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Funko Inc (FNKO)
:FNKO
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Risk Overview Q3, 2024
Risk Distribution
37% Finance & Corporate
17% Legal & Regulatory
15% Ability to Sell
13% Tech & Innovation
10% Macro & Political
8% Production
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
This chart displays the stock's most recent risk distribution according to category. TipRanks has identified 6 major categories: Finance & corporate, legal & regulatory, macro & political, production, tech & innovation, and ability to sell.
Risk Change Over Time
S&P500 Average
Sector Average
Risks removed
Risks added
Risks changed
Funko Risk Factors
New Risk (0)
Risk Changed (0)
Risk Removed (0)
No changes from previous report
The chart shows the number of risks a company has disclosed. You can compare this to the sector average or S&P 500 average.
The quarters shown in the chart are according to the calendar year (January to December). Businesses set their own financial calendar, known as a fiscal year. For example, Walmart ends their financial year at the end of January to accommodate the holiday season.
The quarters shown in the chart are according to the calendar year (January to December). Businesses set their own financial calendar, known as a fiscal year. For example, Walmart ends their financial year at the end of January to accommodate the holiday season.
Risk Highlights Q3, 2024
Main Risk Category
Finance & Corporate
With 22 Risks
Finance & Corporate
With 22 Risks
Number of Disclosed Risks
60
-2
From last reportS&P 500 Average: 31
60
-2
From last reportS&P 500 Average: 31
Recent Changes
0Risks added
2Risks removed
2Risks changed
Since Sep 2024
0Risks added
2Risks removed
2Risks changed
Since Sep 2024
Number of Risk Changed
2
+1
From last reportS&P 500 Average: 3
2
+1
From last reportS&P 500 Average: 3
See the risk highlights of Funko in the last period.
Risk Word Cloud
The most common phrases about risk factors from the most recent report. Larger texts indicate more widely used phrases.
Risk Factors Full Breakdown - Total Risks 60
Finance & Corporate
Total Risks: 22/60 (37%)Below Sector Average
Share Price & Shareholder Rights11 | 18.3%
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1
In certain circumstances, FAH, LLC will be required to make distributions to us and the Continuing Equity Owners and certain of their transferees, and the distributions that FAH, LLC will be required to make may be substantial.Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2
Our organizational structure, including the Tax Receivable Agreement, confers certain benefits upon the TRA Parties that will not benefit Class A common stockholders to the same extent as it will benefit the Continuing Equity Owners and transferees.Our organizational structure, including the Tax Receivable Agreement, confers certain benefits upon the TRA Parties and the Continuing Equity Owners and certain of their transferees that will not benefit the holders of our Class A common stock to the same extent. We have entered into the Tax Receivable Agreement with FAH, LLC and the TRA Parties, and it provides for the payment by us to the TRA Parties of 85% of the amount of tax benefits, if any, that we realize, or in some circumstances are deemed to realize, as a result of (1) any future redemptions funded by us or exchanges (or deemed exchanges in certain circumstances) of common units for Class A common stock or cash and (2) certain additional tax benefits attributable to payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement. This and other aspects of our organizational structure may adversely impact the future trading market for our Class A common stock.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 3
The Continuing Equity Owners own common units in FAH, LLC, and the Continuing Equity Owners have the right to redeem their common units in FAH, LLC pursuant to the terms of the FAH LLC Agreement for shares of Class A common stock or cash.As of November 5, 2024, we had an aggregate of 147,277,168 shares of Class A common stock authorized but unissued, as well as approximately 1,756,788 shares of Class A common stock issuable, at our election, upon redemption of FAH, LLC common units held by the Continuing Equity Owners. FAH, LLC has entered into the FAH LLC Agreement, and subject to certain restrictions set forth in such agreement, the Continuing Equity Owners are entitled to have their common units redeemed from time to time at each of their options (subject in certain circumstances to time-based vesting requirements) for, at our election, newly-issued shares of our Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis or a cash payment equal to a volume weighted average market price of one share of Class A common stock for each common unit redeemed, in each case, in accordance with the terms of the FAH LLC Agreement; provided that, at our election, we may effect a direct exchange by us of such Class A common stock or such cash, as applicable, for such common units. The Continuing Equity Owners may exercise such redemption right for as long as their common units remain outstanding. We also entered into a Registration Rights Agreement pursuant to which the shares of Class A common stock issued to certain of the Continuing Equity Owners (including each of our then-current executive officers) upon such redemption and remaining shares of Class A common stock issued to the Former Equity Owners in connection with the Transactions (such shares now being held by TCG) are eligible for resale, subject to certain limitations set forth in the Registration Rights Agreement.
We cannot predict the size of future issuances of our Class A common stock or the effect, if any, that future issuances and sales of shares of our Class A common stock may have on the market price of our Class A common stock. Sales or distributions of substantial amounts of our Class A common stock, including shares issued in connection with an acquisition, or the perception that such sales or distributions could occur, may cause the market price of our Class A common stock to decline.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 4
You may be diluted by future issuances of additional Class A common stock or common units in connection with our incentive plans, acquisitions or otherwise; future sales of such shares in the public market, or the expectations that such sales may occur, could lower our stock price.Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes us to issue shares of our Class A common stock and options, rights, warrants and appreciation rights relating to our Class A common stock for the consideration and on the terms and conditions established by our board of directors in its sole discretion, whether in connection with acquisitions or otherwise. In addition, we, FAH, LLC and the Continuing Equity Owners are party to the FAH LLC Agreement under which the Continuing Equity Owners (or certain permitted transferees thereof) have the right (subject to the terms of the FAH LLC Agreement) to have their common units redeemed from time to time at each of their options (subject in certain circumstances to time-based vesting requirements) by FAH, LLC in exchange for, at our election, newly-issued shares of our Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis or a cash payment equal to a volume-weighted average market price of one share of Class A common stock for each common unit redeemed, in each case, in accordance with the terms of the FAH LLC Agreement; provided that, at our election, we may effect a direct exchange by us of such Class A common stock or such cash, as applicable, for such common units. The Continuing Equity Owners may exercise such redemption right for as long as their common units remain outstanding. The market price of shares of our Class A common stock could decline as a result of these redemptions or exchanges or the perception that a redemption or exchange could occur. These redemptions or exchanges, or the possibility that these redemptions or exchanges may occur, also might make it more difficult for holders of our Class A common stock to sell such stock in the future at a time and at a price that they deem appropriate.
We originally reserved for issuance 5,518,518 shares of Class A common stock under our 2017 Incentive Award Plan (the "2017 Plan"), including, as of September 30, 2024, 1,480,842 shares of Class A common stock underlying stock options we granted to certain of our directors, executive officers and other employees and 2,377,793 shares of Class A common stock underlying restricted stock units we granted to certain of our executive officers, consultants and other employees. We have also reserved for issuance an aggregate number of shares under the Company's 2019 Incentive Award Plan (the "2019 Plan") equal to the sum of (i) 3,000,000 shares of our Class A common stock and (ii) an annual increase on the first day of each calendar year beginning on January 1, 2020 and ending on and including January 1, 2029, equal to the lesser of (A) 2% of the shares of Class A common stock outstanding as of the last day of the immediately preceding fiscal year on a fully-diluted basis and (B) such lesser number of shares of Class A common stock as determined by our board of directors. As of September 30, 2024, we had granted 2,576,214 shares of Class A common stock underlying stock options, 3,524,104 shares of Class A common stock underlying restricted stock units and 57,617 shares of Class A common stock underlying performance stock units under the 2019 Plan to certain of our executive officers, consultants and other employees. In May 2024, we reserved for issuance 1,500,000 shares of Class A common stock under the 2024 Inducement Award Plan. As of September 30, 2024, we had granted 481,510 shares of Class A common stock underlying restricted stock units and 297,974 shares of Class A common stock underlying performance stock options to a certain executive officer under the 2024 Inducement Award Plan. Any shares of Class A common stock that we issue, including under our 2017 Plan, our 2019 Plan, our 2024 Inducement Award Plan or other equity incentive plans that we may adopt in the future, would dilute the percentage ownership held by the holders of our Class A common stock.
In the future, we may also issue additional securities if we need to raise capital, including, but not limited to, in connection with acquisitions, which could constitute a material portion of our then-outstanding shares of Class A common stock. Further, in connection with the completion of the IPO, we entered into a Registration Rights Agreement with certain of the Original Equity Owners (including each of our then-current executive officers), pursuant to which TCG has been joined as a party. On July 15, 2022, we filed a preliminary shelf registration statement on Form S-3 with the SEC. The Form S-3 was declared effective by the SEC on July 26, 2022. The Form S-3 allows us to sell from time to time up to $100.0 million of Class A common stock, preferred stock, debt securities, warrants, purchase contracts or units comprised of any combination of these securities for our own account and, allows parties to the Registration Rights Agreement to sell 17,318,008 shares of Class A common stock in one or more offerings. If we offer and sell Class A common stock under the Form S-3, it would dilute the percentage ownership held by the existing holders of our Class A common stock. Any sales in connection with the Registration Rights Agreement, or the prospect of any such sales, could materially impact the market price of our Class A common stock and could impair our ability to raise capital through future sales of equity securities.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 5
Delaware law and certain provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws may prevent efforts by our stockholders to change the direction or management of our company.We are a Delaware corporation, and the anti-takeover provisions of Delaware law impose various impediments to the ability of a third-party to acquire control of us, even if a change of control would be beneficial to our existing stockholders. In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws contain provisions that may make the acquisition of our company more difficult without the approval of our board of directors, including, but not limited to, the following:
- our board of directors is classified into three classes, each of which serves for a staggered three-year term;- only the chairperson of our board of directors or a majority of our board of directors may call special meetings of our stockholders;- we have authorized undesignated preferred stock, the terms of which may be established and shares of which may be issued without stockholder approval;- any action required or permitted to be taken by our stockholders at an annual meeting or special meeting of stockholders may not be taken by written consent in lieu of a meeting;- our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws may be amended or repealed by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 662/3% of the votes which all our stockholders would be entitled to cast in any annual election of directors and our amended and restated bylaws may also be amended or repealed by a majority vote of our board of directors;- we require advance notice and duration of ownership requirements for stockholder proposals; and - we have opted out of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, or the DGCL, however, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation contains provisions that are similar to Section 203 of the DGCL (except with respect to TCG and certain other parties, including certain affiliates, associates and transferees of TCG).
These provisions could discourage, delay or prevent a transaction involving a change in control of our company. These provisions could also discourage proxy contests and make it more difficult for you and other stockholders to elect directors of your choosing and cause us to take other corporate actions you desire, including actions that you may deem advantageous, or negatively affect the trading price of our Class A common stock. In addition, because our board of directors is responsible for appointing the members of our management team, these provisions could in turn affect any attempt by our stockholders to replace current members of our management team.
Please see "Organizational Structure Risks-TCG has significant influence over us, including over decisions that require the approval of stockholders, and its interests, along with the interests of our other Continuing Equity Owners and certain other parties, in our business may conflict with the interests of our other stockholders."
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 6
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides, subject to certain exceptions, that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for certain stockholder litigation matters and our amended and restated bylaws designate the federal district courts of the United States as the exclusive forum for actions arising under the Securities Act, which could limit our stockholders' ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, employees or stockholders.Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides, subject to limited exceptions, that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the sole and exclusive forum for (1) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf; (2) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our directors, officers or other employees to us or our stockholders; (3) any action asserting a claim against us, any director or our officers and employees arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or our amended and restated bylaws, or as to which the DGCL confers exclusive jurisdiction on the Court of Chancery; or (4) any action asserting a claim against us, any director or our officers or employees that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine. In addition, our bylaws provide that the federal district courts of the United States are the exclusive forum for any complaint raising a cause of action arising under the Securities Act. These provisions would not apply to suits brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Exchange Act. These choice of forum provisions may limit a stockholder's ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or any of our directors, officers, other employees or stockholders which may discourage lawsuits with respect to such claims. Alternatively, if a court were to find either of the choice of forum provisions to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 7
We may issue shares of preferred stock in the future, which could make it difficult for another company to acquire us or could otherwise adversely affect holders of our Class A common stock, which could depress the price of our Class A common stock.Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes us to issue one or more series of preferred stock. Our board of directors has the authority to determine the preferences, limitations and relative rights of the shares of preferred stock and to fix the number of shares constituting any series and the designation of such series, without any further vote or action by our stockholders. Our preferred stock could be issued with voting, liquidation, dividend and other rights superior to the rights of our Class A common stock. The potential issuance of preferred stock may delay or prevent a change in control of us, discouraging bids for our Class A common stock at a premium to the market price, and materially and adversely affect the market price and the voting and other rights of the holders of our Class A common stock.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 8
TCG has significant influence over us, including over decisions that require the approval of stockholders, and its interests, along with the interests of our Continuing Equity Owners and certain other parties, in our business may conflict with the interests of our other stockholders.Each share of our Class A common stock and Class B common stock entitles its holders to one vote per share on all matters presented to our stockholders. TCG currently has significant influence over substantially all transactions and other matters submitted to a vote of our stockholders, such as a merger, consolidation, dissolution or sale of all or substantially all of our assets, the issuance or redemption of certain additional equity interests, and the election of directors. This influence may increase the likelihood that we will consummate transactions that are not in the best interests of holders of our Class A common stock or, conversely, prevent the consummation of transactions that are in the best interests of holders of our Class A common stock.
We entered into a Stockholders Agreement with TCG (the "Stockholders Agreement"), in connection with TCG's acquisition of our stock from another stockholder, as well as a Joinder and Amendment to our Registration Rights Agreement, both of which became effective at the closing of the ACON Sale. Pursuant to the Stockholders Agreement, TCG has the right to designate certain of our directors, which we refer to as the TCG Directors, which will be two TCG Directors for as long as the TCG Related Parties (as defined in the Stockholders Agreement) beneficially own directly or indirectly, in the aggregate at least 20% of our Class A common stock, and one TCG Director for as long as the TCG Related Parties beneficially own directly or indirectly, in the aggregate, less than 20% but at least 10% or more of our Class A common stock (assuming in each such case that all outstanding common units in FAH, LLC are redeemed for newly issued shares of our Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis). The TCG Related Parties are not entitled to designate any TCG director designee if at any time, the TCG Related Parties beneficially own, directly or indirectly, in the aggregate less than 10% of all issued and outstanding shares of Class A common stock (assuming in each such case that all outstanding common units in FAH, LLC are redeemed for newly issued shares of our Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis). Additionally, we are required to take all commercially reasonable action to cause (1) the board of directors to be comprised of at least seven directors or such other number of directors as our board of directors may determine; (2) the individuals designated in accordance with the terms of the Stockholders Agreement to be included in the slate of nominees to be elected to the board of directors at each annual meeting of our stockholders at which a director's term expires; and (3) the individuals designated in accordance with the terms of the Stockholders Agreement to fill the applicable vacancies on the board of directors.
In addition, the Stockholders Agreement provides that for as long as the TCG Related Parties, beneficially own, directly or indirectly, in the aggregate, 22% or more of all issued and outstanding shares of our Class A common stock (assuming that all outstanding common units in FAH, LLC are redeemed for newly issued shares of our Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis), we will not take, and will cause our subsidiaries not to take, certain actions or enter into certain transactions (whether by merger, consolidation, or otherwise) without the prior written approval of TCG, including:
- entering into any transaction or series of related transactions in which any person or group (other than the TCG Related Parties and any group that includes the TCG Related Parties), acquires, directly or indirectly, in excess of 50% of the then outstanding shares of any class of our or our subsidiaries' capital stock, or following which any such person or group has the direct or indirect power to elect a majority of the members of our board of directors or to replace us as the sole manager of FAH, LLC (or to add another person as co-manager of FAH, LLC);- the reorganization, voluntary bankruptcy, liquidation, dissolution or winding up of us or any of our subsidiaries;- the sale, lease or exchange of all or substantially all of our and our subsidiaries' property and assets;- the resignation, replacement or removal of us as the sole manager of FAH, LLC, or the appointment of any additional person as a manager of FAH, LLC;- the creation of a new class or series of capital stock or other equity securities of us or, in the event such creation would materially and adversely impair the rights of the TCG Related Parties as holders of our Class A common stock, any of our subsidiaries;- the issuance of additional shares of Class A common stock, Class B common stock, preferred stock or other equity securities of us other than (x) under any stock option or other equity compensation plan approved by our board of directors or the compensation committee, or (y) pursuant to the exercise or conversion of any options, warrants or other securities existing as of the date of the Stockholders Agreement or, in the event such creation would materially and adversely impair the rights of the TCG Related Parties as holders of our Class A common stock, equity securities of any of our subsidiaries;- any amendment or modification of our certificate of incorporation or bylaws or any similar organizational documents of any of our subsidiaries that would, in either case, materially and adversely impair the rights of the TCG Related Parties as holders of our Class A common stock, and - except to the extent of the express restrictions applicable to TCG and its controlled affiliates in the New Stockholders Agreement, any action to adopt, approve or implement any plan, agreement or provision that would, among other things, negatively affect TCG's or its controlled affiliates' ability to continue to hold or acquire additional shares of our capital stock or other securities.
Additionally, the Continuing Equity Owners who, as of November 5, 2024, collectively hold approximately 2.6% of the combined voting power of our common stock, and certain transferees of former Continuing Equity Owners that have been joined to our TRA Parties may receive payments from us under the Tax Receivable Agreement in connection with our purchase of common units of FAH, LLC directly from certain of the Continuing Equity Owners upon a redemption or exchange of their common units in FAH, LLC, including the issuance of shares of our Class A common stock upon any such redemption or exchange. Moreover, Continuing Equity Owners own interests in our business by holding interests in FAH, LLC directly (rather than through ownership of our Class A common stock). As a result of these considerations, the interests of the Continuing Equity Owners and such transferees as well as the TRA Parties may conflict with the interests of holders of our Class A common stock. For example, the TRA Parties may have different interests in the tax positions or other actions that we take which could influence their decisions regarding whether and when to dispose of assets, whether and when to incur new or refinance existing indebtedness, and whether and when we should terminate the Tax Receivable Agreement and accelerate our obligations thereunder. In addition, the structuring of future transactions may take into consideration tax or other considerations of the TRA Parties even in situations where no similar considerations are relevant to us.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 9
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the doctrine of "corporate opportunity" does not apply with respect to any director or stockholder who is not employed by us or our subsidiaries.The doctrine of corporate opportunity generally provides that a corporate fiduciary may not develop an opportunity using corporate resources, acquire an interest adverse to that of the corporation or acquire property that is reasonably incident to the present or prospective business of the corporation or in which the corporation has a present or expectancy interest, unless that opportunity is first presented to the corporation and the corporation chooses not to pursue that opportunity. The doctrine of corporate opportunity is intended to preclude officers or directors or other fiduciaries from personally benefiting from opportunities that belong to the corporation. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the doctrine of "corporate opportunity" does not apply with respect to any director or stockholder who is not employed by us or our subsidiaries. Any director or stockholder who is not employed by us or our subsidiaries therefore has no duty to communicate or present corporate opportunities to us, and has the right to either hold any corporate opportunity for their (and their affiliates') own account and benefit or to recommend, assign or otherwise transfer such corporate opportunity to persons other than us, including to any director or stockholder who is not employed by us or our subsidiaries.
As a result, certain of our stockholders, directors and their respective affiliates are not prohibited from operating or investing in competing businesses. We therefore may find ourselves in competition with certain of our stockholders, directors or their respective affiliates, and we may not have knowledge of, or be able to pursue, transactions that could potentially be beneficial to us. Accordingly, we may lose a corporate opportunity or suffer competitive harm, which could negatively impact our business or prospects.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 10
Our Class A common stock price may be volatile or may decline regardless of our operating performance and you may not be able to resell your shares at or above the price you paid for them.Volatility in the market price of our Class A common stock may prevent you from being able to sell your shares at or above the price you paid for them. Many factors, which are outside our control, may cause the market price of our Class A common stock to fluctuate significantly, including those described elsewhere in this "Risk Factors" section, as well as the following:
- our operating and financial performance and prospects;- our quarterly or annual earnings or those of other companies in our industry compared to market expectations;- conditions that impact demand for our products;- future announcements concerning our business, our customers' businesses or our competitors' businesses;- the public's reaction to our press releases, other public announcements and filings with the SEC;- the size of our public float;- coverage by or changes in financial estimates by securities analysts or failure to meet their expectations;- market and industry perception of our success, or lack thereof, in pursuing our growth strategy;- short sales of our stock or trading phenomena such as "short squeezes";- strategic actions by us or our competitors, such as acquisitions or restructurings;- changes in laws or regulations which adversely affect our industry, our licensors or us;- changes in accounting standards, policies, guidance, interpretations or principles;- changes in senior management or key personnel;- issuances, exchanges or sales, or expected issuances, exchanges or sales of our capital stock;- changes in our dividend policy;- adverse resolution of new or pending litigation against us;- the imposition of fines or other remedial measures as a result of regulatory violations or civil liability such as due to the underpayment of customs duties at Loungefly; and - changes in general market, economic and political conditions in the United States and global economies or financial markets, including those resulting from natural disasters, terrorist attacks, acts of war, pandemics or other health crises, and responses to such events.
As a result, volatility in the market price of our Class A common stock may prevent investors from being able to sell their Class A common stock at or above the price they paid for them or at all. These broad market and industry factors may materially reduce the market price of our Class A common stock, regardless of our operating performance. In addition, price volatility may be greater if the public float and trading volume of our Class A common stock is low. As a result, you may suffer a loss on your investment.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 11
We may fail to meet analyst expectations, or analysts may issue unfavorable commentary about us or our industry or downgrade our Class A common stock, which could cause the price of our Class A common stock to decline.Our Class A common stock is traded publicly, and various securities analysts follow our company and issue reports on us. These reports include information about our historical financial results as well as the analysts' estimates of our future performance. The analysts' estimates are based upon their own independent opinions and may be different from our own estimates or expectations. If our operating results are below the estimates or expectations of public market analysts and investors, the trading price of our Class A common stock could decline. In addition, one or more analysts could cease to cover our company, which could cause us to lose visibility in the market, and one or more analysts could downgrade our Class A common stock or issue other negative commentary about our company or our industry. As a result of one or more of these factors, the trading price of our Class A common stock could decline.
Accounting & Financial Operations5 | 8.3%
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 1
Any impairment in the value of our goodwill or other assets could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 2
As a public reporting company, we are subject to rules and regulations established from time to time by the SEC regarding our internal control over financial reporting. Any failure to establish and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures may cause us to not be able to accurately report our financial results or report them in a timely manner.We are a public reporting company subject to the rules and regulations established from time to time by the SEC and The Nasdaq Stock Market. These rules and regulations require, among other things, that we have and periodically evaluate procedures with respect to our internal control over financial reporting. Reporting obligations as a public company are likely to continue to place a considerable strain on our financial and management systems, processes and controls, as well as on our personnel.
Under Section 404(a) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act our management is required to assess and report annually on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting and to identify any material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires our independent registered public accounting firm to issue an annual report that addresses the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting.
We have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, as discussed in Part I, Item 4 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and our independent registered public accounting firm was not able to render an unqualified opinion on management's assessment and the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023. In addition to taking remediation measures in response to the material weaknesses we identified, we may need to expend additional resources and provide additional management oversight in order to establish effective disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting. Implementing any appropriate changes to our internal controls may require specific compliance training of our employees, entail substantial costs, take a significant period of time to complete or divert management's attention from other business concerns.
The material weaknesses will not be considered remediated until our remediation plan has been fully implemented, the applicable controls operate for a sufficient period of time, and we have concluded, through testing, that the newly implemented and enhanced controls are operating effectively. At this time, we cannot predict the success of such efforts or the outcome of our assessment of the remediation efforts. We can give no assurance that our efforts will remediate these material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, or that additional material weaknesses will not be identified in the future. Our failure to implement and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting could result in errors in our consolidated financial statements that could result in a restatement of our financial statements, and could cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations, any of which could diminish investor confidence in us and cause a decline in the price of our common stock. Additionally, ineffective internal control could expose us to an increased risk of financial reporting fraud and the misappropriation of assets and subject us to potential delisting from the stock exchange on which we list or to other regulatory investigations and civil or criminal sanctions.
In addition, as a result of our current material weaknesses or future material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting, we could be subject to sanctions or investigations by the SEC, the Nasdaq Stock Market or other regulatory authorities, a loss of public and investor confidence, and litigation from investors and stockholders, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business and our stock price. Our failure to implement and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting could result in errors in our consolidated financial statements that could result in a restatement of our financial statements, and could cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations, any of which could also diminish investor confidence in us and cause a decline in the price of our common stock. Additionally, ineffective internal controls could expose us to an increased risk of financial reporting fraud and the misappropriation of assets and subject us to potential delisting from the stock exchange on which we list or to other regulatory investigations and civil or criminal sanctions.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 3
We do not intend to pay dividends on our Class A common stock for the foreseeable future.We currently intend to retain all available funds and any future earnings to fund the development and growth of our business and to repay indebtedness. As a result, we do not anticipate declaring or paying any cash dividends on our Class A common stock in the foreseeable future. Any decision to declare and pay dividends in the future will be made at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on, among other things, our business prospects, results of operations, financial condition, cash requirements and availability, industry trends and other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant. Any such decision will also be subject to compliance with contractual restrictions and covenants in the agreements governing our current and future indebtedness. Our Credit Facilities contain certain covenants that restrict the ability of FAH, LLC and its subsidiaries to pay dividends or make distributions. Because we are a holding company, our ability to pay dividends on our Class A common stock depends on our receipt of cash distributions from FAH, LLC and, through FAH, LLC, cash distributions and dividends from our other direct and indirect wholly owned subsidiaries. In addition, we may incur additional indebtedness, the terms of which may further restrict or prevent us from paying dividends on our Class A common stock. As a result, you may have to sell some or all of your Class A common stock after price appreciation in order to generate cash flow from your investment, which you may not be able to do. Our inability or decision not to pay dividends, particularly when others in our industry have elected to do so, could also adversely affect the market price of our Class A common stock.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 4
Digital assets are a novel asset class that carries unique risks, including extreme price volatility.Cryptocurrencies, digital currencies, coins, tokens, NFTs, stablecoins, and other digital or crypto assets or instruments that are issued and transferred using distributed ledger or blockchain technology (collectively referred to herein as "digital assets") are a new and evolving asset class. The characteristics of particular digital assets within this broad asset class may differ significantly.
We receive payments in digital assets in connection with our secondary sales in our NFT and digital collectibles business. We also purchase digital assets for use as a currency for certain expenses related to our NFT and digital collectibles business. There is no guarantee that these investments and payments will maintain their value as measured against fiat currencies or that such digital assets can be converted into or sold for fiat currencies. Digital assets continue to be an emerging asset class based on emerging technologies, and our use of digital assets is subject to a number of factors relating to the capabilities and development of blockchain technologies, such as the infancy of their development, their dependence on the internet and other technologies, their dependence on the role played by miners, validators and developers and the potential for malicious activity, among other factors. Further, there can be no assurance that the blockchain technology on which digital assets are transacted does not have undiscovered flaws that may allow for such digital assets to be compromised, resulting in the loss of some or all of the digital assets we hold. Finally, the intrinsic value of digital assets is particularly uncertain and difficult to determine due to the novel and rapidly changing nature of digital asset markets. There can be no assurance that digital assets will maintain their value in the future, or that acceptance of using digital assets as currency or to make payments by mainstream retail merchants and commercial businesses, or for any other uses, will continue to grow. Moreover, due to the novelty of the asset class and the evolving patchwork of regulatory oversight of digital asset markets, fraud and market manipulation are not uncommon in such markets, all of which could negatively impact the value of our digital assets and have an adverse impact on our business.
Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 5
Our gross margin may not be sustainable and may fluctuate over time.Our gross margin has historically fluctuated, primarily as a result of changes in product mix, changes in our costs, including inventory management, price competition and acquisitions. For the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, our gross margins (exclusive of depreciation and amortization), calculated as net sales less cost of sales as a percentage of net sales, were 41.0% and 27.8%, respectively. Our current or historical gross margins may not be sustainable or predictive of future gross margins, and our gross margin may decrease over time. A decrease in gross margin can be the result of numerous factors, including, but not limited to:
- changes in customer, geographic, or product mix;- introduction of new products, including our expansion into additional product categories;- increases in the royalty rates under our license agreements;- inability to meet minimum guaranteed royalties;- increases in, or our inability to reduce, our costs, including as a result of inflation;- entry into new markets or growth in lower margin markets;- increases in raw materials, labor or other manufacturing- and inventory-related costs;- increases in transportation costs, including the cost of fuel, and increased shipping costs to meet customer demand;- increased price competition;- changes in the dynamics of our sales channels, including those affecting the retail industry and the financial health of our customers;- inability to increase prices in order to meet increased costs;- increases in sales discounts and allowances provided to our customers;- acquisitions of companies with a lower gross margin than ours; and - overall execution of our business strategy and operating plan.
If any of these factors, or other factors unknown to us at this time, occur, then our gross margin could be adversely affected, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Debt & Financing3 | 5.0%
Debt & Financing - Risk 1
Our indebtedness could adversely affect our financial health and competitive position.Debt & Financing - Risk 2
We may not be able to secure additional financing on favorable terms, or at all, to meet our future capital needs.In the future, we may require additional capital to respond to business opportunities, challenges, acquisitions or unforeseen circumstances, including in the event we are unable to maintain compliance with the financial or other covenants contained in the Credit Agreement, and may determine to engage in equity or debt financings or enter into credit facilities or refinance existing indebtedness for other reasons.
We may not be able to timely secure additional debt or equity financing on favorable terms, or at all, including due to market volatility and uncertainty resulting from international conflicts or geopolitical tensions, among other factors. As discussed above, the Credit Agreement contains restrictive covenants that limit our ability to incur additional indebtedness and engage in other capital-raising activities. Any debt financing obtained by us in the future could involve covenants that further restrict our capital raising activities and other financial and operational matters, which may make it more difficult for us to operate our business, obtain additional capital and pursue business opportunities, including potential acquisitions. Furthermore, if we raise additional funds through the issuance of equity or convertible debt or other equity-linked securities, our existing stockholders could suffer significant dilution. If we are unable to obtain adequate financing or financing on terms satisfactory to us, when we require it, our ability to continue to grow or support our business, respond to business challenges and continue as a going concern could be significantly limited.
Debt & Financing - Risk 3
Our principal asset consists of our interest in FAH, LLC, and accordingly, we depend on distributions from FAH, LLC to pay taxes and expenses, including payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement. FAH, LLC's ability to make such distributions may be subject to various limitations and restrictions.We have no material assets other than our ownership of 52,722,832 common units of FAH, LLC as of November 5, 2024, representing approximately 96.8% of the economic interest in FAH, LLC. We have no independent means of generating revenue or cash flow, and our ability to pay dividends in the future, if any, is dependent upon the financial results and cash flows of FAH, LLC and its subsidiaries and distributions we receive from FAH, LLC. There can be no assurance that our subsidiaries will generate sufficient cash flow to dividend or distribute funds to us or that applicable local law and contractual restrictions, including negative covenants in our debt instruments, will permit such dividends or distributions.
FAH, LLC is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, as such, generally is not subject to entity-level U.S. federal income tax. Instead, taxable income is allocated to holders of its common units, including us. As a result, we incur income taxes on our allocable share of net taxable income of FAH, LLC. Under the terms of the FAH LLC Agreement, FAH, LLC is obligated to make tax distributions to its members, including us, except to the extent such distributions would render FAH, LLC insolvent or are otherwise prohibited by law or any limitations or restrictions in our debt agreements. The amount of such tax distribution is calculated based on the highest combined federal, state and local tax rate that may potentially apply to any one of FAH, LLC's members, regardless of the actual final tax liability of any such member. As a result of the foregoing, FAH, LLC may be obligated to make tax distributions in excess of some or all of its members' actual tax liability, which could reduce its cash available for its business operations. In addition to tax expenses, we also incur expenses related to our operations, our interests in FAH, LLC and related party agreements, including payment obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement and expenses and costs of being a public company, all of which could be significant. We intend, as its managing member, to cause FAH, LLC to make distributions in an amount sufficient to allow us to pay our taxes and operating expenses, including any ordinary course payments due under the Tax Receivable Agreement. However, FAH, LLC's ability to make such distributions may be subject to various limitations and restrictions including, but not limited to, restrictions on distributions that would either violate any contract or agreement to which FAH, LLC is then a party, including debt agreements, or any applicable law, or that would have the effect of rendering FAH, LLC insolvent. If FAH, LLC does not have sufficient funds to pay tax distributions or other liabilities to fund our operations, we may have to borrow funds, which could materially adversely affect our liquidity and financial condition and subject us to various restrictions imposed by any such lenders. To the extent that we are unable to make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement for any reason, such payments will be deferred and will accrue interest until paid; provided, however, that nonpayment for a specified period may constitute a material breach of a material obligation under the Tax Receivable Agreement and therefore may accelerate payments due under the Tax Receivable Agreement. If FAH, LLC does not have sufficient funds to make distributions, our ability to declare and pay cash dividends may also be restricted or impaired. See "Ownership of Our Class A Common Stock Risks."
Corporate Activity and Growth3 | 5.0%
Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 1
Our success depends on our ability to execute our business strategy.Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 2
If we fail to manage our growth effectively, our financial performance may suffer.We have generally experienced rapid growth over the last several years, which has placed a strain on our managerial, operational, product design and development, sales and marketing, administrative and financial infrastructure. For example, we increased our total number of full-time employees from 702 as of December 31, 2018 to 1,280 as of September 30, 2024. We also lease distribution centers in the U.S. and the United Kingdom and utilize third-party distribution centers in the U.S. and the Netherlands. Our success depends in part upon our ability to manage our growth effectively. To do so, we must continue to increase the productivity of our existing employees and to hire, train and manage new employees as needed, which we may not be able to do successfully or without compromising our corporate culture. See "Our success is critically dependent on the efforts and dedication of our officers and other employees, and the loss of one or more key employees, or our inability to attract and retain qualified personnel and maintain our corporate culture, could adversely affect our business." To manage domestic and international growth of our operations and personnel, we have invested and continue to invest in the development of warehouse management systems, additional platforms to support our direct-to-consumer experience, and capital build out of new leased warehouse and office spaces. We will need to continue to improve our product development, supply chain, financial and management controls and our reporting processes and procedures to support our infrastructure and new business initiatives. These additional investments will increase our operating costs, which will make it more difficult for us to offset any future revenue shortfalls by reducing expenses in the short term. Moreover, if we fail to scale our operations or manage our growth successfully, our business, financial condition and operating results could be adversely affected.
Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 3
We may not realize the anticipated benefits of acquisitions or investments, the realization of such benefits may be delayed or reduced or our acquisitions or investments may have unexpected costs.Acquisitions have been a component of our growth and the development of our business and are likely to continue to be in the future. Acquisitions can broaden and diversify our brand holdings and product offerings, expand our distribution capabilities and allow us to build additional capabilities and competencies. We cannot be certain that the products and offerings of companies we may acquire, or acquire an interest in, will achieve or maintain popularity with consumers in the future or that any such acquired companies or investments will allow us to more effectively distribute our products, market our products, develop our competencies or grow our business.
For example, in the first quarter of 2021, we acquired a majority interest and in October 2022 acquired the remainder of the membership interests in TokenWave LLC, the developer of a mobile application for tracking and displaying NFTs, to accelerate our entry into the digital collectible space. We launched our first Digital Pop! NFT collection in the third quarter of 2021 and have conducted additional NFT "drops" on a regular cadence since then. The market and consumer demand, as well as the legal and regulatory framework, for NFTs and other digital collectible products is new, rapidly developing and highly uncertain. No assurance can be given that our investment in TokenWave LLC, or our future launches of NFT or digital collectible products, will be successful.
Similarly, in the year ended December 31, 2022, we acquired Mondo Collectibles, LLC (f/k/a Mondo Tees Buyer, LLC) ("Mondo"), a high-end pop culture collectibles company that creates vinyl records, posters, soundtracks, toys, apparel, books, games and other collectibles for $14.0 million in cash. This transaction represents an opportunity to expand the Company's product offerings into vinyl records, posters and other high-end collectibles, however the Company has limited experience selling these product categories and there can be no assurance that we will be able to successfully or profitably enter these product categories at scale.
In some cases, we expect that the integration of the companies that we may acquire into our operations will create production, distribution, marketing and other operating synergies which will produce greater sales growth and profitability and, where applicable, cost savings, operating efficiencies and other advantages. However, we cannot be certain that these synergies, efficiencies and cost savings will be realized. Even if achieved, these benefits may be delayed or reduced in their realization. In other cases, we may acquire or invest in companies that we believe have strong and creative management, in which case we may plan to operate them more autonomously rather than fully integrating them into our operations. We cannot be certain that the key individuals at these companies would continue to work for us after the acquisition or that they would develop popular and profitable products, in the future. There is no guarantee that any acquisition or investment we may make will be successful or beneficial or that we will be able to manage the integration process successfully, and acquisitions can consume significant amounts of management attention and other resources, which may negatively impact other aspects of our business.
Legal & Regulatory
Total Risks: 10/60 (17%)Below Sector Average
Regulation2 | 3.3%
Regulation - Risk 1
Failure to comply with anti-corruption and anti-bribery laws could result in fines, criminal penalties and materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.Regulation - Risk 2
We are subject to various government regulations and may be subject to additional regulations in the future, violation of which could subject us to sanctions or otherwise harm our business.As a company that designs and sells consumer products, we are subject to significant government regulation, including, in the United States, under the Child Status Protection Act (the "CPSA"), the Federal Hazardous Substances Act (the "FHSA"), the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (the "CPSIA") and the Flammable Fabrics Act (the "FFA"), as well as under product safety and consumer protection statutes in our international markets. There can be no assurance that we will be in compliance, and failure to comply with these acts could result in sanctions which could have a negative impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. This risk is exacerbated by our reliance on third parties to manufacture our products. See "Our use of third-party manufacturers to produce our products presents risks to our business."
Governments and regulatory agencies in the markets in which we manufacture and sell products may enact additional regulations relating to product safety and consumer protection in the future and may also increase the penalties for failing to comply with such regulations. In addition, one or more of our customers might require changes in our products, such as the non-use of certain materials, in the future. Complying with any such additional regulations or requirements could impose increased costs on our business. Similarly, increased penalties for non-compliance could subject us to greater expense in the event any of our products were found to not comply with such regulations. Such increased costs or penalties could harm our business.
As discussed above, our international operations subject us to a host of other governmental regulations throughout the world, including antitrust, customs and tax requirements, anti-boycott regulations, environmental regulations and the FCPA. Complying with these regulations imposes costs on us which can reduce our profitability, and our failure to successfully comply with any such legal requirements could subject us to monetary liabilities and other sanctions that could further harm our business and financial condition.
For example, in 2019 we identified that our subsidiary, Loungefly, historically underpaid certain duties owed to U.S. Customs. In May 2019, we notified U.S. Customs of potential underpayments of customs duties and commenced an internal investigation to determine the cause of the underpayments and the proper amount of duties owed for the applicable five-year statute of limitations period. We identified a total of approximately $7.8 million in underpayments to U.S. Customs during the period from May 24, 2014 through June 30, 2019, $6.3 million of which related to previously issued financial statements. In July 2019, we submitted payment of $7.8 million to U.S. Customs along with a report explaining the nature of the underpayments. Pursuant to the applicable statute, for an importer that meets all of the requirements for self-reporting underpayments, the maximum civil potential penalty is 100% of the lawful duties, taxes, and fees due to U.S. Customs and the civil penalty for an importer who fails to meet the self-reporting requirements is up to the value of the merchandise associated with underpayment. Following a review by U.S. Customs, it was determined that we owe $1.0 million in penalties and interest related to the underpayment. This payment was made during the year ended December 31, 2023.
As digital assets are a relatively new and emerging asset class, the regulatory, commercial, and legal framework governing digital assets and associated products and services is likely to evolve both in the U.S. and internationally and implicates issues regarding a range of matters, including, but not limited to, intellectual property rights, consumer protection, privacy and cybersecurity, anti-money laundering, sanctions and currency, tax, money transmission, commodity, and securities law compliance under federal and state laws. We may need to comply with new licensing or registration requirements, revise our compliance and risk mitigation measures, institute a ban on certain digital assets or transactions thereof, and/or suspend or shut down our products or services in one or more jurisdictions. We may also face substantial costs to operationalize and comply with new legal or regulatory requirements. It is difficult to predict how the legal and regulatory framework and oversight/enforcement infrastructure around digital assets will develop and how such developments will impact our business and these new product offerings since the market for digital assets, and NFTs in particular, is relatively nascent.
Litigation & Legal Liabilities1 | 1.7%
Litigation & Legal Liabilities - Risk 1
We are currently subject to securities class action and derivative litigation and may be subject to similar or other litigation in the future, all of which will require significant management time and attention, result in significant legal expenses and may result in unfavorable outcomes, which may have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition, and negatively affect the price of our Class A common stock.Taxation & Government Incentives5 | 8.3%
Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 1
Unanticipated changes in effective tax rates or adverse outcomes resulting from examination of our income or other tax returns could adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 2
Our ability to use certain tax attributes may be limited.Under Sections 382 and 383 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, if a corporation undergoes an "ownership change," the corporation's ability to use certain of its tax attributes (including any net operating loss carryforwards) to offset its post-change income and taxes may be limited. In general, an "ownership change" occurs if there is a cumulative change in ownership of the relevant corporation by "5% shareholders" (as defined under U.S. income tax laws) that exceeds 50 percentage points over a rolling three-year period. Similar rules apply under state tax laws. If we were to experience one or more ownership changes, then we may be limited in our ability to use certain tax attributes. Any such limitations on the ability to use tax attributes could adversely impact our business, financial condition, and operating results.
Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 3
Our Tax Receivable Agreement requires us to make cash payments in respect of certain tax benefits to which we may become entitled, the amounts that we may be required to pay could be significant, and we may not realize such tax benefits.In connection with the consummation of the IPO, we entered into the Tax Receivable Agreement. Pursuant to the Tax Receivable Agreement, we are required to make cash payments to the TRA Parties equal to 85% of the tax benefits, if any, that we realize, or in some circumstances are deemed to realize as a result of (1) any future redemptions funded by us or exchanges (or deemed exchanges in certain circumstances) of common units for Class A common stock or cash, and (2) certain additional tax benefits attributable to payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement. The tax benefits that we realize in connection with the matters covered by the Tax Receivable Agreement will vary depending on a number of factors (some of which are likely to change over time), including the timing of redemptions or exchanges by the TRA Parties, the amount and timing of the taxable income we generate in the future and the tax rate to which we are subject. At June 30, 2023, as a result of the recognition of a full valuation allowance on the deferred tax assets, and projected inability to fully utilize all or part of the related tax benefits, the Company determined that payments to the TRA Parties related to unrealized tax benefits under the Tax Receivable Agreement are no longer probable and estimable and we have reduced the Tax Receivable Agreement liability accordingly. However, the amount of the cash payments that we may be required to make under the Tax Receivable Agreement could be significant. Payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement will generally be based on the tax reporting positions that we determine, which are subject to challenge by taxing authorities. Payments made under the Tax Receivable Agreement will not be returned upon a successful challenge by a taxing authority to our reporting positions. Any payments made by us to the TRA Parties under the Tax Receivable Agreement will generally reduce the amount of overall cash flow that might have otherwise been available to us. To the extent that we are unable to make timely payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement for any reason, the unpaid amounts will be deferred and will accrue interest until paid by us. Nonpayment for a specified period may constitute a material breach of a material obligation under the Tax Receivable Agreement and therefore may accelerate payments due under the Tax Receivable Agreement. Furthermore, our future obligation to make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement could make us a less attractive target for an acquisition, particularly in the case of an acquirer that cannot use some or all of the tax benefits that may be deemed realized under the Tax Receivable Agreement upon a change of control. The payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement are also not conditioned upon the TRA Parties maintaining a continued ownership interest in FAH, LLC.
Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 4
The amounts that we may be required to pay to the TRA Parties under the Tax Receivable Agreement may be accelerated in certain circumstances and may also significantly exceed the actual tax benefits that we ultimately realize.The Tax Receivable Agreement provides that if certain mergers, asset sales, other forms of business combination, or other changes of control were to occur, if we materially breach any of our material obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement or if, at any time, we elect an early termination of the Tax Receivable Agreement, then the Tax Receivable Agreement will terminate and our obligations, or our successor's obligations, to make future payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement would accelerate and become immediately due and payable. In those circumstances members of FAH, LLC would be deemed to exchange any remaining outstanding common units of FAH, LLC for Class A common stock and would generally be entitled to payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement resulting from such deemed exchange. The amount due and payable in those circumstances is determined based on certain assumptions, including an assumption that we would have sufficient taxable income to fully utilize all potential future tax benefits that are subject to the Tax Receivable Agreement. We may need to incur debt to finance payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement to the extent our cash resources are insufficient to meet our obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement.
As a result of the foregoing, we would be required to make an immediate cash payment equal to the present value of the anticipated future tax benefits that are the subject of the Tax Receivable Agreement (calculated utilizing the assumptions described above), which payment may be made significantly in advance of the actual realization, if any, of such future tax benefits. We could also be required to make cash payments to the TRA Parties that are greater than the specified percentage of the actual benefits we ultimately realize in respect of the tax benefits that are subject to the Tax Receivable Agreement. Our obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement could have a substantial negative impact on our liquidity and could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing certain mergers, asset sales, other forms of business combination, or other changes of control. There can be no assurance that we will be able to finance our obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement.
Taxation & Government Incentives - Risk 5
We will not be reimbursed for any payments made to the TRA Parties under the Tax Receivable Agreement in the event that any tax benefits are disallowed.We will not be reimbursed for any cash payments previously made to the TRA Parties pursuant to the Tax Receivable Agreement if any tax benefits initially claimed by us are subsequently challenged by a taxing authority and are ultimately disallowed. Instead, any excess cash payments made by us to a TRA Party will be netted against any future cash payments that we might otherwise be required to make under the terms of the Tax Receivable Agreement. However, a challenge to any tax benefits initially claimed by us may not arise for a number of years following the initial time of such payment or, even if challenged early, such excess cash payment may be greater than the amount of future cash payments that we might otherwise be required to make under the terms of the Tax Receivable Agreement and, as a result, there might not be future cash payments from which to net against. The applicable U.S. federal income tax rules are complex and factual in nature. Significant management judgment is required in connection with interpreting applicable tax laws and in taking valuation positions relevant to our tax compliance obligations. We are constantly evaluating our tax return positions, and changes in our return positions could affect our liabilities and risks that we face in connection with determining the taxes we owe and the amounts that we are required to pay in connection with the Tax Receivable Agreement. There can be no assurance that the IRS or a court will not disagree with our tax reporting positions. As a result, it is possible that we could incur additional costs in connection with these risks, including by making cash payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement that are substantially greater than our actual cash tax savings.
Environmental / Social2 | 3.3%
Environmental / Social - Risk 1
A failure to comply with laws and regulations relating to privacy and the protection of personal information may result in negative publicity, claims, investigations and litigation, and adversely affect our financial performance.Environmental / Social - Risk 2
Increased attention to, and evolving expectations for, sustainability and environmental, social, and governance ("ESG") initiatives could increase our costs, or otherwise adversely impact our business and reputation.Changed
Expectations surrounding ESG matters continue to evolve rapidly. For example, we have previously been subject to media scrutiny for our management of product inventory. Unfavorable perceptions of our ESG performance may have a negative impact on our business, whether from a reputational perspective, a reduction in interest in our stock or products, issues in attracting/retaining customers, employees, or business partners, or otherwise.
Simultaneously, there are efforts by some parties to reduce companies' efforts on certain ESG-related matters. Both advocates and opponents to certain ESG matters increasingly resort to a range of activism forms, including media campaigns and litigation, to advance their perspectives. Addressing these varying demands and expectations may be costly, and our efforts may not be successful or have the desired effect. Certain of our suppliers and business partners may be subject to similar expectations, which may augment or create additional risks, including risks that may not be known to us.
Companies across industries are facing increasing scrutiny from a variety of stakeholders related to their ESG and sustainability practices. Expectations regarding voluntary ESG initiatives and disclosures may result in increased costs (including but not limited to increased costs related to compliance, stakeholder engagement, contracting and insurance), changes in demand for certain products, enhanced compliance or disclosure obligations, or other adverse impacts to our business, financial condition, or results of operations.
Ability to Sell
Total Risks: 9/60 (15%)Below Sector Average
Competition1 | 1.7%
Competition - Risk 1
Our industry is highly competitive and the barriers to entry are low. If we are unable to compete effectively with existing or new competitors, our sales, market share and profitability could decline.Demand1 | 1.7%
Demand - Risk 1
Our operating results may fluctuate from quarter to quarter and year to year due to the seasonality of our business, as well as due to the timing and popularity of new product releases.Sales & Marketing5 | 8.3%
Sales & Marketing - Risk 1
Changes in the retail industry and markets for consumer products affecting our retail customers or retailing practices could negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.Sales & Marketing - Risk 2
If we do not effectively maintain and further develop our relationships with retail customers and distributors, our growth prospects, business and results of operations could be harmed.Historically, a majority of all of our net sales have been derived from our retail customers and distributors, upon which we rely to reach the consumers who are the ultimate purchasers of our products. In the United States, we primarily sell our products directly to specialty retailers, mass-market retailers and e-commerce sites. In international markets, we sell our products directly to similar retailers, primarily in Europe, through our subsidiary Funko UK, Ltd. We also sell our products to distributors for sale to retailers in the United States and in certain countries internationally, typically in those countries in which we do not currently have a direct presence. Our top ten wholesale customers represented approximately 32% of our sales for both the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
We depend on retailers to provide adequate and attractive space for our products and point of purchase displays in their stores. We further depend on our retail customers to employ, educate and motivate their sales personnel to effectively sell our products. If our retail customers do not adequately display our products or choose to promote competitors' products or their own private label products over ours, our sales could decrease, and our business could be harmed. Similarly, we depend on our distributors to reach retailers in certain market segments in the United States and to reach international retailers in countries where we do not have a direct presence. Our distributors generally offer products from several different companies, including our competitors. Accordingly, we are at risk that these distributors may give higher priority to selling other companies' products. If we were to lose the services of a distributor, we might need to find another distributor in that area, and there can be no assurance of our ability to do so in a timely manner or on favorable terms.
In addition, our business could be adversely affected if any of our retail customers or distributors were to reduce purchases of our products, as has occurred in recent periods. Our retail customers and distributors generally build inventories in anticipation of future sales and will decrease the size of their future product orders if sales do not occur as rapidly as they anticipate. Our customers make no long-term commitments to us regarding purchase volumes and can therefore freely reduce their purchases of our products, and as a result we may have excess inventory. Any reduction in purchases of our products by our retail customers and distributors, or the loss of any key retailer or distributor, could adversely affect our net sales, operating results and financial condition. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and recent macroeconomic trends, we have had certain of our retail customers reduce and, in some instances, cancel purchase orders as a result of store closures or a shift of purchasing to focus only on essential consumer products.
Furthermore, consumer preferences have shifted, and may continue to shift in the future, to sales channels other than traditional retail, including e-commerce, in which we have more limited experience, presence and development. In addition, our emphasis on building out our e-commerce offerings and our entry into new product categories and geographies has exposed, and may continue to expose, us to new sales channels in which we have less expertise. If we are not successful in developing our e-commerce channel and other new sales channels, our net sales and profitability may be adversely affected.
Sales & Marketing - Risk 3
Our e-commerce business is subject to numerous risks that could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations.Sales through our websites have continued to grow as a percentage of our net sales, and we expect them to continue to grow in the future. Though sales through our websites generally have higher profit margins and provide us useful insight on the sales impact of certain of our marketing campaigns, further development of our e-commerce business also subjects us to a number of risks. Our online sales may negatively impact our relationships with our retail customers and distributors if they perceive that we are competing with them. In addition, online commerce is subject to increasing regulation by states, the federal government and various foreign jurisdictions. Compliance with these laws will increase our costs of doing business, and our failure to comply with these laws could also subject us to potential fines, claims for damages and other remedies, any of which would have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Additionally, some jurisdictions have implemented, or may implement, laws that require remote sellers of goods and services to collect and remit taxes on sales to customers located within the jurisdiction. In particular, the Streamlined Sales Tax Project (an ongoing, multi-year effort by U.S. state and local governments to pursue federal legislation that would require collection and remittance of sales tax by out-of-state sellers) could allow states that meet certain simplification and other criteria to require out-of-state sellers to collect and remit sales taxes on goods purchased by in-state residents. Furthermore, in June 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in South Dakota v. Wayfair that a U.S. state may require an online retailer with no in-state property or personnel to collect and remit sales taxes on sales made to the state's residents, which may permit wider enforcement of sales tax collection requirements. These collection responsibilities and the complexity associated with tax collection, remittance and audit requirements increase the costs associated with our e-commerce business.
Furthermore, our e-commerce operations subject us to risks related to the computer systems that operate our websites and related support systems, such as system failures, viruses, computer hackers, cyberattacks and similar disruptions, or the perception thereof. If we are unable to continually add software and hardware, effectively upgrade our systems and network infrastructure and take other steps to improve the efficiency of our systems, system interruptions or delays could occur that adversely affect our operating results and harm our brand. While we depend on our technology vendors to manage "up-time" of the front-end e-commerce store, manage the intake of our orders, and export orders for fulfillment, we could begin to run all or a greater portion of these components ourselves in the future. Any failure on the part of our third-party e-commerce vendors or in our ability to transition third-party services effectively could result in lost sales and harm our brand.
There is a risk that consumer demand for our products online may not generate sufficient sales to make our e-commerce business profitable, as consumer demand for physical products online may be less than in traditional retail sales channels. To the extent our e-commerce business does not generate more net sales than costs, our business, financial condition and results of operations will be adversely affected.
Sales & Marketing - Risk 4
Our business is dependent upon our license agreements, which involve certain risks.We generate substantially all of our net sales from products that are produced under license agreements that grant us the right to use certain intellectual property in such products. These license agreements typically have short terms (between two and three years), are not automatically renewable, and, in some cases, give the licensor the right to terminate the license agreement at will.
Our license agreements typically provide that our licensors own the intellectual property rights in the products we design and sell under the license. As a result, upon termination of the license, we would no longer have the right to sell these products, while our licensors could engage a competitor to do so. We believe our ability to retain our license agreements depends, in large part, on the strength of our relationships with our licensors. Any events or developments adversely affecting those relationships, or changes in our management team, could adversely affect our ability to maintain and renew our license agreements on similar terms or at all. In May 2024, we announced that Cynthia Williams would succeed Michael Lunsford as the Company's Chief Executive Officer. No assurance can be made that these and other changes in our leadership will not have a material adverse impact on our relationships with licensors, and if we fail to manage our licensor relationships successfully, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be adversely affected. Our top ten licensors collectively accounted for approximately 66% and 68% of our sales for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Moreover, while we have separate licensing arrangements with Disney, LucasFilm and Marvel, these parties are all under common ownership by Disney and collectively these licensors accounted for approximately 33% and 38% of our sales for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. The termination or failure to renew one or more of our license agreements, or the renewal of a license agreement on less favorable terms, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. While we may enter into additional license agreements in the future, the terms of such license agreements may be less favorable than the terms of our existing license agreements.
Our license agreements are complex, and typically grant our licensors the right to audit our compliance with the terms and conditions of such agreements. Any such audit could result in a dispute over whether we have paid the proper royalties and a requirement that we pay additional royalties, the amounts of which could be material. As of September 30, 2024, we had a reserve of $23.9 million on our balance sheet related to ongoing and future royalty audits, based on estimates of the costs we expect to incur. In addition to royalty payments, these agreements as a whole impose numerous other obligations on us, including, among other things, obligations to:
- maintain the integrity of the applicable intellectual property;- obtain the licensor's approval of the products we develop under the license prior to making any sales;- permit the licensor's involvement in, or obtain the licensor's approval of, advertising, packaging and marketing plans;- maintain minimum sales levels or make minimum guaranteed royalty payments;- actively promote the sale of the licensed product and maintain the availability of the licensed product throughout the license term;- spend a certain percentage of our sales of the licensed product on marketing and advertising for the licensed product;- sell the products we develop under the license only within a specified territory or within specified sales channels;- indemnify the licensor in the event of product liability or other claims related to the licensed product and advertising or other materials used to promote the licensed product;- sell the licensed products to the licensor at a discounted price or at the lowest price charged to our customers;- obtain the licensor's consent prior to assigning or sub-licensing to third parties; and - provide notice to, obtain approval from, or, in limited circumstances, make certain payments to the licensor in connection with certain changes in control.
If we breach any of these obligations or any other obligations set forth in any of our license agreements, we could be subject to monetary penalties and our rights under such license agreements could be terminated, either of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our success is also partially dependent on the reputation of our licensors and the goodwill associated with their intellectual property, and their ability to protect and maintain the intellectual property rights that we use in connection with our products, all of which may be harmed by factors outside our control. See also "If we are unable to obtain, maintain and protect our intellectual property rights, in particular trademarks and copyrights, or if our licensors are unable to maintain and protect their intellectual property rights that we use in connection with our products, our ability to compete could be negatively impacted."
Sales & Marketing - Risk 5
Our operating results may be adversely affected and damage to our reputation may occur due to production and sale of counterfeit versions of our products.As we have expanded internationally, and the global popularity of our products has increased, our products are increasingly subject to efforts by third parties to produce counterfeit versions of our products. There can be no guarantee that our efforts, including our work with customs officials and law enforcement authorities, to block the manufacture of counterfeit goods, prevent their entry in end markets, and detect counterfeit products in customer networks will be successful or result in any material reduction in the availability of counterfeit goods. Any such counterfeit sales, to the extent they replace otherwise legitimate sales, could adversely affect our operating results and damage our reputation.
Brand / Reputation2 | 3.3%
Brand / Reputation - Risk 1
We may not realize the full benefit of our licenses if the properties we license have less market appeal than expected or if sales from the products that use those properties are not sufficient to satisfy the minimum guaranteed royalties.Brand / Reputation - Risk 2
Use of social media may materially and adversely affect our reputation or subject us to fines or other penalties.We rely to a large extent on our online presence to reach consumers and use third-party social media platforms as marketing tools. For example, we maintain Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, TikTok and YouTube accounts. As e-commerce and social media platforms continue to rapidly evolve, we must continue to maintain a presence on these platforms and establish presences on new or emerging popular social media platforms. If we are unable to cost-effectively use social media platforms as marketing tools, our ability to acquire new consumers and our financial condition may suffer. Furthermore, as laws and regulations rapidly evolve to govern the use of these platforms, the failure by us, our employees or third parties acting at our direction to abide by applicable laws and regulations in the use of these platforms could subject us to regulatory investigations, class action lawsuits, liability, fines or other penalties and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and result of operations.
Tech & Innovation
Total Risks: 8/60 (13%)Above Sector Average
Innovation / R&D4 | 6.7%
Innovation / R&D - Risk 1
The further development and acceptance of blockchain networks, which are part of a new and rapidly changing industry, are subject to a variety of factors that are difficult to evaluate. The slowing or stopping of the development or acceptance of blockchain networks and blockchain assets could have an adverse material effect on the successful development and adoption of our NFT and digital collectible business.Changed
Innovation / R&D - Risk 2
Our business is largely dependent on content development and creation by third parties.We spend considerable resources in designing and developing products in conjunction with planned movie, television, video game, music and other content releases by various third-party content providers. The timing of the development and release, and the ultimate consumer interest in and success of, such content depends on the efforts of these third parties, as well as conditions in the media and entertainment industry generally. We do not control when or if any particular project will be greenlit, developed or released, and the creators of such projects may change their plans with respect to release dates or cancel development altogether. This can make it difficult for us to successfully develop and market products in conjunction with a given content release, given the lead times involved in product development and successful marketing efforts. Additionally, unforeseen factors in the media and entertainment industry, including labor strikes and unforeseen developments with talent such as accusations of a star's wrongdoing, may also delay or cancel the release of such projects. For example, in the summer of 2023, both the Writers' Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists voted to authorize strikes by their respective members. Although subsequently resolved, these strikes have resulted in projects that were originally scheduled for 2023 release dates to be delayed into 2024 and beyond, and may delay further development and production of new and ongoing productions. Any such delay or cancellation may decrease the number of products we sell and harm our business.
Innovation / R&D - Risk 3
As a purveyor of licensed pop culture consumer products, we may not be able to design and develop products that will be popular with consumers, and we may not be able to maintain the popularity of successful products.The interests of consumers evolve extremely quickly and can change dramatically from year to year. To be successful we must correctly anticipate both the products and the movies, TV shows, video games, music, sports and other content releases (including the related characters) that will appeal to consumers and quickly develop and introduce products that can compete successfully for consumers' limited time, attention and spending. Evolving consumer tastes and shifting interests, coupled with an ever changing and expanding pipeline of products and content that compete for consumers' interest and acceptance, create an environment in which some products and content can fail to achieve consumer acceptance, while others can be popular during a certain period of time but then be rapidly replaced. As a result, consumer products, particularly those based on pop culture such as ours, can have short life cycles. In addition, given the growing market for digital products and the increasingly digital nature of pop culture, there is also a risk that consumer demand for physical products may decrease over time. If we devote time and resources to developing and marketing products that consumers do not find appealing enough to buy in sufficient quantities, our sales and profits may decline, and our business performance may be damaged. Similarly, if our product offerings fail to correctly anticipate consumer interests, our sales and earnings will be adversely affected.
Additionally, our business is increasingly global and depends on interest in and acceptance of our products and our licensors' brands by consumers in diverse markets around the world with different tastes and preferences. As such, our success depends on our ability to successfully predict and adapt to changing consumer tastes and preferences in multiple markets and geographies and to design products that can achieve popularity globally over a broad and diverse consumer audience. There is no guarantee that we will be able to successfully develop and market products with global appeal.
Consumer demand for pop culture products can and does shift rapidly and without warning. As a result, even if our product offerings are initially successful, there can be no guarantee that we will be able to maintain their popularity with consumers. Accordingly, our success will depend, in part, on our ability to continually design and introduce new products that consumers find appealing. To the extent we are unable to do so, our sales and profitability will be adversely affected. This is particularly true given the concentration of our sales under certain of our brand categories, particularly Core Collectibles. Sales of our Core Collectible branded category products accounted for approximately 76% and 74% of our sales for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. If consumer demand for our Core Collectible branded category products were to decrease, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected unless we were able to develop and market additional products that generated an equivalent amount of net sales at a comparable gross margin, which there is no guarantee we would be able to do.
Innovation / R&D - Risk 4
An inability to develop and introduce products in a timely and cost-effective manner may damage our business.Our sales and profitability depend on our ability to bring products to market to meet customer demands and before consumers begin to lose interest in a given property. There is no guarantee that we will be able to manufacture, source, ship and distribute new or continuing products in a timely manner or on a cost-effective basis to meet constantly changing consumer demands. This risk is heightened by our customers' increasingly compressed shipping schedules and the seasonality of our business. Furthermore, our license agreements typically require us to obtain the licensor's approval of the products we develop under a particular license prior to making any sales, which can have the effect of delaying our product releases. Additionally, for products based on properties in our movie, TV show and video game categories, this risk may also be exacerbated by our need to introduce new products on a timeframe that corresponds with a particular content release. These time constraints may lead our customers to reduce their demand for these products in order to minimize their inventory risk. Moreover, unforeseen delays or difficulties in the development process, significant increases in the planned cost of development, manufacturing or distribution delays or changes in anticipated consumer demand for our products and new brands, or the related third-party content, may cause the introduction date for products to be later than anticipated, may reduce or eliminate the profitability of such products or, in some situations, may cause a product or new brand introduction to be discontinued.
Trade Secrets2 | 3.3%
Trade Secrets - Risk 1
If we are unable to obtain, maintain and protect our intellectual property rights, in particular trademarks and copyrights, or if our licensors are unable to maintain and protect their intellectual property rights that we use in connection with our products, our ability to compete could be negatively impacted.Trade Secrets - Risk 2
Our success depends on our ability to operate our business without infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating the trademarks, copyrights and proprietary rights of other parties.Our commercial success depends at least in part on our ability to operate without infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating the trademarks, copyrights and other proprietary rights of others. However, we cannot be certain that the conduct of our business does not and will not infringe, misappropriate or otherwise violate such rights. Many companies have employed intellectual property litigation as a way to gain a competitive advantage, and to the extent we gain greater visibility and market exposure as a public company, we may also face a greater risk of being the subject of such litigation. For these and other reasons, third parties may allege that our products or activities, including products we make under license, infringe, misappropriate or otherwise violate their trademark, copyright or other proprietary rights. While we typically receive intellectual property infringement indemnities from our licensors, the indemnities are often limited to third-party copyright infringement claims to the extent arising from our use of the licensed material. Defending against allegations and litigation could be expensive, take significant time, divert management's attention from other business concerns, and delay getting our products to market. In addition, if we are found to be infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating third-party trademark, copyright or other proprietary rights, we may need to obtain a license, which may not be available on commercially reasonable terms or at all, or may need to redesign or rebrand our products, which may not be possible. We may also be required to pay substantial damages or be subject to a court order prohibiting us and our customers from selling certain products or engaging in certain activities. Any claims of violating others' intellectual property, even those without merit, could therefore have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Cyber Security1 | 1.7%
Cyber Security - Risk 1
If our or our third-party providers' electronic data is compromised our business could be significantly harmed.Technology1 | 1.7%
Technology - Risk 1
Failure to successfully operate our information systems and implement new technology effectively could disrupt our business or reduce our sales or profitability.Macro & Political
Total Risks: 6/60 (10%)Below Sector Average
Economy & Political Environment1 | 1.7%
Economy & Political Environment - Risk 1
Global and regional economic downturns that negatively impact the retail and credit markets, or that otherwise damage the financial health of our retail customers and consumers, can harm our business and financial performance.International Operations2 | 3.3%
International Operations - Risk 1
Our operations, including our corporate headquarters, primary distribution facilities and third-party manufacturers, are concentrated in certain geographic regions, which makes us susceptible to adverse conditions in those regions.International Operations - Risk 2
Our substantial sales and manufacturing operations outside the United States subject us to risks associated with international operations.We operate facilities and sell products in numerous countries outside the United States. Sales to our international customers comprised approximately 33% and 31% of our sales for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. We expect sales to our international customers to account for an increasing portion of our sales in future fiscal years. Over time, we expect our international sales and operations to continue to grow both in dollars and as a percentage of our overall business as a result of a key business strategy to expand our presence in emerging and underserved international markets. Additionally, as discussed above, we use third-party manufacturers located in Vietnam, China and Mexico to produce most of our products. These international sales and manufacturing operations, including operations in emerging markets, are subject to risks that may significantly harm our sales, increase our costs or otherwise damage our business, including:
- currency conversion risks and currency fluctuations;- limitations on the repatriation of earnings;- potential challenges to our transfer pricing determinations and other aspects of our cross-border transactions, which can materially increase our taxes and other costs of doing business;- political instability, civil unrest, war and economic instability, such as the current situation with Ukraine and Russia or Israel and Hamas and any impacts on surrounding regions;- greater difficulty enforcing intellectual property rights and weaker laws protecting such rights;- complications in complying with different laws and regulations in varying jurisdictions, including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act ("FCPA"), the U.K. Bribery Act of 2010, similar anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws and local and international environmental, labor, health and safety laws, and in dealing with changes in governmental policies and the evolution of laws and regulations and related enforcement;- difficulties understanding the retail climate, consumer trends, local customs and competitive conditions in foreign markets which may be quite different from the United States;- changes in international labor costs and other costs of doing business internationally;- the imposition of and changes in tariffs, quotas, border adjustment taxes or other protectionist measures by any major country or market in which we operate, which could make it significantly more expensive and difficult to import products into that country or market, raise the cost of such products, decrease our sales of such products or decrease our profitability;- proper payment of customs duties and/or excise taxes;- natural disasters, pandemics, including related to COVID-19 and other health crises, and the greater difficulty and cost in recovering therefrom;- transportation delays and interruptions;- difficulties in moving materials and products from one country to another, including port congestion, strikes or other labor disruptions, trade route disruptions due to geopolitical tensions and other transportation delays and interruptions; and - increased investment and operational complexity to make our products compatible with systems in various countries and compliant with local laws.
Because of the importance of international sales, sourcing and manufacturing to our business, our financial condition and results of operations could be significantly harmed if any of the risks described above were to occur or if we are otherwise unsuccessful in managing our increasingly global business.
Natural and Human Disruptions1 | 1.7%
Natural and Human Disruptions - Risk 1
We are subject to a series of risks related to climate change.Capital Markets2 | 3.3%
Capital Markets - Risk 1
Increases in tariffs, trade restrictions or taxes on our products could have an adverse impact on our operations.Capital Markets - Risk 2
Changes in foreign currency exchange rates can significantly impact our reported financial performance.Our increasingly global operations mean we produce, buy, and sell products in many different markets with many different currencies. As a result, if the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and a local currency for an international market in which we have significant sales or operations changes, our financial results as reported in U.S. dollars may be meaningfully impacted even if our business in the local currency is not significantly affected. Similarly, our expenses can be significantly impacted, in U.S. dollar terms, by exchange rates, meaning the profitability of our business in U.S. dollar terms can be negatively impacted by exchange rate movements which we do not control. In recent years, certain key currencies, such as the euro and the British pound sterling, depreciated significantly compared to the U.S. dollar. Depreciation in key currencies may have a significant negative impact on our sales and earnings as they are reported in U.S. dollars.
Production
Total Risks: 5/60 (8%)Below Sector Average
Manufacturing1 | 1.7%
Manufacturing - Risk 1
We could be subject to future product liability suits or product recalls which could have a significant adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.Employment / Personnel1 | 1.7%
Employment / Personnel - Risk 1
Our success is critically dependent on the efforts and dedication of our officers and other employees, and the loss of one or more key employees, or our inability to attract and retain qualified personnel and maintain our corporate culture, could adversely affect our business.Supply Chain3 | 5.0%
Supply Chain - Risk 1
Our use of third-party manufacturers to produce our products presents risks to our business.Supply Chain - Risk 2
Our business depends in large part on our vendors and outsourcers, and our reputation and ability to effectively operate our business may be harmed by actions taken by these third parties outside of our control.We rely significantly on vendor and outsourcing relationships with third parties for services and systems including manufacturing, transportation, logistics and information technology. We use third-party logistics companies to process and fulfill customer orders in Europe and the U.S. Any shortcoming of one of our vendors or outsourcers, including our third-party logistics providers, particularly one affecting the quality of these services or systems, may be attributed by customers to us, thus damaging our reputation and brand value, and potentially affecting our results of operations. This includes potential shipping delays as a result of container availability or other global capacity constraints. In addition, problems with transitioning these services and systems to, or operating failures with, these vendors and outsourcers could cause delays in product sales, reduce the efficiency of our operations and require significant capital investments to remediate.
Supply Chain - Risk 3
Our success depends, in part, on our ability to successfully manage our inventories.We must maintain sufficient inventory levels to operate our business successfully, but we must also avoid accumulating excess inventory, which increases working capital needs and lowers gross margin. We obtain substantially all of our inventory from third-party manufacturers located outside the United States and must typically order products well in advance of the time these products will be offered for sale to our customers. As a result, it may be difficult to respond to changes in consumer preferences and market conditions, which, for pop culture products, can change rapidly. If we do not accurately anticipate the popularity of certain products, then we may not have sufficient inventory to meet demand. Alternatively, if demand or future sales do not reach forecasted levels, we could have excess inventory that we may need to hold for a long period of time, write down, sell at prices lower than expected or discard.
In addition, we may face difficulties processing inventory through our distribution centers, which could cause us to hold inventory for an extended period of time. If market conditions, demand for our products or consumer preferences shift or we face distribution challenges prior to the sales of the inventory, we may have excess inventory that we may need to hold for a long period of time, write down, and/or sell at prices lower than expected or discard.
We may also be negatively affected by changes in retailers' inventory policies and practices, including as a result of macroeconomic factors. As a result of the desire of retailers to more closely manage inventory levels, we are required to more closely anticipate demand and this could require us to carry additional inventory. Policies and practices of individual retailers may adversely affect us as well, including those relating to access to and time on shelf space, price demands, payment terms and favoring the products of our competitors. Our retail customers make no binding long-term commitments to us regarding purchase volumes and make all purchases by delivering purchase orders. Any retailer can therefore freely reduce its overall purchase of our products, including the number and variety of our products that it carries, and reduce the shelf space allotted for our products. We have recently experienced canceled orders and if demand or future sales do not reach forecasted levels, we could have excess inventory that we may need to hold for a long period of time, write down, sell at prices lower than expected or discard. For example, during the nine months ended September 30, 2023, we incurred an inventory write-down of $30.1 million due to our decision to increase operational efficiency and reduce storage costs which contributed to the Company's net loss for the period. If we are not successful in managing our inventory, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
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.