADS holders who shall be entitled to give instructions for the exercise of voting rights. Upon timely receipt of notice from us, if we so request, the depositary shall distribute to the holders as of the record date (1) the notice of the meeting or solicitation of consent or proxy sent by us and (2) a statement as to the manner in which instructions may be given by the holders. A holder of ADSs may instruct the depositary of the ADSs to vote the ordinary shares underlying his or her ADSs. Otherwise, such holder will not be able to exercise voting rights unless he or she withdraws the ordinary shares underlying the ADSs that he or she holds. However, a holder of ADSs may not know about the meeting far enough in advance to withdraw those ordinary shares. If we ask for a holder of ADSs' instructions, the depositary, upon timely notice from us, will notify him or her of the upcoming vote and arrange to deliver our voting materials to him or her. We cannot guarantee to any holder of ADSs that he or she will receive the voting materials in time to ensure that he or she can instruct the depositary to vote his or her ordinary shares or to withdraw his or her ordinary shares so that he or she can vote them. If the depositary does not receive timely voting instructions from a holder of ADSs, it may give a proxy to a person designated by us to vote the ordinary shares underlying his or her ADSs. In addition, the depositary and its agents are not responsible for failing to carry out voting instructions or for the manner of carrying out voting instructions. This means that a holder of ADSs may not be able to exercise his or her right to vote, and there may be nothing he or she can do if the ordinary shares underlying his or her ADSs are not voted as he or she requested.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 8
    Holders of ADSs are not holders of our ordinary shares.

    A holder of ADSs is not treated as one of our shareholders and does not have direct shareholder rights. French law governs our shareholder rights. The depositary is the holder of the ordinary shares underlying ADSs. The deposit agreement among us, the depositary and all persons directly and indirectly holding ADSs sets out ADS holder rights, as well as the rights and obligations of the depositary. A double voting right is attached to each registered share which is held in the name of the same shareholder for at least two years. However, the ordinary shares underlying our ADSs will not be entitled to double voting rights as the depositary will hold the shares underlying our ADSs in bearer form.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 9
    The right as a holder of ADSs to participate in any future preferential subscription rights or to elect to receive dividends in shares may be limited, which may cause dilution to the holdings of ADS holders.

    According to French law, if we issue additional securities for cash, current shareholders will have preferential subscription rights for these securities on a pro rata basis unless they waive those rights at an extraordinary meeting of our shareholders by a two-thirds majority vote or individually by each shareholder. However, ADS holders will not be entitled to exercise or sell such rights unless we register the rights and the securities to which the rights relate under the Securities Act or an exemption from the registration requirements is available. In addition, the deposit agreement provides that the depositary will not make rights available to purchasers of ADSs unless the distribution to ADS holders of both the rights and any related securities are either registered under the Securities Act or exempted from registration under the Securities Act. Further, if we offer holders of our ordinary shares the option to receive dividends in either cash or shares, under the deposit agreement the depositary may require satisfactory assurances from us that extending the offer to holders of ADSs does not require registration of any securities under the Securities Act before making the option available to holders of ADSs. We are under no obligation to file a registration statement with respect to any such rights or securities or to endeavor to cause such a registration statement to be declared effective. Moreover, we may not be able to establish an exemption from registration under the Securities Act. Accordingly, ADS holders may be unable to participate in our rights offerings or to elect to receive dividends in shares and may experience dilution in their holdings. In addition, if the depositary is unable to sell rights that are not exercised or not distributed or if the sale is not lawful or reasonably practicable, it will allow the rights to lapse, in which case you will receive no value for these rights.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 10
    Holders of ADSs may be subject to limitations on the withdrawal of the underlying ordinary shares.

    Temporary delays in the cancellation of ADSs and withdrawal of the underlying ordinary shares may arise because the depositary has closed its transfer books or we have closed our transfer books, the transfer of ordinary shares is blocked to permit voting at a shareholders' meeting or we are paying a dividend on our ordinary shares. In addition, a holder of ADSs may not be able to cancel his or her ADSs and withdraw the underlying ordinary shares when he or she owes money for fees, taxes and similar charges and when it is necessary to prohibit withdrawals in order to comply with any laws or governmental regulations that apply to ADSs or to the withdrawal of ordinary shares or other deposited securities.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 11
    ADSs holders may not be entitled to a jury trial with respect to claims arising under the deposit agreement, which could result in less favorable outcomes to the plaintiffs in any such action.

    The deposit agreement governing the ADSs representing our ordinary shares provides that, to the fullest extent permitted by law, ADS holders waive the right to a jury trial of any claim they may have against us or the depositary arising out of or relating to our shares, the ADSs or the deposit agreement, including any claim under the U.S. federal securities laws. If we or the depositary opposed a jury trial demand based on the waiver, the court would determine whether the waiver was enforceable based on the facts and circumstances of that case in accordance with the applicable state and federal law. To our knowledge, the enforceability of a contractual pre-dispute jury trial waiver in connection with claims arising under the federal securities laws has not been finally adjudicated by the United States Supreme Court. However, we believe that a contractual pre-dispute jury trial waiver provision is generally enforceable, including under the laws of the State of New York, which govern the deposit agreement, by a federal or state court in the City of New York, which has non-exclusive jurisdiction over matters arising under the deposit agreement. In determining whether to enforce a contractual pre-dispute jury trial waiver provision, courts will generally consider whether a party knowingly, intelligently and voluntarily waived the right to a jury trial. We believe that this is the case with respect to the deposit agreement and the ADSs. It is advisable that you consult legal counsel regarding the jury waiver provision before entering into the deposit agreement. If you or any other holders or beneficial owners of ADSs bring a claim against us or the depositary in connection with matters arising under the deposit agreement or the ADSs, including claims under federal securities laws, you or such other holder or beneficial owner may not be entitled to a jury trial with respect to such claims, which may have the effect of limiting and discouraging lawsuits against us and the depositary. If a lawsuit is brought against either or both of us and the depositary under the deposit agreement, it may be heard only by a judge or justice of the applicable trial court, which would be conducted according to different civil procedures and may result in different outcomes than a trial by jury would have, including results that could be less favorable to the plaintiffs in any such action. Nevertheless, if this jury trial waiver provision is not permitted by applicable law, an action could proceed under the terms of the deposit agreement with a jury trial. No condition, stipulation or provision of the deposit agreement or ADSs serves as a waiver by any holder or beneficial owner of ADSs or by us or the depositary of compliance with U.S. federal securities laws and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 12
    The dual listing of our ordinary shares and our ADSs may adversely affect the liquidity and value of our ordinary shares and ADSs.

    Our ADSs are listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market, and our ordinary shares trade on Euronext Paris. We cannot predict the effect of this dual listing on the value of our ADSs and ordinary shares. However, the dual listing of our ADSs and ordinary shares may dilute the liquidity of these securities in one or both markets and may adversely affect the trading market or price for our ADSs and ordinary shares.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 13
    If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, the price of our ordinary shares and ADSs and their trading volume could decline.

    The trading market for our ADSs and ordinary shares depends in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. If no or few securities or industry analysts cover our company, the trading price for our ADSs and ordinary shares would be negatively impacted. If one or more of the analysts who covers us downgrades our equity securities or publishes incorrect or unfavorable research about our business, the price of our ordinary shares and ADSs would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts ceases coverage of our company or fails to publish reports on us regularly, or downgrades our securities, demand for our ordinary shares and ADSs could decrease, which could cause the price of our ordinary shares and ADSs or their trading volume to decline.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 14
    As a foreign private issuer, we are permitted and we expect to follow certain home country practices in relation to corporate governance matters that differ significantly from Nasdaq's corporate governance standards. These practices may afford less protection to shareholders than they would enjoy if we complied fully with the corporate governance standards of the Nasdaq Global Select Market.

    As a foreign private issuer listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market, we are subject to Nasdaq's corporate governance standards. However, Nasdaq rules provide that foreign private issuers are permitted to follow home country corporate governance practices in lieu of Nasdaq's corporate governance standards as long as notification is provided to Nasdaq of the intention to take advantage of such exemptions. We have relied, and expect to continue to rely, on exemptions for foreign private issuers and follow French corporate governance practices in lieu of Nasdaq's corporate governance standards, to the extent possible. Certain corporate governance practices in France, which is our home country, may differ significantly from Nasdaq corporate governance standards. For example, as a French company, neither the corporate laws of France nor our bylaws require a majority of our directors to be independent and we can include non-independent directors as members of our remuneration committee, and our independent directors are not required to hold regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present. We are also exempt from provisions set forth in Nasdaq rules which require an issuer to provide in its bylaws for a generally applicable quorum, and that such quorum may not be less than one-third of the outstanding voting stock. Consistent with French law, our bylaws provide that a quorum requires the presence of shareholders having at least (1) 20% of the shares entitled to vote in the case of an ordinary shareholders' general meeting or at an extraordinary shareholders' general meeting where shareholders are voting on a capital increase by capitalization of reserves, profits or share premium, or (2) 25% of the shares entitled to vote in the case of any other extraordinary shareholders' general meeting. If a quorum is not present, the meeting is adjourned. There is no quorum requirement when an ordinary general meeting is reconvened, but the reconvened meeting may consider only questions which were on the agenda of the adjourned meeting. When an extraordinary general meeting is reconvened, the quorum required is 20% of the shares entitled to vote, except where the reconvened meeting is considering capital increases through capitalization of reserves, profits or share premium. For these matters, no quorum is required at the reconvened meeting. If a quorum is not present at a reconvened meeting requiring a quorum, then the meeting may be adjourned for a maximum of two months. As a foreign private issuer, we are required to comply with Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act, relating to audit committee composition and responsibilities. Under French law, the audit committee may only have an advisory role and appointment of our statutory auditors, in particular, must be decided by the shareholders at our annual meeting. Therefore, our shareholders may be afforded less protection than they otherwise would have under Nasdaq's corporate governance standards applicable to U.S. domestic issuers. For an overview of our corporate governance practices, see "Item 6. Directors, Senior Management and Employees-Board Practices."

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 15
    We are an "emerging growth company" under the JOBS Act and are able to avail ourselves of reduced disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies, which could make our ADSs less attractive to investors.

    We are an "emerging growth company," as defined in the U.S. Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act, and we intend to continue to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not "emerging growth companies," including not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an emerging growth company can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, for complying with new or revised accounting standards. We have not taken advantage of, and do not intend to take advantage of, the extended transition period provided under Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. Since IFRS makes no distinction between public and private companies for purposes of compliance with new or revised accounting standards, the requirements for our compliance as a private company and as a public company are the same. We cannot predict if investors will find our ADSs less attractive because we may rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our ADSs less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our ADSs and the price of our ADSs may be more volatile. We may take advantage of these reporting exemptions until we are no longer an emerging growth company. We will remain an emerging growth company until the earliest of (1) the last day of the fiscal year in which we have total annual gross revenue of $1.07 billion or more; (2) December 31, 2024; (3) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in nonconvertible debt during the previous three years; and (4) the date on which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer under the rules of the SEC.

  • Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 16
    If a United States person is treated as owning at least 10% of our ordinary shares, such holder may be subject to adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences.

    If a U.S. holder is treated as owning, directly, indirectly or constructively, at least 10% of the value or voting power of our ordinary shares or ADSs, such U.S. holder may be treated as a "United States shareholder" with respect to each "controlled foreign corporation" in our group, if any. Because our group currently includes one U.S. subsidiary, our non-U.S. subsidiary (and any other non-U.S. subsidiaries we form or acquire in the future) could be treated as controlled foreign corporations, regardless of whether we are treated as a controlled foreign corporation. A United States shareholder of a controlled foreign corporation may be required to annually report and include in its U.S. taxable income its pro rata share of "Subpart F income," "global intangible low-taxed income" and investments in U.S. property by controlled foreign corporations, regardless of whether we make any distributions. An individual that is a United States shareholder with respect to a controlled foreign corporation generally would not be allowed certain tax deductions or foreign tax credits that would be allowed to a United States shareholder that is a U.S. corporation. Failure to comply with controlled foreign corporation reporting obligations may subject a United States shareholder to significant monetary penalties. We cannot provide any assurances that we will furnish to any United States shareholder information that may be necessary to comply with the reporting and tax paying obligations applicable under the controlled foreign corporation rules of the Code. U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the potential application of these rules to their investment in our ordinary shares or ADSs.

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.