Public companies are required to disclose risks that can affect the business and impact the stock. These disclosures are known as “Risk Factors”. Companies disclose these risks in their yearly (Form 10-K), quarterly earnings (Form 10-Q), or “foreign private issuer” reports (Form 20-F). Risk factors show the challenges a company faces. Investors can consider the worst-case scenarios before making an investment. TipRanks’ Risk Analysis categorizes risks based on proprietary classification algorithms and machine learning.

GSI Technology disclosed 43 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. GSI Technology reported the most risks in the “Finance & Corporate” category.

Risk Overview Q3, 2024

Risk Distribution

35% Finance & Corporate

21% Ability to Sell

19% Production

14% Tech & Innovation

12% Macro & Political

0% Legal & Regulatory

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

2020

S&P500 Average

Sector Average

Risks removed

Risks added

Risks changed

GSI Technology 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.

Risk Highlights Q3, 2024

Main Risk Category

Finance & Corporate

With 15 Risks

Finance & Corporate

With 15 Risks

Number of Disclosed Risks

No changes from last report

S&P 500 Average: 31

No changes from last report

S&P 500 Average: 31

Recent Changes

0Risks added

0Risks removed

1Risks changed

Since Sep 2024

0Risks added

0Risks removed

1Risks changed

Since Sep 2024

Number of Risk Changed

No changes from last report

S&P 500 Average: 3

No changes from last report

S&P 500 Average: 3

See the risk highlights of GSI Technology 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 43

Finance & Corporate

Total Risks: 15/43 (35%)Below Sector Average

Share Price & Shareholder Rights4 | 9.3%

Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1

Our business could be negatively affected as a result of actions of activist stockholders or others.

We may be subject to actions or proposals from stockholders or others that may not align with our business strategies or the interests of our other stockholders. Responding to such actions can be costly and time-consuming, disrupt our business and operations, and divert the attention of our board of directors, management, and employees from the pursuit of our business strategies. Such activities could interfere with our ability to execute our strategic plan. Activist stockholders or others may create perceived uncertainties as to the future direction of our business or strategy which may be exploited by our competitors and may make it more difficult to attract and retain qualified personnel and potential customers, and may affect our relationships with current customers, vendors, investors, and other third parties. In addition, a proxy contest for the election of directors at our annual meeting would require us to incur significant legal fees and proxy solicitation expenses and require significant time and attention by management and our board of directors. The perceived uncertainties as to our future direction also could affect the market price and volatility of our securities.

Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2

Our executive officers, directors and entities affiliated with them hold a substantial percentage of our common stock.

As of October 28, 2024, our executive officers, directors and entities affiliated with them beneficially owned approximately 27% of our outstanding common stock. As a result, these stockholders will be able to exercise substantial influence over, and may be able to effectively control, matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election of directors and approval of significant corporate transactions, which could have the effect of delaying or preventing a third party from acquiring control over or merging with us.

Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 3

The provisions of our charter documents might inhibit potential acquisition bids that a stockholder might believe are desirable, and the market price of our common stock could be lower as a result.

Our Board of Directors has the authority to issue up to 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock. Our Board of Directors can fix the price, rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions of the preferred stock without any further vote or action by our stockholders. The issuance of shares of preferred stock might delay or prevent a change in control transaction. As a result, the market price of our common stock and the voting and other rights of our stockholders might be adversely affected. The issuance of preferred stock might result in the loss of voting control to other stockholders. We have no current plans to issue any shares of preferred stock. Our charter documents also contain other provisions, which might discourage, delay or prevent a merger or acquisition, including: - our stockholders have no right to act by written consent;- our stockholders have no right to call a special meeting of stockholders; and - our stockholders must comply with advance notice requirements to nominate directors or submit proposals for consideration at stockholder meetings. These provisions could also have the effect of discouraging others from making tender offers for our common stock. As a result, these provisions might prevent the market price of our common stock from increasing substantially in response to actual or rumored takeover attempts. These provisions might also prevent changes in our management.

Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 4

The trading price of our common stock is subject to fluctuation and is likely to be volatile.

The trading price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly in response to a number of factors, some of which are beyond our control, including: - the establishment of a market for our new associative computing products;- actual or anticipated declines in operating results;- changes in financial estimates or recommendations by securities analysts;- the institution of legal proceedings against us or significant developments in such proceedings;- announcements by us or our competitors of financial results, new products, significant technological innovations, contracts, acquisitions, strategic relationships, joint ventures, capital commitments or other events;- changes in industry estimates of demand for Very Fast SRAM, RadHard and RadTolerant products;- the gain or loss of significant orders or customers;- recruitment or departure of key personnel; and - market conditions in our industry, the industries of our customers and the economy as a whole. In recent years, the stock market in general, and the market for technology stocks in particular, have experienced extreme price fluctuations, which have often been unrelated to the operating performance of affected companies. The market price of our common stock might experience significant fluctuations in the future, including fluctuations unrelated to our performance. These fluctuations could materially adversely affect our business relationships, our ability to obtain future financing on favorable terms or otherwise harm our business. In addition, in the past, securities class action litigation has often been brought against a company following periods of volatility in the market price of its securities. This risk is especially acute for us because the extreme volatility of market prices of technology companies has resulted in a larger number of securities class action claims against them. Due to the potential volatility of our stock price, we may in the future be the target of similar litigation. Securities litigation could result in substantial costs and divert management's attention and resources. This could harm our business and cause the value of our stock to decline.

Accounting & Financial Operations4 | 9.3%

Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 1

Unpredictable fluctuations in our operating results could cause our stock price to decline.

Our quarterly and annual revenues, expenses and operating results have varied significantly and are likely to vary in the future. For example, in the ten fiscal quarters ended September 30, 2024, we recorded net revenues of as much as $9.0 million and as little as $4.6 million, and in nine of those quarters, operating losses from $3.2 million to $6.7 million. We therefore believe that period-to-period comparisons of our operating results are not a good indication of our future performance, and you should not rely on them to predict our future performance or the future performance of our stock price. Furthermore, if our operating expenses exceed our expectations, our financial performance could be adversely affected. Factors that may affect periodic operating results in the future include: - commercial acceptance of our associative computing products;- commercial acceptance of our RadHard and RadTolerant products;- changes in our customers' inventory management practices;- unpredictability of the timing and size of customer orders, since most of our customers purchase our products on a purchase order basis rather than pursuant to a long-term contract;- changes in our product pricing policies, including those made in response to new product announcements, pricing changes of our competitors and price increases by our foundry and suppliers;- our ability to anticipate and conform to new industry standards;- fluctuations in availability and costs associated with materials and manufacturing services needed to satisfy customer requirements caused by supply constraints;- restructuring, asset and goodwill impairment and related charges, as well as other accounting changes or adjustments;- manufacturing defects, which could cause us to incur significant warranty, support and repair costs, lose potential sales, harm our relationships with customers and result in write-downs; and - our ability to address technology issues as they arise, improve our products' functionality and expand our product offerings. Our expenses are, to a large extent, fixed, and we expect that these expenses will increase in the future. In fiscal years 2022 and 2023, we experienced price increases for raw materials, including a 20% increase in the price of wafers that was implemented in early calendar 2022 and a 6% increase that was implemented in early calendar 2023, as well as varying pricing increases for manufacturing services due to the supply chain constraints in the semiconductor market. We may not be able to adjust our spending quickly if our revenues fall short of our expectations. If this were to occur, our operating results would be harmed. If our operating results in future quarters fall below the expectations of market analysts and investors, the price of our common stock could fall. Higher interest rates, worldwide inflationary pressures, the evolving conflict in Israel, the military conflict in Ukraine, and the decline in the global economic environment have caused increased stock market volatility and uncertainty in customer demand and the worldwide economy in general, and we may continue to experience decreased sales and revenues in the future. We expect such impact will in particular affect our SRAM sales and has also impacted the launch of our APU product to some degree and the adoption of RadHard and RadTolerant SRAM products by aerospace and military customers. However, the magnitude of such impact on our business and its duration is highly uncertain.

Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 2

We have incurred significant losses and may incur losses in the future.

We have incurred significant losses. We incurred net losses of $20.1 million, $16.0 million and $16.4 million during fiscal 2024, 2023 and 2022. There can be no assurance that our Very Fast SRAMs will continue to receive broad market acceptance, that our new product development initiatives will be successful or that we will be able to achieve sustained revenue growth or profitability.

Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 3

We identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting in the past. If we fail to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting in the future, the accuracy and timing of our financial reporting may be adversely affected.

Effective internal control over financial reporting is necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and, together with adequate disclosure controls and procedures, are designed to prevent fraud. Any failure to implement required new or improved controls, or difficulties encountered in their implementation could cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations. In addition, any testing by us conducted in connection with Section 404(a) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, or any testing by our independent registered public accounting firm, may reveal deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting that are deemed to be material weaknesses or that may require prospective or retroactive changes to our financial statements or identify other areas for further attention or improvement. Inferior internal control over financial reporting could also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which could have a negative effect on the trading price of our common stock. In the course of preparing our financial statements for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022, we identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting which remained un-remediated at March 31, 2023. During fiscal 2024, we identified and implemented remedial measures to address the control deficiencies that led to the material weakness and determined that the material weakness was remediated as of March 31, 2024. However, there can be no assurance that remedial measures will continue to operate or that they will prevent other control deficiencies or material weaknesses in our control over financial reporting in the future. We are a non-accelerated filer. For so long as we remain a non-accelerated filer, our independent registered public accounting firm will not be required to attest to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. An independent assessment of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting could detect problems that our management's assessment might not. Undetected material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting could lead to financial statement restatements and require us to incur the expense of remediation.

Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 4

If we determine that our goodwill and intangible assets have become impaired, we may incur impairment charges, which would negatively impact our operating results.

Goodwill represents the difference between the purchase price and the estimated fair value of the identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed in a business combination, such as our acquisition of MikaMonu Group Ltd. in fiscal 2016. We test for goodwill impairment on an annual basis, or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that the asset is more likely than not impaired. If the carrying value of a material asset is determined to be impaired, it will be written down to fair value by a charge to operating earnings. As of March 31, 2024 and September 30, 2024, we had a goodwill balance of $8.0 million and intangible assets of $1.6 million and $1.4 million at March 31, 2024 and September 30, 2024, respectively, from the MikaMonu acquisition. An adverse change in market conditions, including a sustained decline in our stock price, loss of significant customers, or a weakened demand for our products could be considered to be an impairment triggering event. If such change has the effect of changing one of our critical assumptions or estimates, a change to the estimation of fair value could result in an impairment charge to our goodwill or intangible assets, which would negatively impact our operating results and harm our business. In the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023, we identified sustained declines in our stock price that resulted in our market capitalization being below the carrying value of our stockholders' equity. We concluded the sustained declines in our stock price were triggering events and proceeded with quantitative goodwill impairment assessments. The results of the quantitative goodwill impairment assessments that we performed indicated the fair value of our sole reporting unit exceeded its carrying value as of December 31, 2022, February 28, 2023 and March 31, 2023. There were no impairment indicators at March 31, 2024 or September 30, 2024.

Debt & Financing3 | 7.0%

Debt & Financing - Risk 1

Higher interest rates, worldwide inflationary pressures, the evolving conflict in the Middle East, the military conflict in Ukraine, and the resulting decline in the global economic environment are expected to adversely affect our revenues, results of operations and financial condition.

Our business is expected to be materially adversely affected by higher interest rates, worldwide inflationary pressures, the evolving conflict in the Middle East and the military conflict in Ukraine, all of which are contributing to a decline in the global economic environment. Our quarterly revenues have been flat and trended downward in the past year due to the decline in the global economic environment that has resulted in less demand for our products. We expect that a continued rise in interest rates, continued inflationary pressures, the evolving conflict in the Middle East, continued uncertainties in the business climate caused by the military conflict in Ukraine and related fluctuations in energy prices will adversely impact demand for new and existing products, and to impact the mindset of potential commercial partners to launch new products using GSI's technology. The resulting decline in the global economic environment is expected to have an adverse impact on our business and financial condition. Disruptions in the capital and financial markets as a result of higher interest rates, worldwide inflationary pressures, the evolving conflict in the Middle East, the military conflict in Ukraine, and the decline in the global economic environment may also adversely affect our ability to obtain additional liquidity should the impacts of a decline in the global economic environment continue for a prolonged period.

Debt & Financing - Risk 2

Use of a portion of our cash reserves to repurchase shares of our common stock presents potential risks and disadvantages to us and our continuing stockholders.

Since November 2008, we have repurchased and retired an aggregate of 12,004,779 shares of our common stock at a total cost of $60.7 million, including 3,846,153 shares repurchased at a total cost of $25.0 million pursuant to a modified "Dutch auction" self-tender offer that we completed in August 2014 and additional shares repurchased in the open market pursuant to our stock repurchase program. At September 30, 2024, we had outstanding authorization from our Board of Directors to purchase up to an additional $4.3 million of our common stock from time to time under our repurchase program. Although our Board has determined that these repurchases are in the best interests of our stockholders, they expose us to certain risks including: - the risks resulting from a reduction in the size of our "public float," which is the number of shares of our common stock that are owned by non-affiliated stockholders and available for trading in the securities markets, which may reduce the volume of trading in our shares and result in reduced liquidity and, potentially, lower trading prices;- the risk that our stock price could decline and that we would be able to repurchase shares of our common stock in the future at a lower price per share than the prices we have paid in our tender offer and repurchase program; and - the risk that the use of a portion of our cash reserves for this purpose has reduced, or may reduce, the amount of cash that would otherwise be available to pursue potential cash acquisitions or other strategic business opportunities.

Debt & Financing - Risk 3

We may need to raise additional capital in the future, which may not be available on favorable terms or at all, and which may cause dilution to existing stockholders.

We may need to seek additional funding in the future. We do not know if we will be able to obtain additional financing on favorable terms, if at all. If we cannot raise funds on acceptable terms, if and when needed, we may not be able to develop or enhance our products, take advantage of future opportunities or respond to competitive pressures or unanticipated requirements, and we may be required to reduce operating costs, which could seriously harm our business. In addition, if we issue equity securities, our stockholders may experience dilution or the new equity securities may have rights, preferences or privileges senior to those of our common stock.

Corporate Activity and Growth4 | 9.3%

Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 1

Our acquisition of companies or technologies could prove difficult to integrate, disrupt our business, dilute stockholder value and adversely affect our operating results.

In November 2015, we acquired all of the outstanding capital stock of privately held MikaMonu Group Ltd., a development-stage, Israel-based company that specializes in in-place associative computing for markets including big data, computer vision and cyber security. We also acquired substantially all of the assets related to the SRAM memory device product line of Sony Corporation in 2009. We intend to supplement our internal development activities by seeking opportunities to make additional acquisitions or investments in companies, assets or technologies that we believe are complementary or strategic. Other than the MikaMonu and Sony acquisitions, we have not made any such acquisitions or investments, and therefore our experience as an organization in making such acquisitions and investments is limited. In connection with the MikaMonu acquisition, we are subject to risks related to potential problems, delays or unanticipated costs that may be encountered in the development of products based on the MikaMonu technology and the establishment of new markets and customer relationships for the potential new products. In addition, in connection with any future acquisitions or investments we may make, we face numerous other risks, including: - difficulties in integrating operations, technologies, products and personnel;- diversion of financial and managerial resources from existing operations;- risk of overpaying for or misjudging the strategic fit of an acquired company, asset or technology;- problems or liabilities stemming from defects of an acquired product or intellectual property litigation that may result from offering the acquired product in our markets;- challenges in retaining key employees to maximize the value of the acquisition or investment;- inability to generate sufficient return on investment;- incurrence of significant one-time write-offs; and - delays in customer purchases due to uncertainty. If we proceed with additional acquisitions or investments, we may be required to use a considerable amount of our cash, or to finance the transaction through debt or equity securities offerings, which may decrease our financial liquidity or dilute our stockholders and affect the market price of our stock. As a result, if we fail to properly evaluate and execute acquisitions or investments, our business and prospects may be harmed.

Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 2

If our business grows, such growth may place a significant strain on our management and operations and, as a result, our business may suffer.

We are endeavoring to expand our business, and any growth that we are successful in achieving could place a significant strain on our management systems, infrastructure and other resources. To manage the potential growth of our operations and resulting increases in the number of our personnel, we will need to invest the necessary capital to continue to improve our operational, financial and management controls and our reporting systems and procedures. Our controls, systems and procedures may prove to be inadequate should we experience significant growth. In addition, we may not have sufficient administrative staff to support our operations. For example, we currently have only four employees in our finance department in the United States, including our Chief Financial Officer. Furthermore, our officers have limited experience in managing large or rapidly growing businesses. If our management fails to respond effectively to changes in our business, our business may suffer.

Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 3

Any significant order cancellations or order deferrals could adversely affect our operating results.

We typically sell products pursuant to purchase orders that customers can generally cancel or defer on short notice without incurring a significant penalty. Any significant cancellations or deferrals in the future could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Cancellations or deferrals could cause us to hold excess inventory, which could reduce our profit margins, increase product obsolescence and restrict our ability to fund our operations. We generally recognize revenue upon shipment of products to a customer. If a customer refuses to accept shipped products or does not pay for these products, we could miss future revenue projections or incur significant charges against our income, which could materially and adversely affect our operating results.

Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 4

Changed

We cannot assure you that our ongoing evaluation of strategic alternatives will result in any particular outcome, and the perceived uncertainties related to the Company could adversely affect our business and our stockholders.

On May 2, 2024, we announced that we had initiated a broad strategic review to maximize stockholder value, which includes an evaluation of a wide range of options including equity or debt financing, divestiture of assets, technology licensing or other strategic arrangements including a sale of the Company. We have not set a timetable for the completion of the strategic review process, nor have we made any decisions relating to any strategic alternative at this time. No assurance can be given as to the outcome of the process, including whether the process will result in any particular outcome. Any potential transaction may be dependent on a number of factors that may be beyond our control, for example, market conditions, industry trends or acceptable terms. The process of reviewing potential strategic alternatives may be time consuming, distracting and disruptive to our business operations. In addition, given that the exploration of strategic alternatives may eventually result in a potential sale, merger or other strategic transaction, any perceived uncertainty regarding our future operations or employment needs may limit our ability to retain or hire qualified personnel and may contribute to unplanned loss of highly skilled employees through attrition, and result in the loss of customers, suppliers and other key business partners. We may ultimately determine that no transaction is in the best interest of our stockholders. Speculation regarding any developments associated with our review of strategic alternatives and any perceived uncertainties related to the Company or its business could cause the price of our shares to fluctuate significantly.

Ability to Sell

Total Risks: 9/43 (21%)Above Sector Average

Competition1 | 2.3%

Competition - Risk 1

The market for Very Fast SRAMs is highly competitive.

The market for Very Fast SRAMs, which are used primarily in networking and telecommunications equipment, is characterized by price erosion, rapid technological change, cyclical market patterns and intense foreign and domestic competition. Several of our competitors offer a broad array of memory products and have greater financial, technical, marketing, distribution and other resources than we have. Some of our competitors maintain their own semiconductor fabrication facilities, which may provide them with capacity, cost and technical advantages over us. We cannot assure you that we will be able to compete successfully against any of these competitors. Our ability to compete successfully in this market depends on factors both within and outside of our control, including: - real or perceived imbalances in supply and demand of Very Fast SRAMs;- the rate at which OEMs incorporate our products into their systems;- the success of our customers' products;- the price of our competitors' products relative to the price of our products;- our ability to develop and market new products; and - the supply and cost of wafers. In fiscal 2022 and 2023 we experienced increases of 20% and 6%, respectively, in wafer fabrication costs due to supply chain constraints, which resulted in us increasing the cost of our products. Inflationary pressures are expected to result in additional increases in our wafer fabrication costs, which may require us to further increase the cost of our products. Our customers may decide to purchase products from our competitors rather than accept these price increases and our business may suffer. There can be no assurance that we will be able to compete successfully in the future. Our failure to compete successfully in these or other areas could harm our business.

Demand5 | 11.6%

Demand - Risk 1

We are subject to the highly cyclical nature of the networking and telecommunications markets.

Our Very Fast SRAM products are incorporated into routers, switches, wireless local area network infrastructure equipment, wireless base stations and network access equipment used in the highly cyclical networking and telecommunications markets. We expect that the networking and telecommunications markets will continue to be highly cyclical, characterized by periods of rapid growth and contraction. Our business and our operating results are likely to fluctuate, perhaps quite severely, as a result of this cyclicality.

Demand - Risk 2

Our largest OEM customer accounts for a significant percentage of our net revenues. If this customer, or any of our other major customers, reduces the amount they purchase or stop purchasing our products, our operating results will suffer.

Nokia, our largest customer, purchases our products directly from us and through contract manufacturers and distributors. Purchases by Nokia represented approximately 20%, 21%, 17% and 29% of our net revenues in the six months ended September 30, 2024 and in fiscal 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively. We expect that our operating results in any given period will continue to depend significantly on orders from our key OEM customers, particularly Nokia, and our future success is dependent to a large degree on the business success of this customer over which we have no control. We do not have long-term contracts with Nokia or any of our other major OEM customers, distributors or contract manufacturers that obligate them to purchase our products. We expect that future direct and indirect sales to Nokia and our other key OEM customers will continue to fluctuate significantly on a quarterly basis and that such fluctuations may substantially affect our operating results in future periods. If we fail to continue to sell to our key OEM customers, distributors or contract manufacturers in sufficient quantities, our business could be harmed.

Demand - Risk 3

While we currently depend upon the sale of our Very Fast SRAMs for most of our revenues, we are in the process of transforming the focus of our business to the sale of in-place associative computing products and services, and if there is a downturn in demand for Very Fast SRAMs or we are unable to achieve our revenue goals for our new in-place associative computing products and services, we may experience cash shortfalls that would harm our business and our future prospects.

We currently derive most of our revenues from the sale of Very Fast SRAMs, and we expect that sales of these products will represent a significant majority of our revenues for the next several years. We are in the process of transforming the focus of our business to the sale of in-place associative computing products and services instead of Very Fast SRAMs. Our financial results and cash flow depend in large part upon continued demand for our Very Fast SRAM products in the markets we currently serve. Our future financial results and cash flow will increasingly depend upon our ability to generate revenues from the sale of in-place associative computing products and services. Market adoption of our in-place associative computing products and services will be dependent upon our ability to increase customer awareness of the benefits of those products and services. We may not be able to sustain our revenues from sales of our SRAM products or increase our revenues from our in-place associative computing products and services, particularly if the networking and telecommunications markets experience a significant downturn, or we are unable to obtain market traction for our in-place associative computing products and services. Any decrease in revenues from sales of our Very Fast SRAM products or failure to achieve the revenue goals for our in-place associative computing products and services could result in revenue shortfalls that would leave our business with inadequate cash to finance operations.

Demand - Risk 4

A small number of customers generally account for a significant portion of our accounts receivable in any period, and if any one of them fails to pay us, our financial position and operating results will suffer.

At September 30, 2024, four customers accounted for 28%, 27%, 17% and 13% of our accounts receivable, respectively. If any of these customers do not pay us, our financial position and operating results will be harmed. Generally, we do not require collateral from our customers.

Demand - Risk 5

Demand for our products may decrease if our OEM customers experience difficulty manufacturing, marketing or selling their products.

Our products are used as components in our OEM customers' products, including routers, switches and other networking and telecommunications products. Accordingly, demand for our products is subject to factors affecting the ability of our OEM customers to successfully introduce and market their products, including: - capital spending by telecommunication and network service providers and other end-users who purchase our OEM customers' products;- the competition our OEM customers face, particularly in the networking and telecommunications industries;- the technical, manufacturing, sales and marketing and management capabilities of our OEM customers;- the financial and other resources of our OEM customers; and - the inability of our OEM customers to sell their products if they infringe third-party intellectual property rights. As a result, if OEM customers reduce their purchases of our products, our business will suffer.

Sales & Marketing3 | 7.0%

Sales & Marketing - Risk 1

Our products have lengthy sales cycles that make it difficult to plan our expenses and forecast results.

Our products are generally incorporated in our OEM customers' products at the design stage. However, their decisions to use our products often require significant expenditures by us without any assurance of success, and often precede volume sales, if any, by a year or more. If an OEM customer decides at the design stage not to incorporate our products into their products, we will not have another opportunity for a design win with respect to that customer's product for many months or years, if at all. Our sales cycle can take up to 24 months to complete, and because of this lengthy sales cycle, we may experience a delay between increasing expenses for research and development and our sales and marketing efforts and the generation of volume production revenues, if any, from these expenditures. Moreover, the value of any design win will largely depend on the commercial success of our OEM customers' products. There can be no assurance that we will continue to achieve design wins or that any design win will result in future revenues. We are developing a subscription business model for certain of our new APU products, which will take time to implement and will be subject to execution risks. The sales cycle for subscription products is different from our hardware sales business and we will need to implement strategies to manage customer retention, which may be more volatile than the hardware sales to OEM customers. We anticipate that there will be quarterly fluctuations in the revenue and expenses associated with this new license-based business as we optimize the sales process for our target customers. Furthermore, because of the time it takes to build a meaningful subscription business, we expect to incur significant expenses relating to the subscription business before generating revenue from that new business.

Sales & Marketing - Risk 2

The average selling prices of our products are expected to decline, and if we are unable to offset these declines, our operating results will suffer.

Historically, the average unit selling prices of our products have declined substantially over the lives of the products, and we expect this trend to continue. A reduction in overall average selling prices of our products could result in reduced revenues and lower gross margins. Our ability to increase our net revenues and maintain our gross margins despite a decline in the average selling prices of our products will depend on a variety of factors, including our ability to introduce lower cost versions of our existing products, increase unit sales volumes of these products, and introduce new products with higher prices and greater margins. If we fail to accomplish any of these objectives, our business will suffer. To reduce our costs, we may be required to implement design changes that lower our manufacturing costs, negotiate reduced purchase prices from our independent foundries and our independent assembly and test vendors, and successfully manage our manufacturing and subcontractor relationships. Because we do not operate our own wafer foundry or assembly facilities, we may not be able to reduce our costs as rapidly as companies that operate their own foundries or facilities.

Sales & Marketing - Risk 3

We may be unable to accurately forecast future sales through our distributors, which could harm our ability to efficiently manage our resources to match market demand.

Our financial results, quarterly product sales, trends and comparisons are affected by fluctuations in the buying patterns of the OEMs that purchase our products from our distributors. While we attempt to assist our distributors in maintaining targeted stocking levels of our products, we may not consistently be accurate or successful. This process involves the exercise of judgment and use of assumptions as to future uncertainties, including end user demand. Inventory levels of our products held by our distributors may exceed or fall below the levels we consider desirable on a going-forward basis. This could result in distributors returning unsold inventory to us, or in us not having sufficient inventory to meet the demand for our products. If we are not able to accurately forecast sales through our distributors or effectively manage our relationships with our distributors, our business and financial results will suffer.

Production

Total Risks: 8/43 (19%)Above Sector Average

Manufacturing3 | 7.0%

Manufacturing - Risk 1

Some of our products are incorporated into advanced military electronics, and changes in international geopolitical circumstances and domestic budget considerations may hurt our business.

Some of our products are incorporated into advanced military electronics such as radar and guidance systems. Military expenditures and appropriations for such purchases rose significantly in recent years. However, if current U.S. military operations around the world are scaled back, demand for our products for use in military applications may decrease, and our operating results could suffer. Domestic budget considerations may also adversely affect our operating results. For example, if governmental appropriations for military purchases of electronic devices that include our products are reduced, our revenues will likely decline.

Manufacturing - Risk 2

Manufacturing process technologies are subject to rapid change and require significant expenditures for research and development.

We continuously evaluate the benefits of migrating to smaller geometry process technologies in order to improve performance and reduce costs. Historically, these migrations to new manufacturing processes have resulted in significant initial design and development costs associated with pre-production mask sets for the manufacture of new products with smaller geometry process technologies. For example, in the third quarter of fiscal 2024, we incurred approximately $2.4 million in research and development expense associated with a pre-production mask set that will not be used in production as part of the transition to our new 16 nanometer SRAM process technology for our APU2 product. We will incur similar expenses in the future as we continue to transition our products to smaller geometry processes. The costs inherent in the transition to new manufacturing process technologies will adversely affect our operating results and our gross margin.

Manufacturing - Risk 3

Our products are complex to design and manufacture and could contain defects, which could reduce revenues or result in claims against us.

We develop complex products. Despite testing by us and our OEM customers, design or manufacturing errors may be found in existing or new products. These defects could result in a delay in recognition or loss of revenues, loss of market share or failure to achieve market acceptance. These defects may also cause us to incur significant warranty, support and repair costs, divert the attention of our engineering personnel from our product development efforts, result in a loss of market acceptance of our products and harm our relationships with our OEM customers. Our OEM customers could also seek and obtain damages from us for their losses. A product liability claim brought against us, even if unsuccessful, would likely be time consuming and costly to defend. Defects in wafers and other components used in our products and arising from the manufacturing of these products may not be fully recoverable from TSMC or our other suppliers.

Employment / Personnel2 | 4.7%

Employment / Personnel - Risk 1

We are substantially dependent on the continued services and performance of our senior management and other key personnel.

Our future success is substantially dependent on the continued services and continuing contributions of our senior management who must work together effectively in order to design our products, expand our business, increase our revenues and improve our operating results. Members of our senior management team have long-standing and important relationships with our key customers and suppliers. The loss of services, whether as a result of illness, resignation, retirement or death, of Lee-Lean Shu, our President and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Avidan Akerib, our Vice President of Associative Computing, any other executive officer or other key employee could significantly delay or prevent the achievement of our development and strategic objectives. We do not have employment contracts with, nor maintain key person insurance on, any of our executive officers or other key employees.

Employment / Personnel - Risk 2

If we are unable to recruit or retain qualified personnel, our business and product development efforts could be harmed.

We must continue to identify, recruit, hire, train, retain and motivate highly skilled technical, managerial, sales and marketing and administrative personnel. Competition for these individuals is intense, and we may not be able to successfully recruit, assimilate or retain sufficiently qualified personnel. We may encounter difficulties in recruiting and retaining a sufficient number of qualified engineers, which could harm our ability to develop new products and adversely impact our relationships with existing and future end-users at a critical stage of development. The failure to recruit and retain necessary technical, managerial, sales, marketing and administrative personnel could harm our business and our ability to obtain new customers and develop new products.

Supply Chain2 | 4.7%

Supply Chain - Risk 1

We rely heavily on distributors and our success depends on our ability to develop and manage our indirect distribution channels.

A significant percentage of our sales are made to distributors and to contract manufacturers who incorporate our products into end products for OEMs. For example, in the six months ended September 30, 2024 and in fiscal 2024, 2023 and 2022, our largest distributor Avnet Logistics accounted for 42.9%, 50.6%, 48.1% and 38.0%, respectively, of our net revenues. Avnet Logistics and our other existing distributors may choose to devote greater resources to marketing and supporting the products of other companies. Since we sell through multiple channels and distribution networks, we may have to resolve potential conflicts between these channels. For example, these conflicts may result from the different discount levels offered by multiple channel distributors to their customers or, potentially, from our direct sales force targeting the same equipment manufacturer accounts as our indirect channel distributors. These conflicts may harm our business or reputation.

Supply Chain - Risk 2

We are dependent on a number of single source suppliers, and if we fail to obtain adequate supplies, our business will be harmed and our prospects for growth will be curtailed.

We currently purchase several key components used in the manufacture of our products from single sources and are dependent upon supply from these sources to meet our needs. If any of these suppliers cannot provide components on a timely basis, at the same price or at all, our ability to manufacture our products will be constrained and our business will suffer. For example, due to worldwide inflationary pressures, the cost of wafers and assembly services have increased by approximately 25% since the beginning of fiscal 2021. Most significantly, we obtain wafers for our Very Fast SRAM and APU products from a single foundry, TSMC, and most of them are packaged at ASE. If we are unable to obtain an adequate supply of wafers from TSMC or find alternative sources in a timely manner, we will be unable to fulfill our customer orders and our operating results will be harmed. We do not have supply agreements with TSMC, ASE or any of our other independent assembly and test suppliers, and instead obtain manufacturing services and products from these suppliers on a purchase-order basis. Our suppliers, including TSMC, have no obligation to supply products or services to us for any specific product, in any specific quantity, at any specific price or for any specific time period. As a result, the loss or failure to perform by any of these suppliers could adversely affect our business and operating results. Should any of our single source suppliers experience manufacturing failures or yield shortfalls, be disrupted by natural disaster, military action or political instability, choose to prioritize capacity or inventory for other uses or reduce or eliminate deliveries to us for any other reason, we likely will not be able to enforce fulfillment of any delivery commitments and we would have to identify and qualify acceptable replacements from alternative sources of supply. In particular, if TSMC is unable to supply us with sufficient quantities of wafers to meet all of our requirements, we would have to allocate our products among our customers, which would constrain our growth and might cause some of them to seek alternative sources of supply. Since the manufacturing of wafers and other components is extremely complex, the process of qualifying new foundries and suppliers is a lengthy process and there is no assurance that we would be able to find and qualify another supplier without materially adversely affecting our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Costs1 | 2.3%

Costs - Risk 1

If we are unable to offset increased wafer fabrication and assembly costs by increasing the average selling prices of our products, our gross margins will suffer.

If there is a significant upturn in the demand for the manufacturing and assembly of semiconductor products as occurred in fiscal 2022, the available supply of wafers and packaging services may be limited. As a result, we could be required to obtain additional manufacturing and assembly capacity in order to meet increased demand. Securing additional manufacturing and assembly capacity may cause our wafer fabrication and assembly costs to increase. Inflationary pressures may also cause our wafer fabrication costs to increase. If we are unable to offset these increased costs by increasing the average selling prices of our products, our gross margins will decline.

Tech & Innovation

Total Risks: 6/43 (14%)Below Sector Average

Innovation / R&D3 | 7.0%

Innovation / R&D - Risk 1

Our future success is substantially dependent on the successful introduction of new in-place associative computing products which entails significant risks.

Since 2015, our principal strategic objective has been the development of our first in-place associative computing products. We have devoted, and will continue to devote, substantial efforts and resources to the development of our new family of in-place associative computing products. This ongoing project involves the commercialization of new, cutting-edge technology, will require a continuing substantial effort during fiscal 2025 and will be subject to significant risks. In addition to the typical risks associated with the development of technologically advanced products, this project will be subject to enhanced risks of technological problems related to the development of this entirely new category of products, substantial risks of delays or unanticipated costs that may be encountered, and risks associated with the establishment of entirely new markets and customer and partner relationships. The establishment of new customer and partner relationships and selling our in-place associative computing products to such new customers is a significant undertaking that requires us to invest heavily in our sales team, enter into new channel partner relationships, expand our marketing activities and change the focus of our business and operations. Our inability to successfully establish a market for the product that we have developed will have a material adverse effect on our future financial and business success, including our prospects for increased revenues. Additionally, if we are unable to meet the expectations of market analysts and investors with respect to this major product introduction effort, then the price of our common stock could fall.

Innovation / R&D - Risk 2

If we do not successfully develop new products to respond to rapid market changes due to changing technology and evolving industry standards, particularly in the networking and telecommunications markets, our business will be harmed.

If we fail to offer technologically advanced products and respond to technological advances and emerging standards, we may not generate sufficient revenues to offset our development costs and other expenses, which will hurt our business. The development of new or enhanced products is a complex and uncertain process that requires the accurate anticipation of technological and market trends. In particular, the networking and telecommunications markets are rapidly evolving, and new standards are emerging. We are vulnerable to advances in technology by competitors, including new SRAM architectures, new forms of DRAM and the emergence of new memory technologies that could enable the development of products that feature higher performance or lower cost. In addition, the trend toward incorporating SRAM into other chips in the networking and telecommunications markets has the potential to reduce future demand for Very Fast SRAM products. We may experience development, marketing and other technological difficulties that may delay or limit our ability to respond to technological changes, evolving industry standards, competitive developments or end-user requirements. For example, because we have limited experience developing integrated circuits, or IC, products other than Very Fast SRAMs, our efforts to introduce new products may not be successful and our business may suffer. Other challenges that we face include: - our products may become obsolete upon the introduction of alternative technologies;- we may incur substantial costs if we need to modify our products to respond to these alternative technologies;- we may not have sufficient resources to develop or acquire new technologies or to introduce new products capable of competing with future technologies;- new products that we develop may not successfully integrate with our end-users' products into which they are incorporated;- we may be unable to develop new products that incorporate emerging industry standards;- we may be unable to develop or acquire the rights to use the intellectual property necessary to implement new technologies; and - when introducing new or enhanced products, we may be unable to effectively manage the transition from older products.

Innovation / R&D - Risk 3

We may experience difficulties in transitioning to smaller geometry process technologies and other more advanced manufacturing process technologies, which may result in reduced manufacturing yields, delays in product deliveries and increased expenses.

In order to remain competitive, we expect to continue to transition the manufacture of our products to smaller geometry process technologies. This transition will require us to migrate to new manufacturing processes for our products and redesign certain products. The manufacture and design of our products is complex, and we may experience difficulty in transitioning to smaller geometry process technologies or new manufacturing processes. These difficulties could result in reduced manufacturing yields, delays in product deliveries and increased expenses. We are dependent on our relationships with TSMC to transition successfully to smaller geometry process technologies and to more advanced manufacturing processes. If we or TSMC experience significant delays in this transition or fail to implement these transitions, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

Trade Secrets2 | 4.7%

Trade Secrets - Risk 1

Our business will suffer if we are unable to protect our intellectual property.

Our success and ability to compete depends in large part upon protecting our proprietary technology. We rely on a combination of patent, trade secret, copyright and trademark laws and non-disclosure and other contractual agreements to protect our proprietary rights. These agreements and measures may not be sufficient to protect our technology from third-party infringement. Monitoring unauthorized use of our intellectual property is difficult and we cannot be certain that the steps we have taken will prevent unauthorized use of our technology, particularly in foreign countries where the laws may not protect our proprietary rights as fully as in the United States. Our attempts to enforce our intellectual property rights could be time consuming and costly. In the past, we have been involved in litigation to enforce our intellectual property rights and to protect our trade secrets. Additional litigation of this type may be necessary in the future. Any such litigation could result in substantial costs and diversion of resources. If competitors are able to use our technology without our approval or compensation, our ability to compete effectively could be harmed.

Trade Secrets - Risk 2

Claims that we infringe third party intellectual property rights could seriously harm our business and require us to incur significant costs.

There has been significant litigation in the semiconductor industry involving patents and other intellectual property rights. We were previously involved in protracted patent infringement litigation, and we could become subject to additional claims or litigation in the future as a result of allegations that we infringe others' intellectual property rights or that our use of intellectual property otherwise violates the law. Claims that our products infringe the proprietary rights of others would force us to defend ourselves and possibly our customers, distributors or manufacturers against the alleged infringement. Any such litigation regarding intellectual property could result in substantial costs and diversion of resources and could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Similarly, changing our products or processes to avoid infringing the rights of others may be costly or impractical. If any claims received in the future were to be upheld, the consequences to us could require us to: - stop selling our products that incorporate the challenged intellectual property;- obtain a license to sell or use the relevant technology, which license may not be available on reasonable terms or at all;- pay damages; or - redesign those products that use the disputed technology. Although patent disputes in the semiconductor industry have often been settled through cross-licensing arrangements, we may not be able in any or every instance to settle an alleged patent infringement claim through a cross-licensing arrangement in part because we have a more limited patent portfolio than many of our competitors. If a successful claim is made against us or any of our customers and a license is not made available to us on commercially reasonable terms or we are required to pay substantial damages or awards, our business, financial condition and results of operations would be materially adversely affected.

Cyber Security1 | 2.3%

Cyber Security - Risk 1

System security risks, data protection, cyber-attacks and systems integration issues could disrupt our internal operations or the operations of our business partners, and any such disruption could harm our reputation or cause a reduction in our expected revenue, increase our expenses, negatively impact our results of operation or otherwise adversely affect our stock price.

Security breaches, computer malware and cyber-attacks have become more prevalent and sophisticated and may increase in the future due to a number of our employees working from home and the potential for retaliatory cyber-attacks as a result of the military conflict in Ukraine. Experienced computer programmers and hackers may be able to penetrate our network security or the network security of our business partners, and misappropriate or compromise our confidential and proprietary information, create system disruptions or cause shutdowns. The costs to us to eliminate or alleviate cyber or other security problems, bugs, viruses, worms, malicious software programs and security vulnerabilities could be significant, and our efforts to address these problems may not be successful and could result in interruptions and delays that may impede our sales, manufacturing, distribution or other critical functions. We manage and store various proprietary information and sensitive or confidential data relating to our business on the cloud. Breaches of our security measures or the accidental loss, inadvertent disclosure or unapproved dissemination of proprietary information or confidential data about us, including the potential loss or disclosure of such information or data as a result of fraud, trickery or other forms of deception, could expose us to a risk of loss or misuse of this information, result in litigation and potential liability for us, damage our reputation or otherwise harm our business. In addition, the cost and operational consequences of implementing further data protection measures could be significant. Portions of our IT infrastructure also may experience interruptions, delays or cessations of service or produce errors in connection with systems integration or migration work that takes place from time to time. We may not be successful in implementing new systems and transitioning data, which could cause business disruptions and be more expensive, time consuming, disruptive and resource-intensive than originally anticipated. Such disruptions could adversely impact our ability to attract and retain customers, fulfill orders and interrupt other processes and could adversely affect our business, financial results, stock price and reputation.

Macro & Political

Total Risks: 5/43 (12%)Above Sector Average

Economy & Political Environment2 | 4.7%

Economy & Political Environment - Risk 1

The software development for our associative computing products occurs in Israel, and therefore our business performance and operations may be adversely affected by military conflict in Israel.

Our software development and certain regional sales activities for our APU product offerings occur in Israel. Our Vice President, Associative Computing, along with a team of software development experts are based in our Israel facility. This team is needed for the development of software required in the use of our APU product offering. Proof of concept customers for our SAR imagine processing acceleration system are also based in Israel. We are closely monitoring the evolving military conflict in Israel that began on October 7, 2023, including potential impacts to our business, customers, employees and operations in Israel. At this time, the impact on GSI Technology is uncertain and subject to change given the volatile nature of the situation, but adverse changes in the military conditions in Israel could harm our business and our stock price could decline.

Economy & Political Environment - Risk 2

Changes in Taiwan's political, social and economic environment may affect our business performance.

Because much of the manufacturing and testing of our products is conducted in Taiwan, our business performance may be affected by changes in Taiwan's political, social and economic environment. For example, political instability or restrictions on transportation logistics for our products resulting from changes in the relationship among the United States, Taiwan and the People's Republic of China could negatively impact our business. Any significant armed conflict related to this matter would be expected to materially and adversely damage our business. Moreover, the role of the Taiwanese government in the Taiwanese economy is significant. Taiwanese policies toward economic liberalization, and laws and policies affecting technology companies, foreign investment, currency exchange rates, taxes and other matters could change, resulting in greater restrictions on our ability and our suppliers' ability to do business and operate facilities in Taiwan. If any of these changes were to occur, our business could be harmed, and our stock price could decline.

International Operations1 | 2.3%

International Operations - Risk 1

Our international business exposes us to additional risks.

Products shipped to destinations outside of the United States accounted for 62.6%, 47.3%, 51.4% and 53.5% of our net revenues in the six months ended September 30, 2024 and in fiscal 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Moreover, a substantial portion of our products is manufactured and tested in Taiwan, and the software development for our associative computing products occurs in Israel where there is an growing military conflict. We intend to continue expanding our international business in the future. Conducting business outside of the United States subjects us to additional risks and challenges, including: - potential political and economic instability in, or armed conflicts that involve or affect, the countries in which we, our customers and our suppliers are located;- uncertainties regarding taxes, tariffs, quotas, export controls and license requirements, trade wars, policies that favor domestic companies over nondomestic companies, including government efforts to provide for the development and growth of local competitors, and other trade barriers;- heightened price sensitivity from customers in emerging markets;- compliance with a wide variety of foreign laws and regulations and unexpected changes in these laws and regulations;- fluctuations in freight rates and transportation disruptions;- difficulties and costs of staffing and managing personnel, distributors and representatives across different geographic areas and cultures, including assuring compliance with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and other U.S. and foreign anti-corruption laws;- difficulties in collecting accounts receivable and longer accounts receivable payment cycles; and - limited protection for intellectual property rights in some countries. Moreover, our reporting currency is the U.S. dollar. However, a portion of our cost of revenues and our operating expenses is denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar, primarily the New Taiwanese dollar and Israeli Shekel. As a result, appreciation or depreciation of other currencies in relation to the U.S. dollar could result in transaction gains or losses that could impact our operating results. We do not currently engage in currency hedging activities to reduce the risk of financial exposure from fluctuations in foreign exchange rates.

Natural and Human Disruptions1 | 2.3%

Natural and Human Disruptions - Risk 1

TSMC, as well as our other independent suppliers and many of our OEM customers, have operations in the Pacific Rim, an area subject to significant risk of earthquakes, typhoons and other natural disasters and adverse consequences related to the outbreak of contagious diseases.

The foundry that manufactures our Fast SRAM and APU products, TSMC, and all of the principal independent suppliers that assemble and test our products are located in Taiwan. Many of our customers are also located in the Pacific Rim. The risk of an earthquake in these Pacific Rim locations is significant. The occurrence of an earthquake, typhoon or other natural disaster near the fabrication facilities of TSMC or our other independent suppliers could result in damage, power outages and other disruptions that impair their production and assembly capacity. Any disruption resulting from such events could cause significant delays in the production or shipment of our products until we are able to shift our manufacturing, assembling, packaging or production testing from the affected contractor to another third-party vendor. In such an event, we may not be able to obtain alternate foundry capacity on favorable terms, or at all. The recent COVID-19 global pandemic, along with the previous outbreaks of SARS, H1N1 and the Avian Flu, curtailed travel between and within countries, including in the Asia-Pacific region. Outbreaks of new contagious diseases or the resurgence of existing diseases that significantly affect the Asia-Pacific region could disrupt the operations of our key suppliers and manufacturing partners. In addition, our business could be harmed if such an outbreak resulted in travel being restricted, the implementation of stay-at-home or shelter-in-place orders or if it adversely affected the operations of our OEM customers or the demand for our products or our OEM customers' products. We do not maintain sufficient business interruption and other insurance policies to compensate us for all losses that may occur. Any losses or damages incurred by us as a result of a catastrophic event or any other significant uninsured loss in excess of our insurance policy limits could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Capital Markets1 | 2.3%

Capital Markets - Risk 1

The United States could materially modify certain international trade agreements, or change tax provisions related to the global manufacturing and sales of our products.

A portion of our business activities are conducted in foreign countries, including Taiwan and Israel. Our business benefits from free trade agreements, and we also rely on various U.S. corporate tax provisions related to international commerce as we develop, manufacture, market and sell our products globally. Any action to materially modify international trade agreements, change corporate tax policy related to international commerce or mandate domestic production of goods, could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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.

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