Want to see KRNT full AI Analyst Report?
Kornit Digital (KRNT) Risk Analysis
Risk Overview Q4, 2023
Source: the company's latest filing for the period ended Dec 31, 2023, filed Mar 28, 2024
Risk Change Over Time
- Trade Secrets - Risk 1We may become subject to claims of intellectual property infringement by third parties or claims by third parties that our intellectual party rights are invalid and may be required to indemnify our distributors or other third parties against such claims, which, regardless of their merit, could result in litigation, distract our management and materially adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
We have in the past and may in the future become subject to third-party claims that assert that our solutions, services and intellectual property infringe, misappropriate or otherwise violate third-party intellectual property or other proprietary rights. We, in turn, will seek to assert the validity of our intellectual property rights by any legal means that we deem necessary or appropriate in response to any actual or perceived threats. Intellectual property disputes can be costly and disruptive to our business operations by diverting the attention and energies of management and key technical personnel, and by increasing our costs of doing business. Even if a claim is not directly against us, our agreements with distributors generally require us to indemnify them against losses from claims that our products infringe third-party intellectual property rights and entitle us to assume the defense of any claim as part of the indemnification undertaking. Our assumption of the defense of such a claim may result in similar costs, disruption and diversion of management attention to that of a claim that is asserted directly against us. We may not prevail in any such dispute or litigation, and an adverse decision in any legal action involving intellectual property rights could harm our intellectual property rights and the value of any related technology or limit our ability to execute our business. Adverse outcomes in intellectual property disputes could: - require us to redesign our technology or force us to enter into costly settlement or license agreements on terms that are unfavorable to us;- prevent us from manufacturing, importing, using, or selling some or all of our solutions;- disrupt our operations or the markets in which we compete;- impose costly damage awards;- require us to indemnify our distributors and customers; and - require us to pay royalties.
Risk Highlights Q4, 2023
Risk Word Cloud
Risk Factors Full Breakdown - Total Risks 44
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1Provisions of Israeli law and our articles may delay, prevent or otherwise impede a merger with, or an acquisition of, our company, even when the terms of such a transaction are favorable to us and our shareholders.
Israeli corporate law regulates mergers, requires tender offers for acquisitions of shares above specified thresholds, requires special approvals for transactions involving directors, officers or significant shareholders and regulates other matters that may be relevant to such types of transactions. For example, a tender offer for all of a company's issued and outstanding shares can only be completed if the acquirer receives positive responses from the holders of at least 95% of the issued share capital, otherwise, the acquirer may not own more than 90% of a company's issued and outstanding share capital. Completion of the tender offer also requires approval of a majority in number of the offerees that do not have a personal interest in the tender offer, unless at least 98% of the company's outstanding shares are tendered. Furthermore, the shareholders, including those who indicated their acceptance of the tender offer (unless the acquirer stipulated in its tender offer that a shareholder that accepts the offer may not seek appraisal rights), may, at any time within six months following the completion of the tender offer, petition an Israeli court to alter the consideration for the acquisition. See "Articles of Association - Acquisitions under Israeli Law" in Exhibit 2.2 to this annual report. Our articles provide that our directors (other than external directors, to the extent there are any serving at the time) are elected on a staggered basis, such that a potential acquirer cannot readily replace our entire board of directors at a single annual general shareholder meeting. Furthermore, Israeli tax considerations may make potential transactions unappealing to us or to our shareholders whose country of residence does not have a tax treaty with Israel exempting such shareholders from Israeli tax. For example, Israeli tax law does not recognize tax-free share exchanges to the same extent as U.S. tax law. With respect to mergers involving an exchange of shares, Israeli tax law allows for tax deferral in certain circumstances but makes the deferral contingent on the fulfillment of a number of conditions, including, in some cases, a holding period of two years from the date of the transaction during which sales and dispositions of shares of the participating companies are subject to certain restrictions. Moreover, with respect to certain share swap transactions in which the sellers receive shares in the acquiring entity that are publicly traded on a stock exchange, the tax deferral is limited in time, and when such time expires, the tax becomes payable even if no disposition of such shares has occurred. In order to benefit from the tax deferral, a pre-ruling from the Israel Tax Authority, or the ITA, might be required.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2If equity research analysts do not publish research or reports about our business or if analysts, including short sellers, issue unfavorable commentary or downgrade our ordinary shares, the price of our ordinary shares could decline. Additionally, we may fail to meet publicly announced financial guidance or other expectations about our business, which would cause our ordinary shares to decline in value.
The trading market for our ordinary shares relies in part on the research and reports that equity research analysts publish about us, our business and our markets. The price of our ordinary shares could decline if one or more securities analysts downgrade our ordinary shares or if one or more of those analysts issue other unfavorable commentary or cease publishing reports about us or our business. The market price for our ordinary shares has been in the past, and may be in the future, materially and adversely affected by allegations made in reports issued by short sellers regarding our business model, our management and our financial accounting. If our financial results for a particular period do not meet our guidance or if we reduce our guidance for future periods, the market price of our ordinary shares may decline.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 3Certain U.S. holders of our ordinary shares may suffer adverse tax consequences if we or any of our non-U.S. subsidiaries are characterized as a "controlled foreign corporation", or a CFC, under Section 957(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code.
A non-U.S. corporation is considered a CFC if more than 50 percent of (1) the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of such corporation entitled to vote, or (2) the total value of the stock of such corporation; is owned, or is considered as owned by applying certain constructive ownership rules, by United States shareholders who own stock representing 10% or more of the vote or 10% or more of the value on any day during the taxable year of such non-U.S. corporation ("10% U.S. Shareholders"). Generally, a 10% U.S. Shareholder of a CFC is required to include currently in gross income such 10% U.S. Shareholder's share of the CFC's "Subpart F income", a portion of the CFC's earnings to the extent the CFC holds certain U.S. property, and certain other items under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, or the Tax Act. Such 10% U.S. Shareholders are subject to current U.S. federal income tax with respect to such items, even if the CFC has not made an actual distribution to such shareholders. "Subpart F income" includes, among other things, certain passive income (such as income from dividends, interests, royalties, rents and annuities or gain from the sale of property that produces such types of income) and certain sales and services income arising in connection with transactions between the CFC and a person related to the CFC. Certain changes to the CFC constructive ownership rules introduced by the Tax Act may cause one or more of our non-U.S. subsidiaries to be treated as CFCs, may also impact our CFC status and, thus, may affect holders of our common shares that are United States shareholders. For 10% U.S. Shareholders, this may result in adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences, such as current U.S. taxation of Subpart F income and of any such shareholder's share of our accumulated non-U.S. earnings and profits (regardless of whether we make any distributions), taxation of amounts treated as global intangible low-taxed income under Section 951A of the Code with respect to such shareholder, and being subject to certain reporting requirements with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. Any 10% U.S. Shareholder should consult its own tax advisors regarding the U.S. tax consequences of acquiring, owning, or disposing our common shares and the impact of the Tax Act, especially the changes to the rules relating to CFCs.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 4Our U.S. shareholders may suffer adverse tax consequences if we are classified as a passive foreign investment company.
Generally, if for any taxable year 75% or more of our gross income is passive income, or at least 50% of the average quarterly value of our assets (which may be determined in part by the market value of our ordinary shares, which is subject to change) are held for the production of, or produce, passive income, we would be characterized as a passive foreign investment company, or PFIC, for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Based on historic and certain estimates of our gross income, gross assets and market capitalization (which may fluctuate from time to time) and the nature of our business, we believe we were not a PFIC for the taxable year ended December 31, 2023. Because PFIC status is based on our income, assets and activities for the entire taxable year, it is not possible to determine whether we will be characterized as a PFIC for our 2024 taxable year until after the close of the year. Furthermore, because the value of our gross assets is likely to be determined in part by reference to our market capitalization, a decline in the value of our ordinary shares may result in our becoming a PFIC. There can be no assurance that we will not be considered a PFIC for any taxable year. If we are characterized as a PFIC, our U.S. shareholders may suffer adverse tax consequences, including having gains realized on the sale of our ordinary shares treated as ordinary income, rather than as capital gain, the loss of the preferential rate applicable to dividends received on our ordinary shares by individuals who are U.S. Holders (as defined in "ITEM 10.E Taxation and Government Programs-U.S. Federal Income Taxation"), and having interest charges apply to distributions by us and the proceeds of sales of our ordinary shares. Certain elections exist that may alleviate some of the adverse consequences of PFIC status and would result in an alternative treatment (such as mark-to-market treatment) of our ordinary shares. For a more detailed discussion, see "ITEM 10.E Taxation and Government Programs - U.S. Federal Income Taxation - Passive Foreign Investment Company Considerations."
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 5Your rights and responsibilities as a shareholder are governed by Israeli law, which differs in some material respects from the rights and responsibilities of shareholders of U.S. companies.
The rights and responsibilities of the holders of our ordinary shares are governed by our articles and by Israeli law. These rights and responsibilities differ in some material respects from the rights and responsibilities of shareholders in U.S.-based corporations. In particular, a shareholder of an Israeli company has a duty to act in good faith and in a customary manner in exercising its rights and performing its obligations towards the company and other shareholders, and to refrain from abusing its power in the company, including, among other things, in voting at a general meeting of shareholders on matters such as amendments to a company's articles of association, increases in a company's authorized share capital, mergers and acquisitions and related party transactions requiring shareholder approval. In addition, a shareholder who is aware that it possesses the power to determine the outcome of a shareholder vote or to appoint or prevent the appointment of a director or executive officer in the company has a duty of fairness toward the company. There is limited case law available to assist us in understanding the nature of this duty or the implications of these provisions. These provisions may be interpreted to impose additional obligations and liabilities on holders of our ordinary shares that are not typically imposed on shareholders of U.S. corporations.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 6The market price of our ordinary shares could be negatively affected by future sales of our ordinary shares.
Future sales by us or our shareholders of a substantial number of ordinary shares in the public market, or the perception that these sales might occur, could cause the market price of our ordinary shares to decline or could impair our ability to raise capital through a future sale of, or to pay for acquisitions using, our equity securities. Amazon is entitled to certain registration rights with respect to the 3,401,028 ordinary shares underlying new warrants that we issued to its affiliate on September 14, 2020, pursuant to a transaction agreement that we entered into with Amazon on that day. All shares sold pursuant to an offering covered by a registration statement will be freely transferable except if purchased by an affiliate. See "ITEM 10.C- Material Contracts- Agreements with Amazon- Transaction Agreement and Warrant" in this annual report. In addition, 2,107,696 ordinary shares are issuable under currently vested and exercisable share options and unvested restricted share units, or RSUs, in the aggregate, granted to employees and office holders as of December 31, 2023. We have filed registration statements on Form S-8 under the Securities Act registering our potential issuance of those ordinary shares under our share incentive plans, of which, as of December 31, 2023, there were options, RSUs and warrants to purchase 4,094,530 shares outstanding. Shares included in such registration statements may be freely sold in the public market upon issuance, except for shares held by affiliates who have certain restrictions on their ability to sell.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 7As a foreign private issuer whose shares are listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market, we may follow certain home country corporate governance practices instead of otherwise applicable SEC and Nasdaq requirements, which may result in less protection than is accorded to investors under rules applicable to domestic U.S. issuers.
As a foreign private issuer whose shares are listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market, we are permitted to follow certain home country corporate governance practices instead of those otherwise required under the corporate governance standards for U.S. domestic issuers. We currently follow Israeli home country practices with regard to the (i) quorum requirement for shareholder meetings (25%, which is less than the one-third minimum required under the Nasdaq rules) and (ii) independent director oversight requirement for director nominations (the board as a whole, rather than an entirely independent nominating committee or only the independent directors, handles this under Israeli law). See "ITEM 16G. Corporate Governance." Furthermore, we may in the future elect to follow Israeli home country practices in lieu of the Nasdaq requirements on other matters, such as the requirement to hold separate executive sessions of independent directors or to obtain shareholder approval for certain dilutive events (such as for the establishment or amendment of certain equity-based compensation plans, issuances that will result in a change of control of the company, certain transactions other than a public offering involving issuances of a 20% or more interest in the company and certain acquisitions of the stock or assets of another company). Accordingly, our shareholders may not be afforded the same protection as provided under Nasdaq corporate governance rules. Following our home country governance practices as opposed to the requirements that would otherwise apply to a United States company listed on Nasdaq may provide less protection than is accorded to investors of domestic issuers. See "ITEM 16G. Corporate Governance."
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 8Our share price may be volatile.
The market price of our ordinary shares has been volatile in recent years. It may continue to fluctuate substantially as a result of many factors, including: - actual or anticipated variations in our and/or our competitors' results of operations and financial condition;- variance in our financial performance from the expectations of market analysts;- announcements by us or our competitors of significant business developments, changes in service provider relationships, acquisitions, strategic relationships or expansion plans;- changes in the prices of our solutions;- our involvement in litigation;- our sale of ordinary shares or other securities in the future;- market conditions in our industry;- changes in key personnel;- the trading volume of our ordinary shares;- changes in the estimation of the future size and growth rate of our markets; and - general economic and market conditions; In addition, recently, the stock markets have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations. Broad market and industry factors may materially harm the market price of our ordinary shares, regardless of our operating performance. In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of a company's securities, securities class action litigation has often been instituted against that company. We, too, along with certain of our current and former executives, and, in one case, our directors, the underwriters for our November 2021 follow-on public offering and Amazon, have been made subject to such securities class action litigation, which alleges that we made misrepresentations and omissions in our public statements and disclosures in violation of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder. If these actions or any similar litigation against us are not dismissed or settled at their early stages, we could incur substantial costs and our management's attention and resources could be diverted.
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.