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Match Group (MTCH) Risk Analysis
Risk Overview Q4, 2020
Risk Change Over Time
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- Regulation - Risk 1A variety of new laws, or new interpretations Our business is subject to complex and evolving U.S. and international laws and regulations. Many of existing laws, could these laws and regulations are subject us to claims change and uncertain interpretation, and could result in claims, changes to our business practices, monetary penalties, increased cost of operations, or declines in user growth or engagement, or otherwise harm our business.
We are subject to a variety of laws and regulations in the United States and abroad that involve matters that are important to or may otherwise impact our business, including, among others, broadband internet access, online commerce, advertising, user privacy, data protection, intermediary liability, protection of minors, consumer protection, general safety, sex-trafficking, taxation and securities law compliance. The introduction of new products, expansion of our activities in certain jurisdictions, or other actions that we may take may subject us to additional laws, regulations or other government scrutiny. In addition, foreign laws and regulations can impose different obligations or be more restrictive than those in the United States. These U.S. federal, state, and municipal and foreign laws and regulations, which in some cases can be enforced by private parties in addition to government entities, are constantly evolving and can be subject to significant change. As a result, the application, interpretation, and enforcement of these laws and regulations are often uncertain, particularly in the new and rapidly evolving industry in which we operate, and may be interpreted and applied inconsistently from state to state and country to country and inconsistently with our current policies and practices. These laws and regulations, as well as any associated inquiries or investigations or any other government actions, may be costly to comply with and may delay or impede the development of new products, require that we change or cease certain business practices, result in negative publicity, increase our operating costs, require significant management time and attention, and subject us to remedies that may harm our business, including fines or demands or orders that we modify or cease existing business practices. Specifically, in the case of tax laws, positions that we have taken or will take are subject to interpretation by the relevant taxing authorities. While we believe that the positions we have taken to date comply with applicable law, there can be no assurances that the relevant taxing authorities will not take a contrary position, and if so, that such positions will not adversely affect us. Any events of this nature could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Proposed or new legislation and regulations could also adversely affect our business. For example, the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development ("OECD") is revising its recommendations on how to tax international businesses, including expanding the jurisdiction of member countries to tax businesses based on some level of digital presence and subjecting these companies to a minimum tax. Also, the European Commission, as well as several countries both inside and outside the EU, have recently adopted or considered proposals that would change various aspects of the current tax framework under which we are taxed, including proposals to change or impose new types of non-income taxes, including taxes based on a percentage of revenue. One or more of these or similar proposals could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. The promulgation of new laws or regulations, or the new interpretation of existing laws and regulations, in each case that restrict or otherwise unfavorably impact the ability or manner in which we provide our services could require us to change certain aspects of our business and operations to ensure compliance, which could decrease demand for services, reduce revenues, increase costs and subject us to additional liabilities. For example, the United Kingdom published proposed legislation, which would establish a new regulatory body to establish duties of care for internet companies and to assess compliance with these duties of care. Under the proposed law, failure to comply could result in fines, blocking of services and personal liability for senior management. In the United States, governmental authorities, elected officials, and political candidates have called for amendments to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act that would purport to limit or remove protections afforded interactive computer service providers. Proposed legislation includes the EARN IT Act, the PACT Act, the BAD ADS Act and others. Similar proposed legislation in the EU, currently known as the Digital Services Act, also intends to limit or remove protections afforded technology platforms under the e-Commerce Directive. To the extent such new or more stringent measures are required to be implemented, or existing protections are limited or removed, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected. The adoption of any laws or regulations that adversely affect the popularity or growth in use of the internet or our services, including laws or regulations that undermine open and neutrally administered internet access, could decrease user demand for our service offerings and increase our cost of doing business. For example, in December 2017, the Federal Communications Commission adopted an order reversing net neutrality protections in the United States, including the repeal of specific rules against blocking, throttling or "paid prioritization" of content or services by internet service providers. To the extent internet service providers engage in such blocking, throttling, "paid prioritization" of content or similar actions as a result of this order and the adoption of similar laws or regulations, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
Risk Highlights Q4, 2020
Risk Word Cloud
Risk Factors Full Breakdown - Total Risks 32
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1Provisions in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws or Delaware law may discourage, delay, or prevent a change of control of our company or changes in our management and, therefore, depress the trading price of our common stock.
Delaware corporate law and our certificate of incorporation and bylaws contain provisions that could discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our company or changes in our management that the stockholders of our company may deem advantageous, including provisions which: - authorize the issuance of "blank check" preferred stock that our board of directors could issue to increase the number of outstanding shares and to discourage a takeover attempt;- establish a classified board of directors, as a result of which our board is divided into three classes, with each class serving for staggered three-year terms, which prevents stockholders from electing an entirely new board of directors at an annual meeting;- prohibit stockholder action by written consent, thereby requiring all actions to be taken at a meeting of the stockholders;- eliminate the ability of our stockholders to call special meetings of stockholders;- provide that certain litigation against us can be brought only in Delaware (subject to certain exceptions); and - provide that the board of directors is expressly authorized to make, alter, or repeal our bylaws. Any provision of our certificate of incorporation, our bylaws or Delaware law that has the effect of delaying or deterring a change in control could limit the opportunity for our stockholders to receive a premium for their shares of our common stock, and could also affect the price that some investors are willing to pay for our common stock.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2You may experience dilution due to the issuance of additional securities in the future.
Our dilutive securities consist of vested and unvested options to purchase shares of our common stock, restricted stock unit awards, equity awards denominated in the equity of our non-public subsidiaries but settleable in shares of our common stock, the exchangeable notes and the exchangeable note warrants. These dilutive securities are reflected in our dilutive earnings per share calculation contained in our financial statements for fiscal years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018. For more information, see "Note 10-Earnings per Share" to the consolidated financial statements included in "Part II, Item 8-Consolidated Financial Statements and Supplementary Data." Intra-quarter movements in our stock price, could lead to more or less dilution than reflected in these calculations.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 3Our certificate of incorporation could prevent us from benefiting from corporate opportunities that might otherwise have been available to us.
Our certificate of incorporation includes a "corporate opportunity" provision in which Match Group and its affiliates renounce any interests or expectancy in corporate opportunities which become known to any of Match Group's directors or officers who are also officers or directors of IAC. Generally, Match Group's officers or directors who are also IAC's officers or directors will not be liable to Match Group or its stockholders for breach of any fiduciary duty because such person fails to communicate or offer to Match Group a corporate opportunity that has been communicated or offered to IAC, that may also be a corporate opportunity of Match Group or because such person communicates or offers to IAC any corporate opportunity that may also be a corporate opportunity of Match Group. In order for any Match Group director or officer who is also an IAC director or officer not to be liable to Match Group or its stockholders, such opportunity cannot become known to the officer or director in his or her capacity as a Match Group director or officer and cannot be presented to any party other than IAC. In addition, such officer or director cannot pursue such opportunity in his or her individual capacity. The corporate opportunity provision may exacerbate conflicts of interest between Match Group and IAC because the provision effectively permits any of Match Group's directors or officers who also serve as an officer or director of IAC to choose to direct a corporate opportunity to IAC instead of to Match Group.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 4Exchange of the exchangeable notes may dilute the ownership interests of existing stockholders or may otherwise depress the price of our common stock.
We are obligated as a guarantor under the indentures relating to the exchangeable notes. The exchange of some or all of the exchangeable notes may dilute the ownership interests of our stockholders to the extent we deliver shares of our common stock upon exchange. While the exchangeable note hedges are expected to reduce the potential dilutive effect on our common stock upon any exchange and/or offset any cash payment the issuers of the exchangeable notes would be required to make in excess of the principal amount of the exchanged notes, the warrants have a dilutive effect to the extent that the market price per share of our common stock exceeds the strike price of the warrants. Any sales in the public market of our common stock issuable upon such exchange could adversely affect prevailing market prices of our common stock. In addition, the existence of the exchangeable notes may encourage short selling of our common stock by market participants because the exchange of the exchangeable notes could be used to satisfy short positions. In addition, the anticipated exchange of the exchangeable notes could depress the price of our common stock.
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