Applied Digital Corp. 10-Q

Item 1A. Risk Factors The following risk factors supplement the Risk Factors disclosed in Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2022. We have not yet determined if or when we may elect to be taxed as a REIT. Our board of directors (the “Board”) has not yet determined whether we will elect to be taxed as a REIT and/or when any such election would be effective. In addition, even if we do make an election to be taxed as a REIT, our Board may revoke or otherwise terminate the REIT election of the Company, without the approval of holders of the common stock, if the board determines that it is no longer in the best interest of the stockholders to continue to qualify as a REIT. We can make no assurance that we will ever elect to be taxed as a REIT or, if we do make such an election, that such REIT election will be in place during a stockholder’s entire holding period of our stock. Our Board’s broad discretion in setting policies and our stockholders’ inability to exert control over those policies increases the uncertainty and risks our stockholders face. Our qualification as a REIT will depend upon our ability to meet requirements regarding our organization and ownership, distributions of our income, the nature and diversification of our income and assets, and other tests imposed by the Code. If we fail to quality as a REIT after electing to be taxed as a REIT, we would generally be disqualified from qualifying as a REIT for the four taxable years following the year of losing our REIT status. Losing our REIT status would reduce our net earnings available for investment or distribution to stockholders because of the additional tax liability. To qualify for REIT status, we must meet a number of organizational and operational requirements, including a requirement that we annually distribute at least 90% of our REIT taxable income, determined without regard for any deduction for distributions paid and excluding any net capital gain to our stockholders. If we do not qualify as a REIT (either because we choose not to elect to be taxed as a REIT or because we failed to so qualify after having made a REIT election), this would reduce our net earnings available for distribution and would adversely affect the timing, amount, and character of distributions to our common stockholders. If we do not elect to be taxed as a REIT or fail to maintain REIT status, we will continue to be subject to federal income tax at regular corporate rates. If we elect REIT status, the REIT ownership and distribution requirements may inhibit opportunities or have an impact on the Company. If we elect to be taxed as a REIT, then in order to qualify as a REIT, we must satisfy certain tests on an ongoing basis concerning, among other things, ownership requirements, the sources of our income, nature of our assets, and the amounts we distribute to our stockholders. For example, in order for us to qualify as a REIT, not more than 50% in value of our outstanding shares of stock may be owned, directly or indirectly, by five or fewer individuals (as defined in the Code to include certain entities) at any time during the last half of each taxable year after the first year for which we elect to qualify as a REIT. Additionally, at least 100 persons must beneficially own our stock during at least 335 days of a taxable year (other than the first taxable year for which we elect to be taxed as a REIT). Additionally, as typical for REITs, our Board would likely pursue an amendment of our Articles to restrict any person from owning more than 9.8% by value of our outstanding capital stock. These ownership limits could delay or prevent a transaction or a change in control of our company that might involve a premium price for our shares of common stock or otherwise be in the best interest of our stockholders. If we elect to be taxed as a REIT and we do not have other funds available to make distributions sufficient to enable us to pay out enough of our taxable income to satisfy the REIT distribution requirement, we could be 27 subject to corporate income tax and the 4% excise tax in a particular year. To qualify as a REIT, we must not have any non-REIT accumulated earnings and profits, as measured for U.S. federal income tax purposes, at the end of any REIT taxable year. Such non-REIT earnings and profits generally will include any accumulated earnings and profits of any corporations acquired by us (or whose assets we acquire), which, for this purpose, would include any earnings and profits we have in a taxable year in which we were taxed as a C corporation prior to the taxable year in which our REIT election is effective. We maintain cash deposits in excess of federally insured limits. Adverse developments affecting financial institutions, including bank failures, could adversely affect our liquidity and financial performance. We regularly maintain domestic cash deposits in Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) insured banks that exceed the FDIC insurance limits. Bank failures, events involving limited liquidity, defaults, non-performance or other adverse developments that affect financial institutions, or concerns or rumors about such events, may lead to liquidity constraints. For example, on March 10, 2023, Silicon Valley Bank failed and was taken into receivership by the FDIC. The failure of a bank, or other adverse conditions in the financial or credit markets impacting financial institutions at which we maintain balances, could adversely impact our liquidity and financial performance. There can be no assurance that our deposits in excess of the FDIC or other comparable insurance limits will be backstopped by the U.S., or that any bank or financial institution with which we do business will be able to obtain needed liquidity from other banks, government institutions or by acquisition in the event of a failure or liquidity crisis. Accounting for our power purchase agreements could cause variability in the results we report. With respect to certain of our power purchase agreements, it is both possible and probable that we will net settle them, meaning that we have the ability and intent to sell power back into the grid in lieu of taking full physical delivery of all of the contracted power. Accordingly, these agreements will meet the definition of an accounting derivative. This means that these agreements will be accounted for at fair value at each quarterly measurement period, and these values may fluctuate significantly. As a result, our consolidated financial statements and results of operations may fluctuate quarterly based on factors outside of our control. We could have substantial variability in our financial results and disclosures, which, if material, could affect our operating results and in turn could impact our stock price. Investors should consider such derivative accounting matters when evaluating our financial results Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds None. Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities Not applicable. Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures Not applicable.