ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. The risks described below are not the only ones facing us. Additional risks not currently known to us or that we currently believe are immaterial also may impair our business, operations, liquidity and stock price materially and adversely. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below in addition to the other information included or incorporated by reference in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. If any of the following risks actually occur, our business, financial condition or results of operations would likely suffer. In that case, the trading price of our common stock could fall and you could lose all or part of your investment.
Risks Related to the Lumentum Acquisition
Failure to complete the Merger could negatively affect the share prices and the future business and financial results of Oclaro.
If the Merger is not completed, the ongoing businesses of Oclaro may be adversely affected. Additionally, if the Merger is not completed and the Merger Agreement is terminated, in certain circumstances Oclaro may be required to pay Lumentum a termination fee of $63.0 million. In addition, Oclaro has incurred and will continue to incur significant transaction expenses in connection with the Merger regardless of whether the Merger is completed. Furthermore, Oclaro may experience negative reactions from the financial markets, including negative impacts on its stock price, or negative reactions from its customers, suppliers, other business partners and employees, should the Merger not be completed.
The foregoing risks, or other risks arising in connection with the failure to consummate the Merger, including the diversion of management attention from conducting the business of Oclaro and its subsidiaries and pursuing other opportunities during the pendency of the Merger, may have a material adverse effect on the businesses, operations, financial results and stock price of Oclaro. Oclaro could also be subject to litigation related to any failure to consummate the Merger or any related action that could be brought to enforce a party’s obligations under the Merger Agreement.
The Merger is subject to a number of conditions, some of which are outside of the parties’ control, and, if these conditions are not satisfied, the Merger Agreement may be terminated and the Merger may not be completed.
The Merger Agreement contains a number of conditions that must be fulfilled to complete the Merger. These conditions include, among other customary conditions, the required approval of Oclaro’s stockholders to complete the Merger, absence of laws, orders, judgments and injunctions that enjoin or otherwise prohibit consummation of the Merger in any jurisdiction that is material to the business or operations of Oclaro or Lumentum, receipt of certain antitrust approvals in the United States and the People’s Republic of China, approval by NASDAQ for listing of the shares of Lumentum common stock to be issued in the Merger, accuracy of representations and warranties of the parties subject to the applicable standard provided by the Merger Agreement, no event occurring that had or would reasonably be expected to have a “Material Adverse Effect” (as defined in the Merger Agreement) on Lumentum or Oclaro, compliance by the parties with their obligations in the Merger Agreement in all material respects and the effectiveness of the registration statement relating to the shares of Lumentum common stock to be issued in connection with the Merger. On April 4, 2018, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission granted early termination of the waiting period under the HSR Act. On July 10, 2018, Oclaro's stockholders approved the Merger Agreement.
The required satisfaction of the foregoing conditions could delay the completion of the Merger for a significant period of time or prevent it from occurring. Any delay in completing the Merger could cause Lumentum not to realize some or all of the benefits that the parties expect Lumentum to achieve following the Merger. Further, there can be no assurance that the conditions to closing will be satisfied or waived or that the Merger will be completed.
In addition, if the Merger is not completed by December 11, 2018, which deadline will be automatically extended to March 11, 2019 if the closing is delayed due to certain conditions to closing relating to antitrust laws not being satisfied, either Lumentum or Oclaro may choose to terminate the Merger Agreement. Lumentum or Oclaro may also elect to terminate the Merger Agreement in certain other circumstances, and the parties can mutually decide to terminate the Merger Agreement at any time prior to the closing, before or after approval of the Merger Agreement by Oclaro's stockholders, as applicable.
The business relationships of Oclaro and its subsidiaries may be subject to disruption due to uncertainty associated with the Merger, which could have an adverse effect on the results of operations, cash flows and financial position of Oclaro and, following the completion of the Merger, the combined company.
Parties with which Oclaro and its subsidiaries do business may be uncertain as to the effects on them of the Merger and related transactions, including with respect to current or future business relationships with Oclaro, its subsidiaries or the combined company. These relationships may be subject to disruption as customers, suppliers and other persons with whom Oclaro has a business relationship may delay or defer certain business decisions or might decide to terminate, change or renegotiate their relationships with Oclaro, or consider entering into business relationships with parties other than Oclaro, its subsidiaries or the combined company. These disruptions could have an adverse effect on the results of operations, cash flows and financial position of Oclaro.
The risk, and adverse effect, of any disruption could be exacerbated by a delay in completion of the Merger or termination of the Merger Agreement.
Uncertainties associated with the Merger may cause a loss of management personnel and other key employees of Oclaro, which could adversely affect the future business and operations of Oclaro.
In some of the fields in which Oclaro operates, there are only a limited number of people in the job market who possess the requisite skills, and it may be increasingly difficult for Oclaro to hire personnel during the pendency of the Merger. Current and prospective employees of Oclaro may experience uncertainty about their roles with the combined company following the Merger, which may materially adversely affect the ability of Oclaro to attract and retain key personnel during the pendency of the Merger. In addition, key employees may depart because of issues relating to the uncertainty and difficulty of integration or a desire not to remain with the combined company following the Merger. The loss of services of certain senior management or key employees of Oclaro or the inability to hire new personnel with the requisite skills could restrict the ability of Oclaro to develop new products or enhance existing products in a timely manner, to sell products to customers or to effectively manage the business of Oclaro. Also, the business, financial condition and results of operations of Oclaro could be materially adversely affected by the loss of any of its key employees, by the failure of any key employee to perform in his or her current position, or by Oclaro’s inability to attract and retain skilled employees.
The Merger Agreement contains provisions that limit Oclaro’s ability to pursue alternatives to the Merger which could discourage a potential competing acquiror of Oclaro from making an alternative transaction proposal and, in specified circumstances, could require Oclaro to pay a termination fee to Lumentum.
The Merger Agreement provides that Oclaro shall not, and requires Oclaro to refrain from authorizing or knowingly permitting its representatives to, solicit, participate in negotiations with respect to or approve or recommend any third-party proposal for an alternative transaction, subject to exceptions set forth in the Merger Agreement relating to the receipt of certain unsolicited offers.
These provisions could discourage a potential third-party acquiror or merger partner that might have an interest in acquiring all or a significant portion of Oclaro or pursuing an alternative transaction from considering or proposing such a transaction, even if it were prepared to pay consideration with a higher per share cash or market value than the consideration in the Merger, or might result in a potential third-party acquiror or merger partner proposing to pay a lower price to Oclaro’s stockholders than it might otherwise have proposed to pay because of the added expense of the termination fee that may become payable in certain circumstances.
Additionally, if the Merger Agreement is terminated and Oclaro determines to seek another business combination, Oclaro may not be able to negotiate a transaction with another party on terms comparable to, or better than, the terms of the Merger.
The Merger is subject to the expiration of applicable waiting periods under, and the receipt of approvals, consents or clearances from, antitrust regulatory authorities in the United States and China that may impose conditions that could have an adverse effect on Lumentum or Oclaro or, if not obtained, could prevent completion of the Merger.
Before the Merger may be completed, any waiting period (or extension thereof) applicable to the Merger must have expired or been terminated, and any approvals, consents or clearances required in connection with the Merger must have been obtained, in each case, under the HSR Act and under the antitrust and competition laws of China. In deciding whether to grant the required regulatory approval, consent or clearance, the relevant governmental entities will consider the effect of the Merger on competition within their relevant jurisdiction, and other considerations they may deem appropriate. On April 4, 2018, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission granted early termination of the waiting period under the HSR Act, which satisfies the closing conditions related to receipt of antitrust approval in the United States under the Merger Agreement.
Under the Merger Agreement, Lumentum and Oclaro have agreed to use their reasonable best efforts to obtain any waivers, consents, or approvals required to effect the Merger (subject to certain limitations) and therefore may be required to comply with certain conditions or limitations imposed by governmental antitrust authorities. However, there can be no assurance that antitrust regulators will not impose unanticipated conditions, terms, obligations or restrictions. In addition, Oclaro cannot provide assurance that any such conditions, terms, obligations or restrictions will not result in the delay or abandonment of the Merger.
Until the completion of the Merger or the termination of the Merger Agreement in accordance with its terms, in consideration of the agreements made by the parties in the Merger Agreement, Oclaro is prohibited from entering into certain transactions and taking certain actions that might otherwise be beneficial to Oclaro and its stockholders.
Until the earlier of the Effective Time and the termination of the Merger Agreement, the Merger Agreement restricts Oclaro from taking specified actions without the consent of Lumentum, and requires Oclaro to generally operate in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practices. These restrictions may prevent Oclaro from making appropriate changes to its businesses, retaining its workforce, paying dividends or pursuing attractive business opportunities that may arise prior to the completion of the Merger.
Litigation against Oclaro, or the members of Oclaro’s Board of Directors, could prevent or delay the completion of the Merger or result in the payment of damages following completion of the Merger.
While Oclaro believes that any claims that have been and may be asserted by purported stockholder plaintiffs related to the Merger are and would be without merit, the results of any such potential legal proceedings are difficult to predict and could delay or prevent the Merger from becoming effective in a timely manner. Moreover, any litigation could be time consuming and expensive, could divert Oclaro’s management’s attention away from its regular business and, if any lawsuit is adversely resolved against Oclaro or members of the Oclaro’s Board of Directors (each of whom Oclaro is required to indemnify pursuant to indemnification agreements), could have a material adverse effect on Oclaro’s financial condition.
One of the conditions to closing of the Merger is the absence of any order or law by a court or other governmental entity in any jurisdiction that is material to the business or operations of Oclaro or Lumentum that prohibits, enjoins or makes illegal the closing of the Merger. Consequently, if a settlement or other resolution is not reached in any lawsuit that is filed and a claimant secures injunctive or other relief prohibiting, delaying or otherwise adversely affecting Lumentum’s and/or Oclaro’s ability to complete the Merger, then such injunctive or other relief may prevent the Merger from becoming effective in a timely manner or at all. See also Part II, Item 1,
Legal Proceedings
, "Oclaro Merger Litigation" in this Form 10-Q.
Risks Related to Our Business
We depend on a limited number of customers for a significant percentage of our revenues and the loss of a major customer could have a materially adverse impact on our financial condition.
Historically, we have generated most of our revenues from a limited number of customers. Our dependence on a limited number of customers is due to the fact that the optical telecommunications and data communications systems industries are dominated by a small number of large companies. These companies in turn depend primarily on a limited number of major telecommunications carriers and data center customers to purchase their products that incorporate our optical components. The industry in which our customers operate is subject to a trend of consolidation. To the extent this trend continues, we may become dependent on even fewer customers to maintain and grow our revenues.
During the fiscal years ended June 30, 2018, July 1, 2017 and July 2, 2016, our three largest customers accounted for 42 percent, 50 percent and 44 percent of our revenues, respectively. Because we rely on a limited number of customers for a significant percentage of our revenues, a decrease in demand for our products from any of our major customers for any reason (including due to data center and telecom market conditions, customer inventory buildup, catastrophic events, changes in network architecture, government action, financial viability or otherwise) could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations. For example, we were unable to ship products for an extended period of time to one of our largest customers, ZTE, as discussed in our risk factor in this Form 10-Q, "
The inability to obtain government licenses and approvals for desired international trading activities or technology transfers, including export licenses, may impact the profitable operation of our business."
The markets in which we operate are highly competitive, which could result in lost sales and lower revenues.
The market for optical components and modules is highly competitive and this competition could result in our existing customers moving their orders to our competitors. We are aware of a number of companies that have developed or are developing optical component products, including tunable lasers, pluggable components, modulators and subsystems, among others, that compete directly with our current and proposed product offerings.
Certain of our competitors may be able to more quickly and effectively:
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develop or respond to new technologies or technical standards;
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react to changing customer requirements and expectations;
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devote needed resources to the development, production, promotion and sale of products;
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attain high manufacturing yields on new product designs; and
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deliver competitive products at lower prices.
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Some of our current competitors, as well as some of our potential competitors in adjacent industries such as semiconductors and data communications, have longer operating histories, greater name recognition, broader customer relationships, product offerings and industry alliances and substantially greater financial, technical and marketing resources than we do. Our competitors and new Chinese companies are establishing manufacturing operations in China and other Asian countries to take advantage of comparatively low manufacturing costs, which could enable them to reduce their costs and lower their prices, making their products more competitive than ours.
In addition, network equipment manufacturers and service providers may decide to design and manufacture the optical module and subsystems portions of their products in-house, rather than outsourcing to companies like us. This type of product disaggregation could result in lower revenues and materially and adversely affect our business.
All of these risks may be increased if the market were to further consolidate through mergers or other business combinations between our competitors. We may not be able to compete successfully with our competitors and aggressive competition in the market may result in lower prices for our products, fewer design wins and/or decreased gross margins. Any such development could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our results of operations may suffer if we do not effectively manage our inventory, and we may continue to incur inventory-related charges.
We need to manage our inventory of component parts and finished goods effectively to meet changing customer requirements and demand. Some of our products and supplies have in the past, and may in the future, become obsolete or be deemed excess while in inventory due to rapidly changing customer specifications or a decrease in customer demand. We also have exposure to contractual liabilities to our contract manufacturers for inventories purchased by them on our behalf, based on our forecasted requirements, which may become excess or obsolete. Our inventory balances also represent an investment of cash. To the extent our inventory turns are slower than we anticipate based on historical practice, our cash conversion cycle extends and more of our cash remains invested in working capital. If we are not able to manage our inventory effectively, we may need to write down the value of some of our existing inventory or write off non-saleable or obsolete inventory. We have from time to time incurred significant inventory-related charges. Any such charges we incur in future periods could materially and adversely affect our results of operations and our cash flow.
Many of our long-term customer contracts do not commit customers to specified buying levels, and our customers may decrease, cancel or delay their buying levels at any time with little or no advance notice to us.
Many of our customers typically purchase our products pursuant to individual purchase orders or contracts that do not contain purchase commitments. Some customers provide us with their expected forecasts for our products several months in advance, but these customers may decrease, cancel or delay purchase orders already in place, including on short notice, and the impact of any such actions may be intensified given our dependence on a small number of large customers. If any of our major customers decrease, stop or delay purchasing our products for any reason, our business and results of operations would be harmed. Cancellation or delays of such orders may result in excess and obsolete inventory and charges therefor and cause us to fail to achieve our short-term and long-term financial and operating goals.
We may not be able to maintain or improve gross margin levels.
We may not be able to maintain or improve our gross margins, due to slow introductions of new products, pricing pressure from increased competition, the failure to effectively reduce the cost of existing products, the failure to improve our product mix, the potential for future macroeconomic or market volatility reducing sales volumes, changes in customer demand (including a change in product mix between different areas of our business) or other factors. Our gross margins can also be adversely impacted for reasons including, but not limited to, manufacturing costs that we are not able to decrease in proportion to any decrease in selling price; unfavorable production yields or variances; increases in costs of input parts and materials; the timing of movements in our inventory balances; warranty costs and related returns; changes in foreign currency exchange rates; and possible exposure to inventory reserves. Any failure to maintain, or improve, our gross margins will adversely affect our financial results, including our goals to maintain profitability and sustainable cash flow from operations.
Sales of older legacy products continue to represent a significant percentage of our total revenues and, if we do not increase the percentage of sales associated with new products, our revenues and gross margins may not grow in the future or could decline.
The markets for our products are characterized by changing technology and continuing process development. The future of our business will depend in large part upon the continuing relevance of our technological capabilities, and our ability to introduce new products that address our customers’ requirements for more cost-effective and higher bandwidth solutions. We must also develop these new technologies and products on a cost-effective basis in order to effectively compete with our competitors. Our inability to successfully launch or sustain new or next generation programs or product features that anticipate or adequately address future market trends and market transitions in a timely manner could materially adversely affect our revenues, gross margins and financial results. We may also encounter competition from new or revised technologies that render our products less profitable or obsolete in our chosen markets, and our operating results may suffer. Furthermore, we cannot assure you that we will introduce new or next generation products in a timely manner, these products will gain market acceptance, or new product revenues will increase at a rate sufficient to replace declining legacy product revenues, and failure to do so could materially affect our operating results.
As a result of our global operations, our business is subject to currency fluctuations that may adversely affect our results of operations.
Our financial results have been and will continue to be materially impacted by foreign currency fluctuations. At certain times in our history, declines in the value of the U.S. dollar versus the U.K. pound sterling and the Japanese yen have had a major negative effect on our margins and our cash flow. A portion of our expenses are denominated in U.K. pound sterling and Japanese yen and substantially all of our revenues are denominated in U.S. dollars.
Fluctuations in the exchange rate between these currencies and, to a lesser extent, other currencies in which we collect revenues and/or pay expenses could have a material effect on our future operating results. For example, on June 23, 2016, the U.K. citizens voted in a referendum to exit the European Union, which resulted in a sharp decline in the value of the British pound, which may impact our future manufacturing overhead and operating expenses. Also during fiscal year 2017, the Japanese yen depreciated approximately 10 percent relative to the U.S. dollar, impacting our manufacturing overhead and operating expenses. If the U.S. dollar appreciates or depreciates relative to the U.K. pound sterling and/or Japanese yen in the future, our future operating results may be materially impacted. Additional exposure may occur should the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Chinese yuan or the Euro vary more significantly than they have to date.
We periodically engage in currency hedging transactions in an effort to cover some of our exposure to U.S. dollar to U.K. pound sterling and Japanese Yen currency fluctuations, and we may be required to convert currencies to meet our obligations. Our hedging contracts currently do not exceed 90 days. These transactions may not operate to fully hedge our exposure to currency fluctuations, and under certain circumstances, these transactions could have an adverse effect on our financial condition.
The inability to obtain government licenses and approvals for desired international trading activities or technology transfers, including export licenses, may impact the profitable operation of our business.
Many of our present and future business activities are subject to licensing by the United States government under the Export Administration Act, the Export Administration Regulations ("EAR") and other laws, regulations and requirements governing international trade and technology transfer. For example, on April 16, 2018, the U.S. Department of Commerce ("DOC") changed and reactivated its previously suspended denial order and suspended the export privileges of Zhongxing Telecommunications Equipment Corporation ("ZTE Corporation") and its subsidiary, ZTE Kangxun Telecommunications Ltd. ("ZTE Kangxun") (collectively, "ZTE") after determining that ZTE made false statements to the DOC related to senior employee disciplinary actions ("Denial Order"). On July 13, 2018, following approval of a settlement agreement between the DOC and ZTE and ZTE's payment of certain amounts to the DOC, the Denial Order was terminated and ZTE was removed from the DOC's Denied Persons List. During the pendency of the Denial Order, ZTE was prohibited from participating in any way in any transaction subject to the EAR and U.S. companies were restricted from exporting or re-exporting to or on behalf of ZTE any item subject to the EAR or engaging in any transaction to service any item subject to the EAR that has been or will be exported from the U.S. and which was owned, possessed or controlled by ZTE. During this period, we ceased shipment of products to ZTE, which has been one of our significant customers. In addition, we cannot predict whether the export sanctions and financial penalties imposed on ZTE by the DOC will have a negative impact on future orders of our products by ZTE, which could have an adverse effect on our financial situation.
As previously reported, on March 6, 2016, the DOC had amended the EAR and imposed additional licensing restrictions on exports of certain products to ZTE. In response to the DOC's action, we temporarily ceased shipment of products to ZTE at that time as well. The DOC created a temporary general license on March 24, 2016 applicable to exports to ZTE, after which time we resumed shipments of products to ZTE. The DOC subsequently granted several extensions, before issuing a final rule on March 29, 2017 in connection with the settlement by ZTE and the U.S. government of certain administrative and criminal charges, eliminating the additional licensing restrictions imposed on ZTE.
In the future, the DOC may impose denial orders, sanctions or licensing restrictions on ZTE again or on other customers with whom we conduct business if they violate the EAR or other export laws. Any future action by the U.S. government that precludes us from shipping products to ZTE or to other customers may have a material adverse impact on our revenues and results of operations.
We also presently manufacture products in other countries that either do or may require licenses from time to time. The operation of our business may require the continuity of these licenses and may require further licenses and approvals for future products in these and other countries. However, there is no certainty to the continuity of these licenses, nor that further desired licenses and approvals may be obtained. The failure to obtain or retain such licenses may materially harm our revenues and results of operations.
We may not be able to ramp the production of our new products to customer required volumes, which could result in delayed or lost revenue.
Many of our new product samples for metro, data center and long haul communication applications have been well received by our existing and prospective customers. These newer generation products typically will have greater functionality and a smaller footprint, resulting in more complexity in the manufacturing process. This increased complexity may result in lower manufacturing yields or more difficulty manufacturing them in volume. If we experience large demand for these products and are unable to manufacture them in sufficient volume, we would fall short of our planned output and revenue targets as we move from low volume sampling to manufacturing for commercial production. In addition, a production ramp for certain products can include a manufacturing transition between two or more locations which carries an inherent risk of delay. Our failure to satisfy our customers' demand could result in lost sales or our customers postponing or canceling orders or seeking alternative suppliers for these products, which would materially harm our revenues and adversely affect our results of operations.
Significant tariffs or other restrictions applied to goods traded between the United States and China could materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations.
Since the beginning of 2018, there has been increasing rhetoric, in some cases coupled with legislative or executive action, from several U.S. and foreign leaders regarding the possibility of instituting tariffs against foreign imports of certain materials. More specifically, since March 2018, the U.S. and China have applied tariffs to certain of each other’s exports. Three rounds of U.S. tariffs on imports from China have become effective in July 2018, August 2018 and September 2018, respectively the “U.S. Tariffs on China Imports”). Most of our products are produced outside of China and are not subject to the U.S. Tariffs on China Imports. A limited number of our products have a China country of origin, but these products are not currently subject to the U.S. Tariffs on China Imports. Even though the current duties on imports into the U.S. from China are not being imposed on our products, it is possible new tariffs will be imposed that could affect imports of our products, or that our business will be impacted by existing and new tariffs or retaliatory trade measures taken by China or other countries in response to existing or future tariffs, causing us to raise prices or make changes to our operations, any of which could materially harm our revenue or operating results.
The implementation of trade tariffs both globally and between the U.S. and China specifically carries the risk of negatively impacting China’s overall economic condition, which could have negative repercussions on us. Furthermore, imposition of tariffs could cause a decrease in the sales of our products to customers located in China or other customers selling to Chinese end users, which would directly impact our business.
Customer requirements for new products are increasingly challenging, which could lead to significant executional risk in designing and manufacturing such products.
Across the entire network, our customers are demanding increased performance from our products, at lower prices and in smaller and lower power designs. These requirements stretch the capabilities of our optical chips, packages and electronics to the limit of technical feasibility. In addition, these demands are often customer specific, leading to numerous product variations and increased costs. If one of these customers fails to qualify our products or there is a delay in qualification, we may incur additional expenses and our revenues may be harmed. In addition, if one of these customers fails to purchase the products we anticipate, we may not be able to sell this customized inventory to other customers, resulting in inventory obsolescence. We enter our new product introduction process with clear performance and cost goals. Because of the complexity of design requirements, executing on these goals is becoming increasingly difficult and less predictable. In addition, some of our suppliers of in feed components are increasingly designing their products at the same time we are designing our own products. Any delays these suppliers may experience in designing and producing these components could also cause delays in the introduction of our new products utilizing these components. These difficulties could result in product sampling delays and/or missing targets on key specifications and customer requirements, leading to design losses and reduced sales opportunities. Our failure to meet our customers' technical and performance requirements for these products could result in our customers seeking alternative suppliers for these products, or increased costs to us, either of which would adversely affect our results of operations.
We depend on a limited number of suppliers and key contract manufacturers who could disrupt our business if they stopped, decreased, delayed or were unable to meet our demand for shipments of their products or manufacturing of our products.
We depend on a limited number of suppliers of raw materials and equipment used to manufacture our products. We currently also depend on a limited number of contract manufacturers, principally Fabrinet in Thailand, Venture Corporation Limited ("Venture") in Malaysia, Toyo in Japan and Thailand, and eLASER in Taiwan, to manufacture certain of our products. Some of these suppliers are also our competitors, and others are our sole sources for certain materials and equipment. We typically have not entered into long-term agreements with our suppliers other than Fabrinet and Venture. As a result, these suppliers generally may stop supplying us materials and equipment at any time. Our reliance on a sole supplier or limited number of suppliers could result in delivery problems, reduced control over product pricing and quality, and an inability to identify and qualify another supplier in a timely manner. Some of our suppliers that may be small or under-capitalized may experience financial difficulties that could prevent them from supplying us materials and equipment. In addition, our suppliers, including our sole source suppliers, may experience manufacturing delays or shut downs due to earthquakes, floods, fires, labor unrest, political unrest, trade disputes or other events.
Any supply deficiencies relating to the quality or quantities of materials or equipment we use to manufacture our products could materially and adversely affect our ability to ramp the production of new products, our ability to fulfill customer orders, and our results of operations. Lead times for the purchase of certain materials and equipment from suppliers have increased and in some cases have limited our ability to rapidly respond to increased demand, and may continue to do so in the future. To the extent we introduce additional contract manufacturing partners, introduce new products with new partners and/or move existing internal or external production lines to new partners, we could experience supply disruptions during the transition process. In addition, due to our customers’ requirements relating to the qualification of our suppliers and contract manufacturing facilities and operations, we cannot quickly enter into alternative supplier relationships, which prevents us from being able to respond immediately to adverse events affecting our suppliers. Any transition to a new supplier could result in lost or delayed sales if our customers fail to qualify these new supply sources on a timely basis, or at all.
We have significant operations in China, which exposes us to risks inherent in doing business in China.
A significant portion of our assembly and test operations, chip-on-carrier operations and manufacturing and supply chain management operations are concentrated in our facility in Shenzhen, China. In addition, we have research and development related activities in Shenzhen, China. To be successful in China we will need to:
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qualify our manufacturing lines and the products we produce in Shenzhen, as required by our customers; and
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attract and retain qualified personnel to operate our Shenzhen facility.
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We cannot assure you that we will be able to achieve these objectives.
Employee turnover in China is high due to the intensely competitive and fluid market for skilled labor. To operate our Shenzhen facility under these conditions, we need to continue to hire direct manufacturing personnel, administrative personnel and technical personnel; obtain and retain required legal authorization to hire such personnel; and incur the time and expense to hire and train such personnel.
Operations in China are subject to greater political, legal and economic risks than our operations in other countries. In particular, the political, legal and economic climate in China, both nationally and regionally, is fluid and unpredictable. For example, we have been subject to commercial litigation in China initiated by a former supplier. For a description of this lawsuit, see Part I, Item 3,
Legal Proceedings,
"Raysung Commercial Litigation," in our 2016 Annual Report on Form 10-K. Further, personal privacy, cyber security, and data protection are becoming increasingly significant issues in China. To address these issues, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress promulgated the Cyber Security Law of the People’s Republic of China (the “Cyber Security Law”), which took effect on June 1, 2017. The Cyber Security Law sets forth various requirements relating to the collection, use, storage, disclosure and security of data, among other things. Various Chinese agencies are expected to issue additional regulations in the future to define these requirements more precisely. These requirements may increase our costs of compliance. We cannot assure you that we will be able to comply with all of these regulatory requirements. Any failure to comply with the Cyber Security Law and the relevant regulations and policies, could result in additional cost and liability to us or restrictions on our ability to operate in China and could adversely affect our business and results of operations. Additionally, increased costs to comply with, and other burdens imposed by, the Cyber Security Law and relevant regulations and policies that are applicable to the businesses of our suppliers, vendors and other service providers, as well as our customers, could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
Our ability to operate in China may be adversely affected by changes in Chinese laws and regulations such as those related to, among other things, taxation, import and export tariffs, environmental regulations, land use rights, intellectual property, currency controls, employee benefits, cyber security and other matters. In addition, we may not obtain or retain the requisite legal permits to continue to operate in China, and costs or operational limitations may be imposed in connection with obtaining and complying with such permits.
We intend to continue to export the products manufactured at our Shenzhen facility. Under current regulations, upon application and approval by the relevant governmental authorities, we will not be subject to certain Chinese taxes and will be exempt from certain duties on imported materials that are used in the manufacturing process and subsequently exported from China as finished products. However, Chinese trade regulations are subject to frequent change, and we may become subject to other forms of taxation and duties in China or may be required to pay export fees in the future, particularly if the status of the free trade zone in Shenzhen changes in the future. In the event that we become subject to new forms of taxation or export fees in China, our expenses would increase and our business and results of operations could be materially adversely affected. We may also be required to expend greater amounts than we currently anticipate in connection with increasing production at our Shenzhen facility. Any one of the factors cited above, or a combination of them, could result in unanticipated costs or interruptions in production, which could materially and adversely affect our business.
In the future we may incur significant additional restructuring charges that could adversely affect our results of operations.
In the past we have enacted a series of restructuring plans and cost reduction plans designed to reduce our manufacturing overhead and our operating expenses that have resulted in significant restructuring charges.
For instance, while we incurred minimal restructuring charges in fiscal years 2017 and 2016, during fiscal year 2015, we incurred $2.5 million in restructuring charges in connection with the transition of certain portions of our Shenzhen, China assembly and test operations to Venture. In addition, during fiscal year 2015, we incurred $4.0 million in restructuring charges in connection with the restructuring plan we initiated in the first quarter of fiscal year 2014 to simplify our operating footprint, reduce our cost structure and focus our research and development investment in the optical communications market where we can leverage our core competencies.
We cannot assure you that we will not incur additional restructuring charges in the future. Significant additional restructuring charges could materially and adversely affect our operating results in the periods that they are incurred and recognized. In addition, such charges could require significant cash commitments that may adversely affect our cash balances.
Delays, disruptions or quality control problems in manufacturing could result in delays in product shipments to customers and could adversely affect our business.
We may experience delays, disruptions or quality control problems in our manufacturing operations or the manufacturing operations of our subcontractors. As a result, we could incur additional costs that would adversely affect our gross margins, and our product shipments to our customers could be delayed beyond the shipment schedules requested by our customers, which could harm our relationship with our customers and would negatively affect our revenues, competitive position and reputation. Furthermore, even if we are able to deliver products to our customers on a timely basis, we may be unable to recognize revenues at the time of delivery based on our revenue recognition policies.
We may experience low manufacturing yields.
Manufacturing yields depend on a number of factors, including the volume of production due to customer demand and the nature and extent of changes in specifications required by customers for which we perform design-in work. Higher volumes due to demand for a fixed, rather than continually changing, design generally results in higher manufacturing yields, whereas lower volume production generally results in lower yields. In addition, lower yields may result, and have in the past resulted, from commercial shipments of products prior to full manufacturing qualification to the applicable specifications. Changes in manufacturing processes required as a result of changes in product specifications, changing customer needs, introduction of new product lines and changes in contract manufacturers have historically caused, and may in the future cause, significantly reduced manufacturing yields, resulting in low or negative margins on those products. Moreover, an increase in the rejection rate of products during the quality control process, before, during or after manufacture, results in lower gross margins from lower yields and additional rework costs. Finally, manufacturing yields and margins can also be lower if we receive or inadvertently use defective or contaminated materials from our suppliers. Any reduction in our manufacturing yields will adversely affect our gross margins and could have a material impact on our operating results.
In order to remain competitive, we have been in the past and may be in the future required to agree to customer terms and conditions that may have an adverse effect on our financial condition and operating results.
Many of our customers have significant purchasing power and, accordingly, have requested more favorable terms and conditions, including extended payment terms, than we typically provide. In order for us to remain competitive, we may be required to accommodate these requests, which may include granting terms that affect the timing of our receipt of cash. As a result, these more favorable customer terms may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
We may record additional impairment charges that will adversely impact our results of operations.
As of September 29, 2018, we had
$131.7 million
of property and equipment, net on our condensed consolidated balance sheet. If we make changes in our business strategy or if market or other conditions adversely affect our business operations, we may be forced to record an impairment charge related to these assets, which would adversely impact our results of operations. If impairment has occurred, we will be required to record an impairment charge for the difference between the carrying value of the assets and the implied fair value of the assets in the period in which such determination is made. The testing for impairment requires us to make significant estimates about the future performance and cash flows of our business, as well as other assumptions. These estimates can be affected by numerous factors, including changes in economic, industry, or market conditions, changes in underlying business operations, future reporting unit operating performance, changes in competition, or changes in technologies. Any changes in key assumptions, or actual performance compared with those assumptions, about our business and its future prospects or other assumptions could affect the fair value of one or more reporting units, and result in an impairment charge.
We have identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting of foreign currency transaction gains and losses which, if not remediated, could adversely affect our stock price.
Our controls over the identification and recording of foreign currency transaction gains and losses were not designed and operating effectively. As described under Part II, Item 9A,
Controls and Procedures
, of our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on August 23, 2018, our management concluded that the deficiency constitutes a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting, which was not effective as of June 30, 2018 and September 29, 2018.
A material weakness is a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim consolidated financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Although we have developed and are implementing a plan to remediate this material weakness and believe, based on our evaluation to date, that this material weakness will be remediated during the second quarter of fiscal year 2019, we cannot assure you that this will occur within the contemplated timeframe. Moreover, we cannot assure you that we will not identify additional material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting in the future. If we are unable to remediate the material weakness, our ability to record, process and report financial information accurately, and to prepare financial statements within the time periods specified by the rules and forms of the Securities and Exchange Commission, could be adversely affected. The occurrence of or our failure to remediate the material weakness may adversely affect the market price of our common stock and any other securities we may issue.
Our revenues, growth rates and operating results are likely to fluctuate significantly as a result of factors that are outside our control, which could adversely impact our operating results.
Our revenues, growth rates and operating results are likely to fluctuate significantly in the future as a result of factors that are outside our control. We may not achieve similar revenues, growth rates or operating results in future periods. Our revenues, growth rates and operating results for any prior quarterly or annual period should not be relied upon as any indication of our future revenues, growth rates or operating results. The timing of order placement, size of orders and satisfaction of contractual customer acceptance criteria, changes in the pricing of our products due to competitive pressures as well as order or shipment delays or deferrals, with respect to our products, may cause material fluctuations in revenues. Slower growth rates in China and for some of our client side transceivers may also cause our results to fluctuate. For example, revenues for the three months ended June 30, 2018 were reduced as a result of our cessation of shipments to ZTE following the DOC's re-imposition of export sanctions on ZTE, and we cannot guarantee the levels at which ZTE will resume ordering our products now that sanctions have been lifted. See our risk factor in this Form 10-Q, "
The inability to obtain government licenses and approvals for desired international trading activities or technology transfers, including export licenses, may prevent the profitable operation of our business."
Our lengthy sales cycle, which may extend to more than one year, may cause our revenues and operating results to vary from period to period and it may be difficult to predict the timing and amount of any variation. Delays or deferrals in purchasing decisions by our customers may increase as we develop new or enhanced products for new markets, including data communications, industrial, research, consumer and biotechnology markets. Purchase decisions by our customers are also impacted by the capital expenditure plans of the global telecom carriers and hyper scale data centers, which tend to be the primary customers of our customers. Our current and anticipated future dependence on a small number of customers increases the revenue impact of each such customer’s decision to delay or defer purchases from us, or decision not to purchase products from us. Our expense levels in the future will be based, in large part, on our expectations regarding future revenue sources and, as a result, operating results for any quarterly period in which anticipated material orders fail to occur, or are delayed or deferred, could be significantly harmed. Because our business is capital intensive, we may not be able to decrease our expenses in the short term to adjust to significant fluctuations in our revenues, which can have a significant adverse impact on our operating results.
We have a complex multinational tax structure, and changes in effective tax rates or adverse outcomes resulting from examination of our income tax returns could adversely affect our results.
We have a complex multinational tax structure with multiple types of intercompany transactions, and our allocation of profits and losses through our intercompany transfer pricing agreements is subject to review by the Internal Revenue Service and other tax authorities. Our future effective tax rates could be adversely affected by earnings being lower than anticipated in countries where we have lower statutory rates and higher than anticipated in countries where we have higher statutory rates, by changes in the valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities, or by changes in tax laws, regulations, accounting principles or interpretations thereof. In addition, we are also subject to periodic examination of our income tax returns and related transfer pricing documentation by the Internal Revenue Service and other tax authorities. We regularly assess the likelihood of adverse outcomes resulting from these examinations to determine the adequacy of our provision for income taxes. There can be no assurance that the outcomes from these examinations will not have an adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition.
We are also exposed to changes in tax law which can impact our current and future year's tax provision.
We continue to assess the impact of the recently enacted H.R.1, commonly referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, and the Finance (No. 2) Act 2017 in the United Kingdom (together, the “New Tax Laws”) as well as any future regulations implementing the New Tax Laws and any interpretations of the New Tax Laws. The effect of those regulations and interpretations, as well as any additional tax reform legislation in the United States, United Kingdom or elsewhere, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations by, among other things, decreasing the value of our deferred tax asset and/or requiring us to recognize a deferred tax liability for non-U.S. earnings. See Note 9 to the condensed consolidated financial statements,
Income Taxes
, in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. If, in the future, we are required to reduce the value of our deferred tax asset or record a deferred tax liability, we may be required to record a corresponding charge to current earnings, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations in the period in which it is recorded.
Our business and results of operations may be negatively impacted by financial market conditions and general economic conditions in the industries in which we operate, and such conditions may increase the other risks that affect our business.
During the 2008 financial crisis and its aftermath, the world’s financial markets experienced significant turmoil, resulting in reductions in available credit, increased costs of credit, extreme volatility in security prices, potential changes to existing credit terms, and rating downgrades of investments. In the past, due to these conditions, many of our customers reduced their spending plans, leading them to draw down their existing inventory and reduce orders for our products. It is possible that changes in current economic conditions could result in similar setbacks in the future, and that some of our customers could as a result reduce production levels of existing products, defer introduction of new products or place orders and accept delivery for products for which they do not pay us due to their economic difficulties or other reasons. In the past, financial market volatility has materially and adversely affected the market conditions in the industries in which we operate, and has had a material adverse impact on our revenues. Our suppliers may also be adversely affected by economic conditions that may impact their ability to provide important components used in our manufacturing processes on a timely basis, or at all. To a large degree, orders from many of our customers are dependent on demand from telecom carriers and hyper scale data centers around the world. Telecom carrier capital expenditure plans and execution can also be adversely impacted, both in terms of total spend and in determination of areas of investment within network infrastructures, by global and regional macroeconomic conditions. In addition, the recent imposition of tariffs by the United States, China and the European Union, and possible additional trade restrictions, may have an adverse impact on our customers, suppliers and the economies of the countries where we operate. We are unable to predict the likely occurrence, severity or duration of any potential future disruption in financial markets or adverse economic conditions in the U.S. and other countries, but the longer the duration the greater the risks we face in operating our business.
Changes to our enterprise resource planning system and other key software applications could cause unexpected problems to occur and disrupt the management of our business.
We recently completed an upgrade to our enterprise resource planning (“ERP”) system, and other management information systems, which are critical to the operational, accounting and financial functions of our company. We have invested $14.4 million towards our ERP system, and significant management attention and resources will continue to be used to facilitate training and full implementation of this system. We have experienced, and may continue to experience, operating or reporting disruptions during the course of utilizing and fine-tuning our ERP system, including limitations on our ability to deliver and bill for customer shipments, project our inventory requirements, manage our supply chain, maintain current and complete books and records, maintain an effective internal control environment and meet external reporting deadlines. We may also decide to modify or enhance our internal control processes as a result of gaining further experience operating our ERP system. These changes or other difficulties could materially and adversely impact our ability to manage our business as well as the accuracy and timely reporting of our operating results.
We may undertake divestitures of portions of our business, such as the divestiture of our Komoro Business, Zurich Business
and our Amplifier Business, that require us to continue providing substantial post-divestiture transition services and support, which may cause us to incur unanticipated costs and liabilities and adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
From time to time, we consider divestitures of product lines or portions of our assets in order to streamline our business, focus on our core operations and raise cash. For example, on October 27, 2014, we sold our Komoro Business to Ushio Opto Semiconductors, Inc. ("Ushio Opto"). In addition, on September 12, 2013, we sold our Zurich Business to II-VI and on November 1, 2013, we sold our Amplifier Business to II-VI (See Note 3,
Business Combinations and Dispositions
, in our 2016 Annual Report, for further details). In connection with these divestitures, we entered into transition service, manufacturing service and supply agreements with both Ushio and II-VI to facilitate the ownership transition, collectively referred to as “transition agreements.” In order to perform under these transition agreements, we have been required to continue operating certain facilities, dedicate certain manufacturing capacity and maintain certain supplier agreements that have added additional costs and delayed our ability to fully restructure our operations to efficiently focus on our core ongoing business. If we fail to perform under any of these transition agreements, or if we do not successfully execute the restructuring of our operations after our transition agreement obligations have been fulfilled, our financial condition and results of operations could be harmed.
Our intellectual property rights may not be adequately protected.
Our future success will depend, in large part, upon our intellectual property rights, including patents, copyrights, design rights, trade secrets, trademarks and know-how. We maintain an active program of identifying technology appropriate for patent protection. Our practice is to require employees and consultants to execute non-disclosure and proprietary rights agreements upon commencement of employment or consulting arrangements. These agreements acknowledge our exclusive ownership of all intellectual property developed by the individuals during their work for us and require that all proprietary information disclosed will remain confidential. Although such agreements may be binding, they may not be enforceable in full or in part in all jurisdictions and any breach of a confidentiality obligation could have a negative effect on our business and our remedy for such breach may be limited.
Our intellectual property portfolio is an important corporate asset. The steps we have taken and may take in the future to protect our intellectual property may not adequately prevent misappropriation or ensure that others will not develop competitive technologies or products. We cannot assure you that our competitors will not successfully challenge the validity of our patents or design products that avoid infringement of our proprietary rights with respect to our technology. There can be no assurance that other companies are not investigating or developing other similar technologies, any patents will be issued from any application pending or filed by us, or, if patents are issued, the claims allowed will be sufficiently broad to deter or prohibit others from marketing similar products. In addition, we cannot assure you that any patents issued to us will not be challenged, invalidated or circumvented, or that the rights under those patents will provide a competitive advantage to us or that our products and technology will be adequately covered by our patents and other intellectual property. Further, the laws of certain regions in which our products are or may be developed, manufactured or sold, including Asia-Pacific, Southeast Asia and Latin America, may not be enforceable to protect our products and intellectual property rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States, the United Kingdom and continental European countries. This is especially relevant since we have transferred our assembly and test operations and chip-on-carrier operations, including certain engineering-related functions, to Shenzhen, China, and have completed the transition of portions of these assembly and test operations to Venture in Malaysia. If we are unable to adequately protect our intellectual property rights, this may impede the development of new technologies and products, and our financial condition and operating results could be materially and adversely affected.
If our customers do not qualify our manufacturing lines or the manufacturing lines of our subcontractors for volume shipments, our operating results could suffer.
Most of our customers do not purchase products, other than limited numbers of evaluation units, prior to qualification of the manufacturing line for volume production. Our existing manufacturing lines, as well as each new manufacturing line, must pass through varying levels of qualification with our customers. Our manufacturing lines have passed our qualification standards, as well as our technical standards. However, our customers also require that our manufacturing lines pass their specific qualification standards and that we, and any subcontractors that we may use, be registered under international quality standards. In addition, we have in the past encountered, and may in the future encounter, quality control issues as a result of relocating or changing our manufacturing lines or introducing new products to fill production. We may be unable to obtain customer qualification of our manufacturing lines or we may experience delays in obtaining customer qualification of our manufacturing lines. If we introduce new contract manufacturing partners and move any production lines from existing internal or external facilities, the new production lines will likely need to be re-qualified with our customers. Any delays or failure to obtain qualifications would harm our operating results and customer relationships.
Data breaches and cyber attacks could compromise our operations, or the operations of our contract manufacturers upon whom we rely, and cause significant damage to our business and reputation.
Cyber attacks have become more prevalent and much harder to detect and defend against. Companies, including in our industry, have been increasingly subject to a wide variety of security incidents, cyber attacks and other attempts to gain unauthorized access to their systems or to deny access and disrupt their systems and operations. These threats can come from a variety of sources, ranging in sophistication from an individual hacker to a state-sponsored attack. Cyber threats may be generic, or they may be custom-crafted against our information systems.
In the ordinary course of our business, we maintain sensitive data on our networks, including our intellectual property, employee personal information and proprietary or confidential business information relating to our business and that of our customers and business partners. The secure maintenance of this information is critical to our business and reputation. Despite our implementation of network security measures, our network and storage applications may be subject to computer viruses, denial of service attacks, ransomware and other forms of cyber terrorism, unauthorized access by hackers or may be breached due to operator error, malfeasance or other system disruptions. It is often difficult to anticipate or immediately detect such incidents and the damage caused by such incidents. Data breaches and any unauthorized access or disclosure of our information, employee information or intellectual property could compromise our intellectual property, trade secrets and other sensitive business information, any of which could result in legal action against us, exposure of our intellectual property to our competitors, damages, fines and other adverse effects. A data security breach could also lead to public exposure of personal information of our employees, customers and others. Any such theft, loss or misuse of personal data collected, used, stored or transferred by us to run our business could result in significantly increased security costs or costs related to defending legal claims. Cyber attacks, such as computer viruses or other forms of cyber terrorism, may disrupt access to our network or storage applications. Such disruptions could result in delays or cancellations of customer orders or the production or shipment of our products. Further, cyber attacks may cause us to incur significant remediation costs, result in product development delays, disrupt key business operations and divert attention of management and key information technology resources. These incidents could also subject us to liability, expose us to significant expense and cause significant harm to our reputation and business.
Privacy concerns and compliance with domestic or foreign privacy laws and regulations may increase our expenses, result in legal or regulatory proceedings against us and may harm our business.
In the ordinary course of our business, we maintain sensitive personal data on our networks, including confidential information relating to our customers, employees and business partners. Global privacy legislation, enforcement, and policy activity are rapidly expanding and creating a complex compliance regulatory environment regarding the collection, use, storage and disclosure of such information. These laws and regulations are still evolving and are likely to be in flux and subject to uncertain interpretation for the foreseeable future. For example, various Chinese agencies are expected to issue additional regulations in the future to further define the requirements of the new Chinese Cyber Security Law, which took effect on June 1, 2017. For additional information regarding the new Cyber Security Law, see “We have significant operations in China, which exposes us to risks inherent in doing business in China.” Additionally, the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (the “GDPR”), which comprehensively reforms the EU’s data protection laws, took effect on May 25, 2018. The GDPR imposes strict data protection requirements that may necessitate changes to our business practices to comply with the new requirements or to address the concerns of our customers or business partners relating to the GDPR. The GDPR also includes severe financial penalties for non-compliance. Complying with any new regulatory requirements could force us to incur substantial expenses or require us to change our business practices in a manner that could harm our business and any non-compliance may result in lawsuits, regulatory fines, or other actions or liability. Our business may also be harmed if these privacy-related laws or any newly adopted privacy-related laws are interpreted or implemented in a manner that is inconsistent from country to country and inconsistent with our current policies and practices, or those of our customers or business partners.
Costs to comply with rapidly changing global privacy-related laws and regulations and to implement related data protection measures could be significant. We may also have to change the manner in which we contract with our business partners, store and transfer information and otherwise conduct our business, which could increase our costs and harm our financial results. In addition, even inadvertent failure to comply with federal, state, or international privacy-related or data protection laws and regulations could result in proceedings against us by governmental entities or others, resulting in fines, penalties, restrictions on or prohibitions on our operations in certain jurisdictions, increased compliance costs and other adverse effects.
Our products may infringe the intellectual property rights of others, which could result in materially expensive litigation or require us to obtain a license to use the technology from third parties, or we may be prohibited from selling certain products in the future.
Companies in the industry in which we operate frequently are sued or receive informal claims of patent infringement or infringement of other intellectual property rights. We have, from time to time, received such claims, including from competitors and from companies that have substantially more resources than us. For example, see Part I, Item 3,
Legal Proceedings,
"Furukawa Patent Litigation," in our 2014 Annual Report.
Third parties may in the future assert claims against us concerning our existing products or with respect to future products under development, or with respect to products that we may acquire through acquisitions. We have entered into and may in the future enter into indemnification obligations in favor of some customers that could be triggered upon an allegation or finding that we are infringing other parties’ proprietary rights. For example, see Part II, Item 1,
Legal Proceedings,
"Oyster Optics Litigation," in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Satisfaction of any such indemnification obligations to our customers could be costly and materially adversely affect our operating results. If we do infringe a third party’s rights, we may need to negotiate with holders of those rights in order to obtain a license to those rights or otherwise settle any infringement claim. We have from time to time received notices from third parties alleging infringement of their intellectual property and where appropriate have entered into license agreements with those third parties with respect to that intellectual property. Any license agreements that we wish to enter into the future with respect to intellectual property rights may not be available to us on commercially reasonable terms, or at all. We may not in all cases be able to resolve allegations of infringement through licensing arrangements, settlement, alternative designs or otherwise. We may take legal action to determine the validity and scope of the third-party rights or to defend against any allegations of infringement. Holders of intellectual property rights could become more aggressive in alleging infringement of their intellectual property rights and we may be the subject of such claims asserted by a third party. In the course of pursuing any of these means or defending against any lawsuits filed against us, we could incur material legal fees and related costs. The amount of time required to resolve these types of lawsuits, particularly patent-related litigation, is unpredictable and these actions may divert management's attention from the day-to-day operation of our business and consume our resources, which could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and cash flows. Due to the competitive nature of our industry, it is unlikely that we could increase our prices to cover such costs. In addition, such claims could result in significant penalties or injunctions that could prevent us from selling some of our products in certain markets or result in settlements or judgments that require payment of significant royalties or damages.
If we fail to obtain the right to use the intellectual property rights of others necessary to operate our business, our business and results of operations will be materially and adversely affected.
Certain companies in the telecommunications, data communications and optical components markets in which we sell our products have experienced frequent litigation regarding patent and other intellectual property rights. Numerous patents in these industries are held by others, including academic institutions and our competitors. Optical component suppliers may seek to gain a competitive advantage or other third parties, inside or outside our market, may seek an economic return on their intellectual property portfolios by making infringement claims against us. We currently license certain intellectual property from third parties, and in the future, we may need to obtain license rights to patents or other intellectual property held by others in order to conduct our business. Unless we are able to obtain such licenses on commercially reasonable terms, patents or other intellectual property held by others could be used to inhibit or prohibit our production and sale of existing products and our development of new products for our markets. Licenses granting us the right to use third-party technology may not be available on commercially reasonable terms, or at all. Generally, a license, if granted, would include payments of up-front fees, ongoing royalties or both. These payments or other terms could have a significant adverse impact on our operating results. In addition, in the event we are granted such a license, it is likely such license would be non-exclusive and other parties, including competitors, may be able to utilize such technology. Our larger competitors may be able to obtain licenses or cross-license their technology on better terms than we can, which could put us at a competitive disadvantage. In addition, our larger competitors may be able to buy such technology and preclude us from licensing or using such technology.
We generate a significant portion of our revenues internationally and therefore are subject to additional risks associated with the extent of our international operations.
For the fiscal years ended June 30, 2018, July 1, 2017 and July 2, 2016, 15 percent, 14 percent and 15 percent of our revenues, respectively, were derived from sales to customers located in the United States and 85 percent, 86 percent and 85 percent of our revenues, respectively, were derived from sales to customers located outside the United States. We are subject to additional risks related to operating in foreign countries, including:
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currency fluctuations, which could result in increased operating expenses;
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changes in national infrastructure development priorities and associated capital budgets;
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trade restrictions, including restrictions imposed by the United States government on trading with parties in foreign countries, particularly with respect to China;
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difficulty in enforcing or adequately protecting our intellectual property;
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ability to hire qualified candidates;
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foreign income, value added and customs taxes;
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greater difficulty in accounts receivable collection and longer collection periods;
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political, legal and economic instability in foreign markets;
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changes in, or impositions of, legislative or regulatory requirements;
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epidemics and illnesses;
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terrorism and threats of terrorism;
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work stoppages and infrastructure problems due to adverse weather conditions or natural disasters;
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work stoppages related to employee dissatisfaction; and
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the effective protections of, and the ability to enforce, contractual arrangements.
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Any of these risks, or any other risks related to our foreign operations, could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We may face product liability claims.
Despite quality assurance measures, defects may occur in our products. The occurrence of any defects in our products could give rise to liability for damages caused by such defects, including consequential damages. Such defects could, moreover, impair market acceptance of our products and harm our reputation. Both could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition. In addition, we may assume product warranty liabilities related to companies we acquire, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition. In order to help mitigate the risk of liability for damages, we carry product liability insurance and errors and omissions insurance. We cannot assure you, however, that this insurance would adequately cover our costs arising from any product liability-related issues with our products or otherwise.
If we fail to attract and retain key personnel, our business could suffer.
Our future success depends, in part, on our ability to attract and retain key personnel, including executive management. Competition for highly skilled technical personnel is extremely intense and we continue to face difficulty identifying and hiring qualified engineers in many areas of our business and in various geographic locations. We may not be able to hire and retain such personnel at compensation levels consistent with our existing compensation and salary structure. Volatility or lack of performance in the trading price of our common stock may also affect our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel because job candidates and existing employees often emphasize the value of the stock awards they receive in connection with their employment when considering whether to accept or continue employment. If the perceived value of our stock awards is low or declines, it may harm our ability to recruit and retain highly skilled employees. Our future success also depends on the continued contributions of our executive management team and other key management and technical personnel, each of whom would be difficult to replace. The loss of services of these or other executive officers or key personnel or the inability to continue to attract qualified personnel could have a material adverse effect on our business.
At times, the market price of our common stock has fluctuated significantly.
The market price of our common stock has been, and is likely to continue to be, highly volatile. For example, during fiscal year 2018, the market price of our common stock ranged from a low of $5.61 per share to a high of $10.49 per share. Many factors could cause the market price of our common stock to rise and fall.
In addition to the matters discussed in other risk factors included in our public filings, some of the events that could impact our stock price are:
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fluctuations in our financial condition and results of operations, including our gross margins and cash flow;
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changes in our business, operations or prospects;
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hiring or departure of key personnel;
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new contractual relationships with key suppliers or customers by us or our competitors;
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proposed acquisitions and dispositions by us or our competitors;
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financial results or projections that fail to meet public market analysts’ expectations and changes in stock market analysts’ recommendations regarding us, other optical technology companies or the telecommunication industry in general;
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future sales of common stock, or securities convertible into, exchangeable or exercisable for common stock, including in connection with acquisitions or other strategic transactions;
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adverse judgments or settlements obligating us to pay damages;
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acts of war, terrorism, or natural disasters;
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industry, domestic and international market and economic conditions, including sovereign debt issues in certain parts of the world and related global macroeconomic issues;
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low trading volume in our stock;
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developments relating to patents or property rights; and
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government regulatory changes.
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In connection with certain of our past acquisitions and the conversion of our convertible notes, we have issued shares of our common stock. The issuance of these shares has diluted our existing stockholders and their subsequent sale could potentially have a negative impact on our stock price.
Our shares of common stock have experienced substantial price and volume fluctuations, in many cases without any direct relationship to our operating performance. An outgrowth of this market volatility is the significant vulnerability of our stock price to any actual or perceived fluctuation in the strength of the markets we serve, regardless of the actual consequence of such fluctuations. As a result, the market price for our stock is highly volatile. These broad market and industry factors have caused the market price of our common stock to fluctuate, and may in the future cause the market price of our common stock to fluctuate, regardless of our actual operating performance.
We are not restricted from issuing additional shares of our common stock, including securities that are convertible into or exchangeable for, or that represent the right to receive, shares of our common stock. Issuances of shares of our common stock or convertible securities, including outstanding options and warrants, will dilute the ownership interest of our stockholders.
We have a history of large operating losses. We may not be able to sustain profitability in the future and as a result we may not be able to maintain sufficient levels of liquidity.
We have historically incurred losses and negative cash flows from operations since our inception. As of September 29, 2018, we had an accumulated deficit of
$(1,145.3) million
. Although we achieved income from continuing operations during the years ended June 30, 2018, July 1, 2017 and July 2, 2016, we incurred losses from continuing operations for the year ended June 27, 2015 of $48.2 million.
As of September 29, 2018, we held
$341.9 million
in cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments, comprised of
$337.9 million
in cash and cash equivalents, and
$4.0 million
in short-term investments; and we had working capital, including cash, of
$470.5 million
. At September 29, 2018, we had debt of
$1.2 million
, consisting of capital leases.
The optical communications industry is subject to significant fluctuations. In order to remain competitive we incur substantial costs associated with research and development, qualification, production capacity and sales and marketing activities in connection with products that may be purchased, if at all, long after we have incurred such costs. In addition, the rapidly changing industry in which we operate, the length of time between developing and introducing a product to market, frequent changing customer specifications for products, customer cancellations of products or orders, intense competition, and general down cycles in the industry, among other things, make our prospects difficult to evaluate. As a result of these factors, it is possible that we may not (i) generate sufficient positive cash flow from operations; (ii) raise funds through the issuance of equity, equity-linked or convertible debt securities; (iii) be able to enter into new loan agreements in the future, draw advances under such agreements or repay any such amounts; (iv) conclude additional strategic dispositions or similar transactions; or (v) otherwise have sufficient capital resources to meet our future capital or liquidity needs. There are no guarantees we will be able to generate additional financial resources beyond our existing balances.
We have a large amount of intercompany balances with our China entities which may be subject to taxes and penalties when we try to pay them down or collect them.
Payments for goods and services into and out of China are subject to numerous and over-lapping government regulation with respect to foreign exchange controls, banking controls, import and export controls, and taxes. We have been operating in China for an extended period of time and have accumulated significant intercompany balances with our related entities. Our ability to repay or collect these balances may be restricted by Chinese laws and, as a result, we may be unable to successfully pay down or collect on these balances. As a consequence, we may be assessed additional taxes in China if we are unable to claim bad debt deductions or incur debt forgiveness income from the cancellation of these intercompany balances. Additionally, if we are found not to have complied with the various local laws surrounding cross border payments, we may incur penalties and fines for non-compliance. Any such taxes, penalties and/or fines could be significant in amount and, as a result, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, including our cash and cash equivalent balances.
We have been named as a party to derivative action lawsuits in the past, and we may be named in additional litigation in the future, which would require significant management time and attention and result in significant legal expenses and could result in an unfavorable outcome which could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
When the market price of a stock experiences a sharp decline, as has happened to us in the past, holders of that stock have often brought securities class action litigation against the company that issued the stock. Several securities class action lawsuits have been filed against us and certain of our current and former officers and directors in the past. Other class action lawsuits have been initiated in the past against Opnext, us and certain of our respective current and former officers and directors as purported derivative actions. The securities class action complaints alleged violations of section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). Each purported derivative complaint alleged, among other things, counts for breaches of fiduciary duty, waste, and unjust enrichment. The courts approved the settlement of these lawsuits and the settlements became final in December 2014. For a description of these lawsuits, see Part II, Item 1,
Legal Proceedings,
"Class Action and Derivative Litigation" in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed on February 5, 2015. If new litigation of this type were to be initiated in the future, such litigation would likely divert the time and attention of our management and could cause us to incur significant expense in defending against the litigation. We could also be responsible for the advancement or reimbursement of significant legal fees of our current and former officers and directors to whom we may owe indemnity obligations. In addition, if any such suits were resolved in a manner adverse to us, the damages we could be required to pay may be substantial and could have a material and adverse impact on our results of operations and our ability to operate our business.
Because we do not intend to pay dividends, stockholders will benefit from an investment in our common stock only if it appreciates in value.
We have never declared or paid any dividends on our common stock. We anticipate that we will retain any future earnings to support operations and to finance the development of our business and do not expect to pay cash dividends in the foreseeable future. In addition, the Merger Agreement prohibits us from paying dividends. As a result, the success of an investment in our common stock will depend entirely upon any future appreciation in its value. There is no guarantee that our common stock will appreciate in value or even maintain the price at which stockholders have purchased their shares.
We are subject to anti-corruption laws in the jurisdictions in which we operate, including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or the FCPA, and the U.K. Bribery Act. Our failure to comply with these laws could result in penalties which could harm our reputation and have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
We are subject to the FCPA, the U.K. Bribery Act and other anti-corruption laws that generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments to foreign officials for the purpose of obtaining or keeping business and/or other benefits, along with various other anti-corruption laws. Although we have implemented policies and procedures designed to ensure that we, our employees and other intermediaries comply with the FCPA and other anti-corruption laws to which we are subject, there is no assurance that such policies or procedures will work effectively all of the time or protect us against liability under the FCPA or other laws for actions taken by our employees and other intermediaries with respect to our business or any businesses that we may acquire. We have manufacturing operations in China and other jurisdictions, many of which pose elevated risks of anti-corruption violations, and we export our products for sale internationally. This puts us in frequent contact with persons who may be considered “foreign officials” under the FCPA, resulting in an elevated risk of potential FCPA violations. If we are not in compliance with the FCPA and other laws governing the conduct of business with government entities (including local laws), we may be subject to criminal and civil penalties and other remedial measures, which could have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations and liquidity. Any investigation of any potential violations of the FCPA or other anti-corruption laws by U.S. or foreign authorities could harm our reputation and have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In the future we may need to access the capital markets to raise additional equity, which could dilute our shareholder base.
We may need additional liquidity beyond our current expectations, such as to fund future growth, strengthen our balance sheet or to fund the cost of restructuring activities or acquisitions, and will continue to explore other sources of additional liquidity. These additional sources of liquidity could include one, or a combination, of the following: (i) issuing equity securities, (ii) incurring indebtedness secured by our assets, (iii) issuing debt and/or convertible debt securities, or (iv) selling product lines, other assets and/or portions of our business. There can be no guarantee that we will be able to raise additional funds on terms acceptable to us, or at all. In addition, the Merger Agreement restricts our ability to issue equity securities, incur indebtedness or sell our product lines and businesses.
If we raise funds through the issuance of equity, or equity-linked or convertible debt securities, our stockholders may be significantly diluted, and these newly-issued securities may have rights, preferences or privileges senior to those of securities held by existing stockholders. For example, we raised funds in a public offering of our common stock in September 2016, which diluted our existing
stockholder base. If we raise funds in the future through the issuance of debt instruments, such as we did in February 2015 when we issued convertible notes and December 2012 when we issued exchangeable bonds, we will incur debt servicing costs and the agreements governing such debt instruments may contain covenant restrictions that limit our ability to, among other things: (i) incur additional debt, assume obligations in connection with letters of credit, or issue guarantees; (ii) create liens; (iii) make certain investments or acquisitions; (iv) enter into transactions with our affiliates; (v) sell certain assets; (vi) redeem capital stock or make other restricted payments; (vii) declare or pay dividends or make other distributions to stockholders; and (viii) merge or consolidate with any entity. (See Note 6,
Credit Line and Notes
, in our 2016 Annual Report, for further details). The exchangeable bonds issued in 2012 and the convertible notes issued in 2015 were subsequently exchanged for common stock and, in the case of the convertible notes issued in 2015, a cash payment. We cannot assure you that additional financing will be available on terms favorable to us, or at all. If adequate funds are not available or are not available on acceptable terms, if and when needed, our ability to fund our operations, develop or enhance our products, make acquisitions or otherwise respond to competitive pressures and operate effectively could be significantly limited.
We may have to incur substantially more debt in the future, which may subject us to restrictive covenants that could limit our ability to operate our business.
In the future, we may incur additional indebtedness through arrangements such as credit agreements or term loans that may impose restrictions and covenants that limit our ability to respond appropriately to market conditions, make capital investments or take advantage of business opportunities. In addition, any debt arrangements we may enter into would likely require us to make regular interest payments, which would adversely affect our results of operations.
Prior to our acquisition of Opnext, Opnext licensed its intellectual property to Hitachi and its wholly owned subsidiaries without restriction. In addition, Hitachi is free to license certain of Hitachi’s intellectual property that Opnext used in its business to any third party, including competitors, which could harm our business and operating results.
Opnext was initially created as a stand-alone entity by acquiring certain assets of Hitachi through various transactions. In connection with these transactions, Opnext acquired a number of patents and know-how from Hitachi, but also granted Hitachi and its wholly owned subsidiaries a perpetual right to continue to use those patents and know-how, as well as other patents and know-how that Opnext developed during a period which ended in July 2011 (or October 2012 in certain cases). This license back to Hitachi is broad and permits Hitachi to use this intellectual property for any products or services anywhere in the world, including licensing this intellectual property to our competitors.
Additionally, while significant intellectual property owned by Hitachi was assigned to Opnext when Opnext was formed, Hitachi retained and only licensed to Opnext the intellectual property rights to underlying technologies used in both Opnext products and the products of Hitachi. Under the agreement, Hitachi remains free to license these intellectual property rights to the underlying technologies to any party, including competitors. The intellectual property that has been retained by Hitachi and that can be licensed in this manner does not relate solely or primarily to one or more of Opnext’s products, or groups of products; rather, the intellectual property that was licensed to Opnext by Hitachi is used across a broad portion of our product portfolio. Competition from third parties using the underlying technologies retained by Hitachi could harm our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our business and operating results may be adversely affected by natural disasters or other catastrophic events beyond our control.
Our business and operating results are vulnerable to natural disasters, such as earthquakes, fires, tsunami, volcanic activity and floods, as well as other events beyond our control such as power loss, telecommunications failures and uncertainties arising out of terrorist attacks in the United States and armed conflicts overseas. For example, in the latter three quarters of fiscal year 2012, our results of operations were materially and adversely impacted by the flooding in Thailand. Additionally, our corporate headquarters and a portion of our research and development and manufacturing operations are located in Silicon Valley, California, and select manufacturing facilities are located in Japan. These regions in particular have been vulnerable to natural disasters, such as the 2011 earthquake and subsequent tsunami that occurred in Japan, and the April 2016 earthquakes that took place on the island of Kyushu in Japan. The occurrence of any of these events could pose physical risks to our property and personnel, which may adversely affect our ability to produce and deliver products to our customers. Although we presently maintain insurance against certain of these events, we cannot be certain that our insurance will be adequate to cover any damage sustained by us or by our customers.
Our business involves the use of hazardous materials, and we are subject to environmental and import/export laws and regulations that may expose us to liability and increase our costs.
We handle hazardous materials as part of our manufacturing activities. Consequently, our operations are subject to environmental laws and regulations governing, among other things, the use and handling of hazardous substances and waste disposal. We may incur costs to comply with current or future environmental laws. As with other companies engaged in manufacturing activities
that involve hazardous materials, a risk of environmental liability is inherent in our manufacturing activities, as is the risk that our facilities will be shut down in the event of a release of hazardous waste, or that we would be subject to extensive monetary liabilities. The costs associated with environmental compliance or remediation efforts or other environmental liabilities could adversely affect our business. Under applicable European Union regulations, we, along with other electronics component manufacturers, are prohibited from using lead and certain other hazardous materials in our products. We could lose business or face product returns if we fail to maintain these requirements properly.
In addition, the sale and manufacture of certain of our products require on-going compliance with governmental security and import/export regulations. We may, in the future, be subject to investigation which may result in fines for violations of security and import/export regulations. Furthermore, any disruptions of our product shipments in the future, including disruptions as a result of efforts to comply with governmental regulations, could adversely affect our revenues, gross margins and results of operations.
The disclosure requirements related to the “conflict minerals” provision of the Dodd-Frank Act may limit our supply and increase our costs for certain metals used in our products and could affect our reputation with customers or shareholders.
Under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (Dodd-Frank Act), the SEC adopted a rule requiring public companies to disclose the use of specified minerals, known as conflict minerals, that are necessary to the functionality or production of products manufactured or contracted to be manufactured. The rule could affect sourcing at competitive prices and availability in sufficient quantities of certain minerals used in the manufacturing of our products. The number of suppliers who provide conflict-free minerals may be limited. In addition, there may be material costs associated with complying with the disclosure requirements, such as costs related to the due diligence process of determining the source of certain minerals used in our products, as well as costs of possible changes to products, processes, or sources of supply as a consequence of such verification activities. As our supply chain is complex and we use contract manufacturers for some of our products, we may not be able to sufficiently verify the origins of the relevant minerals used in our products through the due diligence procedures that we implement, which may harm our reputation. If we cannot determine that our products exclude conflict minerals sourced from the DRC or adjoining countries, some of our customers may discontinue, or materially reduce, purchases of our products, which could negatively affect our results of operations.
We can issue shares of preferred stock that may adversely affect your rights as a stockholder of our common stock.
Our certificate of incorporation authorizes us to issue up to 1.0 million shares of preferred stock with designations, rights and preferences determined from time-to-time by our Board of Directors. Accordingly, our Board of Directors is empowered, without stockholder approval, to issue preferred stock with dividend, liquidation, conversion, voting or other rights superior to those of holders of our common stock. For example, an issuance of shares of preferred stock could:
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adversely affect the voting power of the holders of our common stock;
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make it more difficult for a third-party to gain control of us;
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discourage bids for our common stock at a premium;
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limit or eliminate any payments that the holders of our common stock could expect to receive upon our liquidation; or
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otherwise adversely affect the market price of our common stock.
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We may in the future issue shares of authorized preferred stock at any time.
Delaware law and our charter documents contain provisions that could discourage or prevent a potential takeover, even if such a transaction would be beneficial to our stockholders.
Some provisions of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, as well as provisions of Delaware law, may discourage, delay or prevent a merger or acquisition that a stockholder may consider favorable. These include provisions:
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authorizing the Board of Directors to issue preferred stock;
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prohibiting cumulative voting in the election of directors;
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limiting the persons who may call special meetings of stockholders;
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prohibiting stockholder actions by written consent;
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creating a classified Board of Directors pursuant to which our directors are elected for staggered three-year terms;
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permitting the Board of Directors to increase the size of the board and to fill vacancies;
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requiring a super-majority vote of our stockholders to amend our bylaws and certain provisions of our certificate of incorporation; and
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establishing advance notice requirements for nominations for election to the Board of Directors or for proposing matters that can be acted on by stockholders at stockholder meetings.
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We are subject to the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law which limit the right of a corporation to engage in a business combination with a holder of 15 percent or more of the corporation’s outstanding voting securities, or certain affiliated persons. We do not currently have a stockholder rights plan in place.
Although we believe that these charter and bylaw provisions, and provisions of Delaware law, provide an opportunity for the board to assure that our stockholders realize full value for their investment, they could have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control, even under circumstances that some stockholders may consider beneficial.