A Dark Vector Cognition product

Item 1A. RISK FACTORS

16K characters. Original on sec.gov ·

Item 1A. RISK FACTORS

The following risks update and supplement the risk factors set forth in Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2024. Please refer to Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2024, for other risks related to our business.

We may be unable to successfully implement our acquisitions strategy, integrate acquired companies and personnel with existing operations, or capitalize on any decision to strategically divest one or more current businesses.

We have completed acquisitions and divestitures in the past, including most recently the acquisition of Coherent, Inc. in July 2022. We expect to expand and diversify our operations with additional acquisitions, but we may be unable to identify or complete prospective acquisitions for many reasons, including increasing competition from other potential acquirers, the effects of consolidation in our industries, and potentially high valuations of acquisition candidates. In addition, applicable competition laws and other regulations may limit our ability to acquire targets, integrate businesses, or force us to divest an acquired business line. If we are unable to identify suitable targets or complete acquisitions, our growth prospects may suffer, and we may not be able to realize sufficient scale and technological advantages to compete effectively in all markets.

To the extent that we complete acquisitions, we may be unsuccessful in integrating acquired companies or product lines with existing operations, or the integration may be more difficult or more costly than anticipated.

We incurred substantial expenses related to the acquisition of Coherent, Inc. and we continue to incur substantial expenses related to the integration of Coherent, Inc. and its subsidiaries. Some of the risks that may affect our ability to integrate or realize anticipated benefits from acquired companies, businesses, or assets include those associated with:

  • a significant negative financial result from the acquired company relative to our pre-acquisition expectations;

  • unexpected losses of key employees of the acquired company;

  • standardizing the combined company’s standards, processes, procedures, and controls, including integrating enterprise resource planning systems and other key business applications;

  • coordinating new product and process development;

  • increasing complexity from combining operations;

  • increasing the scope, geographic diversity, and complexity of our operations;

  • difficulties in consolidating facilities and transferring processes and know-how;

  • diversion of management’s attention from other business concerns; and

  • actions we may take in connection with acquisitions, such as:

◦using a significant portion of our available cash;

◦issuing equity securities, which would dilute current shareholders’ percentage ownership;

◦incurring significant debt;

◦incurring or assume contingent liabilities, known or unknown, including potential lawsuits, infringement actions, or similar liabilities;

◦incurring impairment charges related to goodwill or other intangibles; and

◦facing antitrust or other regulatory inquiries or actions.

In addition, the market prices of our outstanding securities could be adversely affected if the effect of any acquisitions on our consolidated financial results is dilutive or is below the market’s or financial analysts’ expectations, or if there are unanticipated

changes in the business or financial performance of the acquired or combined company. Any failure to successfully integrate acquired businesses may disrupt our business and adversely impact our business, results of operations, or financial condition.

We also continually assess the strategic fit of our business and have from time to time divested portions of our business that are not deemed to fit with our strategic plan. Divestitures involve significant risks and uncertainties, such as ability to sell such businesses on satisfactory price and terms and in a timely manner (including long and costly sales processes and the possibility of lengthy and potentially unsuccessful attempts by a buyer to receive required regulatory approvals), or at all, disruption to other parts of the businesses and distraction of management, allocation of internal resources that would otherwise be devoted to completing strategic acquisitions, loss of key employees or customers, exposure to unanticipated liabilities (including, among other things, those arising from representations and warranties made to a buyer regarding the businesses) or ongoing obligations to support the businesses following such divestitures, and other adverse financial impacts.

Our future success depends on continued international sales, and our global operations are complex and present multiple challenges to manage.

We anticipate that international sales will continue to account for a significant portion of our revenues for the foreseeable future. The failure to maintain our current volume of international sales could materially affect our business, results of operations, financial condition, and/or cash flows.

The global nature of our business subjects us to a number of risks and uncertainties, which have had in the past and could in the future have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. These include domestic and international economic and political conditions in countries in which we and our suppliers and manufacturers do business, government lockdowns to control case spread of global or local health issues, differing legal standards with respect to protection of IP and employment practices, different domestic and international customs and business and cultural practices, disruptions to capital markets, counter-inflation policies, currency fluctuations, natural disasters, acts of war or other military actions, terrorism, public health issues, restrictions on international trade, such as tariffs, sanctions, and other controls on imports or exports, and catastrophic events. In addition, multiple complex issues may arise concurrently in different countries, potentially hampering our ability to respond in an effective and timely manner. Any inability to respond in an effective and timely manner to issues in our global operations could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, or financial condition.

We may fail to accurately estimate the size and growth rate of our markets and our customers’ demands.

We make significant decisions based on our estimates of customer requirements. We use our estimates to determine the levels of business we seek and accept, production schedules, personnel needs, and other resource requirements.

Customers may require rapid increases in production on short notice. We may not be able to purchase sufficient supplies or allocate sufficient manufacturing capacity to meet such increases in demand. Rapid customer ramp-up and significant increases in demand may strain our resources or negatively affect our margins. Inability to satisfy customer demand in a timely manner may harm our reputation, reduce our other opportunities, damage our relationships with customers, reduce revenue growth, and/or cause us to incur contractual penalties.

Alternatively, downturns in the industries in which we compete, or changes in technology, may cause our customers to significantly and abruptly reduce their demand, or even cancel orders. For example, the artificial intelligence industry is rapidly evolving, with continuous improvements in algorithms, software efficiencies and hardware capabilities. Emerging AI technologies may allow for complex AI operations to be executed with significantly less computing power than is currently required. This reduction in computational intensity could decrease the demand for services provided by AI datacenters that are our customers. Shifts like these have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition, as we base many of our operating decisions including, but not limited to, those regarding manufacturing capacity and staffing, and enter into purchase commitments, on the basis of anticipated revenue trends. With respect to orders we initiate with our suppliers to address anticipated demand from our customers, certain suppliers may have required noncancellable purchase commitments or advance payments from us, and those obligations and commitments could reduce our ability to adjust our inventory or expense levels to reflect declining market demands. Unexpected declines in customer demands can result in excess or obsolete inventory and additional charges. Because certain of our sales, research and development, and internal manufacturing overhead expenses are relatively fixed, a reduction in customer demand likely would decrease our gross margins and operating income.

Increases in commodity prices and diminished availability of rare earth minerals and noble gases may adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

We are exposed to a variety of market risks, including the effects of increases in commodity prices and diminished availability of rare earth minerals and noble gases. Our businesses purchase, produce, and sell raw materials based upon quoted market prices from minor metal exchanges. Trade disputes, geopolitical tensions, economic circumstances, or political conditions may limit our ability to obtain certain materials. Although rare earth and other materials are generally available from multiple suppliers, China is the predominant producer of certain of these materials. China recently imposed export restrictions on certain

rare earth minerals such as yttrium and germanium, which disrupted and may continue to disrupt global supply chains, driving up costs. The effect of these actions on the market on these critical rare earth minerals could have a material impact on the cost and availability of such minerals, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. The negative impact from increases in commodity prices and diminished availability of rare earth minerals and noble gases might not be recovered through our product sales, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

Significant political, trade, regulatory developments, and other circumstances beyond our control, including as a result of recently announced tariffs, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations.

We operate globally and plan to sell our products in countries throughout the world. Significant political, trade, or regulatory developments in the jurisdictions in which we sell our products are difficult to predict and may have a material adverse effect on us. Similarly, changes in U.S. federal policy that affect the geopolitical landscape could give rise to circumstances outside our control that could have negative impacts on our business operations. For example, in early 2025, the United States implemented significant new tariffs on foreign imports impacting multiple countries, commodities and industries, and these new tariffs and export restrictions also prompted retaliatory tariffs and export restrictions from certain countries. As of April 2025, certain tariffs and retaliatory tariffs have been delayed, but a number of the new tariffs remain in effect, including significant tariffs and trade sanctions between the United States and China. Historically, tariffs have led to increased trade and political tensions and, to date, the outcome of the negotiations between the United States and the various countries is not yet clear. Political tensions as a result of trade policies could reduce trade volume, investment, technological exchange and other economic activities between major international economies, resulting in a material adverse effect on global economic conditions and the stability of global financial markets. Any changes in political, trade, regulatory, and economic conditions, including U.S. trade policies, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations.

Inflation and increased borrowing costs could impact our cash flows and profitability.

Prolonged periods of inflation have the potential to adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and liquidity by increasing our overall cost structure, particularly if we are unable to achieve commensurate increases in the prices we charge our customers. The existence of inflation in the economy has and may continue to result in higher interest rates and capital costs, supply shortages, increased costs of labor and other similar effects. Further, world events such as the imposition of global trade tariffs or conflict between Russia and Ukraine could affect inflationary trends. As a result of inflation, we have experienced and may continue to experience, increases in our costs associated with operating our business including labor, equipment and other inputs. Additionally, our borrowing costs, including those under our current credit agreement, dated as of July 1, 2022, by and among us, the lenders and other parties thereto, and JP Morgan Chase Bank, NA, as administrative agent and collateral agent (as amended, restated, supplemented and/or otherwise modified from time to time, the “Credit Agreement”), increase or decrease (i.e., “float”) based on interest rate benchmarks. As governments increase interest rate benchmarks to combat inflation, our borrowing costs increase. Although we may take measures to mitigate the impact of this inflation through pricing actions, efficiency gains and interest rate hedging, if these measures are not effective, our business, results of operations, financial position and liquidity could be materially adversely affected. Even if such measures are effective, there could be a difference between the timing of when these beneficial actions impact our results of operations and when the cost of inflation is incurred.

Actions that we have taken, or may take in the future, to restructure our business in alignment with our strategic priorities may not be as effective as anticipated.

We have taken in the past, and may continue to take in the future, certain actions to restructure our business in alignment with management’s strategic priorities, including the plans discussed under the heading “Trends and Other Matters Affecting our Business” in Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations. While such plans and other proactive cost reduction measures are intended to realign our cost structure as part of a transformation to a simpler, more streamlined, resilient and sustainable business model, we may encounter challenges in the execution of these efforts that could prevent us from recognizing the intended benefits of such efforts, including, but not limited to, higher than anticipated costs in implementing planned workforce reductions, particularly in highly regulated locations outside the United States; higher than anticipated lease termination and facility closure costs; employee attrition beyond our intended reduction in force; and decreased employee morale among our remaining employees; diversion of management attention; adverse effects to our reputation as an employer which could make it more difficult for us to hire new employees in the future; loss of the institutional knowledge and expertise of departing employees; failure to maintain adequate controls and procedures while executing, and subsequent to completing, such restructuring plans; and potential failure or delays to meet operational and growth targets due to the loss of qualified employees.

If we experience any of these adverse consequences, the restructuring plans and other cost reduction initiatives that we have in the past undertaken, and may in the future undertake, may not achieve or sustain the intended benefits. Our failure to achieve

the expected results from such restructuring plans and other cost reduction initiatives for any reason also could lead to the implementation of additional restructuring-related activities in the future, which may exacerbate these risks or introduce n

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