ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
Our results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected by numerous risks. You should carefully consider the risk factors detailed below in conjunction with the other information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Should any of these risks actually materialize, our business, financial condition, results of operations and future prospects could be negatively impacted.
Economic and Industry Risks
Our business depends on consumer purchases of discretionary items, which can be negatively impacted during an economic downturn or periods of inflation. This could materially impact our sales, profitability, results of operations and financial condition.
Many of our products may be considered discretionary items for consumers. Many factors impact discretionary spending, including general economic conditions, unemployment, the availability of consumer credit, inflationary pressures and consumer confidence in future economic conditions. Global and U.S. economic conditions and trends in consumer discretionary spending continue to be uncertain, particularly in light of the impacts of changes and uncertainties related to government fiscal, monetary, tax, and trade policies, inflation volatility in the U.S. and global markets and recession fears. Consumer purchases of discretionary items tend to decline during recessionary periods when disposable income is lower or during other periods of economic instability, uncertainty or inflation, which may lead to declines in sales and slow our long-term growth expectations. Any near or long-term economic disruptions in markets where we sell our products, particularly in the United States or other key markets, may materially harm our sales, profitability and financial condition and our prospects for growth.
Our financial results and ability to grow our business may be negatively impacted by global events beyond our control.
We operate retail, distribution and warehousing facilities and offices around the world and substantially all of our manufacturers are located outside of the United States. We are subject to risks and global events beyond our control that could negatively impact consumer spending, our operations or the operations of our customers and business partners, including: changes in diplomatic and trade relationships or trade policy, including the imposition, expansion or selective enforcement of tariffs, sanctions or import restrictions; inflation; military conflict; political or labor unrest; terrorism; public health crisis, disease epidemics or pandemics; natural disasters and extreme weather conditions, which may increase in frequency and severity due to climate change; economic instability resulting in the disruption of trade from foreign countries; the imposition of new laws, regulations and rules, including those relating to sustainability and climate change, data privacy, artificial intelligence, supply chain diligence requirements, labor conditions, minimum wage, quality and safety standards and disease epidemics or other public health concerns;
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and changes in local economic conditions in countries where our stores, customers, manufacturers and suppliers are located.
These risks could disrupt consumer demand, hamper our ability to sell products, negatively affect the ability of our manufacturers to produce or deliver our products or procure materials and increase our cost of doing business generally, any of which could have an adverse effect on our results of operations, profitability, cash flows and financial condition. For example, geopolitical instability and ongoing conflicts in the Middle East have and may continue to cause volatility in global energy and transportation markets, including higher fuel prices, resulting in increased shipping and logistics costs. In addition, these conflicts have and may continue to adversely affect consumer discretionary spending and demand for our product. In the event that one or more of these factors make it undesirable or impractical for us to conduct business in a particular country, our business could be affected.
There continues to be uncertainty in the global trade environment due to ongoing and potential changes in global trade policy, including the imposition or expansion of tariffs. For example, the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on February 20, 2026 invalidated certain tariffs that had been imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act ("IEEPA"). Immediately following the ruling, new tariffs at different rates under alternative legislative powers were initiated. However, on May 7, 2026, the U.S. Court of International Trade subsequently ruled these new tariffs to be illegal, but left them in effect pending appeal. We expect further litigation and changes related to these tariff rates during Fiscal 2027. These changes have increased and may continue to increase our product costs and negatively impact our gross margins, and volatility in the timing, scope or duration of such measures may make it difficult to forecast costs, manage inventory and mitigate their impact on sourcing or pricing actions. Although we have and may continue to diversify sourcing options, we may not be able to shift production in a timely or cost-effective manner, if at all, from various countries in which we manufacture our products to offset those costs or restrictions. Therefore, we may not be to mitigate the entire increase to our cost resulting from tariffs and we may not be to, or may choose not to, pass any cost increase onto consumers. Any increase in our prices could have an impact on our direct sales to consumers, as well as sales by our wholesale customers and our licensees. In addition, the uncertainty in the global trade environment may have impacts on capital markets or consumer discretionary spending, which could lower demand for our products. Any impact on our costs or on consumer demand could have a material effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We operate in highly competitive markets and the size and resources of some of our competitors may allow them to compete more effectively than we can, resulting in a loss of our market share and a decrease in our net revenues and gross profit.
The market for performance apparel, footwear and accessories is highly competitive and includes both new competitors and established companies that continue to expand their production and marketing of performance products. Many of our competitors are large apparel and footwear companies with strong worldwide brand recognition. Within our international markets, we also compete with local brands that may have strong brand recognition amongst consumers within particular regions. Due to the fragmented nature of the industry, we also compete with other manufacturers, including those specializing in products similar to ours and private label offerings of certain retailers, including some of our wholesale customers. Moreover, increased speed-to-market expectations, shorter trend cycles and rapid shifts between performance and lifestyle preferences may increase the frequency and intensity of competitive product introductions and promotional activity. Failure to acknowledge or react appropriately to the entry or growth of a viable competitor or disruptive force could affect our ability to differentiate and grow our brand.
Many of our competitors have significant competitive advantages, including greater financial, distribution, marketing, digital and other resources; longer operating histories; better brand recognition among consumers; more experience in global markets; greater ability to invest in technology and adapt to changes, including the use of data analytics, generative artificial intelligence, machine learning and the digital consumer experience; greater ability to source sustainable and traceable raw materials at cost-effective prices and invest in innovations around sustainability; greater flexibility and speed in their go-to-market processes; and greater economies of scale. In addition, some of our competitors have long-term relationships with our key retail customers that are potentially more important to those customers because of the significantly larger volume and product mix that our competitors sell to them. As a result, these competitors may be better equipped than we are to influence consumer preferences or otherwise increase their market share by quickly adapting to changes in customer requirements or consumer preferences, discounting excess inventory that has been written down or written off, devoting resources to the marketing and sale of their products, including significant advertising, media placement, partnerships and product
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endorsement, adopting aggressive pricing policies and engaging in lengthy and costly intellectual property and other disputes.
In addition, while one of our growth strategies has been to increase floor space for our products in retail stores and in certain markets expand our distribution to other retailers, retailers have limited resources, floor space, and, in some cases, their own private label products, and we must compete with others to develop relationships with them. Increased competition could result in reductions in floor space in retail locations or reductions in sales or reductions in the prices of our products, and if retailers have better sell through or earn greater margins from our competitors' products or from their own private label products, they may favor the display and sale of those products. Our inability to compete successfully against our competitors and maintain our gross margin could have a negative effect on our brand image and a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our profitability may decline or our growth may be negatively impacted as a result of increasing pressure on pricing.
Our industry is subject to significant pricing pressure caused by many factors, including intense competition, consolidation in the retail industry, pressure from retailers to reduce the costs of products, the amount of excess inventory in the marketplace (including at competitors and key wholesale partners) and changes in consumer demand. These factors may cause us to reduce our prices to retailers and consumers or engage in more promotional activity than we anticipate, which could negatively impact our margins and cause our profitability to decline if we are unable to offset price reductions with comparable reductions in our operating costs. Ongoing and sustained promotional activities could negatively impact our brand image and condition consumers to delay purchases absent discounts. On the other hand, if we are unwilling to engage in promotional activity in certain channels or categories on a scale similar to that of our competitors, for instance, to protect our premium brand positioning, and unable to simultaneously offset declining promotional activity with increased sales at premium price points, our ability to short-term growth targets may be impacted, which could have a material effect on our results of operations, financial condition and the price of our stock.
Fluctuations in the cost of raw materials and commodities we use in our products and costs related to our supply chain could negatively affect our operating results.
The fabrics used by our suppliers and manufacturers are made of raw materials including petroleum-based products and cotton. Significant price fluctuations, including due to inflation, tariffs or trade relations, sanctions, military conflict (such as the conflicts in the Middle East) or other geopolitical or economic conditions or shortages in key inputs can materially adversely affect our cost of goods sold. In addition, certain of our manufacturers are subject to government regulations related to wage rates, and therefore the labor costs to produce our products may fluctuate. The cost of transporting our products for distribution and sale is also subject to fluctuation due in large part to the price of oil. Because most of our products are manufactured abroad, our products must be transported by third parties over large geographical distances and changes in fuel and transportation markets can significantly increase costs. Manufacturing or transportation delays have caused and may continue to cause us to use higher-cost shipping methods to achieve timely delivery to our customers. These factors have significantly increased our freight costs in the past, and may do so again in the future. Any of these fluctuations may increase our cost of products and have an effect on our profit margins, results of operations and financial condition.
Business and Operational Risks
We derive a substantial portion of our sales from large wholesale customers. If the financial condition of our customers declines, our financial condition and results of operations could be adversely impacted.
In Fiscal 2026, sales through our wholesale channel represented approximately 57% of our net revenues. We extend credit to our wholesale customers based on an assessment of a customer's financial condition, generally without requiring collateral or getting customer insurance against non-collection. We face increased risk of order reduction, cancellation and collectibility issues when dealing with financially ailing customers or customers struggling with economic uncertainty. In addition, during weak economic conditions, such as periods of high inflation, recessionary fears or reduced consumer traffic and purchasing, customers may be more cautious with orders or may slow investments necessary to maintain a high-quality in-store experience for consumers, which may result in lower sales of our products. Furthermore, a slowing economy in our key markets or a decline in consumer purchases of sporting goods generally could have an adverse effect on the financial health of our company.
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From time to time, certain of our customers have experienced financial difficulties and we have been unable to collect all or a portion of the amounts owed to us. To the extent one or more of our customers experience significant financial difficulty, bankruptcy, insolvency or cease operations, this could have a material adverse effect on our sales, our ability to collect on receivables and our financial condition and results of operations.
We may not successfully execute our long-term strategies, which may negatively impact our results of operations.
Our ability to realize our long-term growth objectives depends, in part, on our ability to successfully execute strategic initiatives in key areas including our North America region and our wholesale and direct-to-consumer businesses. With respect to our direct-to-consumer business, our growth depends on our ability to continue to successfully attract and retain consumers through our digital offerings and experiences and in our Brand and Factory House stores throughout the world. In addition, if we are unable to operate our Brand and Factory House stores profitably, our financial results could be impacted, or we could be required to recognize impairment charges. Our long-term strategy also depends on our ability to successfully drive expansion of our gross margins, manage and leverage our cost structure and drive return on our investments. If we cannot effectively execute our long-term growth strategies while managing costs effectively, our business could be negatively impacted and we may not achieve our expected results of operations.
If we are unable to anticipate consumer preferences, successfully develop and introduce new, innovative products, and engage our consumers, or if consumer preferences shift away from performance products, our sales, net revenues and profitability may be negatively impacted.
Our success depends on our ability to identify and originate product trends and anticipate and react to changing consumer demands in a timely manner. All of our products are subject to changing consumer preferences that shift rapidly and cannot be predicted with certainty. Our ability to adequately react to and address consumer preferences depends in part upon our continued ability to develop and introduce innovative, high-quality products and to optimize available consumer data, as well as the success of our marketing strategies. In addition, long lead times for certain of our products may make it hard for us to respond quickly to changes in consumer demands. Accordingly, our new products may not receive consumer acceptance. From time to time, we may also introduce limited run or specialized products that may increase our sales in the near term, but that may fail to maintain sustained consumer demand. If consumers are not convinced performance apparel, footwear and accessories are a better choice than, and worth the additional cost over, traditional alternatives, sales of performance products may not grow or may decline. We also must successfully design and market our performance products for use by consumers in casual occasions. If we are to effectively anticipate and respond to consumer preferences as a result of any of these factors, our brand image could be impacted, and our sales, net revenues, and long-term growth plans may be impacted.
Consumer shopping and engagement preferences and shifts in distribution channels continue to evolve and if we fail to adapt accordingly our results of operations or future growth could be negatively impacted.
Consumer preferences regarding the shopping experience and how to engage with brands continue to rapidly evolve. We sell our products through a variety of channels, including through wholesale customers and distribution partners, as well as our own direct-to-consumer business consisting of our Brand and Factory House stores and e-commerce platforms. If we or our wholesale customers do not provide consumers with an attractive in-store experience, our brand image and results of operations could be negatively impacted. In addition, as part of our growth strategy, we continue to invest in enhancing our digital shopping capabilities and experiences, as well as our consumer loyalty programs, to drive engagement and attract consumers. If we do not successfully execute this strategy, achieve an acceptable return on these investments and adapt to the use of artificial intelligence-enabled shopping tools, our brand image, results of operations and opportunities for future growth could be negatively impacted.
A decline in sales to, or the loss of, one or more of our key customers could result in a material loss of net revenues and negatively impact our prospects for growth.
We generate a significant portion of our wholesale revenues from sales to our largest customers. We currently do not enter into long-term sales contracts with our key customers, relying instead on our relationships with these customers and on our position in the marketplace. As a result, we face the risk that these key customers may not increase their business with us as we expect, or may significantly decrease their business with us or
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terminate their relationship with us. The failure to increase or maintain our sales to these customers as much as we anticipate has had and may continue to have a negative impact on our growth prospects and any decrease or loss of these key customers' business could result in a material decrease in our net revenues and net income or loss. In addition, our customers continue to experience ongoing industry consolidation, particularly in the sports specialty sector. As this consolidation continues, it increases the risk that if any one customer significantly reduces their purchases of our products, we may be unable to find sufficient alternative customers to continue to grow our net revenues, or our net revenues may decline materially. In addition, from time to time, we have and may continue to exit or scale down relationships with certain wholesale customers to further drive our premium brand position or for other reasons. This may negatively impact our net revenues if we are unable to replace those sales with additional sales to our other customers or direct sales to consumers.
The value of our brand and sales of our products could be diminished if we are associated with negative publicity.
Our business could be adversely impacted if negative publicity regarding our brand, our company, our teammates or our business partners diminishes the appeal of our brand to consumers. For example, while we require our suppliers, manufacturers and licensees of our products to operate their businesses in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, as well as the social and other standards and policies we impose on them, including our supplier code of conduct, we do not control the conduct of these third parties. A violation, or alleged violation of our policies, labor laws or other laws could interrupt or otherwise disrupt our sourcing or damage our brand image. Negative publicity regarding production methods, alleged practices or workplace or related conditions of any of our suppliers, manufacturers or licensees could adversely affect our reputation and sales and us to locate alternative suppliers, manufacturers or licensees. The risk that our business partners may not act in accordance with our expectations may be in markets where our direct sales, supply chain or logistics operations are not as widespread. In addition, we have sponsorship contracts with a variety of athletes, teams and leagues and also enter into arrangements with athletes, designers or other partners. publicity regarding these partners could have an impact our brand image and result in loyalty to our brand, regardless of whether such are accurate. In addition, there is increased focus and rapidly evolving expectations from stakeholders, including consumers, employees, investors, activists, advocacy groups and regulators, regarding corporate environmental and social issues, such as corporate statements, initiatives or practices related to climate change and a variety of social issues. publicity regarding our initiatives or practices related to these issues could impact our brand and result in loyalty to our brand. Furthermore, social media can potentially accelerate and increase the scope of publicity. This could the value of our proprietary rights or our reputation or have a effect on our sales and results of operations.
We must successfully manage the increasingly complex operations of our global business, including continued expansion in certain markets where we have limited brand recognition, or our business and results of operations may be negatively impacted.
Part of our growth strategy depends on our continued expansion outside of North America, and we have limited brand recognition and operating experience in certain regions. We must continue to successfully manage the operational difficulties associated with expanding our business to meet increased consumer demand throughout the world. Addressing regulatory requirements and market practices in certain regions outside of North America is challenging, and we may face difficulties expanding into and successfully operating in those markets, including differences in regulatory environments, labor and market practices, and difficulties in keeping abreast of market, business and technical developments and consumer preferences. We must also continually evaluate the need to expand critical functions in our business, including sales and marketing, product development, distribution and corporate services functions, our management information systems and other processes and technology. We may not manage these efforts cost-effectively or these efforts could increase the strain on our existing resources. If we experience difficulties in supporting the growth of our business, we could experience an of our brand image or operational to a decrease in net revenues and results from operations.
Our results of operations could be materially harmed if we are unable to accurately forecast demand for our products.
To ensure adequate inventory supply, we must forecast inventory needs and place orders with our manufacturers based on estimated future demand for particular products, and before firm orders are placed by our
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wholesale customers. In addition, a portion of our net revenues may be generated by at-once orders for immediate delivery to wholesale customers. If we fail to accurately forecast customer demand, we may experience excess inventory levels or a shortage of product to deliver to our wholesale customers or for our direct-to-consumer channel. Excess inventory may result in inventory write-downs or write-offs or sales at discounted prices or in less preferred distribution channels, negatively impacting gross margin. On the other hand, if we underestimate the demand for our products, our manufacturers may not be able to produce products to meet our customer requirements, resulting in delays in the shipment of our products and our ability to recognize revenue, lost sales, as well as damage to our reputation and wholesale and consumer relationships.
Factors that could affect our ability to accurately forecast demand for our products include: changing consumer demand for our products; product introductions by competitors; unanticipated changes in general market or economic conditions impacting consumer discretionary spending, which may result in cancellations of advance orders or a reduction or increase in the rate of reorders or at-once orders placed by retailers; the impact on consumer demand due to unseasonable weather conditions, which may become more frequent or severe as a result of climate change; our ability to utilize effectively information technology systems and data analytics; and terrorism or acts of war, or the threat thereof, political or labor instability or unrest or public health concerns and disease epidemics.
The difficulty in forecasting demand also makes it difficult to estimate our future results of operations and financial condition from period to period. A failure to accurately predict the level of demand for our products could adversely impact our profitability or cause us not to achieve our expected financial results.
We rely on third-party suppliers and manufacturers to provide raw materials for and to produce our products, and we have limited control over these suppliers and manufacturers and may not be able to obtain quality products on a timely basis or in sufficient quantity.
Many of the materials used in our products are technically advanced products developed by third parties and may be available, in the short-term, from a very limited number of sources. Substantially all of our products are manufactured by unaffiliated manufacturers, and, in Fiscal 2026, ten manufacturers produced approximately 69% of our apparel and accessories products, and seven produced substantially all of our footwear products. We have no long-term contracts with our suppliers or manufacturing sources, and we compete with other companies for fabrics, raw materials and production capacity.
A number of factors may require us to seek alternative or additional suppliers, which we may not be able to do in a timely or cost-effective manner. We may experience a significant disruption in the supply of fabrics or raw materials from current sources or, in the event of a disruption, we may be unable to locate alternative suppliers of materials of comparable quality at an acceptable price, or at all. Moreover, our suppliers may not be able to fill our orders in a timely manner depending on market conditions or increased demand for product.
We have historically provided supply chain finance support to certain of our supply chain partners. The financial markets supporting supply chain finance programs have in the past, and may again in the future, experience disruption that results in a temporary disruption to our program and challenges the cash flow and liquidity of our partners. Additionally, if one or more of our suppliers were to experience significant financial difficulty, bankruptcy, insolvency or cease operations, or fail to comply with applicable labor or other laws, we may be required to seek alternative suppliers.
In addition, if we lose or need to replace an existing manufacturer or supplier as a result of adverse economic conditions or other reasons, additional supplies of fabrics or raw materials or additional manufacturing capacity may not be available when required on terms that are acceptable to us, or at all, or suppliers or manufacturers may not be able to allocate sufficient capacity to us in order to meet our requirements. Even if we are able to expand existing or find new manufacturing or fabric sources, we may encounter delays in production and added costs as a result of the time it takes to train our suppliers and manufacturers on our methods, products and quality control standards. Any delays, interruption or increased costs in the supply of fabric or manufacture of our products could have an adverse effect on our ability to meet retail customer and consumer demand for our products and result in lower net revenues and lower results of operations both in the short and long term.
We have occasionally received, and may in the future continue to receive, shipments of product that fail to conform to our quality control standards. If we are unable to obtain replacement products in a timely manner, we risk the loss of net revenues resulting from the inability to sell those products and related increased administrative and shipping costs. In addition, because we do not control our manufacturers, products that fail to meet our standards or
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other unauthorized products could end up in the marketplace without our knowledge, which could harm our brand and our reputation in the marketplace.
Labor or other disruptions at ports or our suppliers or manufacturers may adversely affect our business.
Our business depends on our ability to source and distribute products in a timely and cost effective manner. As a result, we rely on the free flow of goods through open and operational ports worldwide and on a consistent basis from our suppliers and manufacturers. Labor disputes and disruptions at various ports or at our suppliers or manufacturers could create significant risks for our business, particularly if these disputes result in work slowdowns, decreased operations, lockouts, strikes or other disruptions during our peak importing or manufacturing seasons. Significant delays or disruption in receiving and distributing our products, has had, and may again have, an adverse effect on our business, including canceled orders by customers, unanticipated inventory accumulation or shortages, increased expense (including air freight) to deliver our products and reduced net revenues and results of operations.
If we fail to successfully manage or realize expected results from significant transactions or investments, or if we are required to recognize an impairment of our goodwill or other intangible assets, it may have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial position.
From time to time, we may engage in acquisition opportunities we believe are complementary to our business and brand. Integrating acquired businesses can require significant efforts and resources, which could divert management attention from more profitable business operations. From time to time we have also disposed of certain assets where we did not think our activities aligned to our operating model. If we fail to successfully integrate acquired businesses or effectively manage dispositions, we may not realize the financial benefits or other synergies we anticipated. In addition, in connection with our acquisitions, we may record goodwill or other intangible assets. We have recognized goodwill impairment charges in the past, and additional goodwill impairment charges could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial position.
Additionally, from time to time, we may invest in business infrastructure, new businesses and expansion of existing businesses, such as optimization of our Brand and Factory House stores, implementing our global operating and financial reporting information technology system, supporting our digital strategy (including our e-commerce platform and loyalty programs), upgrading our end to end planning technology system, investing in a global shared services and technology center or supporting our corporate infrastructure (including the development of our new global headquarters located in the Baltimore Peninsula area of Baltimore). These investments require substantial cash investments and management attention, and infrastructure investments may also divert funds from other potential business opportunities. We believe cost effective investments are essential to business growth and profitability. The failure of any significant investment to provide the returns or synergies we expect could adversely affect our financial results.
Climate change and an increased regulatory and stakeholder focus on sustainability and social matters may have an adverse effect on our brand, sales of our products and our results of operations.
There are concerns that increased levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have caused, and may continue to cause, increases in global temperatures, changes in weather patterns and an increase in the frequency and severity of natural disasters and extreme weather events. Climate change has the potential to impact our business in numerous ways. These concerns may impact consumer preferences and, if we fail to adapt accordingly, consumer demand for our product. The physical impacts of climate change, such as an increase in the frequency and severity of storms and flooding, may increase volatility in the supply chain, which could affect the availability, quality and cost of raw materials or goods, and disrupt the production and distribution of our products. In addition, governmental authorities in various countries have enacted or proposed, and are likely to continue to propose and enact, legislation and regulation regarding sustainability and social matters, including concerning the transition to a lower carbon economy. Such legislation and regulation may require, prohibit, incentivize or disincentivize particular business activities or practices and/or require public reporting. Any of the foregoing transition risks may require us to make additional investments, increase our costs, affect the demand for our products and increase and enforcement risks. Furthermore, to monitor, adapt, build resilience, maintain reliable data and controls supporting our sustainability disclosures and develop solutions the physical and transitional impacts from climate change may impact our brand and reputation, sales of our products and our results of operations.
Certain customers, consumers, investors and other stakeholders are increasingly focusing on the sustainability and human rights practices of companies. If our practices do not meet the expectations of various stakeholders, which can vary greatly and continue to evolve, our brand and reputation could be negatively
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impacted. We will publish legally required climate and other sustainability disclosures, and have published, and may continue to publish, voluntary sustainability disclosures describing our strategy and practices on a variety of sustainability and human rights matters, including relating to our strategy and actions to address climate change, social and labor policies and practices, human capital management matters and the materials and manufacturing of our products. It is possible that stakeholders may not be satisfied with such disclosures, strategy or practices or the speed or success of their adoption. We may also face increased scrutiny, enforcement or private claims alleging that sustainability statements are misleading or not adequately substantiated. Due to additional costs or resources required, market and technological factors, emerging regulatory requirements and/or other factors, we have in the past and may again in the future be required to change some or all of our sustainability strategy, targets, commitments and/or investment decisions. Any failure, or perceived failure, to meet our targets, commitments or stakeholder expectations could our brand image and reputation, impact our employee retention, the willingness of our suppliers to do business with us or investor interest in our securities, or have a effect on our sales and results of operations.
The costs and return on our investments for our sports marketing sponsorships may become more challenging and this could impact the value of our brand image.
A key element of our marketing strategy has been to create a link in the consumer market between our products and professional, collegiate and young athletes. We have developed licensing and sponsorship agreements with a variety of sports teams and athletes at the collegiate and professional level to be their official supplier of performance apparel and footwear. We have also developed licensing agreements to be an official supplier of footwear and/or performance apparel to a variety of professional sports leagues and clubs. However, as competition in the performance apparel and footwear industry has increased, the costs associated with athlete sponsorships and official supplier licensing agreements, including the costs of obtaining and retaining these sponsorships and agreements, have varied and at times increased greatly. If we are unable to maintain our current association with athletes, teams and leagues, or to do so at a reasonable cost, we could lose the on-field authenticity associated with our products, and we may be required to modify and substantially increase our marketing investments.
If we encounter problems with our distribution system, our ability to deliver our products to the market could be adversely affected.
We rely on a limited number of distribution facilities for our product distribution. Our distribution facilities utilize computer controlled and automated equipment, which means the operations are complicated and may be subject to a number of risks related to security or computer viruses or malware, the proper operation of software and hardware, power interruptions or other system failures. In addition, because many of our products are distributed from a limited number of locations, our operations could also be interrupted by severe weather conditions, floods, fires or other natural disasters in these locations, as well as labor or other operational difficulties or interruptions, including public health crises or disease epidemics. We maintain business interruption insurance, but it may not adequately protect us from the adverse effects that could be caused by significant in our distribution facilities or from all types of events causing such . Significant could lead to of customers or an of our brand image. In addition, our distribution capacity is dependent on the timely performance of services by third parties. This includes the shipping of product to and from our distribution facilities, as well as partnering with third-party distribution facilities in certain regions where we do not maintain our own facilities. From time to time, certain of our partners have experienced and may continue to experience to their operations, including cyber-related and related to public health . If we or our partners encounter such , our results of operations, as well as our ability to meet customer expectations, manage inventory, complete sales and objectives for operating could be materially affected.
We rely significantly on information technology and any failure, inadequacy or interruption of that technology could harm our ability to effectively operate our business.
We rely on our own and our vendors' information technology throughout our business operations, including to design, forecast and order product, manage and maintain our inventory and internal reports, manage sales and distribution, operate our e-commerce website and mobile applications, process transactions, manage retail operations and other key business activities. We also communicate electronically throughout the world with our employees and with third parties, such as customers, suppliers, vendors and consumers. Our operations are
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dependent on the reliable performance of these systems and technologies and their underlying technical infrastructure, which incorporate complex software. Any of these information systems could fail or experience a service interruption for a number of reasons, including computer viruses, ransomware, destructive malware or other unlawful activities, disasters or a failure to properly maintain system redundancy or protect, repair, maintain or upgrade the systems.
In addition, if we are unable to keep up with rapid technological change (including the successful utilization of data analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning), it could negatively affect our business. On the other hand, as we and our vendors continue to invest in evolving technologies, such as generative artificial intelligence and machine learning, we may be exposed to new or expanded risks and liabilities due to inherent operational complexities and an evolving legal and regulatory landscape. Any ineffectiveness of our controls to manage our use of artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies, or the failure of one or more of our information technology service providers to meet our expectations (including by use of artificial intelligence tools in contravention of agreements with us, inputting our confidential or proprietary information into artificial intelligence tools or the roll-out of new artificial intelligence tools without approval), could result in legal or regulatory violations, including those related to data privacy, and could negatively impact our intellectual property rights, reputation, business and results of operations.
From time to time we have experienced, and may continue to experience, operational disruption due to attacks on our systems and those of our vendors. Although we maintain certain business continuity plans and incident response plans, there can be no assurance that our plans, or those of our vendors, will anticipate all material risks that may arise or will effectively resolve the issues in a timely manner or adequately protect us from the adverse effects that could be caused by significant disruptions in key information technology. The failure of these systems to operate effectively or to integrate with other systems, or a breach in security of these systems could cause delays in product fulfillment and reduced efficiency of our operations, lost sales, the exposure of sensitive business or personal information and damage to the reputation of our brand. Depending on the system and scope of , in some instances a service or could have a material impact on our operating activities or results of operations. Remediation and repair of any , or of our key systems or known potential could require significant capital investments, as well as resources and management attention from key projects or initiatives. While we have purchased cybersecurity insurance, there can be no assurance that the coverage would be adequate in relation to any incurred . Moreover, as cyber attacks increase in frequency and magnitude, we may be to obtain cybersecurity insurance in amounts and on terms we view as appropriate for our operations.
We also heavily rely on information systems to process financial and accounting information for financial reporting purposes. If we experience any significant disruption to our financial information systems that we are unable to mitigate, our ability to timely report our financial results could be impacted, which could negatively impact our stock price.
Our future success is substantially dependent on the continued service of our senior management and other key employees, and our continued ability to attract and retain highly talented new team members.
Our future success is substantially dependent on the continued service of our senior management, particularly Kevin Plank, our founder, President and Chief Executive Officer, other top executives and key employees who have substantial experience and expertise in our business, including product creation, innovation, sales, marketing, supply chain, informational technology, operational and other support personnel. The loss of the services of our senior management or other key employees could make it more difficult to successfully operate our business and achieve our business goals and could result in harm to key customer relationships, loss of key information, expertise or know-how and unanticipated recruitment and training costs. Changes in our senior management may also disrupt our business. In recent years, we have experienced significant change in our executive management team. The failure to successfully transition and assimilate new members of our senior management or other key employees could affect our results of operations.
In addition, to profitably grow our business and manage our operations, we will need to continue to attract, retain and motivate highly talented management and other employees with a range of skills, backgrounds and experiences. Competition for experienced and well-qualified employees in our industry is intense and we may not be successful in attracting and retaining such personnel. Additionally, changes to our current and future office environments, adoption of new work models and requirements about when or how often employees work on-site or remotely may fail to meet the expectations of our employees and present new challenges. If we are unable to attract, retain and motivate management and other employees with the necessary skills, we may not be able to
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grow or successfully operate our business and achieve our long-term objectives. In addition, we have invested significant time and resources in building, maintaining and evolving our company culture and our values, which we believe to be critical to our future success. Failure to maintain and continue to evolve our culture could negatively affect our ability to attract, retain and motivate talented management and employees and to achieve our long-term objectives.
We may not fully realize the expected benefits of our restructuring plans or other operating or cost-saving initiatives, which may negatively impact our profitability.
We are currently executing a restructuring plan designed to strengthen and support our financial and operational efficiencies. We have also implemented several changes to our operating model and continue to refine our operating model in response to business and market conditions. We may not achieve the operational improvements and efficiencies that we targeted in our restructuring plans and operating model changes, which could adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition. Implementing any restructuring plan or operating model change presents significant potential risks including, among others, higher than anticipated implementation costs, management distraction from ongoing business activities, failure to maintain adequate controls and procedures while executing our restructuring plans and operating model changes, damage to our reputation and brand image and workforce beyond planned reductions. If we to targeted operating and/or cost reductions, our and results of operations could be impacted, which may be dilutive to our earnings in the short term.
Financial Risks
Our credit agreement contains financial covenants, and both our credit agreement and debt securities contain other restrictions on our actions, which could limit our operational flexibility or otherwise adversely affect our financial condition.
We have, from time to time, financed our liquidity needs in part from borrowings made under our credit facility and the issuance of debt securities. Our Senior Notes limit our ability to, subject to certain significant exceptions, create or incur certain liens and engage in sale leaseback transactions. Our amended credit agreement contains negative covenants that, subject to significant exceptions limit our ability, among other things to incur additional indebtedness, make restricted payments, sell or dispose of assets, pledge assets as security, make investments, loans, advances, guarantees and acquisitions, undergo fundamental changes and enter into transactions with affiliates. In addition, we must maintain a certain leverage ratio and interest coverage ratio as defined in the amended credit agreement. Our ability to continue to borrow amounts under our amended credit agreement is limited by continued compliance with these financial covenants, and in the past we have amended our credit agreement to provide certain relief from and revisions to our financial covenants for specified periods to provide us with sufficient access to liquidity during those periods. Failure to comply with these operating or financial covenants could result from, among other things, changes in our results of operations or general economic conditions. These covenants may restrict our ability to engage in transactions that would otherwise be in our interests. to comply with any of the covenants under the amended credit agreement or our Senior Notes could result in a , which could impact our access to liquidity.
In addition, the amended credit agreement includes a cross default provision whereby an event of default under certain other debt obligations (including our debt securities) will be considered an event of default under the amended credit agreement. If an event of default occurs, the commitments of the lenders under the amended credit agreement may be terminated and the maturity of amounts owed may be accelerated. Our debt securities include a cross acceleration provision which provides that the acceleration of certain other debt obligations (including our credit agreement) will be considered an event of default under our debt securities and, subject to certain time and notice periods, give bondholders the right to accelerate our debt securities. Our debt securities further include provisions which may require us to repurchase our debt securities at a premium upon certain change of control events.
We may need to raise additional capital to manage and grow our business, and we may not be able to raise capital on terms acceptable to us or at all.
Managing and growing our business will require significant cash outlays and capital expenditures and commitments. We have utilized cash on hand and cash generated from operations, accessed our credit facility and issued debt securities as sources of liquidity. As of March 31, 2026, our cash and cash equivalents totaled $309
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million. However, if in future periods our cash on hand, cash generated from operations and availability under our credit agreement are not sufficient to meet our cash requirements, we will need to seek additional capital, potentially through debt or equity financing, to fund our operations and future growth, and we may be unable to obtain debt or equity financing on favorable terms or at all. Our ability to access the credit and capital markets in the future as a source of liquidity, and the borrowing costs associated with such financing, are dependent upon market conditions and our credit rating and outlook. Our credit ratings have been downgraded in the past, and we cannot assure that we will be able to maintain our current ratings, which could increase our cost of borrowing in the future. Increases in interest rates, changes in our credit profile or refinancing of existing indebtedness may result in higher interest expense and reduced financial flexibility, which could adversely affect our cash flows, profitability and ability to execute our business strategies. In addition, equity financing may be on terms that are dilutive or potentially dilutive to our stockholders, and the prices at which new investors would be willing to purchase our securities may be lower than the current price per share of our common stock. The holders of new securities may also have rights, preferences or privileges which are senior to those of existing holders of common stock. If new sources of financing are required, but are or , we will be required to modify our growth and operating plans based on available funding, if any, which would our ability to grow our business.
Our operating results are subject to seasonal and quarterly variations in our net revenues and income from operations, which could adversely affect the price of our publicly traded common stock.
We have experienced, and expect to continue to experience, seasonal and quarterly variations in our net revenues and income or loss from operations. The majority of our net revenues are historically generated during the last two quarters of the calendar year. Our quarterly results of operations may also fluctuate significantly as a result of a variety of other factors, including the timing of our customer orders, our ability to timely deliver, the timing of marketing and advertising costs and changes in our product mix. As a result of these seasonal and quarterly fluctuations, we believe that comparisons of our operating results between different quarters within a single year are not necessarily meaningful and that these comparisons cannot be relied upon as indicators of our future performance. Any seasonal or quarterly fluctuations that we report in the future may not match the expectations of market analysts and investors. This could cause the price of our publicly traded stock to fluctuate significantly.
Our results of operations are affected by the performance of our equity investments, over which we do not exercise control.
We maintain certain minority investments, and may in the future invest in additional minority investments, which we account for under the equity method, and are required to recognize our allocable share of its net income or loss in our Consolidated Financial Statements. Our results of operations are affected by the performance of these businesses, over which we do not exercise control, and our net income or loss may be negatively impacted by losses realized by these investments. For example, we have previously recognized losses related to our Japanese licensee's business. We are also required to regularly review our investments for impairment, and an impairment charge may result from the occurrence of adverse events or management decisions that impact the fair value or estimated future cash flows to be generated from our investments. Furthermore, based on its financial performance, our ability to recover our investment in the long term may be limited.
Our financial results could be adversely impacted by currency exchange rate fluctuations.
During Fiscal 2026, we generated approximately 48% of our consolidated net revenues outside the United States. As our international business grows, our results of operations could be adversely impacted by changes in foreign currency exchange rates. Revenues and certain expenses in markets outside of the United States are recognized in local foreign currencies, and we are exposed to potential gains or losses from the translation of those amounts into U.S. dollars for consolidation into our financial statements. These amounts can be material. Similarly, we are exposed to gains and losses resulting from currency exchange rate fluctuations on transactions generated by our international subsidiaries in currencies other than their functional currencies. In addition, the business of our independent manufacturers may also be disrupted by currency exchange rate fluctuations by making their purchases of raw materials more expensive and more difficult to finance. From time to time, our results of operations have been, and in the future may be, adversely impacted by foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations. In addition, we have previously designated cash flow hedges certain forecasted transactions. If we determine that such a transaction is no longer probable to occur in the time period we expected, we are required to de-designate the hedging relationship and immediately recognize the derivative instrument or in our earnings. From time to time, global macroeconomic factors have caused and may in the future to cause uncertainty
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in forecasted cash flows, which has resulted and may in the future result in the de-designation of certain hedged transactions.
Legal, Regulatory and Compliance Risks
Our business is subject to a wide array of laws and regulations, and our failure to comply with these requirements could lead to investigations or actions by government regulators, increased expense or reputational damage.
Our business is subject to a wide array of laws and regulations, including those addressing consumer protection, safety, labeling, distribution, importation, sustainability and environmental matters, labor and human rights matters, the marketing and sale of our products, data privacy and other matters. These requirements are enforced by various federal agencies, including the Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Product Safety Commission, Customs and Border Protection and state attorneys general in the United States, as well as by various other federal, state, provincial, local and international regulatory authorities in the locations in which our products are distributed or sold. If we or any of our suppliers fail to comply with these regulations, we could become subject to significant penalties or claims or be required to stop importing, selling or otherwise recall products, which could negatively impact our results of operations and disrupt our ability to conduct our business, as well as damage our brand image with consumers. In addition, the adoption of new legislation, regulations, industry standards and reporting obligations, including related to data privacy, use of artificial intelligence and other machine learning technologies, components of our products (including chemicals), sustainability and climate change, or changes in the interpretation of existing regulations may result in significant compliance costs or of product sales and may the marketing of our products, resulting in significant of net revenues.
Our international operations are also subject to compliance with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or FCPA, and U.S. sanctions laws, as well as other anti-bribery and sanctions laws of foreign jurisdictions where we conduct business. Although we have policies and procedures to address compliance with the FCPA and similar laws and sanctions requirements, there can be no assurance that all of our employees, contractors, agents and other partners will not take actions in violations of our policies or that our procedures will effectively mitigate against such risks. Any such violation could subject us to sanctions or other penalties that could negatively affect our reputation, business and operating results.
We must also comply with increasingly complex and evolving regulatory standards throughout the world enacted to protect personal information and other data, including the General Data Protection Regulation, the ePrivacy Directive, the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, the California Privacy Rights Act as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020 and its regulations, the California Invasion of Privacy Act, the final rule issued by the U.S. Department of Justice implementing Executive Order 14117, state privacy laws throughout the United States and other comprehensive privacy laws, such as the Personal Information Protection Law in China, Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, India's new Digital Personal Data Protection Act and European Union Artificial Intelligence Act. These laws and related regulations impact our ability to engage with our consumers, and some of these privacy laws prohibit the transfer of personal information to certain other jurisdictions. Compliance with existing laws and regulations can be costly and could negatively impact our profitability. Moreover, data privacy laws and regulations continue to evolve and it may be costly for us to adjust our operations to comply with new requirements. Regulatory bodies throughout the world have increased enforcement efforts against companies who fail to comply with privacy requirements. to comply with these regulatory standards could result in a of data privacy laws and regulations and subject us to legal proceedings us by governmental entities or others, imposition of by governmental authorities, publicity and to our brand image, all of which could have a impact on our .
Data security or privacy breaches could damage our reputation, cause us to incur additional expense, expose us to litigation and adversely affect our business and results of operations.
We collect proprietary business information and personally identifiable information in connection with digital marketing, digital commerce, and our in-store payment processing systems. We also rely on third parties for the operation of certain of our e-commerce websites, and do not control these service providers. Like other companies in our industry, we have in the past experienced, and we expect to continue to experience, cyberattacks, including phishing, ransomware, credential stuffing, cyber fraud incidents and other attempts to gain unauthorized access to our systems. These attempted attacks have become more frequent and there can be no assurance that these attacks will not have a material impact in the future. Breaches of our data security or that of our service providers
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has in the past, and could in the future result in an unauthorized release or transfer of customer, consumer, vendor or employee information, or the loss of money, valuable business data or cause a disruption in our business. These events have in the past, and could in the future give rise to unwanted media attention, damage our reputation, damage our customer, consumer or user relationships and result in lost sales, fines or lawsuits. We may also be required to expend significant capital and other resources to protect against or respond to or alleviate problems caused by a security breach, which could negatively impact our results of operations.
Changes in tax laws and unanticipated tax liabilities could adversely affect our effective income tax rate and profitability.
We are subject to income taxes in the United States and numerous foreign jurisdictions. Our effective income tax rate could be adversely affected in the future by a number of factors, including changes in the mix of earnings in countries with differing statutory tax rates, changes in the valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities, changes in tax laws and regulations or their interpretations and application, and the outcome of income tax audits in various jurisdictions around the world.
Moreover, we also engage in multiple types of intercompany transactions, and our allocation of profits and losses among us and our subsidiaries through our intercompany transfer pricing arrangements are subject to review by the Internal Revenue Service and foreign tax authorities. Although we believe we have clearly reflected the economics of these transactions in accordance with current rules and regulations, which are generally consistent with the arms-length standard, and the proper documentation is in place, tax authorities may propose and sustain adjustments that could result in changes that may materially adversely impact our tax provision, cash tax liability, effective tax rate, cash flows and profitability.
Additionally, many jurisdictions in which we operate have enacted or will enact legislation consistent with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (“OECD”) Pillar Two global minimum tax framework, which is designed to ensure that multinational enterprises are subject to a minimum effective tax rate of 15% on a jurisdictional basis. In January 2026, the OECD released additional administrative guidance introducing a Side ‑ by ‑ Side (“SbS”) system, which modifies the application of the Pillar Two Global Anti ‑ Base Erosion Model Rules for multinational enterprise, headquartered in the United States and is intended to provide a safe harbor that would limit the application of certain Pillar Two top ‑ up taxes. While applicable Pillar Two legislation enacted to date did not have a material adverse impact on our effective tax rate or consolidated financial statements in Fiscal 2026, uncertainty remains regarding implementation, interpretation by tax authorities and long-term interaction with domestic tax regimes. Accordingly, we continue to evaluate the impact of enacted legislation in applicable jurisdictions as additional guidance becomes available, including our eligibility for any available relief. As additional jurisdictions adopt or modify their legislation, these developments could have a material adverse impact on our tax provision, cash tax liability, tax rate, cash flows and .
In July 2025, the U.S. federal government enacted the budget reconciliation H.R. 1, referred to as One Big Beautiful Bill Act (“OBBBA”). The OBBBA includes a broad range of tax reform provisions, including modifications to U.S. taxation on foreign earnings, the restoration of bonus depreciation and research expensing, and other U.S. corporate provisions. Based on our current evaluation of the legislation, we do not expect these tax reform provisions to have a material impact on our tax provision. We will continue to assess the potential impacts of OBBBA as additional regulatory guidance becomes available. Future changes in U.S. tax laws or their interpretation could have a material adverse impact our tax provision, effective tax rate, or cash tax obligations in future periods.
Failure to protect our intellectual property rights, or our conflict with the rights of others, could damage our brand, weaken our competitive position and negatively impact our results of operations.
Our success depends in large part on our brand image. We currently rely on a combination of copyright, trademark, trade dress, patent, anti-counterfeiting and unfair competition laws, confidentiality procedures and licensing arrangements to establish and protect our intellectual property rights. Despite our strategic enforcement efforts, we may not be able to adequately prevent infringement of our trademarks and proprietary rights by others, including imitation of our products and misappropriation of our brand, and intellectual property protection may be unavailable or limited in some jurisdictions. In addition, intellectual property rights in the technology, fabrics and processes used to manufacture the majority of our products are generally owned or controlled by our suppliers and are generally not unique to us, and our current and future competitors are able to manufacture and sell products with performance characteristics and fabrications similar to certain of our products.
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From time to time, we have brought claims relating to the enforcement of our intellectual property rights against others or have discovered unauthorized products in the marketplace that are either counterfeit reproductions of our products or unauthorized irregulars that do not meet our quality control standards. If we fail to protect, maintain and enforce our intellectual property rights, the value of our brand could decrease and our competitive position may suffer. In addition, from time to time others have sought to enforce infringement claims against us. Successful infringement claims against us could result in significant monetary liability or prevent us from selling or providing some of our products. The resolution of such may require us to pull product from the market, redesign our products, license rights belonging to third parties or using those rights altogether. Any of these events could our business and have a material effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
We have been involved in legal proceedings that have resulted in significant expense, and we may be involved in legal proceedings in the future that could have a material adverse effect on our business, reputation, financial condition, results of operations or stock price.
We are actively involved in a variety of litigation and other legal matters and may be subject to additional litigations, investigations, arbitration proceedings, audits, regulatory inquiries and similar actions, including matters related to commercial disputes, intellectual property, employment, securities laws, disclosures, environmental, tax, accounting, insurance coverage, class action and product liability, as well as trade, regulatory and other claims related to our business and our industry, which we refer to collectively as legal proceedings.
Legal proceedings can be expensive and disruptive. We cannot predict the outcome of any particular legal proceeding, or whether ongoing legal proceedings will be resolved favorably or ultimately result in material damages, fines or other penalties. Our insurance may not cover all claims that may be asserted against us, and we are unable to predict how long the legal proceedings to which we are currently subject will continue. An unfavorable outcome of any legal proceeding may have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations or our stock price. Legal proceedings have in the past, and may again in the future, require us to record significant reserves or charges, which could result in material expense, cash outflows and volatility in our results of operations from period to period. In addition, any legal proceeding could negatively impact our reputation among our customers or our shareholders. Furthermore, publicity surrounding ongoing legal proceedings, even if resolved for us, could result in additional legal proceedings us, as well as our brand image.
We previously identified and remediated material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting. Any other material weaknesses identified in the future could result in material misstatements in our consolidated financial statements, a failure to meet our periodic reporting obligations and a decline in our stock price.
As previously disclosed, we identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting as of March 31, 2024 and March 31, 2025 and as a result, we also determined that our disclosure controls and procedures were ineffective as of March 31, 2024 and March 31, 2025. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of a company’s annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. These material weaknesses resulted from a failure to design and maintain effective controls over certain aspects of the period-end financial reporting process, including the review and execution of certain balance sheet account reconciliations, and we did not design and maintain effective controls over the classification and presentation of general ledger accounts in the appropriate financial statement line items within the consolidated financial statements.
While the material weaknesses have been remediated as of March 31, 2026, and our management has determined that our internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of March 31, 2026, there can be no assurances that other deficiencies will not come to management’s attention in the future that could lead to additional material weaknesses, which could again cause us to conclude that our internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures are ineffective. Any failure to maintain an effective internal control over financial reporting could result in material misstatements in our interim or annual consolidated financial statements, failure to meet our reporting obligations, significant expenses to remediate any deficiencies, a decline in investor confidence in our reported financial information and a decline in our stock price.
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Risks Related to our Common Stock
Kevin Plank, our founder and President and Chief Executive Officer, controls the majority of the voting power of our common stock.
Our Class A Common Stock has one vote per share, our Class B Convertible Common Stock has 10 votes per share and our Class C Common Stock has no voting rights (except in limited circumstances). Our founder and President and Chief Executive Officer, Kevin Plank, beneficially owns all outstanding shares of Class B Convertible Common Stock. As a result, Mr. Plank has the majority voting control and is able to direct the election of all of the members of our Board of Directors and other matters we submit to a vote of our stockholders. Under certain circumstances, the Class B Convertible Common Stock automatically converts to Class A Common Stock, which would also result in the conversion of our Class C Common Stock into Class A Common Stock. As specified in our charter, these circumstances include when Mr. Plank beneficially owns less than 15% of the total number of shares of Class A Common Stock and Class B Convertible Common Stock outstanding, if Mr. Plank were to resign as an Approved Executive Officer of the Company (or was otherwise terminated for cause) or if Mr. Plank sells more than a specified number of any class of our common stock within a one-year period. This concentration of voting control may have various effects including, but not limited to, or a change of control or allowing us to take action that the majority of our stockholders do not otherwise support. In addition, we utilize shares of our Class C Common Stock to fund employee equity incentive programs and may do so in connection with future stock-based acquisition transactions, which could the duration of Mr. Plank's voting control.
The trading prices for our Class A and Class C Common Stock may differ and fluctuate from time to time.
The trading prices of our Class A and Class C Common Stock may differ and fluctuate from time to time in response to various factors, some of which are beyond our control. These factors may include, among others, overall performance of the equity markets and the economy as a whole, variations in our quarterly results of operations or those of our competitors, our ability to meet our published guidance and securities analyst expectations, or recommendations by securities analysts. In addition, our non-voting Class C Common Stock has traded at a discount to our Class A Common Stock, and there can be no assurance that this will not continue.
