Item 1A. Risk Factors
Investing in our Class A common stock involves risks. You should carefully consider the information in this Annual Report, including the matters addressed under “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward‑Looking Statements,” and the following risks before making an investment decision. Our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected by any of these risks. Additional risks or uncertainties not currently known to us, or that we deem immaterial, may also have an effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. The trading price of our Class A common stock could decline due to any of these risks, and you may lose all or part of your investment.
Risks Related to the Oilfield Services Industry and Our Business
Demand for our products and services depends on oil and gas industry activity and customer expenditure levels, which are directly affected by trends in the supply of and demand for and price of crude oil and natural gas and availability of capital.
Demand for our products and services depends primarily upon the general level of activity in the oil and gas industry, including the number of drilling rigs in operation, the number of oil and gas wells being drilled, the depth, lateral length and drilling conditions of these wells, the volume of production, the number of well completions and the level of well remediation activity, the number of wells put into production, the number of wells drilled but uncompleted, the impact of actions taken by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and other oil and gas producing countries ("OPEC+") affecting the global supply of oil and gas and the capital spending by oil and gas exploration and production companies. Oil and gas activity is in turn heavily influenced by, among other factors, current and anticipated oil and natural gas prices locally and worldwide, which have historically been volatile. Declines, as well as anticipated declines, in oil and gas prices could negatively affect the level of these activities and capital spending, which could adversely affect demand for our products and services and, in certain instances, result in the cancellation, modification or rescheduling of existing and expected orders and the ability of our customers to pay us for our products and services. These factors could have an adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
The oil and gas industry is cyclical and has historically experienced periodic downturns, which have been characterized by diminished demand for our products and services and downward pressure on the prices we charge. These downturns cause exploration and production ("E&P") companies to reduce their capital budgets and drilling activity. Any future downturn or expected downturn could result in a significant decline in demand for oilfield services and adversely affect our business, results of operations and cash flows.
U.S. drilling and completion activity could be adversely affected by any significant constraints in equipment, labor or takeaway capacity in the regions in which we operate.
U.S. drilling and completion activity may be impacted by, among other things, the availability and cost of ancillary equipment and services, pipeline capacity, and material and labor availability and costs. Should significant changes in activity occur, there could be concerns over availability of the equipment, materials and labor required to drill and complete a well, together with the ability to move the produced oil and natural gas to market. Should significant constraints develop that materially impact the efficiency and economics of oil and gas producers, U.S. drilling and completion activity could be adversely affected. This would have an adverse impact on the demand for the products we sell and rent, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and cash flows.
We may be unable to employ a sufficient number of skilled and qualified workers to sustain or expand our current operations.
The delivery of our products and services requires personnel with specialized skills and experience. Our ability to be productive and profitable will depend upon our ability to attract and retain skilled workers. In addition, our ability to expand our operations depends in part on our ability to increase the size of our skilled labor force. The demand for skilled workers is high and the cost to attract and retain qualified personnel has remained elevated. During industry downturns, skilled workers may leave the industry, reducing the availability of qualified workers when conditions improve. In addition, a significant increase in the wages paid by competing employers both within and outside of our industry could result in increases in the wage rates that we must pay. If we are not able to employ and retain skilled workers, our ability to respond quickly to customer demands or strong market conditions may inhibit our growth, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and cash flows.
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Our business is dependent on the continuing services of certain of our key managers and employees.
We depend on key executives and management personnel. Our future plans depend in part on our ability to identify, retain, develop and/or recruit suitable successors to senior management. The loss of any key executives and/or managers could adversely impact our business. The loss of qualified associates or an inability to retain and motivate additional highly‑skilled associates required for the operation and expansion of our business could hinder our ability to successfully maintain and expand our market share.
Political, regulatory, economic and social disruptions in the countries in which we conduct business and globally could adversely affect our business or results of operations.
In addition to our facilities in the United States, we operate a production facilities in China and, Vietnam, and we have facilities in Australia and Canada that sell and rent equipment as well as provide parts, repair services and field services associated with installation. Additionally, we provide rental and field service operations in the Middle East. Instability and unforeseen changes in any of the markets in which we conduct business could have an adverse effect on the demand for, or supply of, our business, results of operations and cash flows. We have also expanded our operations and footprint in the Middle East as a result of the Baker Hughes Transaction.
We are dependent on a relatively small number of customers in a single industry. The loss of an important customer could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
Our customers are engaged in the oil and natural gas E&P business primarily in the United States, but also in Australia, Canada, the Middle East and other select international markets. Historically, we have been dependent on a relatively small number of customers for our revenues. Our business, results of operations and financial position could be materially adversely affected if an important customer ceases to engage us for our services on favorable terms, or at all, or fails to pay or delays paying us significant amounts of our outstanding receivables for product and services provided. Additionally, the E&P industry has seen consolidation activity, which may continue. Changes in ownership of our customers may result in the loss of, or reduction in, business from those customers which could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and cash flows.
Delays in obtaining, or inability to obtain or renew, permits or authorizations by our customers for their operations could impair our business.
Our customers are required to obtain permits or authorizations from one or more governmental agencies or other third parties to perform drilling and completion activities, including hydraulic fracturing. Such permits or approvals are typically required by state agencies but can also be required by federal and local governmental agencies or other third parties. As with most permitting and authorization processes, there is a degree of uncertainty as to whether a permit will be granted, the time it will take for a permit or approval to be issued and the conditions which may be imposed in connection with the granting of the permit. In some jurisdictions, certain regulatory authorities have delayed or suspended the issuance of permits or authorizations while the potential environmental impacts associated with issuing such permits can be studied and appropriate mitigation measures evaluated. In Texas, rural water districts have begun to impose restrictions on water use and may require permits for water used in drilling and completion activities. Oil and gas leasing on public land remains politically fraught and federal land available for oil and gas leasing could be significantly reduced due to environmental and climate concerns. The effects of these developments or other initiatives to reform the federal leasing process could result in additional restrictions or limitations on the issuance of federal leases and permits for drilling on public lands. Permitting, authorization or renewal , the to obtain new permits or the of current permits could impact our customers’ operations and cause a of revenue and potentially have a material effect on our business, results of operations and cash flows.
Competition within the oilfield services industry may adversely affect our ability to market our services.
The oilfield services industry is highly competitive and fragmented and includes numerous companies capable of competing effectively in our markets, including several large companies that possess substantially greater financial and other resources than we do. Consolidation of our competitors and the entry of new competitors could result in a further increase in competition. The amount of equipment available may exceed demand, which could result in active price competition. Many contracts are awarded on a bid basis, which may further increase competition based primarily on price. In addition, adverse market conditions reduce demand for well servicing equipment, which results in excess equipment and lower utilization rates. If market conditions deteriorate or if adverse market conditions persist, the prices we are able to charge and utilization rates may decline. Any significant future increase in overall market capacity for the products, rental equipment or services that we offer could adversely affect our business, results of operations and cash flows.
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New technology may cause us to become less competitive.
The oilfield services industry is subject to the introduction of new drilling and completions techniques and services using new technologies, some of which may be subject to patent or other intellectual property protections. Although we believe our equipment and processes currently give us a competitive advantage in the U.S., as competitors and others use or develop new or comparable technologies in the future, we may lose market share or be placed at a competitive disadvantage. Further, we may face competitive pressure to develop, implement, license or acquire certain new technologies at a substantial cost. Some of our competitors have greater financial, technical and personnel resources that may allow them to enjoy various competitive advantages in the development and implementation of new technologies. We cannot be certain that we will be able to continue to develop and implement new technologies or products. Limits on our ability to develop, bring to market, effectively use and implement new and emerging technologies may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and cash flows, including a reduction in the value of assets replaced by new technologies.
Increased costs, inflation, increased transit times, changes in global trade policies, increased tariffs, or lack of availability, of raw materials and other components may result in increased operating expenses and adversely affect our results of operations and cash flows.
Our ability to source and transport raw materials and components, such as steel, tube and bar stock, forgings and machined components is critical to our ability to successfully compete. Among other things, the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East may result in longer transit times, higher costs and reduced availability of raw materials and components used in our wide variety of products and systems. Further union port labor related disruptions could also result in increased transit times and costs. Transit times through and availability of the Panama Canal may be impacted by weather patterns and political tensions among the US, Panama and China.
Tariffs, and related policy changes implemented by the U.S. government, have created volatility in the oil and gas markets and will likely result in higher operating expenses and potentially lower demand for our products, which could adversely affect our results of operations and cash flows. U.S. tariff increases on imports of steel, aluminum, and derivative products worldwide may impact our costs and profitability. Additionally, the imposition of high tariffs on products from China, as well as varying levels of tariffs on products from India and Vietnam could have an unfavorable impact on our supply chain diversification plans. Further, should our current suppliers be unable to provide the necessary raw materials or components or otherwise fail to deliver materials and components timely and, in the quantities required, as a result of global trade policies or other reasons, resulting delays in the provision of products or services to our customers could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and cash flows. In addition, our results of operations may be adversely affected by further rising costs to the extent we are to partially recoup them from our customers. There is no assurance that we will be to continue to purchase and move these materials on a timely basis or at commercially viable prices, nor can we be certain of the impact of changes to tariffs, related to tariffs and future legislation that may impact trade with China or other countries. Further, changes in the size of regional and/or product markets, particularly for short lead‑time products, could affect our results of operations and cash flows.
We design, manufacture, sell, rent and install equipment that is used in oil and gas E&P activities, which may subject us to liability, including claims for personal injury, property damage and environmental contamination should such equipment fail to perform to specifications.
We provide products and systems to customers involved in oil and gas exploration, development and production. Some of our equipment is designed to operate in high‑temperature and/or high‑pressure environments, and some equipment is designed for use in hydraulic fracturing operations. We also provide parts, repair services and field services associated with installation at all our facilities and service centers in the United States and Australia, as well as at customer sites, including sites in the Middle East. Because of applications to which our products and services are exposed, particularly those involving high pressure environments, a failure of such equipment, or a failure of our customers to maintain or operate the equipment properly, could cause damage to the equipment, damage to the property of customers and others, personal injury and environmental contamination and could lead to a variety of claims against us that could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and cash flows.
We indemnify our customers against certain claims and liabilities resulting or arising from our provision of goods or services to them. In addition, we rely on customer indemnifications, generally, and third‑party insurance as part of our risk mitigation strategy. However, courts may limit indemnity claims and our insurance may not be adequate to cover our liabilities. In addition, our customers may be unable to satisfy indemnification claims against them. Further, insurance companies may refuse to honor their policies, or insurance may not generally be available in the future, or if available, premiums may not be commercially justifiable. We could incur substantial liabilities and damages that are either not covered by customer indemnities
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or insurance or that are in excess of policy limits, or incur liability at a time when we are not able to obtain liability insurance. Such potential liabilities could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and cash flows.
Our customers require us to be licensed or approved by industry groups such as the American Petroleum Institute ("API") and the International Organization for Standardization ("ISO"). The failure to obtain and maintain such licenses and/or approvals could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
We currently hold licenses from API and ISO that are required by our customers. Maintaining those licenses are subject to continually meeting the standards required for those licenses, including periodic audit by the applicable organization. If we are not able to continue to hold such licenses and/or approvals, we could potentially no longer be able to provide goods and services to many of our customers.
Our operations are subject to hazards inherent in the oil and natural gas industry, which could expose us to substantial liability and cause us to lose customers and substantial revenue.
Risks inherent in our industry include the risks of equipment defects, installation errors, the presence of multiple contractors at the wellsite over which we have no control, vehicle accidents, fires, explosions, blowouts, surface cratering, uncontrollable flows of gas or well fluids, pipe or pipeline failures, abnormally pressured formations and various environmental hazards such as oil spills and releases of, and exposure to, hazardous substances. For example, our operations are subject to risks associated with hydraulic fracturing, including any mishandling, surface spillage or potential underground migration of fracturing fluids, including chemical additives. The occurrence of any of these events could result in substantial losses to us due to injury or loss of life, severe damage to or of property, natural resources and equipment, pollution or other environmental , clean‑up responsibilities, regulatory and , of operations and repairs required to resume operations. The cost of managing such risks may be significant. The frequency and of such will affect operating costs, insurability and relationships with customers, employees and regulators. In particular, our customers may elect not to purchase our products or services if they view our environmental or safety record as , which could cause us to customers and substantial revenues, to a material effect on our business, results of operations and cash flows.
Oilfield anti-indemnity provisions enacted by many states may restrict or prohibit a party’s indemnification of us.
We typically enter into agreements with our customers governing the provision of our services, which usually include certain indemnification provisions for losses resulting from operations. Such agreements may require each party to indemnify the other against certain claims regardless of the negligence or other fault of the indemnified party; however, many states place limitations on contractual indemnity agreements, particularly agreements that indemnify a party against the consequences of its own negligence. Furthermore, certain states, including Louisiana, New Mexico, Texas, and Wyoming, have enacted statutes generally referred to as “oilfield anti-indemnity acts” expressly prohibiting certain indemnity agreements contained in or related to oilfield services agreements. Such oilfield anti-indemnity acts may restrict or void a party’s indemnification of us, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and cash flows.
Our operations require us to comply with various domestic and international regulations, violations of which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
We are exposed to a variety of federal, state, local and international laws and regulations relating to matters such as environmental, workplace, health and safety, labor and employment, customs and tariffs, export and re-export controls, economic sanctions, currency exchange, bribery and corruption and taxation. These laws and regulations are complex, frequently change and have tended to become more stringent over time. They may be adopted, enacted, amended, enforced or interpreted in such a manner that the incremental cost of compliance could adversely impact our business, results of operations and cash flows.
In addition to our U.S. operations, we have operations in, among other countries, China, Australia, Canada, Vietnam and the Middle East. Our operations outside of the United States require us to comply with numerous anti‑bribery and anti‑corruption regulations. The U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, among others, applies to us and our operations. Our policies, procedures and programs may not always protect us from reckless or criminal acts committed by our associates or agents, and severe criminal or civil sanctions may be imposed as a result of violations of these laws. We are also subject to the risks that our associates and agents outside of the United States may fail to comply with applicable laws.
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In addition, we import raw materials, semi‑finished goods, and finished products into, among other countries, the United States, China, Australia, Canada, Vietnam, India and the Middle East for use in such countries or for manufacturing and/or finishing for re‑export and import into another country for use or further integration into equipment or systems. Most movement of raw materials, semi‑finished or finished products involves imports and exports. As a result, compliance with multiple trade sanctions, embargoes and import/export laws and regulations pose an ongoing challenge and risk to us since a portion of our business is conducted outside of the United States through our subsidiaries. Our failure to comply with these laws and regulations could materially affect our business, results of operations and cash flows.
Compliance with environmental laws and regulations may adversely affect our business and results of operations.
Environmental laws and regulations in the United States and foreign countries affect the equipment, systems and services we design, market and sell, as well as the facilities where we manufacture and produce our equipment and systems. For example, we may be affected by such laws as the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act and the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. Further, our customers may be subject to a range of laws and regulations governing hydraulic fracturing, drilling and greenhouse gas emissions.
We are required to invest financial and managerial resources to comply with environmental laws and regulations. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations may result in the assessment of administrative, civil and criminal penalties, the imposition of remedial obligations, or the issuance of orders enjoining operations. These laws and regulations, as well as the adoption of other new laws and regulations affecting our operations or the exploration, production and transportation of crude oil and natural gas by our customers, could adversely affect our business and operating results by increasing our costs of compliance, increasing the costs of compliance and costs of doing business for our customers, limiting the demand for our products and services or restricting our operations. Increased regulation or a move away from the use of fossil fuels caused by additional regulation could also reduce demand for our products and services, leading to a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and cash flows.
Existing or future laws and regulations related to greenhouse gases and climate change and related public and governmental initiatives and additional compliance obligations could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, prospects, and financial condition.
Changes in environmental requirements related to greenhouse gas emissions may negatively impact demand for our products and services. Oil and natural gas E&P activity may decline as a result of environmental requirements, including land use policies and other actions to restrict oil and gas leasing and permitting in response to environmental and climate change concerns. Federal, state, and local agencies continue to evaluate climate-related legislation and other regulatory initiatives that would restrict emissions of greenhouse gases in areas in which we conduct business. Because our business depends on the level of activity in the oil and natural gas industry, existing or future laws and regulations related to greenhouse gases could have a negative impact on our business if such laws or regulations reduce demand for oil and natural gas. Likewise, such laws or regulations may result in additional compliance obligations with respect to the release, capture, sequestration, and use of greenhouse gases. These additional obligations could increase our costs and have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, prospects, and financial condition. Additional compliance obligations could also increase costs of compliance and costs of doing business for our customers, thereby reducing demand for our products and services. Finally, increased frequency and of storms, , floods, wildfires and other climatic events could have an impact on our operations.
Many of our customers utilize hydraulic fracturing in their operations. Environmental concerns have been raised regarding the potential impact of hydraulic fracturing on underground water supplies and seismic activity. These concerns have led to several regulatory and governmental initiatives in the United States to restrict the hydraulic fracturing process, which could have an adverse impact on our customers’ completions or production activities. Although we do not conduct hydraulic fracturing, our products are used in hydraulic fracturing. Increased regulation and attention given to the hydraulic fracturing process could lead to greater opposition to oil and gas production activities using hydraulic fracturing techniques. Since 2021, the Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates the state’s oil and gas industry, has suspended the use of deep wastewater disposal wells in certain areas of four oil-producing counties in West Texas. The suspensions are intended to mitigate earthquakes thought to be caused by the injection of waste fluids, including saltwater, that are a byproduct of hydraulic fracturing into disposal wells. The bans require oil and gas production companies to find other options to handle the wastewater, which may include piping or trucking it longer distances to other locations not under the ban. In addition, the Texas Railroad Commission has overseen the development of well-operator-led response plans to reduce injection volumes in other portions of West Texas to reduce seismicity in these areas. The adoption of new laws or regulations at the federal, state, local or foreign level imposing reporting obligations on, or otherwise limiting, or banning, the hydraulic fracturing process or
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other processes on which hydraulic fracturing and subsequent hydrocarbon production relies, such as water disposal, could make it more difficult to complete oil and natural gas wells. Further, it could increase our customers’ costs of compliance and doing business, and otherwise adversely affect the hydraulic fracturing services they perform, which could negatively impact demand for our products, leading to a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and cash flows.
Increasing attention by the public and government agencies to climate change and environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) matters could also negatively impact demand for our products and services. Increasing attention is being given to corporate activities related to ESG in public discourse and the investment community. A number of advocacy groups, both domestically and internationally, have campaigned for governmental and private action to promote change at public companies related to ESG matters, including through the investment and voting practices of investment advisers, public pension funds, universities and other members of the investing community. These activities include increasing attention and demands for action related to climate change and energy rebalancing matters, such as promoting the use of substitutes to fossil fuel products and encouraging the divestment of fossil fuel equities, as well as pressuring lenders and other financial services companies to limit or curtail activities with fossil fuel companies. If this were to continue, it could have a material adverse effect on the valuation of our Class A common stock and our ability to access equity capital markets.
In addition, our business could be impacted by initiatives to address greenhouse gases and climate change and public pressure to conserve energy or use alternative energy sources. State or federal initiatives to incentivize a shift away from fossil fuels could also reduce demand for hydrocarbons. Early in 2025, President Trump signed executive orders that, among other things, directed federal executive departments and agencies to initiate a regulatory freeze for certain rules, called upon the Environmental Protection Agency (the “EPA”) to submit a report on the continuing applicability of its endangerment finding for GHGs under the Clean Air Act and issue guidance on the “social cost of carbon” to consider whether such metric should be eliminated, and paused the disbursement of funds appropriated through the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act. Additionally, on February 12, 2026, the EPA finalized its rescission of the 2009 Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding regarding greenhouse gas and all federal greenhouse gas emissions standards for vehicles and engines. However, future presidential administrations may pursue executive orders or rulemaking that would increase the amount of regulation.
The global outbreak of COVID-19 had, and similar pandemics in the future may have, an adverse impact on our business and operations.
The COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected our revenues and operations. We experienced, and if another pandemic was to occur, we may experience in the future, slowdowns or temporary idling of certain of our manufacturing and service facilities due to a number of factors, including implementing additional safety measures, testing of our team members, team member absenteeism and governmental orders. A prolonged closure could have a material adverse impact on our ability to operate our business and on our results of operations. We have also experienced, and if another pandemic was to occur, we could experience, disruption and volatility in our supply chain, which has resulted, and may continue to result, in increased costs for certain goods. Outbreaks of other pandemics or contagious diseases may in the future disrupt our operations, suppliers or facilities, result in increased costs for certain goods or otherwise impact us in a manner similar to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ongoing conflicts in various parts of the world may affect our business and results of operations.
The ongoing conflicts in Venezuela, Iran, Ukraine and other countries in the Middle East could have effects on global macroeconomic conditions which could impact our business and results of operations. The conflicts are highly unpredictable and have resulted in volatility with oil and natural gas prices worldwide. Elevated energy prices could result in higher inflation worldwide, causing economic uncertainty in the oil and natural gas markets as well as the stock market, resulting in stock price volatility, foreign currency fluctuations and supply chain disruptions. These conditions could ultimately dampen demand for our goods and services by increasing the possibility of a recession. In addition, the conflicts could lead to increased cyberattacks or could aggravate other risk factors that we identify in our public filings. Additional conflicts in other parts of the world could have similar impacts on our business.
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Risks Related to Our Class A Common Stock
We are a holding company whose only material asset is our equity interest in Cactus Companies, and accordingly, we are dependent upon distributions from Cactus Companies to pay taxes, make payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement ("TRA") and cover our corporate and other overhead expenses and pay dividends to holders of our Class A Common Stock.
We are a holding company and have no material assets other than our equity interest in Cactus Companies. We have no independent means of generating revenue. To the extent Cactus Companies has available cash and subject to the terms of any current or future credit agreements or debt instruments, we intend to cause Cactus Companies to make (i) pro rata distributions to its unit holders, including us, in an amount at least sufficient to allow us to pay our taxes and to make payments under the TRA and (ii) non‑pro rata payments to us to reimburse us for our corporate and other overhead expenses. To the extent that we need funds and Cactus Companies or its subsidiaries are restricted from making such distributions or payments under applicable law or regulation or under the terms of any future financing arrangements, or are otherwise unable to provide such funds, our financial condition and liquidity could be materially adversely affected. In addition, our ability to pay dividends to holders of our Class A common stock depends on receipt of distributions from Cactus Companies.
Moreover, because we have no independent means of generating revenue, our ability to make payments under the TRA is dependent on the ability of Cactus Companies to make distributions to us in an amount sufficient to cover our obligations under the TRA. This ability, in turn, may depend on the ability of Cactus Companies’ subsidiaries to make distributions to it. The ability of Cactus Companies and its subsidiaries to make such distributions will be subject to, among other things, (i) the applicable provisions of Delaware law (or other applicable U.S. and foreign jurisdictions) that may limit the amount of funds available for distribution and (ii) restrictions in relevant debt instruments issued by Cactus Companies or its subsidiaries. To the extent that we are unable to make payments under the TRA for any reason, such payments will be deferred and will accrue interest until paid.
Cactus WH Enterprises has the ability to direct the voting of a significant percentage of the voting power of our common stock, and its interests may conflict with those of our other shareholders.
Holders of Class A common stock and Class B common stock vote together as a single class on all matters presented to our stockholders for their vote or approval, except as otherwise required by applicable law or our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Cactus WH Enterprises owned approximately 12.1% of our voting power as of December 31, 2025. This concentration of ownership may limit stockholders’ ability to affect the way we are managed or the direction of our business. The interests of Cactus WH Enterprises with respect to matters potentially or actually involving or affecting us, such as future acquisitions, financings and other corporate opportunities and attempts to acquire us, may conflict with the interests of our other stockholders. The existence of significant stockholders may have the effect of deterring hostile takeovers, delaying or preventing changes in control or changes in management or limiting the ability of our other stockholders to approve transactions that they may deem to be in our best interests. Cactus WH Enterprises’ concentration of stock ownership may also adversely affect the trading price of our Class A common stock to the extent investors perceive a in owning stock of a company with significant stockholders.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws, as well as Delaware law, contain provisions that could discourage acquisition bids or merger proposals, which may adversely affect the market price of our Class A common stock.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes our board of directors to issue preferred stock without shareholder approval. If our board of directors elects to issue preferred stock, it could be more difficult for a third party to acquire us. In addition, some provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire control of us, even if the change of control would be beneficial to our shareholders, including:
• limitations on the removal of directors, including a classified board whereby only one-third of the directors are elected each year, which will be phased out by 2027;
• limitations on the ability of our shareholders to call special meetings;
• providing that the board of directors is expressly authorized to adopt, or to alter or repeal our bylaws; and
• establishing advance notice and certain information requirements for nominations for election to our board of directors or for proposing matters that can be acted upon by shareholders at shareholder meetings.
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In addition, certain change of control events have the effect of accelerating the payment due under the TRA, which could be substantial and accordingly serve as a disincentive to a potential acquirer of our company.
Future sales of our Class A common stock in the public market, or the perception that such sales may occur, could reduce our stock price, and any additional capital raised by us through the sale of equity or convertible securities may dilute your ownership in us.
Subject to certain limitations and exceptions, the CC Unit Holders may cause Cactus Companies to redeem their CC Units for shares of Class A common stock (on a one‑for‑one basis, subject to conversion rate adjustments for stock splits, stock dividends and reclassification and other similar transactions) and then sell those shares of Class A common stock. Additionally, we may issue additional shares of Class A common stock or convertible securities in subsequent public offerings. We had 68,899,841 outstanding shares of Class A common stock and 10,958,435 outstanding shares of Class B common stock as of February 25, 2026. The CC Unit Holders own all outstanding shares of our Class B common stock, representing approximately 13.7% of our total outstanding common stock.
As required pursuant to the terms of the registration rights agreement that we entered into at the time of our IPO, we have filed a registration statement on Form S-3 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, to permit the public resale of shares of Class A common stock owned by Cactus WH Enterprises, Lee Boquet and certain members of our board of directors.
We cannot predict the size of future issuances of our Class A common stock or securities convertible into Class A common stock or the effect, if any, that future issuances and sales of shares of our Class A common stock will have on the market price of our Class A common stock.
Sales of substantial amounts of our Class A common stock (including shares issued in connection with an acquisition) or secondary offerings, or the perception that such sales could occur, may adversely affect prevailing market prices of our Class A common stock.
Cactus Inc. will be required to make payments under the TRA for certain tax benefits that we may claim, and the amounts of such payments could be significant.
In connection with our IPO, we entered into the TRA with certain direct and indirect owners of Cactus LLC (the “TRA Holders”). Following completion of the CC Reorganization, the TRA Holders are certain direct and indirect owners of Cactus Companies and prior direct and indirect owners of Cactus LLC. This agreement generally provides for the payment by Cactus Inc. to each TRA Holder of 85% of the net cash savings, if any, in U.S. federal, state and local income tax and franchise tax that Cactus Inc. actually realizes or is deemed to realize in certain circumstances as a result of certain increases in tax basis and certain benefits attributable to imputed interest. Cactus Inc. will retain the benefit of the remaining 15% of these net cash savings.
The term of the TRA will continue until all tax benefits that are subject to the TRA have been utilized or expired, unless we exercise our right to terminate the TRA (or the TRA is terminated due to other circumstances, including our breach of a material obligation thereunder or certain mergers or other changes of control relating to Cactus Companies), and we make the termination payment specified in the TRA. In addition, payments we make under the TRA will be increased by any interest accrued from the due date (without extensions) of the corresponding tax return. Payments under the TRA commenced in 2019, and in the event that the TRA is not terminated, the payments under the TRA are anticipated to continue for approximately 20 years after the date of the last redemption of CC Units.
The payment obligations under the TRA are our obligations and not obligations of Cactus Companies, and we expect that the payments we will be required to make under the TRA will be substantial. Estimating the amount and timing of payments that may become due under the TRA is by its nature imprecise. For purposes of the TRA, cash savings in tax generally are calculated by comparing our actual tax liability (determined by using the actual applicable U.S. federal income tax rate and an assumed combined state and local income tax rate) to the amount we would have been required to pay had we not been able to utilize any of the tax benefits subject to the TRA. The amounts payable, as well as the timing of any payments under the TRA, are dependent upon significant future events and assumptions, including the timing of the redemption of CC Units, the price of our Class A common stock at the time of each redemption, the extent to which such redemptions are taxable transactions, the amount of the redeeming unit holder’s tax basis in its CC Units at the time of the relevant redemption, the depreciation and amortization periods that apply to the increase in tax basis, the amount and timing of taxable income we generate in the future and the U.S. federal income tax rates then applicable, and the portion of our payments under the TRA that constitute imputed interest or give rise to depreciable or amortizable tax basis. The payments under the TRA are not conditioned upon a holder of rights under the TRA having a continued ownership interest in us.
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In certain cases, payments under the TRA may be accelerated and/or significantly exceed the actual benefits, if any, we realize in respect of the tax attributes subject to the TRA.
If we elect to terminate the TRA early or it is terminated early due to Cactus Inc.’s failure to honor a material obligation thereunder or due to certain mergers or other changes of control, our obligations under the TRA would accelerate and we would be required to make an immediate payment equal to the present value of the anticipated future payments to be made by us under the TRA (determined by applying a discount rate equivalent to the 30-day SOFR plus 221.5 basis points) and such payment is expected to be substantial. The calculation of anticipated future payments will be based upon certain assumptions and deemed events set forth in the TRA, including (i) the assumption that we have sufficient taxable income to fully utilize the tax benefits covered by the TRA and (ii) the assumption that any CC Units (other than those held by Cactus Inc.) outstanding on the termination date are deemed to be redeemed on the termination date. Any early termination payment may be made significantly in advance of the actual realization, if any, of the future tax benefits to which the termination payment relates.
As a result of either an early termination or a change of control, we could be required to make payments under the TRA that exceed our actual cash tax savings under the TRA. In these situations, our obligations under the TRA could have a substantial negative impact on our liquidity and could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing certain mergers, asset sales, or other forms of business combinations or changes of control. If the TRA were terminated as of December 31, 2025, the estimated termination payments, based on the assumptions discussed above, would have been approximately $251.2 million (calculated using a discount rate equal to the 12-month term SOFR published by CME Group Benchmark Administration Limited, plus 221.5 basis points, applied against an undiscounted liability of approximately $348.4 million). The foregoing number is merely an estimate and the actual payment could differ materially. There can be no assurance that we will be able to finance our obligations under the TRA.
Payments under the TRA are based on the tax reporting positions that we will determine. The TRA Holders will not reimburse us for any payments previously made under the TRA if any tax benefits that have given rise to payments under the TRA are subsequently disallowed, except that excess payments made to any TRA Holder will be netted against payments that would otherwise be made to such TRA Holder, if any, after our determination of such excess. As a result, in some circumstances, we could make payments that are greater than our actual cash tax savings, if any, and may not be able to recoup those payments, which could adversely affect our liquidity.
If Cactus Companies were to become a publicly traded partnership taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we and Cactus Companies might be subject to potentially significant tax inefficiencies, and we would not be able to recover payments previously made by us under the TRA even if the corresponding tax benefits were subsequently determined to have been unavailable due to such status.
We intend to operate such that Cactus Companies does not become a publicly traded partnership taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes. A “publicly traded partnership” is a partnership the interests of which are traded on an established securities market or are readily tradable on a secondary market or the substantial equivalent thereof. Under certain circumstances, redemptions of CC Units pursuant to the Redemption Right or our Call Right (each as defined in Note 12 in the notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements) or other transfers of CC Units could cause Cactus Companies to be treated as a publicly traded partnership. Applicable U.S. Treasury regulations provide for certain safe harbors from treatment as a publicly traded partnership, and we intend to operate such that one or more such safe harbors shall apply. For example, we intend to limit the number of unit holders of Cactus Companies, and the Cactus Companies LLC Agreement, which was entered into with Cactus LLC in connection with the closing of our IPO and amended as part of the CC Reorganization, provides for limitations on the ability of CC Unit Holders to transfer their CC Units and provides us, as managing member of Cactus Companies, with the right to impose restrictions (in addition to those already in place) on the ability of unit holders of Cactus Companies to redeem their CC Units pursuant to the Redemption Right to the extent we believe it is necessary to ensure that Cactus Companies will continue to be treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
If Cactus Companies were to become a publicly traded partnership, significant tax inefficiencies might result for us and for Cactus Companies, including inefficiencies as a result of our inability to file a consolidated U.S. federal income tax return with Cactus Companies. In addition, we would no longer have the benefit of certain increases in tax basis covered under the TRA, and we would not be able to recover any payments previously made by us under the TRA, even if the corresponding tax benefits (including any claimed increase in the tax basis of Cactus Companies’ assets) were subsequently determined to have been unavailable.
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General Risks
A failure of our information technology infrastructure and cyberattacks could adversely impact us.
We depend on our information technology (“IT”) systems for the efficient operation of our business. Accordingly, we rely upon the capacity, reliability and security of our IT hardware and software infrastructure and our ability to expand and update this infrastructure in response to our changing needs. Despite our implementation of security measures, our systems may be vulnerable to damage from computer viruses, natural disasters, incursions by intruders or hackers, failures in hardware or software, power fluctuations, cyber terrorists and other similar disruptions. Additionally, we rely on third parties to support the operation of our IT hardware and software infrastructure, and in certain instances, utilize web‑based applications. The failure of our IT systems or those of our vendors to perform as anticipated for any reason or any significant breach of security could disrupt our business and result in numerous adverse consequences, including reduced effectiveness and of operations, disclosure of confidential and proprietary information, reputational , increased overhead costs and of important information, which could have a material effect on our business and results of operations and cash flows. In addition, we may be required to incur significant costs to protect caused by these or security in the future.
We rely on our information systems to conduct our business, and failure to protect these systems against security breaches could disrupt our business and adversely affect our results of operations.
We rely on IT systems and networks in our operations, and those of our third-party vendors, suppliers and other business partners. Despite our implementation of security measures, our systems may be vulnerable to damage from computer viruses, natural disasters, incursions by intruders or hackers, failures in hardware or software, power fluctuations, cyber terrorists and other similar disruptions. A successful cyber-attack could materially disrupt our operations or lead to unauthorized access, release or alteration of information on our systems or the systems of our service providers, vendors or customers.
Any such attack or other breach of our IT systems—or those of our third-party service providers, suppliers or other business partners—could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, financial condition, our reputation or cash flows. In addition, the unavailability of the information systems or the failure of these systems to perform as anticipated, including any failure in disaster recovery plans or data backups, for us or our third-party technical managers for any reason could disrupt our business. We may be required to incur significant additional costs to remediate, modify or enhance our information technology systems or to try to prevent any such attacks.
Finally, certain cyber incidents, such as surveillance or reconnaissance, may remain undetected for an extended period. Our systems for protecting against cybersecurity risks may not be sufficient. As cyberattacks continue to evolve, including those leveraging artificial intelligence, we may be required to expend significant additional resources to continue to modify or enhance our protective measures or to investigate and remediate any vulnerabilities to cyberattacks. In addition, new laws and regulations governing data privacy, cybersecurity, and the unauthorized disclosure of confidential information pose increasingly complex compliance challenges and potentially elevate costs, and any failure to comply with these laws and regulations could result in significant penalties and legal liability.
Our business is subject to complex and evolving laws and regulations regarding privacy and data protection (“data protection laws”).
The regulatory environment relating to data privacy and protection is constantly evolving and can be subject to significant change. Laws and regulations governing data privacy and the unauthorized collection, processing or disclosure of personal information, including a growing number of U.S. state laws and regulations, such as the California Consumer Privacy Act, pose increasingly complex compliance challenges and potentially elevate our costs. Any failure, or perceived failure, by us to comply with applicable data protection laws could result in proceedings or actions against us by governmental entities or others, subject us to significant fines, penalties, judgments and negative publicity, require us to change our business practices, increase the costs and complexity of compliance, and adversely affect our business. As noted above, we are also subject to the possibility of cyber-attacks, which themselves may result in a violation of these laws. Finally, if we acquire a company that has or is not in compliance with applicable data protection laws, we may incur significant liabilities and as a result.
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Holders of our Class A common stock may not receive dividends on their Class A common stock.
Holders of our Class A common stock are entitled to receive only such dividends as our Board of Directors may declare out of funds legally available for such payments. We are incorporated in Delaware and are governed by the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”). The DGCL allows a corporation to pay dividends only out of a surplus, as determined under Delaware law or, if there is no surplus, out of net profits for the fiscal year in which the dividend was declared and for the preceding fiscal year. Under the DGCL, however, we cannot pay dividends out of net profits if, after we pay the dividend, our capital would be less than the capital represented by the outstanding stock of all classes having a preference upon the distribution of assets. We are not required to pay a dividend, and any determination to pay dividends and other distributions in cash, stock or property by us in the future (including determinations as to the amount of any such dividend or distribution) will be at the discretion of our Board of Directors and will be dependent on then-existing conditions, including business conditions, our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, capital requirements, contractual restrictions, including restrictive covenants contained in debt agreements, and other factors.
If we are unable to fully protect our intellectual property rights or trade secrets or a third party attempts to enforce their intellectual property rights against us, we may suffer a loss in revenue or any competitive advantage or market share we hold, or we may incur costs in litigation defending intellectual property rights.
While we have several patents and others are pending, we do not have patents relating to all of our key processes and technology. If we are not able to maintain the confidentiality of our trade secrets, or if our competitors are able to replicate our technology or services, our competitive advantage could be diminished. We also cannot provide any assurance that any patents we may obtain in the future would provide us with any significant commercial benefit or would allow us to prevent our competitors from employing comparable technologies or processes. We may initiate litigation from time to time to protect and enforce our intellectual property rights. In any such litigation, a defendant may assert that our intellectual property rights are invalid or unenforceable. Third parties from time to time may also initiate litigation against us by asserting that our businesses infringe, , , dilute or otherwise another party’s intellectual property rights. We may not prevail in any such , and our intellectual property rights may be found or unenforceable or our products and services may be found to , , , dilute or otherwise the intellectual property rights of others. The results or costs of any such may have an effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Any concerning intellectual property could be and , is inherently and could have an effect on our business, regardless of its outcome.
Risks Related to the Joint Venture and the Baker Hughes Transaction
We may not realize the anticipated benefits from the Baker Hughes Transaction, and the Baker Hughes Transaction could adversely impact our business and our operating results.
We may not be able to achieve the full potential strategic and financial benefits that we expect to achieve from the Baker Hughes Transaction, or such benefits may be delayed or not occur at all. We may not achieve the anticipated benefits from the Baker Hughes Transaction for a variety of reasons, including, among others, unanticipated costs, charges and expenses. For example, the capital needs of the Joint Venture may exceed our current expectations. In addition, we may not achieve the anticipated unrealized benefits of operational initiatives being, and expected to be, taken with respect to the Joint Venture. If we fail to achieve some or all of the benefits expected to result from the Baker Hughes Transaction, or if such benefits are delayed, our business could be harmed.
We may experience difficulties in integrating the operations of the Joint Venture into our business.
The success of the Baker Hughes Transaction depends in part on our ability to successfully integrate the operations of the Joint Venture into our business. The integration process could take longer than anticipated and could result in the loss of key employees from the Company and/or the Joint Venture, the disruption of the Company’s and/or the Joint Venture’s ongoing businesses, tax costs or inefficiencies, or inconsistencies in standards, controls, information technology systems, procedures or policies, any of which could adversely affect our ability to maintain relationships with customers, employees or other third parties, or our ability to achieve the anticipated benefits of the Baker Hughes Transaction, and could harm our financial performance. Prior to the Baker Hughes Transaction, we did not have any significant infrastructure in most of the countries where the Joint Venture is doing business. As a result, Baker Hughes Company is providing the Joint Venture with limited transition services. If Baker Hughes Company fails to continue providing these transition services, or if we are to or timely integrate and support the operations of the Joint Venture, we may incur liabilities and be
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unable to realize the revenue growth, synergies and other anticipated benefits resulting from the Baker Hughes Transaction, and our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.
We may be required to acquire Baker Hughes Company’s interests in the Joint Venture.
Generally beginning on January 1, 2028, the Baker Member has the right to sell to either the Joint Venture or the Cactus Member, and the Joint Venture or the Cactus Member, as applicable, shall be obligated to purchase all of the Membership Interests held by Baker Hughes Company (the “Put Right”). The purchase price (the “Exit Price”) will be based on an enterprise value of the Joint Venture using a multiple of six times its TTM Adjusted EBITDA (as defined and calculated in the Joint Venture LLC Agreement), subject to a maximum valuation of $660.0 million. If the Baker Member exercises the Put Right, we may not have sufficient liquidity to fund the Exit Price. We may be required to access external financing, and we may be unable to do so on favorable terms, or at all. Accordingly, our obligation to fund the Exit Price may adversely affect our liquidity and cause us to enter into financing arrangements with terms that are unfavorable to us.
The Joint Venture LLC Agreement restricts certain of our or the Joint Venture’s actions.
For so long as Baker Hughes Company owns interests in the Joint Venture, we must, subject to certain exceptions, cause the Joint Venture to operate its business in the ordinary course consistent with past practice and not take certain actions that could reasonably be expected to reduce the Exit Price. Certain significant actions of the Joint Venture require the approval of Baker Hughes Company. Such restrictions may limit the ability of the Joint Venture to take actions that we believe to be beneficial to our business, results of operations and financial condition, or those of the Joint Venture. It is possible that disputes arise between us and Baker Hughes Company concerning our operation of the Joint Venture and such disputes could adversely affect our business and financial performance.
Our agreement with Baker Hughes Company significantly restricts our ability to transfer our interests in the Joint Venture. These transfer restrictions may limit our ability to dispose of our Membership Interests in the Joint Venture in ways which may be beneficial to our business, results of operations and financial condition.
For so long as Baker Hughes Company owns interests in the Joint Venture, we are required to conduct the surface pressure control business in the countries where the Acquired Business operated prior to our acquisition only through the Joint Venture, subject to certain exceptions. These restrictions mean that certain new opportunities will be directed to the Joint Venture and not us, which may reduce the direct benefit that we receive from such new opportunities.
The Joint Venture may have liabilities that are not known to us and the indemnities negotiated in the Framework Agreement may not offer adequate protection.
As part of the Baker Hughes Transaction, the Joint Venture assumed certain liabilities of the Acquired Business. There may be liabilities that we failed or were unable to discover in the course of performing due diligence investigations into the Acquired Business. We may also have not correctly assessed the significance of certain liabilities of the Acquired Business identified in the course of our due diligence. Any such liabilities, individually or in the aggregate, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. As we integrate the Joint Venture into our operations, we may learn additional information about the Joint Venture, such as unknown or contingent liabilities and issues relating to compliance with applicable laws, that could potentially have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We may not be able to enforce claims with respect to certain of the representations and warranties that Baker Hughes Holdings made in the Framework Agreement.
Under the Framework Agreement entered into by Cactus Companies, Baker Hughes Holdings and the Joint Venture on June 2, 2025 (the "Framework Agreement"), Baker Hughes Holdings gave customary representations and warranties related to the Acquired Business. We may not be able to enforce any claims against Baker Hughes Holdings or its affiliates relating to breaches of certain representations and warranties in the Framework Agreement, except in the case of fraud as provided in the Framework Agreement. Accordingly, the liability of these entities with respect to breaches of Baker Hughes Holdings’ representations and warranties under the Framework Agreement is limited. To provide for coverage against certain breaches by Baker Hughes Holdings of its representations and warranties in the Framework Agreement and certain pre-closing taxes of the Joint Venture, we have obtained a representation and warranty insurance policy. The policy is subject to a retention amount, exclusions, policy limits and certain other customary terms and conditions.
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The Baker Hughes Transaction represents an expansion outside of our current geographic regions, and we may encounter new obstacles operating in different geographic regions.
Prior to the Baker Hughes Transaction, our operations historically focused on the United States. The Baker Hughes Transaction represents an expansion of our operations in the Middle East and other jurisdictions. Certain aspects related to operating in these new jurisdictions may not be as familiar to us as the jurisdictions in which we operated prior to the Baker Hughes Transaction. As a result, we may encounter obstacles that may cause us not to achieve the expected results of the Baker Hughes Transaction. These obstacles may include a less familiar and more volatile geopolitical landscape, new customers with whom we have no established relationship and just a small number of which account for the preponderance of the Joint Venture’s revenue, pressure from local governments to hire local associates, use local suppliers or to direct business to nationalized companies, unfamiliar operating conditions, and a distinct regulatory environment. Our future success will depend, in part, upon our ability to manage this expanded business, which may pose substantial challenges for management, including challenges related to the management and monitoring of new operations and jurisdictions and associated increased costs and complexity. We may also face increased from governmental authorities as a result of the increase in the size of our business. Any conditions, regulations or developments related to our expansion into or within these new jurisdictions may have a impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
