AeroVironment (AVAV) Risk Factors

It is management's responsibility to establish and maintain effective internal control in order to provide reasonable assurance regarding the financial reporting soundness for external purposes. Internal control over financial reporting is not intended to impart absolute assurance that the Company can prevent or detect misstatements of its financial statement or fraud due to its inherent limitations. The failure to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting could limit our ability to report financial results accurately and in a timely manner or to detect and prevent fraud, which could cause a loss of investor confidence in our reporting, depress our stock price, adversely limit our liquidity and access to the capital markets and we may be unable to maintain compliance with applicable stock exchange listing requirements and debt covenant requirements.

BlueHalo is, and prior to the Closing will remain, a private company that is not subject to public company reporting requirements and does not have accounting personnel specifically employed to review internal controls over financial reporting. Additionally, from the time it was formed until the time it entered the Merger Agreement, BlueHalo consummated a number of acquisitions of companies of varying degrees of size and sophistication with varying degrees of disclosure controls and procedures. As a public company, we are required to document and test our internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, so that our management can certify as to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting in connection with the annual report. BlueHalo (including all of its prior acquisitions) will be required to be included in the scope of our internal control over financial reporting in the annual report to be filed with the SEC for the fiscal year following the fiscal year in which the Closing occurs and thereafter, which requires us to make and document significant changes to our internal controls over financial reporting. Bringing BlueHalo into compliance with these rules and regulations and integrating BlueHalo into our current compliance and accounting system and disclosure controls and procedures may increase our legal and financial compliance costs, make some activities more difficult, time-consuming or costly and increase demand on our systems and resources. Furthermore, the need to establish the necessary corporate infrastructure to integrate BlueHalo may divert management's attention from implementing our growth strategy, which could prevent us from improving our business, financial condition and results of operations. However, the measures we take may not be sufficient to satisfy our obligations as a public company. If we do not continue to develop and implement the right processes and tools to manage our changing enterprise upon the consummation of the Transactions and maintain our culture, our ability to compete successfully and achieve our business objectives could be impaired, which could negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, we cannot predict or estimate the amount of additional costs we may incur to bring BlueHalo into compliance with these requirements. We anticipate that these costs will materially increase our selling, general and administration expenses. In addition, bringing BlueHalo into compliance with these rules and regulations will increase our legal and financial compliance costs and will make some activities more time-consuming and costly. These additional obligations could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flow.

At April 30, 2024, the carrying values of goodwill and identifiable intangible assets on our balance sheet were $275.7 million and $72.2 million, respectively. We perform our annual impairment tests during the fourth quarter of each fiscal year or when events or circumstances change in a manner that indicates an asset might be impaired. Events or circumstances that could trigger an impairment review include, but are not limited to, a significant adverse change in legal factors or in the business or political climate, an adverse action or assessment by a regulator, unanticipated competition, a loss of key personnel, significant changes in the manner of our use of the acquired assets or the strategy for our overall business, significant negative industry or economic trends or significant underperformance relative to projected future results of operations. In May 2023, a trigger event was identified that indicated that the carrying value of the MUAS reporting unit exceeded its fair value. Specifically, we received notification that we were not down selected for a U.S. DoD program of record which resulted in a significant decrease in the projected future cash flows of the MUAS reporting unit. As a result, we updated our estimates of long-term future cash flows used in the valuation of the MUAS reporting unit. These changes in estimates, resulted in the recognition of a goodwill impairment charge of $156.0 million in the MUAS reporting unit. Additionally, the closure of all of our MEUAS COCO sites resulted in accelerated intangible amortization expenses of $34.1 million during the fiscal year ended April 30, 2023. Accordingly, the MUAS reporting unit is considered at an increased risk of failing future quantitative goodwill impairment tests as the estimated fair value of the MUAS reporting unit does not substantially exceed its carrying value. Fair value determinations utilized in the quantitative goodwill impairment test require considerable judgment and are sensitive to changes in underlying assumptions, estimates, and market factors. Estimating the fair value of individual reporting units requires us to make assumptions and estimates regarding future plans, as well as industry, economic, and regulatory conditions. These assumptions and estimates include estimated future annual net cash flows, income tax rates, discount rates, growth rates, and other market factors. Estimated future annual net cash flows based in part upon the Company's ability to obtain contracts from the U.S. DoD and foreign allied nations and negotiate the estimated pricing are considered the most significant, sensitive assumptions. Actual results can be materially different from the estimates and assumptions. If current expectations of future growth rates and margins are not met, if market factors outside of the Company's control, such as discount rates, income tax rates, or inflation, change, or if management's expectations or plans otherwise change, including updates to long-term operating plans, then we could recognize further future impairment charges, the amount of which could be material.

Our quarterly revenue, cash flow and operating results have and may continue to fluctuate significantly in the future due to a number of factors, including the following: - fluctuations in revenue derived from government contracts, including undefinitized contracts, cost-plus-fee contracts and contracts with a performance-based fee structure;- the size and timing of orders from military and other governmental agencies, including increased purchase requests from government customers for equipment and materials in connection with the U.S. government's fiscal year end, which may affect our quarterly operating results;- the mix of products and services that we sell in the period;- fluctuations in customer demand for some of our products or services;- unanticipated costs incurred in the introduction of new products and services;- fluctuations in the adoption of our products and services in new markets;- our ability to win additional contracts from existing customers or other contracts from new customers;- cancellations, delays or contract amendments by our U.S. governmental agency and foreign government customers;- changes in policy or budgetary measures that adversely affect our U.S. governmental agency and foreign government customers;- the cost of complying with various regulatory requirements applicable to our business and the potential penalties or sanctions that could be imposed for non-compliance; and - our ability to obtain the necessary export licenses for sales of our products and services to international customers. Changes in the volume of products and services provided under existing contracts and the number of contracts commenced, completed or terminated during any quarter may cause significant variations in our cash flow from operations because a relatively large amount of our expenses are fixed. We incur significant operating expenses during the start-up and early stages of large contracts and typically do not receive corresponding payments in that same quarter. We may also incur significant or unanticipated expenses when contracts expire or are terminated or are not renewed. In addition, payments due to us from government agencies may be delayed due to billing cycles or as a result of failures of governmental budgets to gain congressional and presidential approval in a timely manner.

We depend on our R&D activities to develop the core technologies used in our products and for the development of our future products. A portion of our R&D activities depends on funding by commercial companies and the U.S. government. U.S. government and commercial spending levels can be impacted by a number of variables, including general economic conditions, specific companies' financial performance and competition for U.S. government funding with other U.S. government-sponsored programs in the budget formulation and appropriation processes. To the extent that these external sources of funding are reduced or eliminated, company funding for R&D could be reduced. Any reductions in available R&D funding could harm our business, financial condition and operating results.

Our assets include a significant amount of cash and investments. We adhere to an investment policy set by our board of directors which aims to preserve our financial assets, maintain adequate liquidity and maximize returns. Nearly all of our cash and bank deposits are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Therefore, our cash and any bank deposits that we now hold or may acquire in the future may be subject to risks, including the risk of loss or of reduced value or liquidity. Our investments classified as available-for-sale are recorded at fair value each reporting period. Our investments classified as equity method investments are recorded using the equity method. Unrealized gains and losses are recorded as other income or loss.

Upon completion of the Transactions, we intend to refinance certain indebtedness of BlueHalo and, assuming that occurs, our consolidated indebtedness will increase substantially and we will be subject to increased risks associated with debt financing. As of October 26, 2024, we had indebtedness of approximately $15 million under our existing credit agreement. In connection with the execution of the Merger Agreement, we entered into a commitment letter (the "Debt Commitment Letter") with BofA NA and BofA Securities, Inc. (collectively, "BofA") and JPM (JPM and BofA, collectively, the "Joint Lead Arrangers"), pursuant to which the Joint Lead Arrangers have committed to amend our existing credit agreement (such amendment, the "Credit Agreement Amendment") to provide a new Term Loan A facility (the "Acquisition Financing Facility"). The initial principal amount of the Acquisition Financing Facility will be $700 million, and the Acquisition Financing Facility will have a maturity date of two years from effective date of the Credit Agreement Amendment. Our increased indebtedness could have important consequences to holders of our common stock, including: - increasing our vulnerability to general adverse economic and industry conditions;- limiting our ability to obtain additional financing to fund future working capital, capital expenditures and other general corporate requirements;- requiring the use of a substantial portion of our cash flow from operations for the payment of principal and interest on our indebtedness, thereby reducing our ability to use our cash flow to fund working capital, acquisitions, capital expenditures and general corporate requirements;- limiting our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and our industry; and - putting us at a disadvantage compared to its competitors with less indebtedness.

During the period between the date of the Merger Agreement and the Closing, which, under the Merger Agreement, could take until August 18, 2025 (subject to certain conditions and one automatic extension period to February 18, 2026 as set forth in the Merger Agreement), the Merger Agreement restricts us from taking specified actions or from pursuing what might otherwise be attractive business opportunities or making other changes to our business, in each case without the consent of BlueHalo or Seller. These restrictions may prevent us from taking actions during the pendency of the Transactions that would have been beneficial. Adverse effects arising from these restrictions during the pendency of the Transactions could be exacerbated by any delays in consummation of the Transactions or termination of the Merger Agreement. Additionally, even if the Merger Agreement does not expressly restrict us from taking a certain action prior to the completion of the Transactions or the termination of the Merger Agreement, the pendency of the Transactions may make it impractical for us to do so. For example, while we may wish to raise capital for strategic or other reasons and would not be prohibited from doing so under the Merger Agreement, our ability to do so may be limited, or may adversely affect the terms on which we are able to raise such capital.

The Merger Agreement contains provisions that, subject to limited exceptions, restrict our ability to directly or indirectly (i) solicit, initiate or knowingly encourage, or take any action to facilitate any inquiries, announcements or communications relating to, or the making of any submission, proposal or offer that constitutes or that could reasonably be expected to lead to, a Parent Acquisition Proposal (as defined the Merger Agreement), (ii) enter into, participate in, cooperate with any person with respect to, maintain or continue any discussions or negotiations relating to, any Parent Acquisition Proposal with any person other than Seller, BlueHalo or their affiliates, (iii) furnish to any person other than Seller, BlueHalo or their affiliates any non-public information in connection with or in response to a Parent Acquisition Proposal, (iv) accept any Parent Acquisition Proposal or enter into any agreement, arrangement, term sheet, letter of intent, or understanding (whether written or oral) providing for the consummation of any transaction contemplated by any Parent Acquisition Proposal or otherwise relating to any Parent Acquisition Proposal, (v) adopt, approve or recommend or make any public statement approving or recommending any inquiry, proposal or offer that constitutes, or could reasonably be expected to lead to, a Parent Acquisition Proposal, (vi) take any action or exempt any person (other than the Company and its subsidiaries) from the restriction on "business combinations" or any similar provision contained in applicable takeover laws or the Company's organizational or other governing documents, or (vii) resolve, propose or agree to do any of the foregoing. The Company shall, and shall cause each of its representatives and each of its subsidiaries (and each of their respective representatives) to, immediately cease and cause to be terminated any and all existing activities, discussions or negotiations with any persons conducted prior to or on the date of the Merger Agreement with respect to any Parent Acquisition Proposal. The Company may be required to pay a termination fee of $200 million to Seller upon termination of the Merger Agreement under specified circumstances, including (i) termination by the Company to accept an Alternative Sale Transaction, (ii) termination by Seller due to the occurrence of a Company Board Adverse Recommendation Change or (iii) if the Company consummates an Alternative Sale Transaction within nine months of termination of the Merger Agreement, subject to certain conditions as set forth in the Merger Agreement. These provisions could discourage a potential third-party acquirer that might have an interest in acquiring all or a significant portion of us from considering or proposing that acquisition, even if it were prepared to pay above market value, or might otherwise result in a potential third-party acquirer proposing to pay a lower price to our stockholders than it might otherwise have proposed to pay because of the added expense of the termination fee that may become payable in certain circumstances. If the Merger Agreement is terminated and we decide to seek another merger transaction, we may not be able to negotiate or consummate a transaction with another party on terms comparable to, or better than, the terms of the Merger Agreement.

On November 18, 2024, we entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the "Merger Agreement") with Archangel Merger Sub LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and a direct wholly owned subsidiary of the Company ("Merger Sub"), BlueHalo Financing Topco, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company ("BlueHalo"), and BlueHalo Holdings Parent, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and sole member of BlueHalo Financing Topco, LLC ("Seller"), pursuant to which, among other matters, and subject to the satisfaction or waiver of the conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement, Merger Sub will merge with and into BlueHalo, with BlueHalo continuing as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company and the surviving company of the merger (the "Transactions"). The Transactions are subject to customary closing conditions that must be satisfied or waived prior to the consummation of the Transactions (the "Closing"), including, among other things, (i) the expiration or termination of the waiting period (or any extension thereof) under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 ("HSR Act"), as amended, and the rules promulgated thereunder, any agreement (including any timing agreement) with the Federal Trade Commission ("FTC") or Department of Justice ("DOJ") to delay the consummation of, or not to consummate before a certain date, the Transactions, and the receipt of other specified regulatory approvals and the expiration or termination of applicable waiting periods, (ii) the required approval by the Company's stockholders, holders of incentive units and restricted common units of Seller (the "Seller Members") and Seller, as the sole member of BlueHalo (iii) the accuracy of the respective representations and warranties of each party, subject to certain materiality qualifications, (iv) compliance by the parties with their respective covenants, (v) the absence of any order that is in effect and restrains,enjoins or otherwise prohibits the consummation of the Transactions, (vi) the shares of common stock to be issued in the Transactions being approved for listing (subject to official notice of issuance) on Nasdaq as of the Closing, (vii) the registration statement on Form S-4 (the "Registration Statement") to be filed in connection with the Transactions having become effective in accordance with the provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and not being subject to any stop order or proceeding (or threatened proceeding by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC")) seeking a stop order with respect to the Registration Statement that has not been withdrawn, (viii) delivery of certain closing certificates and executed ancillary agreements, (ix) the absence of any material adverse effect with respect to BlueHalo or the Company, (x) receipt of certain waivers or approvals related to Section 280G of the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, (xi) receipt by the Company of executed joinder and lock-up agreements from Seller Members entitled to receive 85% of the Aggregate Closing Consideration (as defined in the Merger Agreement), as adjusted, (xii) the absence of any Cognizant Security Agency (as defined in 32 C.F.R. § 117.3(b)) objection that intends to invalidate, terminate, revoke or suspend any facility security clearances of BlueHalo and its subsidiaries if the Transactions occur, and (xiii) receipt of all required consents of governmental authorities pursuant to antitrust laws and foreign direct investments laws, as applicable. No assurance can be given that the required shareholder consents and approvals will be obtained or that the required conditions to closing will be satisfied, and, if all required consents and approvals are obtained and the conditions are satisfied, no assurance can be given as to the terms, conditions and timing of the consents and approvals. Any delay in completing the Transactions could cause the combined company not to realize, or to be delayed in realizing, some or all of the benefits that we expect to achieve if the Transactions are successfully completed within the expected time frame. Additionally, either party may terminate the Merger Agreement under certain circumstances, including, among other reasons, if the Transactions are not completed by August 18, 2025 (subject to certain conditions and one automatic extension period to February 18, 2026 as set forth in the Merger Agreement). The Company may be required to pay a termination fee of $200 million to Seller upon termination of the Merger Agreement under specified circumstances, including (i) termination by the Company if the Board of Directors of the Company (the "Board") determines that an intervening event has occurred or the Board has received a proposal to acquire the Company that the Board has determined in good faith constitutes a superior offer pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement (an "Alternative Sale Transaction"), (ii) termination by Seller if the Board exercises its right, subject to certain limitations, to change its recommendation to the Company's stockholders with respect to the Merger Agreement and the Transactions (a "Company Board Adverse Recommendation Change") or (iii) if the Company consummates an Alternative Sale Transaction within nine months of termination of the Merger Agreement, subject to certain conditions as set forth in the Merger Agreement. Moreover, if the Transactions are not completed for any reason, including as a result of failure to obtain all requisite regulatory approvals or if the Company stockholders fail to approve the applicable proposals, our ongoing business may be adversely affected and, without realizing any of the expected benefits of having completed the Transactions, we would be subject to a number of risks, including the following: - we may experience negative reactions from the financial markets, including negative impacts on our stock price;- we may experience negative reactions from our customers, suppliers, distributors, other business partners and employees;- we will be required to pay our costs relating to the Transactions, such as financial advisory, legal, financing and accounting costs and associated fees and expenses, whether or not the Transactions are completed;- the market price of our common stock could decline to the extent that the current market price reflects a market assumption that the Transactions will not be completed;- the Merger Agreement places certain restrictions on the conduct of our business prior to completion of the Transactions and such restrictions, the waiver of which are subject to the consent of BlueHalo or Seller, may prevent us from taking actions during the pendency of the Transactions that would be beneficial; and - matters relating to the Transactions (including integration planning) will require substantial commitments of time and resources by management and other key employees, which could otherwise have been devoted to day-to-day operations or to other opportunities that may have been beneficial to us as an independent company.

In February 2021, we completed the acquisition of Arcturus and the Intelligent Systems Group business segment ("ISG"). We acquired Telerob in May 2021, Planck Aerosystems, Inc. ("Planck") in August 2022, and Tomahawk Robotics, Inc. ("Tomahawk") in September 2023. We intend to consider additional acquisitions that could add to our customer base, technological capabilities or system offerings. Acquisitions involve numerous risks, any of which could harm our business, including the following: - difficulties in integrating the operations, technologies, products, existing contracts, accounting and personnel of the companies we acquire and realizing the anticipated synergies of the combined businesses;- difficulties in supporting and transitioning customers, if any, of the companies we acquire;- diversion of financial and management resources from existing operations;- the price we pay or other resources that we devote may exceed the value we realize, or the value we could have realized if we had allocated the purchase price or other resources to another opportunity;?- risks of entering new markets in which we have limited or no experience;- the complexities of managing a workforce under foreign labor and employment law and related organizational requirements;- potential loss of key employees, customers and strategic alliances from either our current business or the acquired company's business;- assumption of unanticipated problems or latent liabilities, such as problems with the quality of the acquired company's products or its regulatory compliance; and?- expanded regulatory compliance complexity and risk, including compliance with regulations of foreign jurisdictions. Acquisitions also frequently result in the recording of goodwill and other intangible assets that are subject to potential impairments in the future that could harm our financial results, such as the MUAS goodwill impairment charge of $156.0 million and accelerated amortization of certain MUAS intangibles of $34.1 million recorded for the MUAS reporting unit for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2023. These charges resulted from decreases in expected cash flows associated with the Company not being down selected for a U.S. DoD program of record and the closure of all of our MEUAS COCO sites in the fiscal year ended April 30, 2023. In addition, if we finance acquisitions by issuing equity, or securities convertible into equity, such as the stock issued as considerations for the purchase of Arcturus and Tomahawk, then our existing stockholders may be diluted, which could lower the market price of our common stock. Further, as lock-up and other restrictions on such consideration shares lapse, we could experience heightened trading activity that could disrupt the market price for our common stock. If we finance acquisitions through debt, such as the credit facilities we entered into in connection with the consummation of our acquisition of Arcturus, then such future debt financing may contain covenants or other provisions that limit our operational or financial flexibility and represent default risk if we are unable to maintain certain financial performance metrics while the debt remains outstanding. If we fail to properly evaluate acquisitions or investments, then we may not achieve the anticipated benefits of any such acquisitions, and we may incur costs in excess of what we anticipate. The failure to successfully evaluate and execute acquisitions or investments or otherwise adequately address these risks could materially harm our business and financial results.

The complexity of our business has increased significantly over the last several years. We have expanded the number of product lines being pursued, shifting from primarily a U.S. government focused business to a business that includes substantial international product sales, added commercial services, accelerated development on HAPS UAS and engaged in numerous acquisitions further expanding our operations domestically and abroad. Further, in conjunction with the acquisition of Arcturus in February 2021, we entered into certain credit facilities that include affirmative and negative covenants and place some restrictions on how we operate our business. Our growth has placed, and our expected growth will continue to place, a strain on our management and our administrative, operational and financial infrastructure. We anticipate further growth of headcount and facilities will be required to address expansion in our product and service offerings and the geographic scope of our customer base. However, if we are unsuccessful in our efforts, our business could decline. Our success will depend in part upon the ability of our senior management to manage our increased complexity and expected growth effectively. To do so, we must continue to hire, train, manage and integrate a significant number of qualified managers and engineers. If our new employees perform poorly, or if we are unsuccessful in hiring, training, managing and integrating these new employees, or retaining these or our existing employees, then our business may experience declines. To support our expected growth, we must continue to improve our operational, financial and management information systems. If we are unable to manage our growth while maintaining our quality of service, or if new systems that we implement to assist in managing our growth do not produce the expected benefits, then our business, prospects, financial condition or operating results could be adversely affected.