Item 1A. Risk Factors
Investing in our securities involves certain risks. Before investing in any of our securities, you should carefully consider the following risks. If any of these risks actually occurs, it could have a material adverse effect on our business. The risks described below are not the only risks that affect our businesses. Additional risks that are unknown or not presently deemed significant may also have a material adverse effect on our businesses.
Risks Relating to Our Structure
Our general partner, and its control person, has significant influence over us, and sales by our controlling unitholder pursuant to a margin call or otherwise could cause our unit price or the value of our assets in the Investment Funds to decline or otherwise impact our liquidity.
Mr. Icahn, through affiliates, owns 100% of Icahn Enterprises GP, the general partner of Icahn Enterprises, and approximately 86% of Icahn Enterprises’ outstanding depositary units as of December 31, 2025, and, as a result, has the ability to influence many aspects of our operations and affairs.
Mr. Icahn’s estate plan has been designed to assure the stability and continuation of Icahn Enterprises and to minimize the need to monetize his interests for estate tax or other purposes. In the event of Mr. Icahn’s death, a substantial majority of Mr. Icahn’s interests in Icahn Enterprises and its general partner are expected to pass to trusts or charitable organizations that will be under the control of a group that will include Icahn family members and current or former senior Icahn Enterprises executives. However, there can be no assurance that such planning will be effective. Furthermore, if upon Mr. Icahn’s death control of Icahn Enterprises GP is not given to Brett Icahn, Brett Icahn will have the right to terminate the manager agreement between Brett Icahn and Icahn Enterprises. In addition, it is currently anticipated that Brett Icahn will succeed Carl Icahn as Chairman of the board of Icahn Enterprises GP and as Chief Executive Officer of the Investment segment following the end of the 7-year term of the manager agreement or earlier if Carl Icahn should so determine.
In addition, in past years through the present, Mr. Icahn from time to time has had and currently has borrowings from lenders and has pledged assets he owns personally, directly or through his affiliates, to secure these loans, which pledged assets include Icahn Enterprises depositary units and interests in the Investment Funds. The number of depositary units and the amount of interests in the Investment Funds owned personally by Mr. Icahn, directly or through his affiliates, pledged to secure these loans has been substantial and has fluctuated over time as a result of the amount of outstanding principal amount of the loans, the market price of the depositary units, the value of the Investment Fund interests, and other factors. As of December 31, 2025, Mr. Icahn and his affiliates have pledged 549,400,539 depositary units and approximately $568 million of interests in the Investment Funds. Neither Icahn Enterprises nor any of its subsidiaries are party to these loans. Mr. Icahn amended and restated his loan agreements in July of 2023 (as amended
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and restated, the “Loan Agreement”). On August 13, 2025, Mr. Icahn and his affiliates entered into Amendment No. 3 to the Loan Agreement (“Amendment No. 3”). Among other changes, Amendment No. 3 extended the maturity of the Loan Agreement to July 2028 and correspondingly extended the payment due dates under the Loan Agreement and amended certain covenants. In connection with Amendment No. 3, Mr. Icahn paid approximately $300 million to the principal of the loan. As of the date of Amendment No. 3, in connection with the Loan Agreement, Mr. Icahn has pledged (i) depositary units of IEP owned by Mr. Icahn, (ii) interests owned by Mr. Icahn in the Investment Funds, and (iii) certain other collateral unrelated to IEP or the Investment Funds. Neither IEP nor any of its subsidiaries is a party to the Loan Agreement or the amendments to the Loan Agreement. The terms of the Loan Agreement require that distributions paid upon, or proceeds from sales of, pledged depositary units be used to prepay the loans or be pledged as additional collateral. Pursuant to the terms of the Loan Agreement, a margin call may only be triggered in the event that the loan-to-value ratio set forth in the Loan Agreement is not maintained.
Unlike the previous loan agreements, for purposes of the loan-to-value ratio set forth in the Loan Agreement, the value of the pledged depositary units will be calculated based upon the Company’s indicative net asset value rather than the market price of the depositary units. Only a significant decline in the Company’s indicative net asset value, or the value of the interests in the Investment Funds, could result in margin calls. Declines in the trading price of the Company’s depositary units will no longer require Mr. Icahn to deposit additional funds or securities with the lenders or suffer foreclosure on or a forced sale of Mr. Icahn’s depositary units or other assets. While we are confident in our investment strategy and ability to continue to grow our investment portfolio through a refocused activist strategy, and in the effectiveness of our hedges, which are designed to avoid fluctuations in the value of our portfolio, successful execution of our activist investment activities and other aspects of our business involves many risks (including those set forth herein), some of which are out of our control.
Mr. Icahn may sell depositary units or make withdrawals from the Investment Funds in order to satisfy payment obligations under the Loan Agreement. Mr. Icahn has made withdrawals from the Investment Funds in recent months, and may make additional withdrawals in the future, in order to repay a portion of his loans and for other purposes. In the event Mr. Icahn makes withdrawal requests from the Investment Funds, the Investment Funds may satisfy such withdrawal requests with cash or cash equivalents on hand, proceeds from sales of assets held by the Investment Funds or capital contributions from the Company, which could adversely affect the value of the assets held by the Investment Funds as well as the liquidity available to the Company.
The affirmative vote of unitholders holding more than 75% of the total number of all depositary units then outstanding, including depositary units held by Icahn Enterprises GP and its affiliates, is required to remove Icahn Enterprises GP as the general partner of Icahn Enterprises. Mr. Icahn, through affiliates, holds approximately 86% of Icahn Enterprises’ outstanding depositary units. If sales of depositary units held by Mr. Icahn and his affiliates, as a result of a margin call, foreclosure, changes in tax laws, changes to his estate, or otherwise, were to cause Mr. Icahn and his affiliates to no longer hold at least 25% of the outstanding depositary units, Icahn Enterprises GP could potentially be removed as the general partner of Icahn Enterprises without Mr. Icahn’s consent.
Sales of a substantial number of depositary units held by Mr. Icahn and his affiliates could have a negative impact on the market price of our depositary units. Likewise, the market may anticipate sales by Mr. Icahn or his estate even if Mr. Icahn or his estate is not selling, or has no plans to sell, depositary units.
We have engaged, and in the future may engage, in transactions with our affiliates.
We have invested and may in the future invest in entities in which Mr. Icahn also invests. We also have purchased and may in the future purchase entities or investments from him or his affiliates. Although Icahn Enterprises GP has never received fees in connection with our investments, our partnership agreement allows for the payment of these fees. Mr. Icahn may pursue other business opportunities in industries in which we compete and there is no requirement that any additional business opportunities be presented to us. We continuously identify, evaluate and engage in discussions concerning potential investments and acquisitions, including potential investments in and acquisitions of affiliates of Mr. Icahn. There cannot be any assurance that any potential transactions that we consider will be completed.
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We are subject to the risk of becoming an investment company.
Because we are a holding company and a significant portion of our assets may, from time to time, consist of investments in companies in which we own less than a 50% interest, we run the risk of inadvertently becoming an investment company that is required to register under the Investment Company Act. Events beyond our control, including significant appreciation or depreciation in the market value of certain of our publicly traded holdings or adverse developments with respect to our ownership of certain of our subsidiaries, could result in our inadvertently becoming an investment company that is required to register under the Investment Company Act. Transactions involving the sale of certain assets could result in our being considered an investment company. Following such events or transactions, an exemption under the Investment Company Act would provide us up to one year to take steps to avoid becoming classified as an investment company. We expect to take steps to avoid becoming classified as an investment company, but no assurance can be made that we will successfully be able to take the steps necessary to avoid becoming classified as an investment company.
If we are unsuccessful, then we will be required to register as a registered investment company and will be subject to extensive, restrictive and potentially adverse regulations relating to, among other things, operating methods, management, capital structure, dividends and transactions with affiliates. Registered investment companies are not permitted to operate their business in the manner in which we currently operate our business, nor are registered investment companies permitted to have many of the relationships that we have with our affiliated companies. In addition, if we become required to register under the Investment Company Act, it is likely that we would be treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes and would be subject to the tax consequences described below under the caption, “We may become taxable as a corporation if we are no longer treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes.”
If it were established that we were an investment company and did not register as an investment company when required to do so, there would be a risk, among other material adverse consequences, that we could become subject to monetary penalties or injunctive relief, or both, in an action brought by the SEC, that we would be unable to enforce contracts with third parties or that third parties could seek to obtain rescission of transactions with us undertaken during the period it was established that we were an unregistered investment company.
We may structure transactions in a less advantageous manner to avoid becoming subject to the Investment Company Act.
In order not to become an investment company required to register under the Investment Company Act, we monitor the value of our investments and structure transactions with an eye toward the Investment Company Act. As a result, we may structure transactions in a less advantageous manner than if we did not have Investment Company Act concerns, or we may avoid otherwise economically desirable transactions due to those concerns.
We may become taxable as a corporation if we are no longer treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
We believe that we have been and are properly treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. This allows us to pass through our income and deductions to our partners. However, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) could challenge our partnership status and we could fail to qualify as a partnership for past years as well as future years. Qualification as a partnership involves the application of highly technical and complex provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended. For example, a publicly traded partnership is generally taxable as a corporation unless 90% or more of its gross income is “qualifying” income, which includes interest, dividends, oil and gas revenues and certain
other income from minerals, natural resources and specified energy resources, real property rents, gains from the sale or other disposition of real property, gain from the sale or other disposition of capital assets held for the production of interest or dividends, and certain other items. We believe that in all prior years of our existence at least 90% of our gross income was “qualifying” income and we intend to structure our business in a manner such that at least 90% of our gross income will constitute “qualifying” income this year and in the future. However, there can be no assurance that such structuring will be effective in all events to avoid the receipt of more than 10% of non-qualifying income. We have repurchased certain of our outstanding senior notes, and the board of directors has approved the repurchase by the
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Company of up to an additional $500 million of our outstanding senior notes, and if such debt is repurchased at a discount, we may recognize cancellation of indebtedness (“COD”) income, which, in some circumstances, may not be considered “qualifying” income. If less than 90% of our gross income constitutes “qualifying” income, we may be subject to corporate tax on our net income plus possible state taxes. Further, if less than 90% of our gross income constituted “qualifying” income for past years, we may be subject to corporate level tax plus interest and possibly penalties. In addition, if we become required to register under the Investment Company Act, it is likely that we would be treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The cost of paying federal and possibly state income tax, either for past years or going forward could be a significant liability and would reduce our funds available to make distributions to holders of units, and to make interest and principal payments on our debt securities. To meet the “qualifying” income test, we may structure transactions in a manner which is less advantageous than if this were not a consideration, or we may avoid otherwise economically desirable transactions.
We may be negatively impacted by the potential for changes in tax laws.
Our investment strategy considers various tax related impacts. Past or future legislative proposals have been or may be introduced that, if enacted, could have a material and adverse effect on us. For example, past proposals have included taxing publicly traded partnerships, such as us, as corporations and introducing substantive changes to the definition of “qualifying” income, which could make it more difficult or impossible for us to meet the exception that allows publicly traded partnerships generating “qualifying” income to be treated as partnerships (rather than corporations) for U.S. federal income tax purposes. If certain proposals were enacted, Mr. Icahn or his estate could become subject to additional U.S. federal income tax. The imposition of such additional tax, or the potential for such additional tax to be implemented, may result in Mr. Icahn or his estate selling our depositary units. Further, the market may anticipate sales by Mr. Icahn or his estate even if Mr. Icahn or his estate is not selling, or has no plans to sell, our depositary units.
On July 4, 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (“OBBBA”) was enacted in the United States. The OBBBA includes significant provisions, such as the permanent extension of certain expiring provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, modifications to the international tax framework, and the restoration of tax treatment for certain business provisions. As regulations in respect of OBBBA develop in the future, we will continue to assess the impact on us.
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (“OECD”) has published “Pillar Two” model rules, which adopt a 15% global corporate minimum tax for multinational enterprises with average revenues in excess of €750 million. Countries may implement the OECD Pillar Two model rules as issued, in a modified form or not at all. A number of countries have passed legislation enacting certain parts of the OECD’s Pillar Two model rules effective as of January 1, 2024 and January 1, 2025. OECD Pillar Two could have a material impact on our effective t ax rate and result in higher cash tax liabilities depending on which countries enact minimum tax legislation and in what manner. We are continuing to evaluate the Pillar Two model rules and related developments and their potential impact on future periods, including the side-by-side safe harbor package for U.S.-based multinationals released by the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework in January 2026, which offers a streamlined compliance pathway for large multinational enterprises.
Holders of depositary units may be required to pay tax on their share of our income even if they did not receive cash distributions from us.
Because we are treated as a partnership for income tax purposes, unitholders generally are required to pay U.S. federal income tax, and, in some cases, state or local income tax, on the portion of our taxable income allocated to them, whether or not such income is distributed. Accordingly, it is possible that holders of depositary units may not receive cash distributions from us equal to their share of our taxable income, or even equal to their tax liability on the portion of our income allocated to them.
Tax gain or loss on the disposition of our depositary units could be more or less than expected.
If our unitholders sell their units, they will recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the amount realized and their tax basis in those units. Any distributions to our unitholders that were in excess of the total net taxable income our unitholders were allocated for a unit will decrease their tax basis in that unit. As a result of the reduced basis, a unitholder will recognize a greater amount of income if the unit is later sold for an amount greater than such unit’s
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basis. A portion of the amount realized, whether or not representing gain, may be ordinary income to the selling unitholder due to potential recapture items. In addition, because the amount realized includes a unitholder’s share of our nonrecourse liabilities, a unitholder who sells units may incur a tax liability in excess of the amount of cash received from the sale.
Tax-exempt entities may recognize unrelated business taxable income they receive from holding our units, and may face other unique issues specific to their U.S. federal income tax classification.
Investment in units by tax-exempt entities, such as individual retirement accounts (known as IRAs), pension plans, and non-U.S. persons raises issues unique to them. For example, some portion of our income allocated to organizations exempt from U.S. federal income tax, particularly income arising from our debt-financed transactions, will likely be unrelated business taxable income and will be taxable to them.
Non-U.S. persons may be subject to withholding regimes and U.S. federal income tax on certain income they may earn from holding or disposing of our units.
Distributions to non-U.S. persons will be reduced by withholding taxes at the highest applicable effective tax rate, and non-U.S. persons will be required to file U.S. federal income tax returns and pay tax on their share of our taxable income. Withholding taxes may also apply to proceeds received from a sale, exchange or other disposition of our units.
We may be liable for any underwithholding by nominees on our distributions or on transfers of our units made after January 1, 2023.
For distributions made after January 1, 2023, a publicly traded partnership must post on its primary public website (and keep accessible for ten years), and deliver to any registered holder that is a nominee, a qualified notice that states the amount of a distribution that is attributable to each type of income group specified in the final regulations published by the IRS on November 30, 2020. If the qualified notice is incorrect such that it causes a broker to underwithhold with respect to an amount in excess of cumulative net income, the publicly traded partnership is liable for any underwithholding on such amount.
For transfers, including a sale, exchange or other disposition of units, that occur on or after January 1, 2023, a publicly traded partnership may be liable for any underwithholding by a broker that relies on a qualified notice for which the publicly traded partnership failed to make a reasonable estimate of the amounts required for determining the applicability of the “10 percent exception.” The “10 percent exception” applies if, either (1) the publicly traded partnership was not engaged in a U.S. trade or business during a specified time period, or (2) upon a hypothetical sale of the publicly traded partnership’s assets at fair market value, (i) the amount of net gain that would have been effectively connected with the conduct of a U.S. trade or business would be less than 10% of the total net gain, or (ii) no gain would have been effectively connected with the conduct of a U.S. trade or business.
Our unitholders likely will be subject to state and local taxes and return filing or withholding requirements in states in which they do not live as a result of investing in our units.
In addition to U.S. federal income taxes, our unitholders will likely be subject to other taxes, such as state and local income taxes, unincorporated business taxes and estate, inheritance, or intangible taxes that are imposed by the various jurisdictions in which we do business or own property. Our unitholders may be required to file state and local income tax returns and pay state and local income taxes in certain of these various jurisdictions. Further, our unitholders may be subject to penalties for failure to comply with those requirements. We own property and conduct business in Florida, Massachusetts, Nevada and New York. It is each unitholder’s responsibility to file all federal, state and local tax returns. Our counsel has not rendered an opinion on the state and local tax consequences of an investment in our units.
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We prorate our items of income, gain, loss and deduction between transferors and transferees of our units based upon the ownership of our units at the close of business on the last day of each month, instead of on the basis of the date a particular unit is transferred. The IRS may challenge this treatment, which could change the allocation of items of income, gain, loss and deduction among our unitholders.
We prorate our items of income, gain, loss and deduction between transferors and transferees of our units based upon the ownership of our units on the first business day of each month, instead of on the basis of the date a particular unit is transferred. The U.S. Treasury Department adopted final Treasury regulations that provide that publicly traded partnerships may use a similar monthly simplifying convention to allocate tax items among transferor and transferee unitholders. Nonetheless, the final regulations do not specifically authorize the use of the proration method we have adopted. If the IRS were to challenge this method, we may be required to change the allocation of items of income, gain, loss and deduction among our unitholders.
A unitholder whose units are loaned to a “short seller” to cover a short sale of units may be considered as having disposed of those units. If so, such unitholder would no longer be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a partner with respect to those units during the period of the loan and may recognize gain or loss from the disposition.
Because a unitholder whose units are loaned to a “short seller” to cover a short sale of units may be considered as having disposed of the loaned units, he or she may no longer be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a partner with respect to those units during the period of the loan to the short seller and the unitholder may recognize gain or loss from such disposition. Moreover, during the period of the loan to the short seller, any of our income, gain, loss or deduction with respect to those units may not be reportable by the unitholder and any cash distributions received by the unitholder as to those units could be fully taxable as ordinary income. Our counsel has not rendered an opinion regarding the treatment of a unitholder where units are loaned to a short seller to cover a short sale of units; therefore, unitholders desiring to assure their status as partners and avoid the risk of gain recognition from a loan to a short seller are urged to modify any applicable brokerage account agreements to prohibit their brokers from borrowing their units.
If the IRS makes audit adjustments to our income tax returns for tax years beginning after 2017, it (and some states) may collect any resulting taxes (including any applicable penalties and interest) directly from us, in which case our cash available to service debt or pay distributions to our unitholders, if and when resumed, could be substantially reduced.
With respect to tax years beginning after December 31, 2017, if the IRS makes audit adjustments to our income tax returns, it (and some states) may assess and collect any resulting taxes (including any applicable penalties and interest) resulting from such audit adjustment directly from us. Generally, we will have the option to seek to collect tax liability from our unitholders in accordance with their percentage interests during the year under audit, but there can be no assurance that we will elect to do so or be able to do so under all circumstances. If we do not collect such tax liability from our unitholders in accordance with their percentage interests in the tax year under audit, our net income and the available cash for quarterly distributions to current unitholders may be substantially reduced. Accordingly, our current unitholders may bear some or all of the tax liability resulting from such audit adjustment, even if such unitholders did not own units during the tax year under audit. In particular, as a publicly traded partnership, our Partnership Representative (as defined below) may, in certain instances, request that any “imputed underpayment” resulting from an audit be adjusted by amounts of certain of our passive losses. If we successfully make such a request, we would have to reduce passive carryovers in a manner which is binding on the partners.
We are required to and have designated a partner, or other person, with a substantial presence in the United States as the partnership representative (“Partnership Representative”). The Partnership Representative will have the sole authority to act on our behalf for purposes of, among other things, U.S. federal income tax audits and judicial review of administrative adjustments by the IRS. Any actions taken by us or by the Partnership Representative on our behalf with respect to, among other things, U.S. federal income tax audits and judicial review of administrative adjustments by the IRS, will be binding on us and our unitholders.
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We may be subject to the pension liabilities of our affiliates.
Mr. Icahn, through certain affiliates, owns 100% of Icahn Enterprises GP and approximately 86% of Icahn Enterprises’ outstanding depositary units as of December 31, 2025. Applicable pension and tax laws make each member of a “controlled group” of entities, generally defined as entities in which there is at least an 80% common ownership interest, jointly and severally liable for certain pension plan obligations of any member of the controlled group. These pension obligations include ongoing contributions to fund the plan, as well as liability for any unfunded liabilities that may exist at the time the plan is terminated. In addition, the failure to pay these pension obligations when due may result in the creation of liens in favor of the pension plan or the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (the “PBGC”) against the assets of each member of the controlled group.
As a result of the more than 80% ownership interest in us by Mr. Icahn’s affiliates, we and our subsidiaries are subject to the pension liabilities of entities in which Mr. Icahn has a direct or indirect ownership interest of at least 80%, which includes the liabilities of pension plans sponsored by Viskase (and, prior to their termination, of ACF Industries LLC (“ACF”), as further described below). All the minimum funding requirements of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended, and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, for the Viskase plans have been met as of December 31, 2025. If the plans were voluntarily terminated, the Viskase plan would be underfunded by approximately $19 million as of December 31, 2025. These results are based on the most recent information provided by the plans’ actuaries. These liabilities could increase or decrease, depending on a number of factors, including future changes in benefits, investment returns, and the assumptions used to calculate the liability. As members of the controlled group, we would be liable for any failure of Viskase to make ongoing pension contributions or to pay the unfunded liabilities upon a termination of the Viskase pension plans. In addition, other entities now or in the future within the controlled group in which we are included may have pension plan obligations that are, or may become, and we would be liable for any of such entities to make ongoing pension contributions or to pay the liabilities upon of such plans.
The current underfunded status of the pension plans of Viskase requires them to notify the PBGC of certain “reportable events,” such as if we cease to be a member of the Viskase controlled group, or if we make certain extraordinary dividends or stock redemptions. The obligation to report could cause us to seek to delay or reconsider the occurrence of such reportable events.
Starfire Holding Corporation (“Starfire”), which is 99.6% owned by Mr. Icahn as of December 31, 2025, has undertaken to indemnify us and our subsidiaries from losses resulting from any imposition of certain pension funding or termination liabilities that may be imposed on us and our subsidiaries or our assets as a result of being a member of the Icahn controlled group, including ACF. The Starfire indemnity provides, among other things, that so long as such contingent liabilities exist and could be imposed on us, Starfire will not make any distributions to its stockholders that would reduce its net worth to below $250 million. Nonetheless, Starfire may not be able to fund its indemnification obligations to us.
With respect to the ACF pension plans, on January 31, 2025, the Executive Committee of ACF approved a resolution to terminate its qualified pension plans, which were frozen and no longer accrued benefits. As of December 31, 2024, the fair value of this plan’s assets exceeded its benefit obligations. The termination of the plan was effective January 31, 2025 and liquidation of the plan is expected to be completed in 2026 or early 2027.
We are a limited partnership and a “controlled company” within the meaning of the Nasdaq rules and as such are exempt from certain corporate governance requirements.
We are a limited partnership and “controlled company” pursuant to Rule 5615(c) of the Nasdaq listing rules. As such we have elected, and intend to continue to elect, not to comply with certain corporate governance requirements of the Nasdaq listing rules, including the requirements that a majority of the board of directors consist of independent directors and that independent directors determine the compensation of executive officers and the selection of nominees to the board of directors. We do not maintain a compensation or nominating committee and do not have a majority of independent directors. Accordingly, while we remain a controlled company and during any transition period following a
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time when we are no longer a controlled company, the Nasdaq listing rules do not provide the same corporate governance protections applicable to stockholders of companies that are subject to all of the Nasdaq listing requirements.
Certain members of our management team may be involved in other business activities that may involve conflicts of interest.
Certain individual members of our management team may, from time to time, be involved in the management of other businesses, including those owned or controlled by Mr. Icahn and his affiliates. Accordingly, these individuals may focus a portion of their time and attention on managing these other businesses. Conflicts may arise in the future between our interests and the interests of the other entities and business activities in which such individuals are involved.
Holders of Icahn Enterprises’ depositary units have limited voting rights, including rights to participate in our management.
Our general partner manages and operates Icahn Enterprises. Unlike the holders of common stock in a corporation, holders of Icahn Enterprises’ outstanding depositary units have only limited voting rights on matters affecting our business. Holders of depositary units have no right to elect the general partner on an annual or other continuing basis, and our general partner generally may not be removed except pursuant to the vote of the holders of not less than 75% of the outstanding depositary units. In addition, removal of the general partner may result in a default under the indentures governing our senior notes. As a result, holders of our depositary units have limited say in matters affecting our operations and others may find it difficult to attempt to gain control or influence our activities.
Holders of Icahn Enterprises’ depositary units may not have limited liability in certain circumstances and may be personally liable for the return of distributions that cause our liabilities to exceed our assets.
We conduct our businesses through Icahn Enterprises Holdings in several states. Maintenance of limited liability will require compliance with legal requirements of those states. We are the sole limited partner of Icahn Enterprises Holdings. Limitations on the liability of a limited partner for the obligations of a limited partnership have not clearly been established in several states. If it were determined that Icahn Enterprises Holdings has been conducting business in any state without compliance with the applicable limited partnership statute or the possession or exercise of the right by the partnership, as limited partner of Icahn Enterprises Holdings, to remove its general partner, to approve certain amendments to the Icahn Enterprises Holdings partnership agreement or to take other action pursuant to the Icahn Enterprises Holdings partnership agreement, constituted “control” of Icahn Enterprises Holdings’ business for the purposes of the statutes of any relevant state, Icahn Enterprises and/or its unitholders, under certain circumstances, might be held personally liable for Icahn Enterprises Holdings’ obligations to the same extent as our general partner. Further, under the laws of certain states, Icahn Enterprises might be liable for the amount of distributions made to Icahn Enterprises by Icahn Enterprises Holdings.
Holders of Icahn Enterprises’ depositary units may also be required to repay Icahn Enterprises amounts wrongfully distributed to them. Under Delaware law, we may not make a distribution to holders of our depositary units if the distribution causes our liabilities to exceed the fair value of our assets. Liabilities to partners on account of their partnership interests and nonrecourse liabilities are not counted for purposes of determining whether a distribution is permitted. Delaware law provides that a limited partner who receives such a distribution and knew at the time of the distribution that the distribution violated Delaware law will be liable to the limited partnership for the distribution amount for three years from the distribution date.
Additionally, under Delaware law an assignee who becomes a substituted limited partner of a limited partnership is liable for the obligations, if any, of the assignor to make contributions to the partnership. However, such an assignee is not obligated for liabilities unknown to him or her at the time he or she became a limited partner if the liabilities could not be determined from the partnership agreement.
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Since we are a limited partnership, you may not be able to pursue legal claims against us in U.S. federal courts.
We are a limited partnership organized under the laws of the state of Delaware. Under the federal rules of civil procedure, you may not be able to sue us in federal court on claims other than those based solely on federal law, because of lack of complete diversity. Case law applying diversity jurisdiction deems us to have the citizenship of each of our limited partners. Because we are a publicly traded limited partnership, it may not be possible for you to sue us in a federal court because we have citizenship in all 50 U.S. states and operations in many states. Accordingly, you will be limited to bringing any claims in state court.
We have become subject to, and may in the future be subject to, short selling strategies driving down the market price of our depositary units and increasing the volatility of the trading market for our depositary units, as well as regulatory investigations and litigation.
On May 2, 2023, a firm published a report making allegations about the Company in an attempt to drive down the market price of our depositary units, and the price of our depositary units declined significantly after the publication of this report, has continued to trade at lower prices than before the report, and the market for our depositary units has been highly volatile since the publication of the report. Short selling is the practice of selling securities that the seller does not own but may have borrowed with the intention of buying identical securities back at a later date. The short seller hopes to profit from a decline in the value of the securities between the time the securities are borrowed and the time they are replaced. As it is in the short seller’s best interests for the price of the securities to decline, many short sellers (sometimes known as “disclosed shorts”) publish, or arrange for the publication of, negative opinions regarding the relevant issuer and its business prospects to create negative market momentum. Although traditionally these shorts were limited in their ability to access mainstream business media or to otherwise create market rumors, the rise of the Internet and technological regarding document creation, videotaping and publication by weblog have allowed many shorts to publicly attack a company’s credibility, strategy and veracity by means of so-called “research reports” that mimic the type of investment analysis performed by large Wall Street firms and independent research analysts. These short attacks have, in the past, led to selling of securities in the market. Further, these short seller publications are not regulated by any governmental, self-regulatory organization or other official authority in the U.S. and they are not subject to certification requirements imposed by the SEC. Companies that are subject to , even if untrue, may have to expend a significant amount of resources to such and/or themselves, including securityholder suits the company that may be prompted by such , and we have already expended significant resources and management time in response to the short seller report. As further described below, as a result of the short seller report, we have become the subject of suits and government inquiries prompted by the made by the short seller, and future short seller reports could prompt additional lawsuits or .
We have received previously, and may receive in the future securities class action lawsuits, derivative complaints, or inquiries from the SEC, the U.S. Attorney’s office, or other regulators. Such actions and investigations could result in administrative orders against us, the imposition of penalties and/or fines against us, damages awards against us, and/or the imposition of sanctions against certain of the Company’s current or former officers, directors and/or employees. Resolution of these types of matters can be prolonged and costly, and the ultimate results or judgments are uncertain due to the inherent uncertainty in the outcomes of litigation and other proceedings.
Risks Relating to Liquidity and Capital Requirements
We are a holding company and depend on the businesses of our subsidiaries to satisfy our obligations.
We are a holding company. In addition to cash and cash equivalents, U.S. government and agency obligations, marketable equity and debt securities and other short-term investments, our assets consist primarily of investments in our subsidiaries. Moreover, if we make significant investments in new operating businesses, it is likely that we will reduce our liquid assets in order to fund those investments and the ongoing operations of our subsidiaries. Consequently, our cash flow and our ability to meet our debt service obligations and make distributions with respect to depositary units likely will depend on the cash flow of our subsidiaries and the payment of funds to us by our subsidiaries in the form of dividends, distributions, loans or otherwise.
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The operating results of our subsidiaries may not be sufficient to make distributions to us. In addition, our subsidiaries are not obligated to make funds available to us and distributions and intercompany transfers from our subsidiaries to us may be restricted by applicable law or covenants contained in debt agreements and other agreements to which these subsidiaries may be subject or enter into in the future.
The terms of certain borrowing agreements of our subsidiaries, or other entities in which we own equity, may restrict dividends, distributions or loans to us. To the degree any distributions and transfers are impaired or prohibited, our ability to make payments on our debt and to make distributions on our depositary units will be limited.
To service our indebtedness, we will require a significant amount of cash. Our ability to maintain our current cash position or generate cash depends on many factors beyond our control.
Our ability to make payments on and to refinance our indebtedness, and to fund operations will depend on existing cash balances and our ability to generate cash in the future. This, to a certain extent, is subject to general economic, financial, competitive, regulatory and other factors that are beyond our control. Our current businesses and businesses that we acquire may not generate sufficient cash to service our outstanding indebtedness. In addition, we may not generate sufficient cash flow from operations or investments and future borrowings may not be available to us in an amount sufficient to enable us to service our outstanding indebtedness or to fund our other liquidity needs. We may need to refinance all or a portion of our outstanding indebtedness on or before maturity. We cannot assure you that we will be able to refinance any of our outstanding indebtedness on commercially reasonable terms or at all.
Our notes include a maintenance covenant that requires us to maintain a specified ratio of unencumbered assets compared to our total outstanding principal amount of unsecured indebtedness. However, all of our notes are secured and, as a result, are excluded from the calculation of the ratio test under these maintenance covenants, and we do not have a material amount of unsecured indebtedness. As a result, we and our subsidiaries have substantially more capacity under these maintenance covenants to incur additional unsecured indebtedness than we would if our notes were unsecured (but subject to the other covenants in the indentures governing our senior notes that restrict our ability and that of the guarantor of the notes, as well as the ability of our non-guarantor subsidiaries, to incur incremental indebtedness).
Our failure to comply with the covenants contained under any of our debt instruments, including the indentures governing our senior notes (including our failure to comply as a result of events beyond our control), could result in an event of default or a foreclosure upon the collateral securing the notes that would materially and adversely affect our financial condition.
Our failure to comply with the covenants under any of our debt instruments, including our indentures governing our senior notes (including our failure to comply as a result of events beyond our control, including the change in the fair value of our investment in the Investment Funds) may trigger a default or event of default under such instruments, and the collateral agent for the noteholders may proceed against the collateral securing the notes. In addition, any event of default or declaration of acceleration under one debt instrument could result in an event of default and declaration of acceleration under one or more of our other debt instruments. It is possible that, if the defaulted debt is accelerated, our assets and cash flow may not be sufficient to fully repay borrowings under our outstanding debt instruments and we cannot assure you that we would be able to refinance or restructure the payments on those debt securities, or avoid a the assets securing the notes.
We may not have sufficient funds necessary to finance a change of control offer that may be required by the indentures governing our senior notes.
Mr. Icahn, through affiliates, as of December 31, 2025, owned 100% of Icahn Enterprises GP and approximately 86% of our outstanding depositary units. If Mr. Icahn were to sell, or otherwise transfer, some or all of his interests in us to an unrelated party or group, as a result of a merger, foreclosure, changes in tax laws, changes to his estate, or otherwise, a change of control could be deemed to have occurred under the terms of the indentures governing our senior notes, which would require us to offer to repurchase all outstanding senior notes at 101% of their principal amount plus accrued and unpaid interest, special interest, if any, and liquidated damages, if any, to the date of repurchase. However,
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it is possible that we will not have sufficient funds at the time of the change of control to make the required repurchase of notes.
We have made significant investments in the Investment Funds and negative performance of the Investment Funds may result in a significant decline in the value of our investments.
As of December 31, 2025, we had investments in the Investment Funds with a fair market value of approximately $2.7 billion, which may be accessed on short notice to satisfy our liquidity needs. However, if the Investment Funds experience negative performance, the value of these investments will be negatively impacted, which could have a material adverse effect on our operating results, cash flows and financial position.
Future cash distributions to Icahn Enterprises’ unitholders, if any, can be affected by numerous factors.
While we made cash distributions to Icahn Enterprises’ unitholders in each of the four quarters of 2025, the payment of future distributions will be determined by the board of directors of Icahn Enterprises GP, our general partner, quarterly, based on a review of a number of factors, including those described below and other factors that it deems relevant at the time that declaration of a distribution is considered.
Our ability to pay distributions will depend on numerous factors, including the availability of adequate cash flow from operations; the proceeds, if any, from divestitures; our capital requirements and other obligations; restrictions contained in our financing arrangements, including the indentures governing our senior notes; and our issuances of additional equity and debt securities. As of December 31, 2025, Mr. Icahn and his affiliates owned approximately 86% of our outstanding depositary units, and he has generally elected to take his quarterly distribution in units instead of cash. For the quarterly distribution paid in December of 2025, Mr. Icahn elected to take his distributions in a mix of cash and units, and we anticipate that Mr. Icahn will elect to take his distributions in a mix of cash and units with respect to future distributions, which could further reduce the ability of the Company to maintain its current or historical cash distribution amounts. The availability of cash flow in the future depends as well upon events and circumstances outside our control, including prevailing economic and industry conditions and financial, business and similar factors. No assurance can be given that we will be able to make distributions or as to the timing of any distribution. Even if distributions are made, there can be no assurance that holders of depositary units will not be required to recognize taxable income in excess of cash distributions made in respect of the period in which a distribution is made.
Risks Relating to Our Investment Segment
Our investments may be subject to significant uncertainties.
Our investments may not be successful for many reasons, including, but not limited to:
fluctuations of or sustained increases in interest rates;
lack of control in minority investments;
worsening of general economic and market conditions;
lack of diversification;
lack of success of the Investment Funds’ activist strategies;
increased tariffs or other impacts on global trade;
inflationary conditions;
fluctuations of U.S. dollar exchange rates; and
adverse legal and regulatory developments that may affect particular businesses.
The historical financial information for the Investment Funds is not necessarily indicative of its future performance.
Our Investment segment’s financial information is driven by the amount of funds allocated to the Investment Funds and the performance of the underlying investments in the Investment Funds. Future funds allocated to the Investment Funds may increase or decrease based on the contributions and redemptions by our Holding Company, Mr. Icahn and his
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affiliates and by Brett Icahn, son of Mr. Icahn. Additionally, historical performance results of the Investment Funds are not indicative of future results as past market conditions, investment opportunities and investment decisions may not occur in the future. Changes in general market conditions coupled with changes in exposure to short and long positions have significant impact on our Investment segment’s results of operations and the comparability of results of operations year over year and as such, future results of operations will be impacted by our future exposures and future market conditions, which may not be consistent with prior trends. Additionally, future returns may be affected by additional risks, including risks of the industries and businesses in which a particular fund invests.
The Investment Funds’ investment strategy involves numerous and significant risks, including the risk that we may lose some or all of our investments in the Investment Funds. This risk may be magnified due to concentration of investments and investments in undervalued securities.
Our Investment segment’s revenue depends on the investments made by the Investment Funds. There are numerous and significant risks associated with these investments, certain of which are described in this risk factor and in other risk factors set forth herein and in our other filings with the SEC.
Certain investment positions held by the Investment Funds may be illiquid. The Investment Funds may own restricted or non-publicly traded securities and securities traded on foreign exchanges. We may also have significant influence with respect to certain companies owned by the Investment Funds, including representation on the board of directors of certain companies, and may be subject to trading restrictions with respect to specific positions in the Investment Funds at any particular time. These investments and trading restrictions could prevent the Investment Funds from liquidating unfavorable positions promptly and subject the Investment Funds to substantial losses.
At any given time, the Investment Funds’ assets may become highly concentrated within a particular company, industry, asset category, trading style or financial or economic market, and the level of concentration can be increased through the use of swaps or other derivative instruments. In that event, the Investment Funds’ investment portfolio will be more susceptible to fluctuations in value resulting from adverse events, developments or economic conditions affecting the performance of that particular company, industry, asset category, trading style or economic market than a less concentrated portfolio would be. As a result, the Investment Funds’ investment portfolio’s aggregate returns may be volatile and may be affected substantially by the performance of only one or a few holdings.
Typically, our top holdings in the Investment Funds represent a significant percentage of our assets under management for the Investment Segment. Therefore, a significant decline in the fair market values of our larger positions may have a material adverse impact on our consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows and the trading price of our depositary units. Certain of the companies in our Investment Funds file annual, quarterly and current reports with the SEC, which are publicly available, and contain additional risk factors with respect to such companies.
The Investment Funds seek to invest in securities that are undervalued. The identification of investment opportunities in undervalued securities is challenging, and there are no assurances that such opportunities will be successfully recognized or acquired. While investments in undervalued securities offer the opportunity for above-average capital appreciation, these investments involve a high degree of financial risk and can result in substantial losses. Returns generated from the Investment Funds’ investments may not adequately compensate for the business and financial risks assumed.
From time to time, the Investment Funds may invest in bonds or other fixed income securities, such as commercial paper and higher yielding (and, therefore, higher risk) debt securities. It is likely that a major economic recession could severely disrupt the market for such securities and may have a material adverse impact on the value of such securities. In addition, it is likely that any such economic downturn could adversely affect the ability of the issuers of such securities to repay principal and pay interest thereon and increase the incidence of default for such securities.
For reasons not necessarily attributable to any of the risks set forth in this Report (e.g., supply/demand imbalances or other market forces), the prices of the securities in which the Investment Funds invest may decline substantially. In particular, purchasing assets at what may appear to be undervalued levels is no guarantee that these assets will not be trading at even more undervalued or otherwise lower levels at a future time of valuation or at the time of sale.
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The prices of financial instruments in which the Investment Funds may invest can be highly volatile. Price movements of forward and other derivative contracts in which the Investment Funds’ assets may be invested are influenced by, among other things, interest rates, changing supply and demand relationships, trade, fiscal, tariffs, monetary and exchange control programs and policies of governments, and national and international political and economic events and policies. Pursuant to the terms of our swap and other derivative agreements, certain events, including a voluntary or involuntary bankruptcy filing involving the company issuing the securities referenced by such agreements or a delisting of such referenced securities, could give our derivative counterparties termination rights that would result in the closing of our swap positions and the realization of any and all losses, even if the referenced securities are not extinguished and thereafter appreciate in value. The Investment Funds are subject to the risk of failure of any of the exchanges on which their positions trade or of their clearinghouses.
We may not be able to identify suitable investments, and our investments may not result in favorable returns or may result in losses.
Our partnership agreement allows us to take advantage of investment opportunities we believe exist outside of our operating businesses. The equity securities in which we may invest may include common stock, preferred stock and securities convertible into common stock, as well as warrants to purchase these securities. The debt securities in which we may invest may include bonds, debentures, notes or non-rated mortgage-related securities, municipal obligations, bank debt and mezzanine loans. Certain of these securities may include lower rated or non-rated securities, which may provide the potential for higher yields and therefore may entail higher risk and may include the securities of bankrupt or distressed companies. In addition, we have and may continue to engage in various investment techniques, including derivatives, options and futures transactions, foreign currency transactions, “short” sales and leveraging for either hedging or other purposes. We have reduced our market short positions in recent months, but may increase those positions in the future. We may concentrate our activities by owning significant or controlling interests in certain investments. We may not be successful in finding suitable opportunities to invest our cash and our strategy of investing in undervalued assets may us to numerous risks.
Successful execution of our activist investment activities involves many risks, certain of which are outside of our control.
The success of our investment strategy may require, among other things: (i) that we properly identify companies whose securities prices can be improved through corporate and/or strategic action or successful restructuring of their operations; (ii) that we acquire sufficient securities of such companies at a sufficiently attractive price; (iii) that we avoid triggering anti-takeover and regulatory obstacles while aggregating our positions; (iv) that management of portfolio companies and other security holders respond positively to our proposals; and (v) that the market price of portfolio companies’ securities increases in response to any actions taken by the portfolio companies. We cannot assure you that any of the foregoing will succeed.
The success of the Investment Funds depends upon the ability of our Investment segment to successfully develop and implement investment strategies that achieve the Investment Funds’ objectives. Subjective decisions made by employees of our Investment segment may cause the Investment Funds to incur losses or to miss profit opportunities on which the Investment Funds would otherwise have capitalized. In addition, in the event that Mr. Icahn ceases to participate in the management of the Investment Funds, the consequences to the Investment Funds and our interest in them could be material and adverse and could lead to the premature termination of the Investment Funds.
The Investment Funds make investments in companies we do not control.
Investments by the Investment Funds include investments in debt or equity securities of publicly traded companies that we do not control. Such investments may be acquired by the Investment Funds through open market trading activities or through purchases of securities from the issuer. These investments will be subject to the risk that the company in which the investment is made may make business, financial or management decisions with which our Investment segment disagree or that the majority of stakeholders or the management of the company may take risks or otherwise act in a manner that does not serve the best interests of the Investment Funds. In addition, the Investment Funds may make investments in which it shares control over the investment with co-investors, which may make it more
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difficult for it to implement its investment approach or exit the investment when it otherwise would. If any of the foregoing were to occur, the values of the investments by the Investment Funds could decrease and our Investment segment revenues could suffer as a result.
The use of leverage in investments by the Investment Funds may pose a significant degree of risk and may enhance the possibility of significant loss in the value of the investments in the Investment Funds.
The Investment Funds may leverage their capital if their general partners believe that the use of leverage may enable the Investment Funds to achieve a higher rate of return. Accordingly, the Investment Funds may pledge their securities in order to borrow additional funds for investment purposes. The Investment Funds may also leverage their investment return with options, short sales, swaps, forwards and other derivative instruments. The amount of borrowings that the Investment Funds may have outstanding at any time may be substantial in relation to their capital. While leverage may present opportunities for increasing the Investment Funds’ total return, leverage may increase losses as well. Accordingly, any event that adversely affects the value of an investment by the Investment Funds would be magnified to the extent such fund is leveraged, and the value of derivatives or other instruments used to provide leverage may not always be correlated to the value of the reference equity security, which could lead to increased losses in circumstances when the value of the reference security remains higher than that of the derivative. The cumulative effect of the use of leverage by the Investment Funds in a market that moves adversely to the Investment Funds’ investments could result in a substantial to the Investment Funds that would be than if the Investment Funds were not leveraged. There is no assurance that leverage will be available on acceptable terms, if at all.
In general, the use of short-term margin borrowings results in certain additional risks to the Investment Funds. For example, should the securities pledged to brokers to secure any Investment Fund’s margin accounts decline in value, the Investment Funds could be subject to a “margin call,” pursuant to which it must either deposit additional funds or securities with the broker, or suffer mandatory liquidation of the pledged securities to compensate for the decline in value. In the event of a sudden drop in the value of any of the Investment Funds’ assets, the Investment Funds might not be able to liquidate assets quickly enough to satisfy its margin requirements.
The Investment Funds may enter into repurchase and reverse repurchase agreements. When the Investment Fund enters into a repurchase agreement, it “sells” securities issued by the U.S. or a non-U.S. government, or agencies thereof, to a broker-dealer or financial institution, and agrees to repurchase such securities for the price paid by the broker-dealer or financial institution, plus interest at a negotiated rate. In a reverse repurchase transaction, the Investment Fund “buys” securities issued by the U.S. or a non-U.S. government, or agencies thereof, from a broker-dealer or financial institution, subject to the obligation of the broker-dealer or financial institution to repurchase such securities at the price paid by the Investment Funds, plus interest at a negotiated rate. The use of repurchase and reverse repurchase agreements by any of the Investment Funds involves certain risks. For example, if the seller of securities to the Investment Funds under a reverse repurchase agreement defaults on its obligation to repurchase the underlying securities, as a result of its bankruptcy or otherwise, the Investment Funds will seek to dispose of such securities, which action could involve costs or delays. If the seller becomes insolvent and subject to liquidation or reorganization under applicable or other laws, the Investment Funds’ ability to of the underlying securities may be restricted. Finally, if a seller on its obligation to repurchase securities under a reverse repurchase agreement, the Investment Funds may a to the extent it is to its position in the market, and proceeds from the sale of the underlying securities are less than the repurchase price agreed to by the seller.
The financing used by the Investment Funds to leverage its portfolio will be extended by securities brokers and dealers in the marketplace in which the Investment Funds invest. While the Investment Funds will attempt to negotiate the terms of these financing arrangements with such brokers and dealers, its ability to do so will be limited. The Investment Funds are therefore subject to changes in the value that the broker-dealer ascribes to a given security or position, the amount of margin required to support such security or position, the borrowing rate to finance such security or position and/or such broker-dealer’s willingness to continue to provide any such credit to the Investment Funds. Because the Investment Funds currently have no alternative credit facility which could be used to finance its portfolio in the absence of financing from broker-dealers, it could be forced to liquidate its portfolio on short notice to meet its financing obligations. The forced liquidation of all or a portion of the Investment Funds’ portfolios at distressed prices could result in significant losses to the Investment Funds.
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The possibility of increased regulation could result in additional burdens on our Investment segment.
The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Reform Act”), enacted into law in July 2010, resulted in regulations affecting almost every part of the financial services industry.
The regulatory environment in which our Investment segment operates is subject to further regulation in addition to the rules already promulgated, including the Reform Act. Our Investment segment may be adversely affected by the enactment of new or revised regulations, or changes in the interpretation or enforcement of rules and regulations imposed by the SEC, other U.S. or foreign governmental regulatory authorities or self-regulatory organizations that supervise the financial markets. The new U.S. presidential administration has different regulatory priorities than the prior administration, which could lead to changes to the regulations impacting our business or the enforcement priorities of the agencies charged with enforcing those regulations. Such changes may limit the scope of investment activities that may be undertaken by the Investment Funds’ managers. Any such changes could increase the cost of our Investment segment doing business and/or materially adversely impact its profitability. Additionally, the securities and futures markets are subject to comprehensive statutes, regulations and margin requirements. The SEC, other regulators and self-regulatory organizations and exchanges have taken and are authorized to take extraordinary actions in the event of market emergencies. The regulation of derivatives transactions and funds that engage in such transactions is an evolving area of law and is subject to modification by government and judicial action. The effect of any future regulatory change on the Investment Funds and the Investment segment could be substantial and .
The ability to hedge investments successfully is subject to numerous risks.
The Investment Funds may utilize financial instruments, both for investment purposes and for risk management purposes in order to (i) protect against possible changes in the market value of the Investment Funds’ investment portfolios resulting from fluctuations in the securities markets and changes in interest rates; (ii) protect the Investment Funds’ unrealized gains in the value of its investment portfolios; (iii) facilitate the sale of any such investments; (iv) enhance or preserve returns, spreads or gains on any investment in the Investment Funds’ portfolio; (v) hedge the interest rate or currency exchange rate on any of the Investment Funds’ liabilities or assets; (vi) protect against any increase in the price of any securities our Investment segment anticipates purchasing at a later date; or (vii) for any other reason that our Investment segment deems appropriate.
The success of any hedging activities will depend, in part, upon the degree of correlation between the performance of the instruments used in the hedging strategy and the performance of the portfolio investments being hedged. However, hedging techniques may not always be possible or effective in limiting potential risks of loss. Since the characteristics of many securities change as markets change or time passes, the success of our Investment segment’s hedging strategy will also be subject to the ability of our Investment segment to continually recalculate, readjust and execute hedges in an efficient and timely manner. While the Investment Funds may enter into hedging transactions to seek to reduce risk, such transactions may result in a poorer overall performance for the Investment Funds than if it had not engaged in such hedging transactions. For a variety of reasons, the Investment Funds may not seek to establish a perfect correlation between the hedging instruments utilized and the portfolio holdings being hedged. Such an imperfect correlation may prevent the Investment Funds from achieving the intended hedge or expose the Investment Funds to risk of . The Investment Funds do not intend to seek to hedge every position and may determine not to hedge a particular risk for various reasons, including, but not limited to, because they do not foresee the occurrence of the risk or because they do not regard the probability of the risk occurring to be sufficiently high as to justify the cost of the hedge.
The Investment Funds invest in distressed securities, as well as bank loans, asset backed securities and mortgage-backed securities.
The Investment Funds may invest in securities of U.S. and non-U.S. issuers in weak financial condition, experiencing poor operating results, having substantial capital needs or negative net worth, facing special competitive or product obsolescence problems, or that are involved in bankruptcy or reorganization proceedings. Investments of this type may involve substantial financial, legal and business risks that can result in substantial, or at times even total, losses. The market prices of such securities are subject to abrupt and erratic market movements and above-average price
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volatility. It may take a number of years for the market price of such securities to reflect their intrinsic value. In liquidation (both in and out of bankruptcy) and other forms of corporate insolvency and reorganization, there exists the risk that the reorganization either will be unsuccessful (due to, for example, failure to obtain requisite approvals), will be delayed (for example, until various liabilities, actual or contingent, have been satisfied) or will result in a distribution of cash, assets or a new security the value of which will be less than the purchase price to the Investment Funds of the security in respect to which such distribution was made and the terms of which may render such security illiquid.
The Investment Funds may invest in companies that are based outside of the United States, which may expose the Investment Funds to additional risks not typically associated with investing in companies that are based in the United States.
Investments in securities of non-U.S. issuers (including non-U.S. governments) and securities denominated or whose prices are quoted in non-U.S. currencies pose, to the extent not successfully hedged, currency exchange risks (including blockage, devaluation and non-exchangeability), as well as a range of other potential risks, which could include expropriation, confiscatory taxation, imposition of withholding or other taxes on dividends, interest, capital gains or other income, political or social instability, illiquidity, price volatility and market manipulation. In addition, less information may be available regarding securities of non-U.S. issuers, and non-U.S. issuers may not be subject to accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and requirements comparable to, or as uniform as, those of U.S. issuers. Transaction costs of investing in non-U.S. securities markets are generally higher than in the United States. There is generally less government supervision and regulation of exchanges, brokers and issuers than there is in the United States. The Investment Funds may have greater difficulty taking appropriate legal action in non-U.S. courts. Non-U.S. markets also have different clearance and settlement procedures which in some markets have at times to keep pace with the volume of transactions, thereby creating substantial and settlement that could affect the Investment Funds’ performance. Investments in non-U.S. markets may result in imposition of non-U.S. taxes or withholding on income and recognized with respect to such securities. There can be no assurance that developments with respect to such risks will not materially affect the Investment Funds’ investments that are held in certain countries or the returns from these investments.
The Investment Funds’ investments are subject to numerous additional risks including those described below.
Generally, there are few limitations set forth in the governing documents of the Investment Funds on the execution of their investment activities, which are subject to the sole discretion of our Investment segment.
The Investment Funds may buy or sell (or write) both call options and put options, and when it writes options, it may do so on a covered or an uncovered basis. When the Investment Funds sell (or write) an option, the risk can be substantially greater than when it buys an option. The seller of an uncovered call option bears the risk of an increase in the market price of the underlying security above the exercise price. The risk is theoretically unlimited unless the option is covered. Swaps and certain options and other custom instruments are subject to the risk of non-performance by the swap counterparty, including risks relating to the creditworthiness of the swap counterparty, market risk, liquidity risk and operations risk.
The Investment Funds may engage in short-selling, which is subject to a theoretically unlimited risk of loss because there is no limit on how much the price of a security may appreciate before the short position is closed out. The Investment Funds may be subject to losses if a security lender demands return of the borrowed securities and an alternative lending source cannot be found or if the Investment Funds are otherwise unable to borrow securities that are necessary to hedge its positions. There can be no assurance that the Investment Funds will be able to maintain the ability to borrow securities sold short. There also can be no assurance that the securities necessary to cover a short position will be available for purchase at or near prices quoted in the market.
The ability of the Investment Funds to execute a short selling strategy may be materially adversely impacted by temporary and/or new permanent rules, interpretations, prohibitions and restrictions adopted in response to adverse market events. Regulatory authorities may from time-to-time impose restrictions that adversely affect the Investment Funds’ ability to borrow certain securities in connection with short sale transactions. In addition, traditional lenders of securities might be less likely to lend securities under certain market conditions. As a result, the Investment Funds may not be able to effectively pursue a short selling strategy due to a limited supply of securities available for borrowing.
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The Investment Funds may effect transactions through over-the-counter or inter-dealer markets. The participants in such markets are typically not subject to credit evaluation and regulatory oversight as are members of exchange-based markets. This exposes the Investment Funds to the risk that a counterparty will not settle a transaction in accordance with its terms and conditions because of a dispute over the terms of the contract (whether or not bona fide) or because of a credit or liquidity problem, thus causing the Investment Fund to suffer a loss. Such “counterparty risk” is accentuated for contracts with longer maturities where events may intervene to prevent settlement, or where the Investment Funds have concentrated their transactions with a single or small group of their counterparties. The Investment Funds are not restricted from dealing with any particular counterparty or from concentrating any or all of the Investment Funds’ transactions with one counterparty.
Credit risk may arise through a default by one of several large institutions that are dependent on one another to meet their liquidity or operational needs, so that a default by one institution causes a series of defaults by other institutions. This systemic risk may materially adversely affect the financial intermediaries (such as prime brokers, clearing agencies, clearing houses, banks, securities firms and exchanges) with which the Investment Funds interact on a daily basis.
The efficacy of investment and trading strategies depends largely on the ability to establish and maintain an overall market position in a combination of financial instruments. The Investment Funds’ trading orders may not be executed in a timely and efficient manner due to various circumstances, including systems failures or human error. In such event, the Investment Funds might only be able to acquire some but not all of the components of the position, or if the overall positions were to need adjustment, the Investment Funds might not be able to make such adjustment. As a result, the Investment Funds may not be able to achieve the market position selected by our Investment segment and might incur a loss in liquidating their position.
The Investment Funds assets may be held in one or more accounts maintained for the Investment Fund by its prime brokers or at other brokers or custodian banks, which may be located in various jurisdictions. The prime broker, other brokers (including those acting as sub-custodians) and custodian banks are subject to various laws and regulations in the relevant jurisdictions in the event of their insolvency. Accordingly, the practical effect of these laws and their application to the Investment Funds’ assets may be subject to substantial variations, limitations and uncertainties. The insolvency of any of the prime brokers, local brokers, custodian banks or clearing corporations may result in the loss of all or a substantial portion of the Investment Funds’ assets or in a significant delay in the Investment Funds having access to those assets.
The Investment Funds may invest in synthetic instruments with various counterparties. In the event of the insolvency of any counterparty, the Investment Funds’ recourse will be limited to the collateral, if any, posted by the counterparty and, in the absence of collateral, the Investment Funds will be treated as a general creditor of the counterparty. While the Investment Funds expect that returns on a synthetic financial instrument may reflect those of each related reference security, as a result of the terms of the synthetic financial instrument and the assumption of the credit risk of the counterparty, a synthetic financial instrument may have a different expected return. The Investment Funds may also invest in credit default swaps.
Risks Relating to our Consolidated Operating Subsidiaries
Changes in regulations and regulatory actions can adversely affect our operating results and our ability to allocate capital.
In recent years, regulatory authorities have increased their regulation and scrutiny of businesses partially in response to financial markets crises, global economic recessions, and social and environmental issues. These initiatives may impact our operating subsidiaries, particularly those within our Energy segment. Changes in regulation and regulatory actions, or the enforcement priorities of the government authorities charged with enforcing those regulations, may increase our compliance costs and may require changes to how our operating subsidiaries conduct their businesses. Any regulatory changes could have a significant negative impact on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.
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Our operating subsidiaries operate businesses which are subject to the risk of operational disruptions, damage to property, injury to persons or environmental and legal liability. Our operating subsidiaries could incur potentially significant costs to the extent there are unforeseen events which are not fully insured.
Our operating subsidiaries, particularly within our Energy segment, may become subject to catastrophic loss, which may cause operations to shut down or become significantly impaired. Our operating subsidiaries may also be subject to liability for hazards for which they cannot be insured, which could exceed policy limits or against which they may elect not to be insured due to high premium costs. Examples of such risks include but are not limited to industrial accidents, environmental hazards, power outages, equipment failures, structural failures, flooding, unusual or unexpected geological conditions and extreme weather conditions, among others. Such risks have become even more heightened in recent years as a result of the effects of climate change. These events may damage or properties, production facilities, transport facilities and equipment, as well as lead to personal or death, environmental , including natural resource , waste from intermediary products or resources, production or transportation and monetary or legal liability. Such are not limited to our operations or our employees and could significantly impact the surrounding areas. Operations at our subsidiaries could be , limited or completely down for an extended period of time, or indefinitely, as a result of one or more events and circumstances, which may or may not be within our control, and which may not be insured. Any one of these events and circumstances could have a material impact on our operations, financial condition and cash flows.
Environmental laws and regulations could require our operating subsidiaries to make substantial capital expenditures to remain in compliance or to remediate current or future contamination that could give rise to material liabilities.
Several of our subsidiaries are subject to a variety of federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations relating to the protection of the environment, including those governing the emission, release, discharge, use, generation, treatment, storage, transportation, disposal, investigation and remediation of hazardous or toxic substances, materials or wastes, solid wastes, petroleum, pollutants or contaminants into the environment, and product specifications and labeling. Violations of these laws and regulations or environmental permit conditions can result in substantial costs, including for penalties, cleanup, injunctive orders compelling installation of additional controls, and civil and criminal sanctions, as well as permit revocations and/or facility shutdowns.
In addition, new environmental laws and regulations, new interpretations of existing laws and regulations, increased governmental enforcement of laws and regulations or other developments could require our businesses to make additional unforeseen expenditures. Measures to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gases (“GHGs”) could affect our operations by requiring increased operating and capital costs, limiting GHG emissions and/or increasing taxes on GHG emissions. In addition, on the state level, in October 2023, California enacted the Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act and the Climate-Related Financial Risk Act that is being challenged in court but if the state prevails would impose broad climate-related disclosure obligations on certain companies doing business in California, starting in 2026. Other states, like New York, have started to take steps to promulgate similar climate-related disclosure laws. There is also increased regulatory interest in per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”). In April 2024,, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) finalized a rule designating two PFAS compounds as hazardous substances under CERCLA, which became effective on July 8, 2024, though it remains subject to challenge in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals by several industry groups. The outcome of that litigation is uncertain and could affect the scope or implementation of the rule. In addition, on February 8, 2024, EPA had proposed to amend RCRA to include nine PFAS, their salts and their structural isomers to its list of constituents. That proposal has not yet been finalized. As a result of the CERCLA designation, and if additional PFAS compounds are designated as substances under CERCLA or are listed as constituents or otherwise become regulated under RCRA, EPA may have expanded the authority to order the and remediation of those compounds, and to reopen sites which are shown to be impacted by these PFAS compounds, which could result in increased monitoring obligations and potential related liabilities. If we are subject to those additional requirements and need to incur additional cost in connection therewith, if we are to maintain sales of our products at a price that reflects such increased costs, or if there is a reduced demand for our products, there could be a material effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Many of these climate change and environmental laws and regulations are becoming increasingly , and new or revised laws and regulations or new interpretations of existing laws and regulations, such as those related to
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climate change and GHG emissions, could affect the operation of our properties or result in significant additional expense and restrictions on our business operations, including as a result of the cost of compliance with these requirements, which can be expected to increase over time. The requirements to be met, as well as the technology and length of time available to meet those requirements, continue to develop and change. These expenditures or costs for environmental compliance could have a material adverse effect on our operating subsidiaries’ results of operations, financial condition and profitability. Certain of our subsidiaries’ facilities operate under a number of federal and state environmental permits, licenses and approvals with terms and conditions containing a significant number of prescriptive limits and performance standards in order to operate. These environmental permits, licenses, approvals, limits and standards require a significant amount of monitoring, record keeping and reporting in order to demonstrate compliance with the underlying permit, license, approval, limit or standard. Non-compliance or incomplete documentation of our subsidiaries’ compliance status may result in the imposition of fines, penalties and injunctive relief. Additionally, there may be times when certain of our subsidiaries are unable to meet the standards and terms and conditions of our environmental permits, licenses and approvals due to operational upsets or , which may lead to the imposition of and or operating restrictions that may have a material effect on their ability to operate their facilities and accordingly on our consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows. Refer to Note 19, “Commitments and Contingencies,” to the consolidated financial statements for additional discussion of environmental matters affecting our businesses.
Our Energy segment’s businesses are, and commodity prices are, cyclical and highly volatile, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
Our Energy segment’s petroleum business’ financial results are primarily affected by the margin between refined product prices and the prices for crude oil and other feedstocks. Historically, refining margins have been volatile and vary by region, and are expected to continue to be volatile in the future. The petroleum business’ cost to acquire feedstocks and the price at which it can ultimately sell refined products depend upon several factors beyond its control, including regional and global supply of and demand for crude oil, gasoline, diesel and other feedstocks and refined products. These in turn depend on, among other things, the availability and quantity of imports, the production levels of U.S. and international suppliers, levels of refined petroleum product inventories, productivity and growth (or the lack thereof) of U.S. and global economies, U.S. relationships with foreign governments, political affairs and the extent of governmental regulation. Profitability of some of the products, like renewable diesel, are also dependent upon government subsidiaries including carbon and tax credits, which may be reduced or eliminated.
CVR Energy does not produce crude oil and must purchase all of the crude oil it refines long before it refines it and sells the refined products. Price level changes during the period between purchasing feedstocks and selling the refined products from these feedstocks could have a significant effect on our Energy segment’s financial results and a decline in market prices of these feedstocks and refined products may negatively impact the carrying value of its inventories.
Profitability is also impacted by the ability to purchase crude oil at a discount to benchmark crude oils, such as West Texas Intermediate (“WTI”). Crude oil differentials can fluctuate significantly based upon overall economic and crude oil market conditions. Adverse changes in crude oil differentials can adversely impact refining margins, earnings and cash flows. In addition, the petroleum business’ purchases of crude oil, although based on WTI prices, have historically been at a discount to WTI because of the proximity of the refineries to the sources, existing logistics infrastructure and quality differences. Any changes to these factors could result in a reduction of the petroleum business’ historical discount to WTI and may result in a reduction of our Energy segment’s cost advantage.
Volatile prices for natural gas and electricity affect the petroleum business’ manufacturing and operating costs. Natural gas and electricity prices have been, and will continue to be, affected by supply and demand for fuel and utility services in both local and regional markets.
Compliance with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Renewable Fuel Standard, with respect to our Energy segment, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
The EPA promulgated the Renewable Fuel Standards (“RFS”), which requires refiners to either blend “renewable fuels,” such as ethanol and biofuel, into their transportation fuels or purchase renewable fuel credits, known as
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renewable identification numbers (“RINs”), in lieu of blending. Under the RFS, the volume of renewable fuels that refineries like Coffeyville and Wynnewood are obligated to blend into their finished petroleum products is adjusted annually by the EPA. The petroleum business is not able to blend the substantial majority of its transportation fuels, so it has to purchase RINs on the open market as well as waiver credits for cellulosic biofuels from the EPA, or receive exemptions in order to comply with the RFS. The price of RINs became extremely volatile when the EPA’s proposed renewable fuel volume mandates approached and exceeded the “blend wall.” The blend wall refers to the point at which the amount of ethanol blended into the transportation fuel supply exceeds the demand for transportation fuel containing such levels of ethanol. The blend wall is generally considered to be reached when more than 10% ethanol by volume (“E10”) is blended into gasoline transportation fuel.
Recent regulatory developments, including EPA’s rescission of the GHG endangerment finding under the Clean Air Act and related actions affecting EPA’s authority to regulate GHG emissions, have introduced additional uncertainty regarding the scope of EPA’s authority and the manner in which it administers programs that rely in part on lifecycle GHG analyses, including the RFS. Although the RFS program remains in effect as a statutory mandate, changes in EPA’s interpretation of its authority, judicial decisions addressing EPA’s GHG regulatory authority, or future legislative or regulatory actions could affect the manner in which renewable volume obligations are established, fuel pathways are evaluated, or other aspects of the RFS are implemented. We cannot predict the ultimate outcome or the impact of these developments on our results of operations.
The petroleum business cannot predict the future prices of RINs. The price of RINs has been extremely volatile in the past. The cost of RINs is dependent upon a variety of factors, which include the availability of RINs for purchase, the price at which RINs can be purchased, transportation fuel production levels, the mix of the petroleum business’ petroleum products, as well as the fuel blending performed at the refineries and downstream terminals, all of which can vary significantly from period to period. However, the costs to obtain the necessary number of RINs and waiver credits fluctuates and could be material, if the price for RINs and waiver credits increases. Additionally, because the petroleum business does not produce renewable fuels, increasing the volume of renewable fuels that must be blended into its products displaces an increasing volume of the refineries’ product pool, potentially resulting in lower earnings and materially adversely affecting the petroleum business’ cash flows. If the demand for the petroleum business’ transportation fuel decreases as a result of the use of increasing volumes of renewable fuels, increased fuel economy as a result of new EPA fuel economy standards, or other factors, the impact on our Energy segment’s business could be material. If sufficient RINs are unavailable for purchase, if the petroleum business has to pay a significantly higher price for RINs or if the petroleum business is otherwise to meet the EPA’s RFS mandates, or if the RFS program is modified, or subject to further regulatory or judicial changes, our Energy segment’s business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially affected.
Commodity derivative contracts, particularly with respect to our Energy segment, may limit our potential gains, exacerbate potential losses and involve other risks.
Our Energy segment’s petroleum business may enter into both short- and long-term commodity derivatives contracts to mitigate crack spread with respect to a portion of its expected refined products production. However, its hedging arrangements, if it is able to procure them, may fail to fully achieve this objective for a variety of reasons, including its failure to have adequate hedging contracts, if any, in effect at any particular time and the failure of its hedging arrangements to produce the anticipated results. Moreover, such transactions may limit its ability to benefit from favorable changes in margins. In addition, the petroleum business’ hedging activities may expose it to the risk of financial loss in certain circumstances, including instances in which:
the volumes of its actual use of crude oil or production of the applicable refined products is less than the volumes subject to the hedging arrangement;
accidents, interruptions in transportation, inclement weather or other events cause unscheduled shutdowns or otherwise adversely affect its refinery or suppliers or customers;
the counterparties to its futures contracts fail to perform under the contracts; or
a sudden, unexpected event materially impacts the commodity or crack spread subject to the hedging arrangement.
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As a result, CVR Energy’s risk mitigation strategy and activities could have a material adverse impact on our Energy segment’s financial results and cash flows.
Our subsidiaries’ competitors may be larger and have greater financial resources and operational capabilities than our subsidiaries do, which may require them or us to invest significant additional capital in order to effectively compete. Our investments, or our subsidiaries’ investments, may not achieve desired results and may become impaired.
Our operating subsidiaries face competitive pressures within markets in which they operate. We manage our subsidiaries with the objective of growing their value over time by, among other means, investing in and strengthening our subsidiaries’ competitive advantages. Many factors, including availability of financial resources, supply chain capabilities and local market changes, may limit our ability to strengthen our subsidiaries’ competitive advantages. In addition, competitors may be significantly larger than our subsidiaries are and may have greater financial resources and operational capabilities. Accordingly, our subsidiaries may require significant additional resources, which may not be available to them through internally generated cash flows, and a decline in these businesses could result in an impairment charge. With respect to our Automotive segment, we have invested significant resources in various initiatives to remain competitive and stimulate growth. Despite these efforts, in January 2023, Auto Plus filed the Chapter 11 Cases in Bankruptcy Court. As a result of this filing, the Company has determined that it no longer controls Auto Plus and has deconsolidated its investment in Auto Plus as of January 31, 2023 resulting in a non-cash charge of $246 million recorded in the year ended December 31, 2023 and determined that our remaining equity investment in Auto Plus is now worth $0. Such events have had and continue to have a impact on the results of operations and balance sheet of our Automotive segment. If we are to implement these initiatives and effectively, or if these initiatives are , our consolidated financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be affected.
Certain of our subsidiaries have operations in foreign countries which expose them to risks related to economic and political conditions, currency fluctuations, import/export restrictions, regulatory and other risks.
Certain of our subsidiaries are global businesses and have manufacturing and distribution facilities in many countries. International operations are subject to certain risks including:
exposure to local economic conditions;
exposure to local political conditions (including the risk of seizure of assets by foreign governments);
currency exchange rate fluctuations (including, but not limited to, material exchange rate fluctuations, such as devaluations) and currency controls;
increased tariffs or changes in tariff policies, or changes to trade agreements;
export and import restrictions;
restrictions on ability to repatriate foreign earnings;
labor unrest; and
compliance with U.S. laws such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and local laws prohibiting inappropriate payments.
The likelihood of such occurrences and their potential effect on our businesses are unpredictable and vary from country-to-country.
As a result of changes to U.S. trade policy, there may be changes to existing trade agreements, the imposition of new tariffs and greater restrictions on trade generally. A protracted and wide-ranging trade conflict between the United States and its trading partners, including China, Canada and Mexico, or the imposition of tariffs or other trade protection measures, could adversely affect global economic growth.
Certain of our businesses’ operating entities report their financial condition and results of operations in currencies other than the U.S. Dollar. The reported results of these entities are translated into U.S. Dollars at the applicable exchange rates for reporting in our consolidated financial statements. As a result, fluctuations in the U.S. Dollar against
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foreign currencies will affect the value at which the results of these entities are included within our consolidated results. Our businesses are exposed to a risk of loss from changes in foreign exchange rates whenever they, or one of their foreign subsidiaries, enters into a purchase or sales agreement in a currency other than its functional currency. Such changes in exchange rates could affect our businesses’ financial condition or results of operations.
Certain of our businesses have substantial indebtedness, which could restrict their business activities and/or could subject them to significant interest rate risk.
Our subsidiaries’ inability to generate sufficient cash flow to satisfy their debt obligations, or to refinance their debt obligations on commercially reasonable terms, would have a material adverse effect on their businesses, financial condition, and results of operations. In addition, covenants in debt instruments could limit their ability to engage in certain transactions and pursue their business strategies, which could adversely affect liquidity.
Our subsidiaries’ indebtedness could:
limit their ability to borrow money for working capital, capital expenditures, debt service requirements or other corporate purposes, guarantee additional debt or issue redeemable, convertible or preferred equity;
limit their ability to make distributions or prepay their debt, incur liens, enter into agreements that restrict distributions from restricted subsidiaries, sell or otherwise dispose of assets (including capital stock of subsidiaries), enter into transactions with affiliates and merge, consolidate or sell substantially all of their assets;
require them to dedicate a substantial portion of their cash flow to payments on indebtedness, which would reduce the amount of cash flow available to fund working capital, capital expenditures, product development, and other corporate requirements;
increase their vulnerability to general adverse economic and industry conditions; and
limit their ability to respond to business opportunities.
In January of 2023, Auto Plus filed a voluntary Chapter 11 petition in Bankruptcy Court, pursuant to which it sold substantially all of its assets and has and will continue to use the proceeds to satisfy its obligations to creditors.
Certain of our subsidiaries’ indebtedness accrue interest at variable rates. To the extent market interest rates rise, the cost of their debt would increase, adversely affecting their financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
A significant labor dispute involving any of our businesses or one or more of their customers or suppliers or that could otherwise affect our operations could adversely affect our financial performance.
A substantial number of our operating subsidiaries’ employees and the employees of its largest customers and suppliers are represented by labor unions under collective bargaining agreements. There can be no assurances that future negotiations with the unions will be resolved favorably or that our subsidiaries will not experience a work stoppage or disruption that could adversely affect its financial condition, operating results and cash flows. A labor dispute involving any of our businesses, particularly within our Energy segment, any of its customers or suppliers or any other suppliers to its customers or that otherwise affects our subsidiaries’ operations, or the inability by it, any of its customers or suppliers or any other suppliers to its customers to negotiate, upon the expiration of a labor agreement, an extension of such agreement or a new agreement on satisfactory terms could adversely affect our financial condition, operating results and cash flows. In addition, if any of our subsidiaries’ significant customers experience a material work stoppage, the customer may or limit the purchase of its products. This could require certain businesses to down or significantly reduce production at facilities relating to such products, which could affect our business.
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General Risk Factors
General
All of our businesses are subject to the effects of the following:
the threat of terrorism or war;
health epidemics or pandemics (or expectations about them);
loss of any of our or our subsidiaries’ key personnel;
the unavailability, as needed, of additional financing;
sustained inflationary conditions;
higher or volatile interest rates;
significant competition, varying by industry and geographic markets;
the unavailability of insurance at acceptable rates; and
litigation not in the ordinary course of business (see Item 3 of Part I, “Legal Proceedings,” of this Report).
We need qualified personnel to manage and operate our various businesses.
In our decentralized business model, we need qualified and competent management to direct day-to-day business activities of our operating subsidiaries. Our operating subsidiaries also need qualified and competent personnel in executing their business plans and serving their customers, suppliers and other stakeholders. Changes in demographics, training requirements and the unavailability of qualified personnel could negatively impact one or more of our significant operating subsidiaries’ ability to meet demands of customers to supply goods and services. Recruiting and retaining qualified personnel is important to all of our operations. Although we have adequate personnel for the current business environment, unpredictable increases in demand for goods and services may exacerbate the risk of not having sufficient numbers of trained personnel, which could have a negative impact on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.
Future pandemics may have a material adverse impact on our and our subsidiaries’ operations and financial performance, as well as on the operations and financial performance of many of the customers and suppliers in our operating segments. We are unable to predict the extent to which future pandemics and related impacts will adversely impact our business operations, financial performance, results of operations, and financial position .
Future pandemics may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks described in the risk factors set forth herein. In particular, see the risk factors: “We are a holding company and depend on the businesses of our subsidiaries to satisfy our obligations”; “To service our indebtedness, we will require a significant amount of cash. Our ability to maintain our current cash position or generate cash depends on many factors beyond our control”; “We have made significant investments in the Investment Funds and negative performance of the Investment Funds may result in a significant decline in the value of our investments”; “We need qualified personnel to manage and operate our various businesses”; “Global economic conditions may have adverse impacts on our businesses and financial condition”; and “Our Energy segment’s businesses are, and commodity prices are, cyclical and highly volatile, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.”
The extent to which any future pandemic may negatively impact our business and operations will depend on the severity, location, and duration of the effects and spread of such pandemic and the emergence of new variants, the actions undertaken by national, regional, and local governments and health officials to contain such virus or remedy its effects, and if, how quickly and to what extent economic conditions recover and normal business and operating conditions resume. Further, future pandemics may affect our operating and financial results in a manner that is not presently known to us or that we currently do not expect to present significant risks to our operations or financial results.
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Global economic conditions may have adverse impacts on our businesses and financial condition.
Changes in economic conditions could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. A number of economic factors, including, but not limited to, consumer interest rates, tariffs and global trade policies, consumer confidence and debt levels, retail trends, housing starts, sales of existing homes, the level and availability of mortgage refinancing, and commodity prices, may generally adversely affect our businesses, financial condition and results of operations. Recessionary economic cycles, higher and protracted unemployment rates, increased fuel and other energy and commodity costs, rising costs of transportation and increased tax rates and general inflationary pressures can have a material adverse impact on our businesses, and may adversely affect demand for sales of our businesses’ products, or the costs of materials and services utilized in their operations, and the performance of our Investment Funds. The conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East have exacerbated many of these issues, including leading to increased prices of gasoline and distillates as a result of the global increase in commodity prices, which for example, has impacted, and may continue to impact, the input costs for our Energy segment. These factors could have a material effect on our revenues, income from operations and our cash flows.
An increase in inflation could have adverse effects on our results of operations.
Inflation has fluctuated in recent years and remains subject to volatility, due to a range of macroeconomic and geopolitical factors. An increase in inflation as a result of these or other factors could adversely affect our operating costs, pricing, consumer demand, purchasing power, and overall cost structure, and could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.
We and our subsidiaries are subject to cybersecurity and other technological risks that could disrupt our information technology systems and adversely affect our financial performance.
Threats to information technology systems associated with cybersecurity and other technological risks and cyber incidents or attacks continue to grow. We and our subsidiaries depend on the accuracy, capacity and security of our information technology systems and those used by our third-party service providers. In addition, we and our subsidiaries collect, process and retain sensitive and confidential information in the normal course of business, including information about our employees, customers and other third parties. Despite the security measures we have in place and any additional measures we may implement in the future, our facilities, systems, and networks, and those of our third-party service providers, could be vulnerable to security breaches, computer viruses, lost or misplaced data, programming errors, human errors, employee misconduct, malicious attacks, acts of vandalism or other events. In addition, hardware, software or applications we develop or obtain from third parties may contain in design or manufacture or other that could result in security or . Moreover, are expected to accelerate on a global basis in both frequency and magnitude as actors are becoming increasingly sophisticated in using techniques and tools (including artificial intelligence) that controls, detection and even remove forensic evidence of the infiltration. The United States government has of the potential risk of Russian stemming from the ongoing Russian/Ukraine . These events or any other or compromise of our or our third-party service providers’ information technology systems could impact our business operations or result in the , or other disclosure of sensitive and confidential information. Such events could our reputation, us to the risks of and liability, our business or otherwise affect our results of operations, any of which could affect our financial performance. Refer to “Item 1C. Cybersecurity” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Software implementation and upgrades at certain of our subsidiaries may result in complications that adversely impact the timeliness, accuracy and reliability of internal and external reporting.
Our operating subsidiaries are operated and managed on a decentralized basis and their software is not integrated with each other or with us. Certain of our subsidiaries are currently undergoing, or in the future may undergo, software implementation and/or upgrades. Software implementation and upgrades are complex, time consuming and require significant resources. Failure to properly implement or upgrade software, including failure to recruit/retain appropriate experts, train employees, implement processes and properly bridge to legacy software, among other things, may negatively impact our subsidiaries’ ability to properly operate their businesses and to report internally and externally,
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including reporting to us. As a result, we may not adequately assess the performance of our subsidiaries, properly allocate resources or report timely and accurate financial results.
Investor and market sentiment towards climate change, fossil fuels, GHG emissions, environmental justice, and other Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) matters could adversely affect our business and cost of capital.
There have been efforts in recent years aimed at the investment community, including investment advisors, sovereign wealth funds, public pension funds, universities, and other groups, to promote the divestment of securities of companies in the energy industry, as well as to pressure lenders and other financial services companies to limit or curtail activities with companies in the energy industry. As a result, some financial intermediaries, investors, and other capital markets participants have reduced or ceased lending to, or investing in, companies that operate in industries with higher perceived environmental exposure, such as the energy industry, although in recent years “anti-ESG” sentiment has gained momentum, with several states and Congress having proposed or enacted “anti-ESG” policies, legislation, or initiatives, and investors and investor groups changing their ESG priorities. If we and our Energy segment are unable to meet the ESG standards or investment, lending, ratings, or other policies set by these parties as they continue to fluctuate or change, we may lose investors, investors may allocate a portion of their capital away from us, our cost of capital may increase, the price of our securities may be negatively impacted and our reputation may also be affected.
We or our subsidiaries may pursue acquisitions or other affiliations that involve inherent risks, any of which may cause us not to realize anticipated benefits, and we may have difficulty integrating the operations of any companies that may be acquired, which may adversely affect our operations.
We may expand our existing businesses if appropriate opportunities are identified, as well as use our established businesses as a platform for additional acquisitions in the same or related areas. We and our operating subsidiaries have at times grown through acquisitions and may make additional acquisitions in the future as part of our business strategy. The full benefits of these acquisitions, however, require integration of manufacturing, administrative, financial, sales, and marketing approaches and personnel. We may invest significant resources towards realizing benefits. If we or our operating subsidiaries are unable to successfully integrate acquired businesses, we may not realize the benefits of the acquisitions, our financial results may be negatively affected, and additional cash may be required to integrate such operations. Additionally, any such acquisition, if consummated, could involve risks not presently faced by us.
The existence of a material weakness in internal control over financial reporting of us or one of our consolidated subsidiaries or a recently acquired entity may adversely affect our ability to provide timely and reliable financial information necessary for the conduct of our business and satisfaction of our reporting obligations under the federal securities laws.
To the extent that any material weakness or significant deficiency exists in internal control over financial reporting of us or one of our consolidated subsidiaries or a recently acquired entity, such material weakness or significant deficiency may adversely affect our ability to provide timely and reliable financial information necessary for the conduct of our business and satisfaction of our reporting obligations under the federal securities laws, that could affect our ability to remain listed on Nasdaq. Ineffective internal and disclosure controls could cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which could have a negative effect on the trading price of our depositary units or the rating of our debt.
