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Item 4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

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Item 4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Under the supervision and with the participation of management, including the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer and its Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, the Company has, pursuant to Rule 13a-15(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of its disclosure controls and procedures (as defined under Rule 13a-15(e) of the Exchange Act). Based upon that evaluation, the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer and its Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that, as of March 30, 2024, the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures are effective.

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

There has been no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the first quarter of 2024 that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS UNDER THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION

REFORM ACT OF 1995

This document contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements other than statements of historical fact are “forward-looking statements” for purposes of federal and state securities laws, including, but not limited to, any projections or guidance of earnings, revenue, profitability or other financial items; any statements of the plans, strategies and objectives of management for future operations; any statements concerning proposed new products, services or developments; any statements regarding future economic conditions or performance; any statements relating to initiatives concerning environmental, social and governance ("ESG") matters, including environmental sustainability and diversity, equity and inclusion; any statements of belief; and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Forward-looking statements may include, among others, the words “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “intend,” “could,” “project,” “plan,” “continue,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “run-rate,” “annualized,” “forecast,” “commit,” “goal,” “target,” “design,” “on-track,” “position or positioning,” “guidance” or any other similar words.

Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in any of its forward-looking statements are reasonable, actual results could differ materially from those projected or assumed in any of its forward-looking statements. The Company's future financial condition and results of operations, as well as any forward-looking statements, are subject to change and to inherent risks and uncertainties, such as those disclosed or incorporated by reference in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Important factors that could cause the Company's actual results, performance and achievements, or industry results to differ materially from estimates or projections contained in its forward-looking statements include, among others, the following: (i) successfully developing, marketing and achieving sales from new products and services and the continued acceptance of current products and services; (ii) macroeconomic factors, including global and regional business conditions, commodity prices, inflation and deflation, interest rate volatility, currency exchange rates, and uncertainties in the global financial markets related to the recent failures of several financial institutions; (iii) laws, regulations and governmental policies affecting the Company's activities in the countries where it does business, including those related to tariffs, taxation, data privacy, anti-bribery, anti-corruption, government contracts and trade controls such as section 301 tariffs and section 232 steel and aluminum tariffs; (iv) the economic, political, cultural and legal environment in Europe and the emerging markets in which the Company generates sales, particularly Latin America and China; (v) realizing the anticipated benefits of mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic alliances or divestitures; (vi) pricing pressure and other changes within competitive markets; (vii) availability and price of raw materials, component parts, freight, energy, labor and sourced finished goods; (viii) the impact that the tightened credit markets may have on the Company or its customers or suppliers; (ix) the extent to which the Company has to write off accounts receivable, inventory or other assets or experiences supply chain disruptions in connection with bankruptcy filings by customers or suppliers; (x) the Company's ability to identify and effectively execute productivity improvements and cost reductions; (xi) potential business, supply chain and distribution disruptions, including those related to physical security threats, information technology or cyber-attacks, epidemics, natural disasters, pandemics, sanctions, political unrest, war or terrorism, including the conflicts between Russia and Ukraine, and Israel and Hamas and tensions or conflicts in South Korea, China and Taiwan; (xii) the continued consolidation of customers, particularly in consumer channels, and the Company’s continued reliance on significant customers; (xiii) managing franchisee relationships; (xiv) the impact of poor weather conditions and climate change and risks related to the transition to a lower-carbon economy, such as the Company’s ability to successfully adopt new technology, meet market-driven demands for carbon neutral and renewable energy technology, or to comply with more stringent and increasingly complex environmental regulations or requirements for its manufacturing facilities and business operations; (xv) failure to meet ESG expectations or standards, or achieve its ESG goals; (xvi) maintaining or improving production rates in the Company's manufacturing facilities, responding to significant changes in customer preferences, product demand and fulfilling demand for new and existing products, and learning, adapting and integrating new technologies into products, services and processes; (xvii) changes in the competitive landscape in the Company's markets; (xviii) the Company's non-U.S. operations, including sales to non-U.S. customers; (xix) the impact from demand changes within world-wide markets associated with homebuilding and remodeling; (xx) potential adverse developments in new or pending litigation and/or government investigations; (xxi) the incurrence of debt and changes in the Company's ability to obtain debt on commercially reasonable terms and at competitive rates; (xxii) substantial pension and other postretirement benefit obligations; (xxiii) potential regulatory liabilities, including environmental, privacy, data breach, workers compensation and product liabilities; (xxiv) attracting, developing and retaining senior management and other key employees, managing a workforce in many jurisdictions, labor shortages, work stoppages or other labor disruptions; (xxv) the Company's ability to keep abreast with the pace of technological change; (xxvi) changes in accounting estimates; (xxvii) the Company’s ability to protect its intellectual property rights and to maintain its public reputation and the strength of its brands; and (xxviii) the Company’s ability to implement, and achieve the expected benefits (including cost savings and reduction in working capital) from, its Global Cost Reduction Program including: continuing to advance innovation, electrification and global market penetration to achieve organic revenue growth of 2-3 times the market; streamlining and simplifying the organization, and investing in initiatives that more directly impact the Company's customers and end users; returning adjusted gross margins to historical 35%+ levels by accelerating the supply chain transformation to leverage strategic sourcing, drive

operational excellence, consolidate facilities, optimize the distribution network and reduce complexity of the product portfolio; improving fill rates and matching inventory with customer demand; prioritizing cash flow generation and inventory optimization; executing the SBD Operating Model to deliver operational excellence through efficiency, simplified organizational design; and reducing complexity through platforming products and implementing initiatives to drive a SKU reduction.

Additional factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from forward-looking statements are set forth in the Annual Report on Form 10-K and in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, including under the headings “Risk Factors,” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and in the Consolidated Financial Statements and the related Notes.

Forward-looking statements in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q speak only as of the date hereof, and forward-looking statements in documents that are incorporated by reference herein speak only as of the date of those documents. The Company does not undertake any obligation or intention to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of future events or circumstances, new information or otherwise, except as required by law. Any standards of measurement and performance made in reference to the Company's ESG and other sustainability plans and goals are developing and based on assumptions that continue to evolve, and no assurance can be given that any such plan, initiative, projection, goal, commitment, expectation, or prospect can or will be achieved. The inclusion of information related to ESG goals and initiatives is not an indication that such information is material under the standards of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

PART II — OTHER INFORMATION

ITEM 1. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

The Company’s Form 10-K for the year ended December 30, 2023 includes "Legal Proceedings" under Item 3 of Part I. Other than as described below, there have been no material changes from the legal proceedings described in the Company's Form 10-K.

Government Investigations

On January 19, 2024, the Company was notified by the Compliance and Field Operations Division (the “Division”) of the Consumer Product Safety Commission that the Division intends to recommend the imposition of a civil penalty of approximately $32 million for alleged untimely reporting in relation to certain utility bars and miter saws that were subject to voluntary recalls in September 2019 and March 2022, respectively. The Company believes there are defenses to the Division’s claims and has presented its defenses to the Division. However, given the early stage of this matter, at this time, the Company is not in a position to assess the likelihood of any potential loss or adverse effect on its financial condition or to estimate the amount of potential loss, if any, from this matter.

Class Action Litigation

As previously disclosed, on March 24, 2023, a putative class action lawsuit titled Naresh Vissa Rammohan v. Stanley Black & Decker, Inc., et al., Case No. 3:23-cv-00369-KAD (the “Rammohan Class Action”), was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut against the Company and certain of the Company’s current and former officers and directors. The complaint was filed on behalf of a purported class consisting of all purchasers of Stanley Black & Decker common stock between October 28, 2021 and July 28, 2022, inclusive. The complaint asserts violations of Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 based on allegedly false and misleading statements related to consumer demand for the Company’s products amid changing COVID-19 trends and macroeconomic conditions. The complaint seeks unspecified damages and an award of costs and expenses. On October 13, 2023, Lead Plaintiff General Retirement System of the City of Detroit filed an Amended Complaint that asserts the same claims and seeks the same forms of relief as the original complaint. The Company intends to vigorously defend this action in all respects and on December 14, 2023 filed a motion to dismiss the Amended Complaint in its entirety. Briefing on that motion concluded on April 5, 2024, and the Company awaits a decision on that motion. Given the early stage of this litigation, at this time, the Company is not in a position to assess the likelihood of any potential loss or adverse effect on its financial condition or to estimate the amount or range of potential losses, if any, from this action.

Other Actions

In addition to the matters above, in the normal course of business, the Company is involved in various lawsuits and claims, including product liability, environmental, intellectual property, contract and commercial, advertising, employment and distributor claims, and administrative proceedings. The Company does not expect that the resolution of these matters occurring in the normal course of business will have a materially adverse effect on the Company’s consolidated financial position, results of operations or liquidity.

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