Generac Holdings (GNRC) Risk Factors

Goodwill represents the excess of cost over the fair market value of net assets acquired in business combinations. Indefinite-lived intangibles are comprised of certain tradenames. At December 31, 2023, goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangibles totaled $1,560.7 million. We review goodwill and other intangibles at least annually for impairment and any excess in carrying value over the estimated fair value is charged to the statement of comprehensive income. Future impairment may result from, among other things, deterioration in the performance of an acquired business or product line, adverse market conditions, a significant increase in interest rate, changes in the competitive landscape, adverse changes in applicable laws or regulations, including changes that restrict the activities of an acquired business or product line, and a variety of other circumstances including any of the risk factors noted above. A reduction in net income resulting from the write-down or impairment of goodwill or indefinite-lived intangibles could have a material adverse effect on our financial statements. Refer to the Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates in Item 7 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information regarding our process for evaluating goodwill for impairment.

We regularly execute organizational changes such as acquisitions, divestitures, restructurings, and realignments to support our growth and management strategies. If we are unable to successfully manage these and other organizational changes, the ability to complete such activities and realize anticipated synergies or cost savings, as well as our results of operations and financial condition, could be materially adversely affected. Our ability to realize the anticipated benefits of our acquisitions will depend, to a large extent, on our ability to integrate the acquired businesses with our business. The integration of independent businesses is a complex, costly and time-consuming process. Further, integrating and managing businesses with international operations may pose challenges not previously experienced by our management. As a result, we may be required to devote significant management attention and resources to integrating the business practices and operations of any acquired businesses with ours. The integration process may disrupt our business and, if implemented ineffectively, could preclude realization of the full benefits expected by us. Our failure to meet the challenges involved in integrating an acquired business into our existing operations or otherwise to realize the anticipated benefits of the transaction could cause an interruption of, or a loss of momentum in, our activities and could adversely affect our results of operations. As part of undertaking an acquisition, we may also significantly revise our capital structure or operational budget, such as issuing common stock that would dilute the ownership percentage of our stockholders, assuming liabilities or debt, utilizing a substantial portion of our cash resources to pay for the acquisition or significantly increasing operating expenses. Our acquisitions have resulted and may in the future result in charges being taken in an individual quarter as well as future periods, which results in variability in our quarterly earnings. In addition, our effective tax rate in any particular quarter may also be impacted by acquisitions. Following the closing of an acquisition, we may also have disputes with the seller regarding contractual requirements and covenants, purchase price adjustments, contingent payments or for indemnifiable losses. Any such disputes may be time consuming and distract management from other aspects of our business. As part of the terms of an acquisition, we may commit to pay additional contingent consideration if certain revenue or other performance milestones are achieved. We are required to evaluate the fair value of such commitments at each reporting date and adjust the amount recorded if there are changes to the fair value. In addition, the overall integration of our acquired businesses may result in material unanticipated problems, expenses, liabilities, competitive responses, loss of customer relationships, and diversion of management's attention, and may cause our stock price to decline. The difficulties of combining the operations of acquired businesses with ours include, among others: - managing a larger company;- maintaining employee morale and retaining key management and other employees;- complying with newly applicable domestic and foreign regulations as we enter new product and geographic markets;- integrating two business cultures, which may prove to be incompatible;- the possibility of faulty assumptions underlying expectations regarding the integration process;- retaining existing customers and attracting new customers;- consolidating corporate and administrative infrastructures and eliminating duplicative operations;- the diversion of management's attention from ongoing business concerns and performance shortfalls as a result of management's attention to the acquisition;- unanticipated issues in integrating information technology, communications and other systems;- complying with, or the failure to comply with, changes in applicable, new, or existing laws and regulations;- managing tax costs or inefficiencies associated with integrating the operations or supply chain of the combined company;- unforeseen liabilities, expenses or delays associated with the acquisition;- difficulty comparing financial reports due to differing financial and/or internal reporting systems; and - making any necessary modifications to internal financial control standards to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. Many of these factors may be outside of our control and any one of them could result in increased costs, decreases in the amount of expected revenues and diversion of management's time and energy, which could materially impact our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, even if the operations of our acquired businesses are integrated successfully with our operations, we may not realize the full benefits of the transaction, including the synergies, cost savings or sales or growth opportunities that we expect. These benefits may not be achieved within the anticipated time frame, or at all, and additional unanticipated costs may be incurred in the integration or management of our businesses. All these factors could cause dilution to our earnings per share, decrease or delay the expected accretive effect of the acquisition, and cause a decrease in the price of our common stock. As a result, we cannot be assured that the combination of our acquisitions with our business will result in the realization of the full benefits anticipated from the transaction.

We are subject to a variety of litigation and other legal and regulatory proceedings incidental to our business (or the business operations of previously owned entities), including claims for damages arising out of the use of products or services and claims relating to product design, safety, manufacture and performance liability, contracts, commercial disputes, competition, sales and trading practices, employment issues, environmental matters, intellectual property rights, tax, securities, regulatory compliance, personal injury, insurance coverage, and acquisition-related matters, as well as other legal proceedings that arise in and outside of the ordinary course of our business. These matters may include claims for compensatory damages, punitive and consequential damages and/or injunctive relief. The defense of these matters may divert our management's attention, we may incur significant expenses in defending such matters, and we may be required to pay fines, penalties, damage awards or settlements or become subject to equitable remedies that could adversely affect our operations and financial statements. The industries in which we operate are also periodically reviewed or investigated by regulators, and we are subject to and may continue to be subject to such investigations and claims, including by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), CPSC and EPA, which could lead to enforcement actions, fines and penalties or the assertion of private litigation claims. The Company is cooperating with such governmental inquiries, it is not possible to predict with certainty the outcome of such claims, or any other current or future claims, investigations and lawsuits, and we could in the future incur judgments, fines or penalties or enter into settlements of lawsuits and claims that could have an adverse effect on our reputation, business, results of operations or financial condition in any particular period. Additionally, the nature of our operations means that legal and compliance risks will continue to exist and additional legal proceedings and other contingencies, the outcome of which cannot be predicted with certainty, may arise from time to time. In addition, subsequent developments in legal proceedings or investigations may affect our assessment and estimates of loss contingencies recorded as a reserve and require us to make payments in excess of our reserves, which could have an adverse effect on our reputation, business and results of operations or financial condition. Moreover, any insurance or indemnification rights that we may have may be insufficient or unavailable to protect us against such losses. In addition, developments in proceedings in any given period may require us to adjust the loss contingency estimates that we have recorded in our financial statements, record estimates for liabilities or assets previously not susceptible of reasonable estimates or pay cash settlements or judgments. Any of these developments could adversely affect our financial statements in any particular period. We cannot assure our liabilities in connection with litigation and other legal and regulatory proceedings will not exceed our estimates or adversely affect our financial statements and reputation. While we maintain insurance coverage in amounts that we believe are reasonable, we cannot assure we will be able to maintain this insurance on acceptable terms or that this insurance will provide sufficient coverage against potential liabilities that may arise. Any product liability claim may also include the imposition of punitive damages, the award of which may not be covered by insurance. Any claims brought against us, with or without merit, may have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations as a result of potential adverse outcomes, the expenses associated with defending such claims, the diversion of our management's resources and time and the potential adverse effect to our business reputation.

We are subject to income tax, indirect tax or other tax claims by tax agencies in jurisdictions in which we conduct business. In the ordinary course of our business, there are many transactions and calculations where the ultimate income tax, indirect tax, or other tax determination is uncertain. Although we believe our tax estimates are reasonable, we cannot be certain that the final determination of our tax audits and litigation will not be materially different from that which is reflected in historical tax provisions and accruals. Should additional taxes be assessed as a result of an audit, assessment or litigation, there could be a material adverse effect on our cash, tax provisions and net income in the period or periods for which that determination is made.

We operate in markets that are highly competitive. Some of our competitors have established brands and are larger in size or are divisions of large, diversified companies which have substantially greater financial resources than we do. Some of our competitors have and may continue to be willing to reduce prices and accept lower margins in order to compete with us. In addition, we could face new competition from large international or domestic companies with established brands that enter our end markets. Demand for our products may also be affected by our ability to respond to changes in design and functionality, to respond to downward pricing pressure, and to provide shorter lead times for our products than our competitors. If we are unable to respond successfully to these competitive pressures, we could lose market share, which could have an adverse impact on our results. For further information, see "Item 1-Business-Competition".

Because of the wide range of products that we sell, the level of customization for many of our products, the frequent rollout of new products, the different accounting systems utilized, and the fact that we do not apply pricing changes uniformly across our entire portfolio of products, we are unable to determine with specificity the effect of volume or mix changes or changes in selling prices on our net sales.

Difficulties or delays in research, development or production of new or enhanced products or failure to gain market acceptance of new or enhanced products and technologies may reduce future sales and adversely affect our competitive position. We continue to invest in the development and marketing of new or enhanced products. There can be no assurance that we will have sufficient resources to make such investments, that we will be able to make the technological advances necessary to maintain competitive advantages or that we can recover major research and development expenses. If we fail to make innovations, launch products with quality problems or the market does not accept our new products, our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and liquidity could be adversely affected. In addition, as new or enhanced products are introduced, we must successfully manage the transition from older products to minimize disruption in customers' ordering patterns, avoid excessive levels of older or obsolete product inventories and ensure that we can deliver sufficient supplies of new products to meet customers' demands.

We consider our intellectual property rights to be important assets and seek to protect them through a combination of patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret laws, as well as licensing and confidentiality agreements. These protections may not be adequate to prevent third parties from using our intellectual property without our authorization, breaching any confidentiality agreements with us, copying or reverse engineering our products, or developing and marketing products that are substantially equivalent to or superior to our own. The unauthorized use of our intellectual property by others could reduce our competitive advantage and harm our business. Not only are intellectual property-related proceedings burdensome and costly, but they could take years to resolve, and we might not ultimately prevail. We cannot guarantee that any patents, issued or pending, will provide us with any competitive advantage or will not be challenged by third parties. Moreover, the expiration of our patents may lead to increased competition with respect to certain products. If we fail to protect our intellectual property and other proprietary rights, or if such intellectual property and proprietary rights are infringed, misappropriated or otherwise violated, our business, results of operations or financial condition could be materially harmed. In addition, we cannot be certain that we do not or will not infringe third parties' intellectual property rights. We currently are, and have previously been, subject to such third-party infringement claims, and may continue to be in the future. Any such claim, even if it is believed to be without merit, may be expensive and time-consuming to defend, subject us to damages, cause us to cease making, using or selling certain products that incorporate the disputed intellectual property, require us to redesign our products, divert management time and attention, and/or require us to enter into costly royalty or licensing arrangements. Certain parts of our business experience significant intellectual property litigation and we have in the past and could in the future become involved in costly and lengthy litigation involving patents or other intellectual property rights which could adversely affect our business. We have recently been subject to adverse rulings or have settled claims for significant amounts related to the infringement of third-party intellectual property rights, and may continue to be subject to such claims, damage awards or settlement payments. In addition, we may not prevail in such future proceedings. An adverse outcome of any such proceeding may reduce our competitive advantage or otherwise harm our financial condition and our business or potentially impair our patents and technology intangible assets which could have a material adverse effect on our financial statements.

We rely heavily on information technology (IT) both in our products and services for customers and in our IT systems used to run our business. Further, we collect and store sensitive information in cloud-based data centers and on our networks. Government agencies and security experts have warned about growing risks of hackers, cyber-criminals, malicious insiders and other actors targeting confidential information and all types of IT systems. These actors may engage in fraudulent activities, theft of confidential or proprietary information and sabotage or ransomware. Our IT systems, our connected products, and our confidential information may be vulnerable to damage or intrusion from a variety of attacks including computer viruses, worms or other malicious software programs. The risk of such attacks may increase as we integrate newly acquired companies or develop new connected products and related software. These attacks pose a risk to the security of our products, private data, systems and networks and those of our customers, suppliers and third-party service providers, as well as to the confidentiality of our information and the integrity and availability of our data. While we attempt to mitigate these risks through board oversight, hiring additional internal cyber-security professionals to manage these risks, enhancing controls, due diligence, employee training and communication, third party intrusion testing, system hardening, email and web filters, regular patching, multi-factor authentication, surveillance, encryption, and other measures, we remain vulnerable to information security threats. We monitor certain cyber security threats and vulnerabilities in our systems, and we have experienced viruses and attacks targeting our IT systems and networks. Such prior events, to date, have not had a material impact on our financial condition, results of operations or liquidity. Despite the precautions we take, we have had, and could have again, an intrusion or infection of our systems or connected products. While such intrusions or infections to date have not resulted in the significant disruption of our business, or a loss of proprietary or confidential information, we cannot guarantee the same for future intrusions or infections. Similarly, an attack on our IT systems or connected products could result in theft or disclosure of trade secrets or other intellectual property, a breach of confidential customer or employee information, or product failure or misuse. Any such events could have an adverse impact on sales, harm our reputation and cause us to incur legal liability and increased costs to address such events and related security concerns. As the threats evolve and become more potent, we may incur additional costs to secure the products that we sell, as well as our data and infrastructure of networks and devices. See "Item 1C. Cybersecurity" for additional information related to cybersecurity risks.

We source a significant portion of our purchased components overseas, primarily in Asia and Europe. Our international sourcing subjects us to a number of potential risks in addition to the risks associated with third-party sourcing generally. Such risks include: - inflation or changes in political and economic conditions;    - logistical challenges, including extended container port congestion, and higher logistics costs;   - unstable regulatory environments;    - changes in import and export duties;    - domestic and foreign customs and tariffs;    - currency rate fluctuations;   - trade restrictions;    - labor or civil unrest;    - disputes in our relationships with certain contract manufacturers or suppliers;   - communications challenges; and    - other restraints and burdensome taxes. These factors have had in the past and are currently having an adverse effect on our ability to efficiently and cost effectively source our purchased components overseas. Additionally, if the U.S. dollar were to depreciate significantly against the currencies in which we purchase raw materials from foreign suppliers, our cost of goods sold could increase materially, which would adversely affect our results of operations.

Our business benefits from free trade agreements, and efforts to withdraw from, or substantially modify such agreements, in addition to the implementation of more restrictive trade policies, such as more detailed inspections, higher tariffs, import or export licensing requirements, exchange controls or new barriers to entry, could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition or cash flows. The U.S. government has made changes in U.S. trade policy over the past several years. These changes include renegotiating and terminating certain existing bilateral or multi-lateral trade agreements, such as the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, and initiating tariffs on certain foreign goods from a variety of countries and regions, most notably China. These changes in U.S. trade policy have resulted in, and may continue to result in, one or more foreign governments adopting responsive trade policies that make it more difficult or costly for us to do business in or import our products or components from those countries. The sales, gross margins, and profitability for each of our segments could be directly impacted by changes in tariffs and trade agreements. In addition, certain of our products or key components or raw materials have and may continue to be subject to the imposition of higher duties as a result of anti-dumping and countervailing duties applied against them. To the extent such governmental actions, duties or tariffs are applied to such products, it could adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition and business. We cannot predict the extent to which the U.S. or other countries will impose new or additional quotas, duties, tariffs, duties, taxes or other similar restrictions upon the import or export of our products in the future, nor can we predict future trade policy or the terms of any renegotiated trade agreements and their impact on our business. The continuing adoption or expansion of trade restrictions, the occurrence of a trade war, or other governmental action related to tariffs or trade agreements or policies has the potential to adversely impact demand for our products, our costs, our customers, our suppliers, and the U.S. economy, which in turn could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, and financial condition.