Masco (MAS) Risk Factors

Protecting our intellectual property is important to our growth and innovation efforts. We own a number of patents, trade names, brand names and other forms of intellectual property in our products and manufacturing processes throughout the world. There can be no assurance that our efforts to protect our intellectual property rights will prevent violations. Our intellectual property has been and may again be challenged or infringed upon by third parties, particularly in countries where property rights are not highly developed or protected. In addition, the global nature of our business increases the risk that we may be unable to obtain or maintain our intellectual property rights on reasonable terms. Furthermore, others have asserted and may in the future assert intellectual property infringement claims against us. Current and former employees, contractors, customers or suppliers have or may have had access to proprietary or confidential information regarding our business operations that could harm us if used by them, or disclosed to others, including our competitors. Protecting and preventing the unauthorized use of our intellectual property is costly, time consuming and require significant resources. If we are not able to protect our existing intellectual property rights, or prevent unauthorized use of our intellectual property, sales of our products may be impacted and we may experience reputational damage to our brand names, increased litigation costs and adverse impact to our competitive position, which could adversely impact our results of operations and financial position.

Global cybersecurity vulnerabilities, threats and more frequent, sophisticated and targeted attacks pose a risk to our information technology systems and to critical third-party information technology platforms we utilize. We have implemented security policies, processes and layers of defense designed to help identify and protect against misappropriation or corruption of our systems and information and disruption of our operations. Despite these efforts, systems we utilize have been and may in the future be damaged, disrupted, ransomed or shut down due to cybersecurity attacks by unauthorized access, malware, ransomware, undetected intrusion, hardware failures, or other events, and in these circumstances our disaster recovery plans may be ineffective or inadequate. These attacks could have the following impacts on our business, some of which we have experienced: - business interruption;- damage to our relationships with our employees, suppliers, customers and consumers;- damage to the reputation of our brands;- data corruption;- exposure or loss of proprietary confidential or financial information or the personal information of our employees, suppliers, customers or consumers;- exposure to litigation;- inability to report our financial results in a timely manner;- increased costs associated with the remediation and mitigation of such attacks;- product shipment delays;- production or operational downtime; and - theft of our assets. In addition, we could be adversely impacted if any of our significant customers, suppliers or service providers experiences any similar events that disrupt their business operations or damage their reputation. Such events could adversely impact our results of operations and financial position.

We rely on many on-site and cloud-based information systems and technology to process, transmit, store and manage information to support our business activities. We may be adversely impacted if these information systems breakdown, fail, or are no longer supported by third-party service providers, including cloud platform providers. In addition to the consequences that may occur from interruptions in the current systems we utilize, we continue to invest in new technology systems throughout our company, including implementations of and upgrades to critical systems at our business units. System implementations and upgrades are complex and require significant management oversight, and we have experienced, and in the future experience, unanticipated expenses and interruptions to our operations during these implementations and upgrades. Our results of operations and financial position, as well as the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting, could be adversely impacted if we do not appropriately select, implement, maintain or upgrade our critical systems in a timely manner or if we experience significant unanticipated expenses or disruptions in connection with the implementation, upgrade or update of such systems.

For our businesses to be successful, we must invest significant resources to attract, develop and retain highly qualified, talented and diverse employees, who have the experience, knowledge and expertise to implement our strategic and business initiatives. We compete for employees with a broad range of employers in many different industries, including large multinational firms. We have faced and may continue to face challenges in recruiting, developing, motivating and retaining employees, particularly when the labor market is experiencing low unemployment levels, increasing compensation and increasing competition. If we are unable to successfully implement our talent strategies, including attracting, developing and retaining key employees, building strong and diverse leadership teams, developing effective succession planning and successfully executing organizational change and leadership transition, our results of operations and financial position could be adversely impacted.

We are dependent on third parties for our raw materials, many of our components and finished products and for certain services. Our ability to offer a wide variety of products and provide high levels of service to our customers depends on whether we can obtain an adequate and timely supply of these goods and services. Failure of our suppliers to timely provide us goods and services on commercially reasonable terms or to comply with applicable contractual, legal and regulatory requirements or our supplier business practices policy could have an adverse impact on our results of operations and financial position or could damage our reputation. The operations of the third parties on which we depend have been and could in the future be impacted by: changing laws, regulations and policies, including those related to climate change; cybersecurity breaches; labor availability; raw material shortages; energy availability; supply disruptions; and adverse weather conditions, pandemics, wars or conflicts and other force majeure events. Any of these factors could disrupt our third parties' operations and result in shortages of supply, assertion of force majeure and increases in the prices charged to us for the raw materials, components and finished products they produce or services they provide. Sourcing these goods and services from alternate suppliers, including suppliers from new geographic regions, or re-engineering our products as a result of supplier disruptions, can be time-consuming and costly and could result in inefficiencies or delays in our business operations or could negatively impact the quality of our products. In addition, the loss of critical suppliers, or a substantial decrease in the availability of supply, has disrupted and could in the future disrupt our business and has had and may in the future have an adverse impact on our results of operations and financial position. Many of the suppliers we rely upon are located in countries outside of the United States. The differences in business practices, shipping and delivery requirements and costs, changes in economic conditions and trade policies and laws and regulations, together with the limited number of suppliers available to us, have increased the complexity of our supply chain logistics and the potential for interruptions in our production scheduling. We have experienced and may in the future experience constraints on and disruptions to transporting our raw materials, components and finished products from our international and domestic suppliers as well as higher transportation costs. If we are unable to effectively manage our supply chain our results of operations and financial position could be adversely impacted.

We purchase substantial amounts of raw materials, component parts and finished products from outside sources, including international sources, and we manufacture certain of our products outside of the United States. Increases in the cost of the materials we purchase, including as a result of diminished availability, increased tariffs and inflation or unfavorable fluctuations in currency exchange rates have increased and may in the future increase the prices for our products and negatively impact our results of operations and financial position. Further, our production has been and may in the future be impacted if we or our suppliers are unable to procure our requirements for various commodities, including, among others, brass, resins, titanium dioxide and zinc, or if a shortage of these commodities results in significantly increased costs. Energy prices have also increased and, this coupled with potential energy supply shortages, has resulted in increased production and transportation costs, which may continue in the future. In addition, water is a significant component of our architectural coatings products and may be subject to shortages and restrictions on supply in certain regions, due to climate-related and other influences. These factors could adversely impact our results of operations and financial position. It can be difficult for us to pass our cost increases on to our customers. Our existing arrangements with customers, competitive considerations and customer resistance to price increases may delay or make us unable to adjust selling prices. If we are not able to sufficiently increase the prices of our products or achieve cost savings to offset increased material, production, transportation and labor costs, our results of operations and financial position could be adversely impacted. Increased selling prices for our products have led and may in the future lead to sales declines and loss of market share, particularly if those prices are not competitive. When our material costs decline, we have received and may in the future receive pressure from our customers to reduce our prices. Such reductions have had and could in the future have an adverse impact on our results of operations and financial position. From time to time we enter into long-term agreements with certain significant suppliers to help ensure continued availability of the commodities we require to produce our products and to establish firm pricing, but these contractual commitments may result in our paying above market prices for commodities during the term of the contract. Occasionally, we may also use derivative instruments, including commodity futures and swaps. This strategy increases the possibility that we may make commitments for these commodities at prices that subsequently exceed their market prices, which has occurred and could occur in the future has had and may in the future have an adverse impact on our results of operations and financial position.

We are subject to a wide variety of federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations, including those pertaining to: - anti-bribery/anti-corruption;- climate change and protection of the environment;- competition practices;- data privacy;- employment and labor matters;- environment, health and safety matters;- product safety and performance;- protection of employees and consumers;- securities matters;- sanctions;- taxation;- trade, including duties and tariffs; and - wage and hour matters. In addition to complying with current requirements and known future requirements, we will be subject to new or more stringent requirements in the future. As we sell new types of products or existing products in new geographies or channels or for new applications, we are subject to the requirements applicable to those sales. Additionally, some of our products must be certified by industry organizations. Compliance with new or changed laws, regulations and other requirements, including as a part of government or industry response to climate change, may require us to alter our product designs, our manufacturing processes, our packaging or our sourcing or may result in restrictions on our operations. These compliance activities are costly and require significant management attention and resources. If we do not effectively and timely comply with such regulations and other requirements, our results of operations and financial position could be adversely impacted.

We are involved in various claims and litigation, including class actions, mass torts and regulatory proceedings, that arise in the ordinary course of our business and that could have an adverse impact on us. The types of matters may include, among others: advertising, competition, contract, data privacy, employment, environmental, insurance coverage, intellectual property, personal injury, product compliance, product liability, securities and warranty. The outcome and effect of these matters are inherently unpredictable, and defending and resolving them can be costly and can divert management's attention. We have and may in the future incur significant costs as a result of claims and litigation. We are also subject to product safety regulations, product recalls and direct claims for product liability that can result in significant costs and, regardless of the ultimate outcome, create adverse publicity and damage the reputation of our brands and business. Also, we rely on suppliers to provide finished products and components for products that we sell. Due to the difficulty of controlling the quality of finished products and components we source from these suppliers, we are exposed to risks relating to the quality of such finished products and components and to limitations on our recourse against such suppliers. We maintain insurance against some, but not all, of the risks of loss resulting from claims and litigation. The levels of insurance we maintain may not be adequate to fully cover our losses or liabilities. If any significant accident, judgment, claim or other event is not fully insured or indemnified against, it could adversely impact our results of operations and financial position. Refer to Note T to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of this Report for additional information about litigation involving our businesses.

In 2023, 20 percent of our sales were made outside of North America (particularly in Europe) and transacted in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. In addition to our European operations, we manufacture products in other locations, including Asia and Mexico and source products and components from third parties globally. Risks associated with our international operations include: - differences in culture, economic and labor conditions and practices;- differences in enforcement of contract and intellectual property rights;- differences in the policies of the U.S. and foreign governments;- disruptions in trade relations and economic instability;- natural disasters, terrorist attacks, pandemics, wars or conflicts or other catastrophic events;- social and political unrest; and - timeliness of transportation and port congestion. We have been and may in the future be negatively impacted by adverse changes or uncertainty involving one or more of the factors listed above. We are also affected by domestic and international laws and regulations applicable to companies doing business outside of the U.S., or importing and exporting goods and materials. These include anti-bribery/anti-corruption laws, laws regulating competition, sanctions, tax laws, trade regulations, including duties and tariffs, and other business practices. Compliance with these laws is costly, and future changes to these laws may require significant management attention and disrupt our operations. Additionally, while it is difficult to assess what changes may occur and the relative effect on our international tax structure, significant changes in how U.S. and international jurisdictions tax cross-border transactions could adversely impact our results of operations and financial position. Our results of operations and financial position are also impacted by changes in currency exchange rates. Unfavorable currency exchange rates, particularly the euro, the Chinese renminbi, the Canadian dollar, the British pound sterling and the Mexican peso, have in the past adversely impacted us, and could adversely impact us in the future. Fluctuations in currency exchange rates may also present challenges in comparing our operating performance from period to period.

Extreme weather events, such as severe winter and other storms, hurricanes, fires, floods, tornados and droughts, as a result of climate change or other factors, have negatively impacted and may in the future negatively impact our business. These types of events can be disruptive to our operations and may impact consumer spending. In addition, some of our suppliers are located in areas that have experienced extreme weather events which have impacted and may in the future impact the availability and cost of some of our raw materials, components and finished products. If the frequency or severity of extreme weather increases, we may experience interruptions to our operations, further impact on our supply chain, increased operating costs or loss or damage to our property or inventory, which could adversely impact our results of operations and financial position.