Public companies are required to disclose risks that can affect the business and impact the stock. These disclosures are known as “Risk Factors”. Companies disclose these risks in their yearly (Form 10-K), quarterly earnings (Form 10-Q), or “foreign private issuer” reports (Form 20-F). Risk factors show the challenges a company faces. Investors can consider the worst-case scenarios before making an investment. TipRanks’ Risk Analysis categorizes risks based on proprietary classification algorithms and machine learning.

Perma-Fix disclosed 39 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Perma-Fix reported the most risks in the “Finance & Corporate” category.

Risk Overview Q3, 2024

Risk Distribution

31% Finance & Corporate

23% Legal & Regulatory

18% Production

13% Ability to Sell

10% Macro & Political

5% Tech & Innovation

Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy

This chart displays the stock's most recent risk distribution according to category. TipRanks has identified 6 major categories: Finance & corporate, legal & regulatory, macro & political, production, tech & innovation, and ability to sell.

Risk Change Over Time

2020

S&P500 Average

Sector Average

Risks removed

Risks added

Risks changed

Perma-Fix Risk Factors

New Risk (0)

Risk Changed (0)

Risk Removed (0)

No changes from previous report

The chart shows the number of risks a company has disclosed. You can compare this to the sector average or S&P 500 average.

The quarters shown in the chart are according to the calendar year (January to December). Businesses set their own financial calendar, known as a fiscal year. For example, Walmart ends their financial year at the end of January to accommodate the holiday season.

Risk Highlights Q3, 2024

Main Risk Category

Finance & Corporate

With 12 Risks

Finance & Corporate

With 12 Risks

Number of Disclosed Risks

From last report

S&P 500 Average: 31

From last report

S&P 500 Average: 31

Recent Changes

1Risks added

0Risks removed

1Risks changed

Since Sep 2024

1Risks added

0Risks removed

1Risks changed

Since Sep 2024

Number of Risk Changed

From last report

S&P 500 Average: 3

From last report

S&P 500 Average: 3

See the risk highlights of Perma-Fix in the last period.

Risk Word Cloud

The most common phrases about risk factors from the most recent report. Larger texts indicate more widely used phrases.

Risk Factors Full Breakdown - Total Risks 39

Finance & Corporate

Total Risks: 12/39 (31%)Below Sector Average

Share Price & Shareholder Rights3 | 7.7%

Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1

Issuance of substantial amounts of our common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the "Common Stock") could depress our stock price or dilute the percentage ownership of our Common Stockholders.

Any sales of substantial amounts of our Common Stock in the public market could cause an adverse effect on the market price of our Common Stock and could impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities. The issuance of our Common Stock will result in the dilution in the percentage membership interest of our stockholders and the dilution in ownership value. As of December 31, 2023, we had 13,646,559 shares of Common Stock outstanding. In addition, as of December 31, 2023, we had outstanding options to purchase 994,500 shares of our Common Stock at exercise prices ranging from $3.15 to $9.81 per share and an outstanding warrant to purchase 30,000 shares of our Common Stock at exercise price of $3.51 per share. Future sales of the shares issuable could also depress the market price of our Common Stock.

Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2

The price of our Common Stock may fluctuate significantly, which may make it difficult for our stockholders to resell our Common Stock when a stockholder wants or at prices a stockholder finds attractive.

The price of our Common Stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market constantly fluctuates. We expect that the market price of our Common Stock will continue to fluctuate. This may make it difficult for our stockholders to resell the Common Stock when a stockholder wants or at prices a stockholder finds attractive.

Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 3

Delaware law, certain of our charter provisions, our stock option plans, outstanding warrants and our Preferred Stock may inhibit a change of control under circumstances that could give you an opportunity to realize a premium over prevailing market prices.

We are a Delaware corporation governed by the General Corporation Law of Delaware, an anti-takeover law. In general, Section 203 prohibits a Delaware public corporation from engaging in a "business combination" with an "interested stockholder" for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder, unless the business combination is approved in a prescribed manner. As a result of Section 203, potential acquirers may be discouraged from attempting to effect acquisition transactions with us, thereby possibly depriving our security holders of certain opportunities to sell, or otherwise dispose of, such securities at above-market prices pursuant to such transactions. Further, certain of our option plans provide for the immediate acceleration of, and removal of restrictions from, options and other awards under such plans upon a "change of control" (as defined in the respective plans). Such provisions may also have the result of discouraging acquisition of us. At December 31, 2023, out of 30,000,000 shares of our Common Stock authorized, we had 13,646,559 shares of common stock outstanding and 7,642 shares of treasury stock. In addition, at December 31, 2023, we had outstanding options to purchase 994,500 shares of our common stock at exercise prices ranging from $3.15 to $9.81 per share, and an outstanding warrant to purchase 30,000 shares of our Common Stock at an exercise price of $3.51 per share. Assuming the issuance of the Common Stock underlying such options and warrant, at December 31, 2023, we had available for future issuance 15,321,299 shares of authorized and unissued Common Stock, and 2,000,000 shares of our preferred stock. Future sales of authorized and unissued shares could be used by our management to make it more difficult for, and thereby discourage, an attempt to acquire control of us.

Accounting & Financial Operations4 | 10.3%

Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 1

We may be unable to utilize loss carryforwards in future.

We have approximately $19,450,000 and $72,859,000 in net operating loss carryforwards for federal and state income tax purposes, respectively and expires in various amounts starting in 2023 if not used against future federal and state income tax liabilities, respectively. All of our federal net operating loss carryforwards were generated after December 31, 2017 and thus do not expire. Our net loss carryforwards are subject to various limitations. Our ability to use the net loss carryforwards depends on whether we are able to generate sufficient income in the future years. Further, our net loss carryforwards have not been audited or approved by the Internal Revenue Service.

Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 2

We do not intend to pay dividends on our Common Stock in the foreseeable future.

Since our inception, we have not paid cash dividends on our Common Stock, and we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Our credit facility prohibits us from paying cash dividends on our Common Stock without prior approval from our lender.

Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 3

Changed

Failure to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting or failure to remediate a material weakness in internal control over financial reporting could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, and stock price.

Maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting is necessary for us to produce reliable financial reports and is important in helping to prevent financial fraud. If we are unable to maintain adequate internal controls, our business and operating results could be harmed. We are required to satisfy the requirements of Section 404 of Sarbanes Oxley and the related rules of the Commission, which require, among other things, management to assess the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. In the period ended September 30, 2024, management identified a material weakness related to the precision level needed in order to properly evaluate the need for a valuation allowance on its U.S. deferred tax assets. This material weakness resulted in an income tax valuation adjustment recorded during the quarter. The necessary level of precision was not applied when evaluating the need for a valuation allowance. The error was corrected by management in the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements as of September 30, 2024, and for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024. The material weakness noted did not result in a material misstatement in our previously issued financial statements, nor in the financial statements included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. We have implemented a plan to remediate this material weakness. If we are unable to maintain adequate internal control over financial reporting and/or remediate any material weakness identified, there is a reasonable possibility that a misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected in a timely manner. If we cannot produce reliable financial reports, investors could lose confidence in our reported financial information, the market price of our Common Stock could decline significantly, and our business, financial condition, and reputation could be harmed.

Accounting & Financial Operations - Risk 4

Added

We have sustained losses during 2024.

The Company sustained substantial losses during the first nine months of 2024. We believe that our results of operations should substantially improve in 2025. If, however, we fail to become profitable on an annualized basis in the foreseeable future, this could have a material adverse effect on our operations, credit facility, liquidity and potential growth. The following additional Risk Factor under "General Risk Factors" is as follows:

Debt & Financing5 | 12.8%

Debt & Financing - Risk 1

We are a holding company and depend, in large part, on receiving funds from our subsidiaries to fund our indebtedness.

Because we are a holding company and operations are conducted through our subsidiaries, our ability to meet our obligations depends, in large part, on the operating performance and cash flows of our subsidiaries.

Debt & Financing - Risk 2

Failure to maintain our financial assurance coverage that we are required to have in order to operate our permitted treatment, storage and disposal facilities could have a material adverse effect on us.

We maintain finite risk insurance policies and bonding mechanisms which provide financial assurance to the applicable states for our permitted facilities in the event of unforeseen closure of those facilities. We are required to provide and to maintain financial assurance that guarantees to the state that in the event of closure, our permitted facilities will be closed in accordance with the regulations. In the event that we are unable to obtain or maintain our financial assurance coverage for any reason, this could materially impact our operations and our permits which we are required to have in order to operate our treatment, storage, and disposal facilities.

Debt & Financing - Risk 3

Breach of any of the covenants in our credit facility could result in a default, triggering repayment of outstanding debt under the credit facility and the termination of our credit facility.

Our credit facility with our bank contains financial covenants. A breach of any of these covenants could result in a default under our credit facility triggering our lender to immediately require the repayment of all outstanding debt under our credit facility and terminate all commitments to extend further credit. We were not required to perform testing of our fixed charge coverage ratio ("FCCR") in the first quarter of 2023 but otherwise met all of our other financial covenant requirements. We met all of our covenant requirements in each of the remaining quarters of 2023. In the past, when we failed to meet our minimum FCCR requirement in certain instances, our lender has either waived these instances of non-compliance or provided certain amendments to our FCCR requirements which enabled us to meet our quarterly FCCR requirements. Also, our lender has in the past waived our FCCR testing requirement in certain quarters. If we fail to meet any of our financial covenants going forward, including the minimum quarterly FCCR requirement, and our lender does not waive the non-compliance or revise our covenant requirement so that we are in compliance, our lender could accelerate the payment of our borrowings under our credit facility and terminate our credit facility. In such event, we may not have sufficient liquidity to repay our debt under our credit facility and other indebtedness and/or operate our business.

Debt & Financing - Risk 4

Inability to borrow under our credit facility could adversely affect our operations.

The maximum we can borrow under the revolving part of our credit facility is based on a percentage of the amount of our eligible receivables outstanding at any one time reduced by outstanding standby letters of credit and any borrowing reduction that our lender has or may impose from time to time. As of December 31, 2023, we had no borrowing under the revolving part of our credit facility and borrowing availability of up to an additional $10,622,000, which included our cash (deposited with our lender) and was based on our eligible receivables and was net of approximately $3,950,000 in outstanding standby letters of credit and a $750,000 indefinite reduction in borrowing availability that our lender imposed. A lack of positive operating results could have material adverse consequences on our ability to operate our business. Our ability to make principal and interest payments, to refinance indebtedness, and borrow under our credit facility will depend on both our and our subsidiaries' future operating performance and cash flow. Prevailing economic conditions, interest rate levels, and financial, competitive, business, and other factors affect us. Many of these factors are beyond our control.

Debt & Financing - Risk 5

If our financial and operating activities are limited, it could adversely affect our ability to incur additional debt to fund future needs.

We could, among other things, be: - required to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flow to the payment of principal and interest, thereby reducing the funds available for operations and future business opportunities; - make it more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations; - limit our ability to borrow additional money if needed for other purposes, including working capital, capital expenditures, debt service requirements, acquisitions and general corporate or other purposes, on satisfactory terms or at all; - limit our ability to adjust to changing economic, business and competitive conditions; - place us at a competitive disadvantage with competitors who may have less indebtedness or greater access to financing; - make us more vulnerable to an increase in interest rates, a downturn in our operating performance or a decline in general economic conditions; and - make us more susceptible to changes in credit ratings, which could impact our ability to obtain financing in the future and increase the cost of such financing. Any of the foregoing could adversely impact our operating results, financial condition, and liquidity. Our ability to continue our operations depends on our ability to generate profitable operations or complete equity or debt financings to increase our capital.

Legal & Regulatory

Total Risks: 9/39 (23%)Above Sector Average

Regulation4 | 10.3%

Regulation - Risk 1

We may not be successful in winning new business mandates from our government, commercial or international customers.

We must be successful in winning mandates from our government, commercial and international customers to replace revenues from projects that we have completed or that are nearing completion and to increase our revenues. Our business and operating results can be adversely affected by the size and timing of a single material contract.

Regulation - Risk 2

If any of our permits, other intangible assets, and tangible assets becomes impaired, we may be required to record significant charges to earnings.

Under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States ("U.S. GAAP"), we review our intangible and tangible assets for impairment when events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value may not be recoverable. Our permits are tested for impairment at least annually. Factors that may be considered a change in circumstances, indicating that the carrying value of our permit, other intangible assets, and tangible assets may not be recoverable, include a decline in stock price and market capitalization, reduced future cash flow estimates, and slower growth rates in our industry. We may be required, in the future, to record impairment charges in our financial statements, in which any impairment of our permit, other intangible assets and tangible assets is determined. Such impairment charges could negatively impact our results of operations.

Regulation - Risk 3

As a government contractor, we are subject to extensive government regulation, and our failure to comply with applicable regulations could subject us to penalties that may restrict our ability to conduct our business.

Our governmental contracts or subcontracts relating to DOE and DOD sites, are a significant part of our business. Allowable costs under U.S. government contracts are subject to audit by the U.S. government. If these audits result in determinations that costs claimed as reimbursable are not allowed costs or were not allocated in accordance with applicable regulations, we could be required to reimburse the U.S. government for amounts previously received. Governmental contracts or subcontracts involving governmental facilities are often subject to specific procurement regulations, contract provisions and a variety of other requirements relating to the formation, administration, performance and accounting of these contracts. Many of these contracts include express or implied certifications of compliance with applicable regulations and contractual provisions. If we fail to comply with any regulations, requirements or statutes, our existing governmental contracts or subcontracts involving governmental facilities could be terminated or we could be suspended from government contracting or subcontracting. If one or more of our governmental contracts or subcontracts are terminated for any reason, or if we are suspended or debarred from government work, we could suffer a significant reduction in expected revenues and profits. Furthermore, as a result of our governmental contracts or subcontracts involving governmental facilities, claims for civil or criminal fraud may be brought by the government or violations of these regulations, requirements or statutes.

Regulation - Risk 4

If we cannot maintain our governmental permits or cannot obtain required permits, we may not be able to continue or expand our operations.

We are a nuclear services and waste management company. Our business is subject to extensive, evolving, and increasingly stringent federal, state, and local environmental laws and regulations. Such federal, state, and local environmental laws and regulations govern our activities regarding the treatment, storage, recycling, disposal, and transportation of hazardous and non-hazardous waste and low-level radioactive waste. We must obtain and maintain permits or licenses to conduct these activities in compliance with such laws and regulations. Failure to obtain and maintain the required permits or licenses would have a material adverse effect on our operations and financial condition. If any of our facilities are unable to maintain currently held permits or licenses or obtain any additional permits or licenses which may be required to conduct its operations, we may not be able to continue those operations at these facilities, which could have a material adverse effect on us.

Litigation & Legal Liabilities2 | 5.1%

Litigation & Legal Liabilities - Risk 1

As our operations expand, we may be subject to increased litigation, which could have a negative impact on our future financial results.

Our operations are highly regulated and we are subject to numerous laws and regulations regarding procedures for waste treatment, storage, recycling, transportation, and disposal activities, all of which may provide the basis for litigation against us. In recent years, the waste treatment industry has experienced a significant increase in so-called "toxic-tort" litigation as those injured by contamination seek to recover for personal injuries or property damage. We believe that, as our operations and activities expand, there will be a similar increase in the potential for litigation alleging that we have violated environmental laws or regulations or are responsible for contamination or pollution caused by our normal operations, negligence or other misconduct, or for accidents, which occur in the course of our business activities. Such litigation, if significant and not adequately insured against, could adversely affect our financial condition and our ability to fund our operations. Protracted litigation would likely cause us to spend significant amounts of our time, effort, and money. This could prevent our management from focusing on our operations and expansion.

Litigation & Legal Liabilities - Risk 2

The elimination or any modification of the Price-Anderson Acts indemnification authority could have adverse consequences for our business.

The Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, or the AEA, comprehensively regulates the manufacture, use, and storage of radioactive materials. The Price-Anderson Act ("PAA") supports the nuclear services industry by offering broad indemnification to DOE contractors for liabilities arising out of nuclear incidents at DOE nuclear facilities. That indemnification protects DOE prime contractor, but also similar companies that work under contract or subcontract for a DOE prime contract or transporting radioactive material to or from a site. The indemnification authority of the DOE under the PAA was extended through 2025 by the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Under certain conditions, the PAA's indemnification provisions may not apply to our processing of radioactive waste at governmental facilities, and may not apply to liabilities that we might incur while performing services as a contractor for the DOE and the nuclear energy industry. If an incident or evacuation is not covered under PAA indemnification, we could be held liable for damages, regardless of fault, which could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. If such indemnification authority is not applicable in the future, our business could be adversely affected if the owners and operators of new facilities fail to retain our services in the absence of commercial adequate insurance and indemnification.

Environmental / Social3 | 7.7%

Environmental / Social - Risk 1

If environmental regulation or enforcement is relaxed, the demand for our services could decrease.

The demand for our services is substantially dependent upon the public's concern with, and the continuation and proliferation of, the laws and regulations governing the treatment, storage, recycling, and disposal of hazardous, non-hazardous, and low-level radioactive waste. A decrease in the level of public concern, the repeal or modification of these laws, or any significant relaxation of regulations relating to the treatment, storage, recycling, and disposal of hazardous waste and low-level radioactive waste could significantly reduce the demand for our services and could have a material adverse effect on our operations and financial condition. We are not aware of any current federal or state government or agency efforts in which a moratorium or limitation has been, or will be, placed upon the creation of new hazardous or radioactive waste regulations that would have a material adverse effect on us; however, no assurance can be made that such a moratorium or limitation will not be implemented in the future.

Environmental / Social - Risk 2

Our businesses subject us to substantial potential environmental liability.

Our business of rendering services in connection with management of waste, including certain types of hazardous waste, low-level radioactive waste, and mixed waste (waste containing both hazardous and low-level radioactive waste), subjects us to risks of liability for damages. Such liability could involve, without limitation: - claims for clean-up costs, personal injury or damage to the environment in cases in which we are held responsible for the release of hazardous or radioactive materials; - claims of employees, customers, or third parties for personal injury or property damage occurring in the course of our operations; and - claims alleging negligence or professional errors or omissions in the planning or performance of our services. Our operations are subject to numerous environmental laws and regulations. We have in the past, and could in the future, be subject to substantial fines, penalties, and sanctions for violations of environmental laws and substantial expenditures as a responsible party for the cost of remediating any property which may be contaminated by hazardous substances generated by us and disposed at such property, or transported by us to a site selected by us, including properties we own or lease.

Environmental / Social - Risk 3

Changes in environmental regulations and enforcement policies could subject us to additional liability and adversely affect our ability to continue certain operations.

We cannot predict the extent to which our operations may be affected by future governmental enforcement policies as applied to existing environmental laws, by changes to current environmental laws and regulations, or by the enactment of new environmental laws and regulations. Any predictions regarding possible liability under such laws are complicated further by current environmental laws which provide that we could be liable, jointly and severally, for certain activities of third parties over whom we have limited or no control.

Production

Total Risks: 7/39 (18%)Below Sector Average

Manufacturing3 | 7.7%

Manufacturing - Risk 1

Adequate bonding is necessary for us to win certain types of new work and support facility closure requirements.

We are often required to provide performance bonds to customers under certain of our contracts, primarily within our Services Segment. These surety instruments indemnify the customer if we fail to perform our obligations under the contract. If a bond is required for a particular project and we are unable to obtain it due to insufficient liquidity or other reasons, we may not be able to pursue that project. In addition, we provide bonds to support financial assurance in the event of facility closure pursuant to state requirements. We currently have a bonding facility but, the issuance of bonds under that facility is at the surety's sole discretion. Moreover, due to events that affect the insurance and bonding markets generally, bonding may be more difficult to obtain in the future or may only be available at significant additional cost. There can be no assurance that bonds will continue to be available to us on reasonable terms. Our inability to obtain adequate bonding and, as a result, to bid on new work could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Manufacturing - Risk 2

Our Treatment Segment has limited end disposal sites to utilize to dispose of its waste which could significantly impact our results of operations.

Our Treatment Segment has limited options available for disposal of our nuclear waste. Currently, there are only four commercial disposal sites for our low-level radioactive waste and six commercial disposal sites for our very low-level activity waste we receive from non-governmental sites, allowing us to take advantage of the pricing competition between these sites. If one or more of these commercial disposal sites ceases to accept waste or closes for any reason or refuses to accept the waste of our Treatment Segment, for any reason, we would have limited remaining site to dispose of our nuclear waste. With limited end disposal site to dispose of our waste, we could be subject to significantly increased costs which could negatively impact our results of operations.

Manufacturing - Risk 3

Our failure to maintain our safety record could have an adverse effect on our business.

Our safety record is critical to our reputation. In addition, many of our government and commercial customers require that we maintain certain specified safety record guidelines to be eligible to bid for contracts with these customers. Furthermore, contract terms may provide for automatic termination in the event that our safety record fails to adhere to agreed-upon guidelines during performance of the contract. As a result, our failure to maintain our safety record could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Employment / Personnel1 | 2.6%

Employment / Personnel - Risk 1

General Risk Factors Loss of certain key personnel could have a material adverse effect on us.

Our success depends on the contributions of our key management, environmental and engineering personnel. Our future success depends on our ability to retain and expand our staff of qualified personnel, including environmental specialists and technicians, sales personnel, and engineers. Without qualified personnel, we may incur delays in rendering our services or be unable to render certain services. We cannot be certain that we will be successful in our efforts to attract and retain qualified personnel as their availability is limited due to the demand for hazardous waste management services and the highly competitive nature of the hazardous waste management industry. We do not maintain key person insurance on any of our employees, officers, or directors.

Costs3 | 7.7%

Costs - Risk 1

Third party expectations relating to ESG factors may impose additional costs and expose us and our clients to new risks.

There is an increasing focus from certain investors and certain of our customers, and other stakeholders concerning corporate responsibility, specifically related to ESG factors. Some investors may use these factors to guide their investment strategies and, in some cases, may choose not to invest in us, or otherwise do business with us, if they believe our policies relating to corporate responsibility are inadequate or do not align with theirs. Third party providers of corporate responsibility ratings and reports on companies have increased in number, resulting in varied standards. In addition, the criteria by which companies' corporate responsibility practices are assessed are evolving, which could result in greater expectations of us and cause us to undertake costly initiatives to satisfy such new criteria. Alternatively, if we elect not to or are unable to satisfy such new criteria or do not meet the criteria of a specific third-party provider, some investors may conclude that our policies with respect to corporate responsibility are inadequate. We may face reputational damage in the event that our corporate responsibility procedures or standards do not meet the standards set by various constituencies. If we fail to satisfy the expectations of investors, our customers and other stakeholders or our initiatives are not executed as planned, our reputation and financial results could be adversely affected and our revenues, results of operations and ability to grow our business may be negatively impacted. Additionally, new legislative or regulatory initiatives related to ESG could adversely affect our business.

Costs - Risk 2

If we cannot maintain adequate insurance coverage, we will be unable to continue certain operations.

Our business exposes us to various risks, including claims for causing damage to property and injuries to persons that may involve allegations of negligence or professional errors or omissions in the performance of our services. Such claims could be substantial. We believe that our insurance coverage is presently adequate and similar to, or greater than, the coverage maintained by other companies in the industry of our size. If we are unable to obtain adequate or required insurance coverage in the future, or if our insurance is not available at affordable rates, we would violate our permit conditions and other requirements of the environmental laws, rules, and regulations under which we operate. Such violations would render us unable to continue certain of our operations. These events would have a material adverse effect on our financial condition.

Costs - Risk 3

We bear the risk of cost overruns in fixed-price contracts. We may experience reduced profits or, in some cases, losses under these contracts if costs increase above our estimates.

Our revenues may be earned under contracts that are fixed-price or maximum price in nature. Fixed-price contracts expose us to a number of risks not inherent in cost-reimbursable contracts. Under fixed price and guaranteed maximum-price contracts, contract prices are established in part on cost and scheduling estimates which are based on a number of assumptions, including assumptions about future economic conditions, prices and availability of labor, equipment and materials, and other exigencies. If these estimates prove inaccurate, or if circumstances change such as unanticipated technical problems, difficulties in obtaining permits or approvals, changes in laws or labor conditions, supply chain interruptions, weather delays, cost of raw materials, our suppliers' or subcontractors' inability to perform, and/or other events beyond our control, such as the impact of public health events, cost overruns may occur and we could experience reduced profits or, in some cases, a loss for that project. Errors or ambiguities as to contract specifications can also lead to cost-overruns.

Ability to Sell

Total Risks: 5/39 (13%)Below Sector Average

Competition1 | 2.6%

Competition - Risk 1

We are engaged in highly competitive businesses and typically must bid against other competitors to obtain major contracts.

We are engaged in highly competitive business in which most of our government contracts and some of our commercial contracts are awarded through competitive bidding processes. We compete with national, regional firms and some international firms with nuclear and/or hazardous waste services practices, as well as small or local contractors. Some of our competitors have greater financial and other resources than we do, which can give them a competitive advantage. In addition, even if we are qualified to work on a new government contract, we might not be awarded the contract because of existing government policies designed to protect certain types of businesses and under-represented minority contractors. Although we believe we have the ability to certify and bid government contract as a small business, there are a number of qualified small businesses in our market that will provide intense competition. For international business, which we continue to focus on, there are additional competitors, many from within the country the work is to be performed, making winning work in foreign countries more challenging. Competition places downward pressure on our contract prices and profit margins. If we are unable to meet these competitive challenges, we could lose market share and experience on overall reduction in our profits.

Demand4 | 10.3%

Demand - Risk 1

Our operations are subject to seasonal factors, which cause our revenues to fluctuate.

We have historically experienced reduced revenues and losses during the first and fourth quarters of our fiscal years due to a seasonal slowdown in operations from poor weather conditions, overall reduced activities during these periods resulting from holiday periods, and finalization of government budgets during the fourth quarter of each year. During our second and third fiscal quarters there has historically been an increase in revenues and operating profits. If we do not continue to have increased revenues and profitability during the second and third fiscal quarters, this could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and liquidity.

Demand - Risk 2

The loss of one or a few customers could have an adverse effect on us.

One or a few governmental customers or governmental related customers have in the past, and may in the future, account for a significant portion of our revenue in any one year or over a period of several consecutive years. Because customers generally contract with us for specific projects, we may lose these significant customers from year to year as their projects with us are completed. Our inability to replace the business with other similar significant projects could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Demand - Risk 3

Our existing and future customers may reduce or halt their spending on hazardous waste and nuclear services with outside vendors, including us.

A variety of factors may cause our existing or future customers (including government clients) to reduce or halt their spending on hazardous waste and nuclear services from outside vendors, including us. These factors include, but are not limited to: - accidents, terrorism, natural disasters or other incidents occurring at nuclear facilities or involving shipments of nuclear materials; - failure of government to approve necessary budgets, or to reduce the amount of the budget necessary, to fund remediation sites, including DOE and DOD sites; - government shut-downs; - civic opposition to or changes in government policies regarding nuclear operations; - a reduction in demand for nuclear generating capacity; or - failure to perform under existing contracts, directly or indirectly, with the government. These events could result in or cause government clients to terminate or cancel existing contracts involving us to treat, store or dispose of contaminated waste and/or to perform remediation projects, at one or more of government sites. These events also could adversely affect us to the extent that they result in the reduction or elimination of contractual requirements, lower demand for nuclear services, burdensome regulation, disruptions of shipments or production, increased operational costs or difficulties or increased liability for actual or threatened property damage or personal injury.

Demand - Risk 4

The inability to maintain existing government contracts or win new government contracts over an extended period could have a material adverse effect on our operations and adversely affect our future revenues.

A material amount of our Treatment and Services Segments' revenues are generated through various government contracts or subcontracts. Most of our government contracts or our subcontracts granted under government contracts are awarded through a regulated competitive bidding process. Some government contracts are awarded to multiple competitors, which increase overall competition and pricing pressure and may require us to make sustained post-award efforts to realize revenues under these government contracts. Contracts with, or subcontracts involving, the U.S federal government are generally terminable for convenience at any time at the option of the governmental agency. The multi-year contract that was awarded to us and our JV partner, Campoverde Srl, by the European Commission (the "Contracting Authority") on December 18, 2023, for the treatment of radioactive waste from the Joint Research Center in Ispra, Italy as discussed previously may be terminated by the Contracting Authority under certain conditions as set forth in the contract. If we fail to maintain or replace these relationships, or if a material contract is terminated or renegotiated in a manner that is materially adverse to us, our revenues and future operations could be materially adversely affected.

Macro & Political

Total Risks: 4/39 (10%)Below Sector Average

Economy & Political Environment2 | 5.1%

Economy & Political Environment - Risk 1

Economic downturns, reductions in government funding or other events beyond our control could have a material negative impact on our businesses.

Demand for our services has been, and we expect that demand will continue to be, subject to significant fluctuations due to a variety of factors beyond our control, including, without limitation, economic conditions, reductions in the budget for spending to remediate federal sites due to numerous reasons including, without limitation, the substantial deficits that the federal government has and is continuing to incur. During economic downturns, large budget deficits that the federal government and many states are experiencing, and other events beyond our control, including, but not limited to the impact from public health events (such as COVID-19), the ability of private and government entities to spend on waste services, including nuclear services, may decline significantly. Our operations depend, in large part, upon governmental funding (for example, the annual budget of the DOE) or specifically mandated levels for different programs that are important to our business could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial position, results of operations and cash flow.

Economy & Political Environment - Risk 2

We and our customers operate in a politically sensitive environment, and the public perception of nuclear power and radioactive materials can affect our customers and us.

We and our customers operate in a politically sensitive environment. Opposition by third parties to particular projects can limit the handling and disposal of radioactive materials. Adverse public reaction to developments in the disposal of radioactive materials, including any high-profile incident involving the discharge of radioactive materials, could directly affect our customers and indirectly affect our business. Adverse public reaction also could lead to increased regulation or outright prohibition, limitations on the activities of our customers, more onerous operating requirements or other conditions that could have a material adverse impact on our customers' and our business.

Natural and Human Disruptions2 | 5.1%

Natural and Human Disruptions - Risk 1

Direct and indirect macroeconomic impacts resulting from natural disasters, public health events and/or world conflicts in various regions could continue to and may in the future negatively impact our business and results of operations.

Public health threats and outbreaks such as COVID-19 and natural disasters such as hurricanes and severe weather conditions have previously negatively impacted our results of operations. The direct impacts of these such events resulted in delayed waste shipments from certain of our customers and delays in procurement, contract awards and planning on behalf of our government clients which negatively impacted our revenue. Residual and lingering macroeconomic effects from these such events could again in the future impact supply chain, workforce availability, and/or increased costs which could have a downward effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Additionally, world conflicts currently occurring in various regions may lead to similar macroeconomic effects which could have a downward effect on our business, financial conditions and results of operations. We may attempt to increase our sales prices in order to maintain satisfactory margin; however, competitive pressures in our industry may have the effect of inhibiting our ability to reflect these increased costs in the prices of our services that we provide to our customers and therefore reduce our profitability.

Natural and Human Disruptions - Risk 2

Climate change could negatively impact the Company's operations and financial condition.

Climate change may present both immediate and long-term risks to the Company and our customers and these risks may increase over time. Climate risks can arise from both physical risks (those risks related to the physical effects of climate change) and transition risks (risks related to governmental regulatory requirements, legal technology, market and reputational changes from a transition to a low carbon economy). Climate change could have a material, adverse effect on environmental companies like ours that are involved in the treatment, disposal and other services related to hazardous waste, radioactive waste and/or mixed (waste that contain both hazardous and radioactive) waste by changing or restricting how we perform our services or what services we can perform or taking action that materially increases our costs to do business in order to regulate or reduce climate change.

Tech & Innovation

Total Risks: 2/39 (5%)Below Sector Average

Trade Secrets1 | 2.6%

Trade Secrets - Risk 1

We believe our proprietary technology is important to us.

We believe that it is important that we maintain our proprietary technologies. There can be no assurance that our steps to protect our proprietary technologies will be adequate to prevent misappropriation of these technologies by third parties. Such misappropriation could adversely effect our operations and financial condition. Changes to current environmental laws and regulations also could limit the use of our proprietary technology.

Cyber Security1 | 2.6%

Cyber Security - Risk 1

Systems failures, interruptions or breaches of security and other cybersecurity risks could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

We are subject to certain operational risks to our information systems. Because of efforts on the part of computer hackers and cyberterrorists to breach data security of companies, we face risk associated with potential failures to adequately protect critical corporate, customer and employee data. As part of our business, we develop and retain confidential data about us and our customers, including the U.S. government. We also rely on the services of a variety of vendors to meet our data processing and communications needs. Despite our implemented security measures and established policies, we cannot be certain that all of our systems are entirely free from vulnerability to attack or other technological difficulties or failures or failures on the part of our employees to follow our established security measures and policies. Information security risks have increased significantly. Our technologies, systems, and networks may become the target of cyber-attacks, computer viruses, malicious code, or information security breaches that could result in the unauthorized release, gathering, monitoring, misuse, loss or destruction of our or our customers' confidential, proprietary and other information and the disruption of our business operations. A security breach could adversely impact our customer relationships, reputation and operations, result in violations of applicable privacy and other laws and/or financial loss to us or to our customers or to our employees, and similar litigation exposure. While we maintain a system of internal controls and procedures, any breach, attack, or failure as discussed above could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations or liquidity. There is also an increasing attention on the importance of cybersecurity relating to infrastructure. This creates the potential for future developments in regulations relating to cybersecurity that may adversely impact us, our customers and how we offer our services to our customers.

See a full breakdown of risk according to category and subcategory. The list starts with the category with the most risk. Click on subcategories to read relevant extracts from the most recent report.

FAQ

What are “Risk Factors”?

Risk factors are any situations or occurrences that could make investing in a company risky.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requires that publicly traded companies disclose their most significant risk factors. This is so that potential investors can consider any risks before they make an investment.

They also offer companies protection, as a company can use risk factors as liability protection. This could happen if a company underperforms and investors take legal action as a result.

It is worth noting that smaller companies, that is those with a public float of under $75 million on the last business day, do not have to include risk factors in their 10-K and 10-Q forms, although some may choose to do so.

How do companies disclose their risk factors?

Publicly traded companies initially disclose their risk factors to the SEC through their S-1 filings as part of the IPO process.

Additionally, companies must provide a complete list of risk factors in their Annual Reports (Form 10-K) or (Form 20-F) for “foreign private issuers”.

Quarterly Reports also include a section on risk factors (Form 10-Q) where companies are only required to update any changes since the previous report.

According to the SEC, risk factors should be reported concisely, logically and in “plain English” so investors can understand them.

How can I use TipRanks risk factors in my stock research?

Use the Risk Factors tab to get data about the risk factors of any company in which you are considering investing.

You can easily see the most significant risks a company is facing. Additionally, you can find out which risk factors a company has added, removed or adjusted since its previous disclosure. You can also see how a company’s risk factors compare to others in its sector.

Without reading company reports or participating in conference calls, you would most likely not have access to this sort of information, which is usually not included in press releases or other public announcements.

A simplified analysis of risk factors is unique to TipRanks.

What are all the risk factor categories?

TipRanks has identified 6 major categories of risk factors and a number of subcategories for each. You can see how these categories are broken down in the list below.

1. Financial & Corporate

Accounting & Financial Operations - risks related to accounting loss, value of intangible assets, financial statements, value of intangible assets, financial reporting, estimates, guidance, company profitability, dividends, fluctuating results.
Share Price & Shareholder Rights – risks related to things that impact share prices and the rights of shareholders, including analyst ratings, major shareholder activity, trade volatility, liquidity of shares, anti-takeover provisions, international listing, dual listing.
Debt & Financing – risks related to debt, funding, financing and interest rates, financial investments.
Corporate Activity and Growth – risks related to restructuring, M&As, joint ventures, execution of corporate strategy, strategic alliances.

2. Legal & Regulatory

Litigation and Legal Liabilities – risks related to litigation/ lawsuits against the company.
Regulation – risks related to compliance, GDPR, and new legislation.
Environmental / Social – risks related to environmental regulation and to data privacy.
Taxation & Government Incentives – risks related to taxation and changes in government incentives.

3. Production

Costs – risks related to costs of production including commodity prices, future contracts, inventory.
Supply Chain – risks related to the company’s suppliers.
Manufacturing – risks related to the company’s manufacturing process including product quality and product recalls.
Human Capital – risks related to recruitment, training and retention of key employees, employee relationships & unions labor disputes, pension, and post retirement benefits, medical, health and welfare benefits, employee misconduct, employee litigation.

4. Technology & Innovation

Innovation / R&D – risks related to innovation and new product development.
Technology – risks related to the company’s reliance on technology.
Cyber Security – risks related to securing the company’s digital assets and from cyber attacks.
Trade Secrets & Patents – risks related to the company’s ability to protect its intellectual property and to infringement claims against the company as well as piracy and unlicensed copying.

5. Ability to Sell

Demand – risks related to the demand of the company’s goods and services including seasonality, reliance on key customers.
Competition – risks related to the company’s competition including substitutes.
Sales & Marketing – risks related to sales, marketing, and distribution channels, pricing, and market penetration.
Brand & Reputation – risks related to the company’s brand and reputation.

6. Macro & Political

Economy & Political Environment – risks related to changes in economic and political conditions.
Natural and Human Disruptions – risks related to catastrophes, floods, storms, terror, earthquakes, coronavirus pandemic/COVID-19.
International Operations – risks related to the global nature of the company.
Capital Markets – risks related to exchange rates and trade, cryptocurrency.

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