MALIBU BOATS, INC. 10-K

Item 1A. Risk Factors The following describes the risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those presented in our forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face but do represent those risks and uncertainties that we believe are material to us. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also harm our business. Risks Related to our Business and Operations We may not be able to execute our manufacturing strategy successfully, which could cause the profitability of our products to suffer. Our manufacturing strategy is designed to improve product quality and increase productivity, while reducing costs and increasing flexibility to respond to ongoing changes in the marketplace. To implement this strategy, we must be successful in our continuous improvement efforts, which depend on the involvement of management, production employees and suppliers. Any inability to achieve our objectives under our manufacturing strategy could adversely impact the profitability of our products and our ability to deliver desirable products to our consumers. We have a large fixed cost base that will affect our profitability if our sales decrease. The fixed cost levels of operating a recreational powerboat manufacturer can put pressure on profit margins when sales and production decline. Our profitability depends, in part, on our ability to spread fixed costs over a sufficiently large number of products sold and shipped, and if we make a decision to reduce our rate of production, gross or net margins could be negatively affected. Consequently, decreased demand or the need to reduce production can lower our ability to absorb fixed costs and materially impact our financial condition or results of operations. Our financial results may be adversely affected by our third-party suppliers ’ increased costs or inability to meet required production levels due to changing demand or global supply chain disruptions. We rely on a global supply chain of third parties to supply raw materials used in our manufacturing process, including resins, fiberglass, and vinyl, as well as parts and components. The prices for these raw materials, parts, and components fluctuate depending on market conditions and, in some instances, commodity prices or trade policies, including tariffs. Substantial increases in the prices of raw materials, parts, and components would increase our operating costs, and could reduce our profitability if we are unable to recoup the increased costs through higher product prices or improved operating efficiencies. Our profitability in recent years has been, and in the future may be, affected by significant fluctuations in the prices of the raw materials and commodities that we use in our products and in the cost of freight and shipping of source materials, commodities, and other component parts necessary to assemble our products. Our ability to maintain production is dependent upon our suppliers delivering sufficient amounts of components, raw materials and parts on time to manufacture our products and meet our production schedules. Supply chain disruptions could occur for any number of factors, including facility closures due to labor disruptions, weather events, cyber intrusions, the occurrence of a contagious disease or illness, such as COVID-19, contractual or other disputes, unfavorable economic or industry conditions, political instability, delivery delays, performance problems, or financial difficulties of suppliers. These events could disrupt our suppliers’ operations and lead to uncertainty in our supply chain or cause supply disruptions for us, which could, in turn, disrupt our operations. For example, we have experienced supply chain disruptions beginning in fiscal year 2020 related to numerous factors, including COVID-19, severe weather events, labor shortages, ongoing domestic logistical constraints, West Coast port challenges and rising prices for our suppliers, in part due to inflationary pressures. In some instances, we purchase components, raw materials and parts that are ultimately derived from a single source or geographic area or a limited number of suppliers and we may therefore be at an increased risk for supply disruptions. It may be difficult to find a replacement supplier for a limited or sole source raw material, part, or component without significant delay or on commercially reasonable terms, and as a result, an exclusive supplier of a key component could potentially exert significant bargaining power over price, quality, warranty claims, or other terms. Some components used in our manufacturing processes, including engines, boat windshields, certain electrical components and gel coats are available from a sole supplier or a limited number of suppliers. We currently purchase engines from General Motors LLC, or General Motors, that we then prepare for marine use for certain Malibu, Axis and Cobalt boats, and we purchase outboard engines from Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A., or Yamaha, for a significant percentage of our Cobalt, Pursuit and Maverick Boats Group branded boats that are pre-rigged for outboard motors. We had agreements with Yamaha for the supply of outboard motors that expired on June 30, 2023. We are in discussions with Yamaha to extend those agreements and Yamaha has continued to supply outboard motors to us since those agreements expired. If we are required to replace either General Motors or Yamaha as an engine supplier for any reason, it could cause a decrease in boats available for sale or an increase in our cost of sales, either of which could adversely 14 Table of Contents affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In fiscal year 2020 we experienced interruption to our engine supply as a result of the United Auto Workers’ strike against General Motors. During the UAW strike, General Motors suspended delivery of engine blocks to us and we incurred $2.6 million in costs by entering into purchase agreements with two suppliers for additional engines to supplement our inventory of engine blocks for Malibu and Axis boats. Termination or interruption of informal supply arrangements could have a material adverse effect on our business or results of operations. Historically, we have not entered into long-term agreements with suppliers of our raw materials and components other than for our engines and outboard motors. Instead, we have informal supply arrangements with many of our suppliers of components, raw materials and parts. In the event of a termination of the supply arrangement, there can be no assurance that alternate supply arrangements will be made on satisfactory terms. If we need to enter into supply arrangements on unsatisfactory terms, or if there are any delays to our supply arrangements, it could adversely affect our business and operating results. Our ability to meet our manufacturing workforce’s needs is crucial to our results of operations and future sales and profitability. We rely on the existence of an available hourly workforce to manufacture our boats. We cannot assure you that we will be able to attract and retain qualified employees to meet current or future manufacturing needs at a reasonable cost, or at all. For instance, even when there are high unemployment rates in the regions where we have manufacturing facilities, we have had difficulty retaining skilled employees and could experience such difficulties in the future. Although none of our employees are currently covered by collective bargaining agreements, we cannot assure you that our employees will not elect to be represented by labor unions in the future. Additionally, competition for qualified employees could require us to pay higher wages to attract a sufficient number of employees. Significant increases in manufacturing workforce costs could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. The nature of our business exposes us to workers' compensation claims and other workplace liabilities. Certain materials that we use require our employees to handle potentially hazardous or toxic substances. While our employees who handle these and other potentially hazardous or toxic materials receive specialized training and wear protective clothing, there is still a risk that they, or others, may be exposed to these substances. Exposure to these substances could result in significant injury to our employees and damage to our property or the property of others, including natural resource damage. Our personnel are also at risk for other workplace-related injuries. We have in the past been, and may in the future be, subject to fines, penalties, and other liabilities in connection with any such injury or damage. While we have implemented safety precautions at our facilities to mitigate contagious diseases, such as a pandemic, we may also be subject to possible lawsuits or regulatory actions or suffer from reputational risk if we experience spread in our workplace. We may be unable to maintain insurance for these potential liabilities on acceptable terms or such insurance may not provide adequate protection against potential liabilities. We have grown our business through acquisitions; however we may not be successful in completing future acquisitions or integrating future acquisitions in a way that fully realizes their expected benefits to our business. A key part of our growth strategy, as shown by our acquisition of Maverick Boat Group in 2020, Pursuit in 2018, Cobalt in 2017 and our Australian licensee in 2014, has been to acquire other companies that expand our consumer base, enter new product categories or obtain other competitive advantages. We expect to continue to acquire companies as an element of our growth strategy; however, we may not be able to identify future acquisition candidates or strategic partners as part of our growth strategy that are suitable to our business, or we may not be able to obtain financing on satisfactory terms to complete such acquisitions. Acquisitions include a number of risks, including our ability to project and evaluate market demand, realize potential synergies and cost savings, and make accurate accounting estimates, as well as diversion of management attention. Uncertainties exist in assessing the value, risks, profitability, and liabilities associated with certain companies or assets, negotiating acceptable terms, obtaining financing on acceptable terms, and receiving any necessary regulatory approvals. As we continue to grow, in part, through acquisitions, our success depends on our ability to anticipate and effectively manage these risks. Our failure to successfully do so could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Further, our inability to successfully integrate future acquisitions within the intended time frames or at all could impede us from realizing all of the benefits of those acquisitions and could severely weaken our business operations. The integration process with any acquisition may disrupt our business and, if implemented ineffectively, may preclude realization of the full benefits expected by us and could harm our results of operations. In addition, the overall integration of the combining 15 Table of Contents companies may result in unanticipated problems, expenses, liabilities and competitive responses and may cause our stock price to decline. Even if the operations of an acquisition are integrated successfully, we may not realize the full benefits of the acquisition, including the synergies, cost savings or growth opportunities that we expect. Our growth strategy may require us to secure significant additional capital, the amount of which will depend upon the size, timing, and structure of future acquisitions or vertical integrations and our working capital and general corporate needs. Our growth strategy includes the possible acquisition of other businesses, such as our acquisitions of Cobalt, Pursuit and Maverick Boat Group, and the potential integration of new product lines or related products to our boats, such as our initiatives to integrate the production of engines and trailers for our Malibu and Axis models, our Monsoon engines into some of our Cobalt models and our new Tooling Design Center. These actions may require us to secure significant additional capital through the borrowing of money or the issuance of equity. Any borrowings made to finance future strategic initiatives could make us more vulnerable to a downturn in our operating results, a downturn in economic conditions, or increases in interest rates on borrowings that are subject to interest rate fluctuations. If our cash flow from operations is insufficient to meet our debt service requirements, we could then be required to sell additional equity securities, refinance our obligations or dispose of assets in order to meet our debt service requirements. Adequate financing may not be available if and when we need it or may not be available on terms acceptable to us. The failure to obtain sufficient financing on favorable terms and conditions could have a material adverse effect on our growth prospects. Further, we could choose to finance acquisitions or other strategic initiatives, in whole or in part through the issuance of our Class A Common Stock or securities convertible into or exercisable for our Class A Common Stock. If we do so, existing stockholders will experience dilution in the voting power of their Class A Common Stock and earnings per share could be negatively impacted. The extent to which we will be able and willing to use our Class A Common Stock for acquisitions and other strategic initiatives will depend on the market value of our Class A Common Stock and the willingness of potential third parties to accept our Class A Common Stock as full or partial consideration. Our inability to use our Class A Common Stock as consideration, to generate cash from operations, or to obtain additional funding through debt or equity financings in order to pursue our strategic initiatives could materially limit our growth. Our reliance upon patents, trademark laws and contractual provisions to protect our proprietary rights may not be sufficient to protect our intellectual property from others who may sell similar products and may lead to costly litigation. We have in the past, and may be in the future, party to lawsuits and other intellectual property rights claims that are expensive and time-consuming. We hold patents and trademarks relating to various aspects of our products and believe that proprietary technical know- how is important to our business. Proprietary rights relating to our products are protected from unauthorized use by third parties only to the extent that they are covered by valid and enforceable patents or trademarks or are maintained in confidence as trade secrets. We cannot be certain that we will be issued any patents from any pending or future patent applications owned by or licensed to us or that the claims allowed under any issued patents will be sufficiently broad to protect our technology. In the absence of enforceable patent or trademark protection, we may be vulnerable to competitors who attempt to copy our products, gain access to our trade secrets and know-how or diminish our brand through unauthorized use of our trademarks, all of which could adversely affect our business. Accordingly, we may need to engage in future litigation to enforce intellectual property rights, to protect trade secrets or to determine the validity and scope of proprietary rights of others. We also rely on unpatented proprietary technology. It is possible that others will independently develop the same or similar technology or otherwise obtain access to our unpatented technology. To protect our trade secrets and other proprietary information, we require employees, consultants, advisors and collaborators to enter into confidentiality agreements. We cannot assure you that these agreements will provide meaningful protection for our trade secrets, know-how, or other proprietary information in the event of any unauthorized use, misappropriation, or disclosure of such trade secrets, know-how, or other proprietary information. If we are unable to maintain the proprietary nature of our technologies, we could be materially adversely affected. In addition, others may initiate litigation or other proceedings to challenge the validity of our patents, or allege that we infringe their patents, or they may use their resources to design comparable products that do not infringe our patents. We may incur substantial costs if our competitors initiate litigation to challenge the validity of our patents, or allege that we infringe their patents, or if we initiate any proceedings to protect our proprietary rights. If the outcome of any litigation challenging our patents is unfavorable to us, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected. We are subject to stringent and evolving U.S. and foreign laws, regulations, rules, contractual obligations, policies and other obligations related to data privacy and security. Our actual or perceived failure to comply with such obligations could lead to 16 Table of Contents regulatory investigations or actions; litigation (including class claims) and mass arbitration demands; fines and penalties; disruptions of our business operations; reputational harm; loss of revenue or profits; and other adverse business consequences. In the ordinary course of business, we process personal data and other sensitive information. Our data processing activities subject us to numerous data privacy and security obligations, which arise out of various laws, regulations, guidance, industry standards, representations made in privacy and security policies, marketing materials and other statements, contractual requirements, and other obligations relating to data privacy and security. In the United States, federal, state, and local governments have enacted numerous data privacy and security laws that are quickly changing, becoming increasingly stringent, and creating regulatory uncertainty, including data breach notification laws, personal data privacy laws, consumer protection laws (e.g., Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act), and other similar laws (e.g., wiretapping laws). For example, the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act of 2020 (collectively, “CCPA”), applies to personal information of consumers, business representatives, and employees who are California residents, and requires businesses to provide specific disclosures in privacy notices and honor requests of such individuals to exercise certain privacy rights. The CCPA provides for administrative fines of up to $7,500 per violation and allows private litigants affected by certain data breaches to recover significant statutory damages. Other states have also passed comprehensive privacy laws, and similar laws are being considered in several other jurisdictions. Outside the United States, an increasing number of laws, regulations, and industry standards may govern data privacy and security. For example, under European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (“EU GDPR”), companies may face temporary or definitive bans on data processing and other corrective actions; fines of up to 20 million Euros under the EU GDPR or 4% of annual global revenue, whichever is greater. We may at times fail (or be perceived to have failed) in our efforts to comply with our data privacy and security obligations. Moreover, despite our efforts, our personnel or third parties on whom we rely may fail to comply with such obligations, which could negatively impact our business operations and we could face significant consequences, including but not limited to: government enforcement actions (e.g., investigations, fines, penalties, audits, inspections, and similar); litigation (including class-action claims) and mass arbitration demands; additional reporting requirements and/or oversight; bans on processing personal data; and orders to destroy or not use personal data. In particular, plaintiffs have become increasingly more active in bringing privacy-related claims against companies, including class claims and mass arbitration demands. Some of these claims allow for the recovery of statutory damages on a per violation basis, and, if viable, carry the potential for monumental statutory damages, depending on the volume of data and the number of violations. Any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business, or financial condition, including but not limited to: loss of customers; inability to process personal data or to operate in certain jurisdictions; limited ability to develop or commercialize our products; expenditure of time and resources to defend any claim or inquiry; adverse publicity; or substantial changes to our business model or operations. Our business operations could be negatively impacted by an outage or breach of our information technology systems or operational technology systems (or those of the third parties upon which we rely), our sensitive data, or a cybersecurity event. We manage our business operations through a variety of information technology (IT) and operational technology systems (“IT Systems”). We depend on these systems for commercial transactions, customer interactions, manufacturing, branding, employee tracking, processing sensitive data and other applications. New system implementations, across the enterprise also pose risks including without limitation those in connection with future or past business transactions, to our IT systems, including risks of outages or disruptions, which could affect our suppliers, commercial operations, and customers. We continue to upgrade, streamline, and integrate these systems but, like those of other companies, our systems and data, and those of the third parties we rely on, are susceptible to outages due to natural disasters, power loss, computer viruses, and worms, malware, personnel misconduct or error, ransomware attacks, supply-chain attacks, security breaches, hardware or software vulnerabilities, disruptions, and similar events. In particular, severe ransomware attacks are becoming increasingly prevalent and can lead to significant interruptions in our operations (including without limitation, our manufacturing, marketing and financial operations), loss of sensitive data, revenue and income loss, reputational harm and loss of customers, and diversion of funds. Extortion payments may alleviate the negative impact of a ransomware attack, but we may be unwilling or unable to make such payments due to, for example, applicable laws or regulations prohibiting such payments. We exchange information with many trading partners across all aspects of our commercial operations through our IT systems. A breakdown, outage, malicious intrusion, breach, random attack, or other disruption of communications could result in erroneous or fraudulent transactions, disclosure of confidential or other sensitive information, loss of reputation and confidence, and may also result in legal claims or proceedings, penalties, and remediation costs. We have experienced cyber-attacks, but to our knowledge, we have not experienced any material disruptions or breaches of our information technology systems or connected products. While we have implemented security measures designed to protect against security incidents, there can be no assurance that these measures will be effective. We take steps to detect and remediate vulnerabilities, but we may not be able to detect and remediate all vulnerabilities because the threats and techniques used to exploit the vulnerability change frequently and are often sophisticated in nature. Therefore, such vulnerabilities could be exploited but may not be detected until after a security incident 17 Table of Contents has occurred. These vulnerabilities pose material risks to our business. Further, we may experience delays in developing and deploying remedial measures designed to address any such identified vulnerabilities. Threats of system-related events and security breaches are prevalent and continue to rise, are increasingly difficult to detect, and come from a variety of sources, including traditional computer “hackers,” threat actors, “hacktivists,” organized criminal threat actors, personnel (such as through theft or misuse), sophisticated nation states, and nation-state-supported actors. If our security measures are breached or fail, unauthorized persons may be able to obtain access to or acquire personal or other confidential data, or we may need to temporarily suspend production or operations in order to restore security. Depending on the nature of the information compromised, we may also have obligations to notify consumers and/or employees about the incident, and we may need to provide some form of remedy, such as a subscription to a credit monitoring service, for the individuals affected by the incident. This could negatively affect our relationships with customers or trading partners, lead to potential claims against us, and damage our image and reputation. Moreover, the amount and scope of insurance we maintain against losses resulting from any such events or security breaches may not be sufficient to cover our losses or otherwise adequately compensate us for any disruptions to our businesses that may result, and the occurrence of any such events or security breaches could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. Additionally, our contracts may not contain limitations of liability, and even where they do, there can be no assurance that limitations of liability in our contracts are sufficient to protect us from liabilities, damages, or claims related to our data privacy and security obligations We have started the design and implementation of a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system and if we are not able to successfully develop and manage that implementation, it could adversely affect our business or results of operations. We have begun the process of designing and implementing a new ERP system. This project will require significant capital and human resources, the re-engineering of many processes of our business, and the attention of our management and other personnel who would otherwise be focused on other aspects of our business. The implementation may be more expensive and take longer to fully implement than we originally plan, resulting in increased capital investment, higher fees and expenses of third parties, delayed deployment scheduling, and more on-going maintenance expense once implemented, and, as such, it will be difficult for us to estimate the ultimate costs and schedules. If for any reason portions of the implementation are not successful, we could be required to expense rather than capitalize related amounts. Our operations and sales in international markets require significant management attention, expose us to difficulties presented by international economic, political, legal and business factors, and may not be successful or produce desired levels of sales and profitability. We currently sell our products throughout the world and we manufacture boats internationally in Australia. Several factors, including weakened international economic conditions and the strength of the U.S. dollar, could adversely affect our international growth. Expansion in our existing international operations and entry into new international markets require significant management attention. Some of the countries in which we market and our distributors sell our products are, to some degree, subject to political, economic or social instability. Our international operations expose us and our representatives, agents and distributors to risks inherent in operating in foreign jurisdictions. Doing business on a worldwide basis also requires us to comply with the laws and regulations of various foreign jurisdictions. These laws and regulations place restrictions on our operations, trade practices, partners and investment decisions. In particular, our operations are subject to U.S. and foreign anti-corruption and trade control laws and regulations, such as the FCPA, export controls and economic sanctions programs, including those administered by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, or the OFAC. As a result of doing business in foreign countries and with foreign partners, we are exposed to a heightened risk of violating anti-corruption and trade control laws and sanctions regulations. Catastrophic events, including natural or environmental disasters, pandemics, such as the COVID-19 pandemic or other disruptions at our facilities could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. We rely on the continuous operation of our facilities in Tennessee, Florida, Kansas, California, Alabama, and Australia. Any natural or environmental disaster, pandemic or other serious disruption to our facilities due to fire, flood, earthquake, acts of terrorism, civil insurrection or social unrest or any other unforeseen circumstances could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. For example, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we experienced a temporary shutdown of our facilities, which negatively impacted our net sales and production levels and created supply chain disruptions, which led to lower inventory levels at our dealers for a period of time. If there is a disruption in our business it could result in a reduction of production and cause delays in our ability to meet consumer demand or receive supplies from our vendors. We cannot assure you that we will not have to suspend our operations again, whether voluntarily or as a result of federal, state or local mandates, and such closures could extend for a longer term than the prior shutdown of our facilities relating to COVID-19. 18 Table of Contents Changes in climate could also adversely affect our operations by limiting or increasing the costs associated with equipment or fuel supplies. In addition, adverse weather conditions, such as increased frequency and/or severity of storms, or floods could impair our ability to operate by damaging our facilities and equipment or restricting product delivery to customers. The occurrence of any disruption at our facilities, even for a short period of time, may have an adverse effect on our productivity and profitability, during and after the period of the disruption. These disruptions may also cause personal injury and loss of life, severe damage to or destruction of property and equipment and environmental damage. Although we maintain property, casualty and business interruption insurance of the types and in the amounts that we believe are customary for the industry, we are not fully insured against all potential natural disasters or other disruptions to our facilities. Increases in income tax rates or changes in income tax laws or enforcement could have a material adverse impact on our financial results. Changes in domestic and international tax legislation could expose us to additional tax liability and could impact the amount of our tax receivable agreement liability. For example, in August 2022, the U.S. Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. The key tax provisions applicable to us include a 1% excise tax on stock repurchases effective January 1, 2023. We currently do not expect these changes to have a material impact on our financial position; however, we will continue to evaluate the impact as further information becomes available. Although we monitor changes in tax laws and work to mitigate the impact of proposed changes, such changes may negatively impact our financial results. Expected changes in current tax law beyond fiscal 2023 could impact our financial results in a material way. In addition, any increase in individual income tax rates would negatively affect our potential consumers’ discretionary income and could decrease the demand for our products. We depend on key personnel and we may not be able to retain them or to attract, assimilate, and retain highly qualified employees in the future. Our future success will depend in significant part upon the continued service of our senior management and our continuing ability to attract, assimilate, and retain highly qualified and skilled managerial, product development, manufacturing, and marketing and other personnel. The loss of services of any members of our senior management or key personnel or the inability to hire or retain qualified personnel in the future could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. For instance, we are currently conducting a search process to identify and appoint a new permanent Chief Financial Officer. If we are unable to attract and retain a qualified candidate to become our Chief Financial Officer, it could have an adverse impact on our business, including impacting our ability to meet financial and operation goals and implementing our strategic plans. Risks Related to Our Markets and the Recreational Powerboat Industry Weak general economic conditions, particularly in the United States, can negatively impact our industry, demand for our products, and our business and results of operations. Demand for new recreational powerboats can be negatively influenced by weak economic conditions, low consumer confidence and high unemployment, especially in the United States, and by increased market volatility worldwide. In times of economic uncertainty and contraction, consumers tend to have less discretionary income and defer or avoid expenditures for discretionary items, such as boats. Sales of our products are highly sensitive to personal discretionary spending levels, and our success depends on general economic conditions and overall consumer confidence and personal income levels, especially in the United States and in the specific regional markets where we sell our products. Any deterioration in general economic conditions that diminishes consumer confidence or discretionary income is likely to reduce our sales and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, fiscal and monetary policy could have a material adverse impact on worldwide economic conditions, the financial markets, and availability of credit and, consequently, may negatively affect our industry, businesses, and overall financial condition. Consumers often finance purchases of our boats, and as interest rates rise, the cost of financing the purchase also increases. If credit conditions worsen, and adversely affect the ability of consumers to finance potential purchases at acceptable terms and interest rates, it could result in a decrease in sales or delay improvement in sales of our products. If we are unable to continue to enhance existing products and develop and market new or enhanced products that respond to customer needs and preferences, we may experience a decrease in demand for our products and our business could suffer. Market acceptance of our products depends on our technological innovation and our ability to implement technology in our boats. Our failure to introduce new technologies and product offerings that our markets desire could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Also, we believe we have been able to achieve higher margins in part as 19 Table of Contents a result of the introduction of new features or enhancements to our existing boat models. If we fail to introduce new features or those we introduce fail to gain market acceptance, our margins may suffer. In addition, some of our direct competitors and indirect competitors may have significantly more resources to develop and patent new technologies. It is possible that our competitors will develop and patent equivalent or superior technologies and other products that compete with ours. We cannot be certain that our products or technologies have not infringed or will not infringe on the proprietary rights of others, including our competitors. They may assert these patents against us and we may be required to license these patents on unfavorable terms or cease using the technology covered by these patents, either of which would harm our competitive position and may materially adversely affect our business. Our continued success is dependent on the positive perception of our brands, which, if impaired, could adversely affect our sales. We believe that our brands are significant contributors to the success of our business and that maintaining and enhancing our brands are important to expanding our consumer and dealer base. The value of our brands is based in large part on perceptions and opinions, and broad access to social media makes it easy for anyone to provide public feedback that can influence perceptions of our company. It may be difficult to control negative publicity, regardless of whether it is accurate. Negative incidents, such as quality and safety concerns, product recalls, severe incidents or injuries related to our products or actions, or statements or actions of our employees or dealers or the athletes associated with our products, could lead to tangible adverse effects on our business, including lost sales or employee retention and recruiting difficulties. Also, public concerns about the environmental impact of our products could result in diminished public perception of our brands. If the popularity of the sports and activities for which we design, manufacture and sell our boats were to decrease as a result of these risks or any negative publicity, sales of our products could decrease, which could have an adverse effect on our net revenue, profitability and operating results. Our sales may be adversely impacted by increased consumer preference for used boats or the supply of new boats by competitors in excess of demand. In the past, we have observed a shift in consumer demand toward purchasing more used boats during economic downturns, primarily because prices for used boats are typically lower than retail prices for new boats. If consumer demand shifts toward purchasing more used boats, it could have the effect of reducing demand among retail purchasers for our new boats. Also, while we have taken steps designed to balance production volumes for our boats with demand, our competitors could choose to reduce the price of their products, which could have the effect of reducing demand for our new boats. Reduced demand for new boats could lead to reduced sales by us, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations or financial condition. An increase in energy and fuel costs may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Higher energy costs result in increases in operating expenses at our manufacturing facility and in the expense of shipping products to our dealers. In addition, increases in energy costs may adversely affect the pricing and availability of petroleum based raw materials, such as resins and foams, that are used in our products. Higher fuel prices may also have an adverse effect on demand for our boats, as they increase the cost of boat ownership and possibly affect product use. Retail demand for our boats is seasonal and unfavorable weather conditions just before and during spring and summer can have a negative effect on our revenues. Adverse weather conditions in any year in any particular geographic region may adversely affect sales in that region, especially during the peak boating season. Sales of our products are generally stronger just before and during spring and summer, which represent the peak boating months in most of our markets, and favorable weather during these months generally has a positive effect on consumer demand. Conversely, unseasonably cool weather, excessive rainfall, reduced rainfall levels, or drought conditions during these periods may close area boating locations or render boating dangerous or inconvenient, thereby generally reducing consumer demand for our products. Our annual results would be materially and adversely affected if our net sales were to fall below expected seasonal levels during these periods. We may also experience more pronounced seasonal fluctuation in net sales in the future as we continue to expand our businesses. Additionally, to the extent that unfavorable weather conditions are exacerbated by global climate change or otherwise, our sales may be affected to a greater degree than we have previously experienced. There can be no assurance that weather conditions will not have a material effect on the sales of any of our products. Our industry is characterized by intense competition, which affects our sales and profits. The recreational powerboat industry, and in particular the performance sport boat category, is highly competitive for consumers and dealers. Competition affects our ability to succeed in the markets we currently serve, including the saltwater 20 Table of Contents outboard fishing boat market that we recently entered with our acquisitions of Pursuit and Maverick Boat Group, and new markets that we may enter in the future. Competition is based primarily on brand name, price, product selection and product performance. We compete with several large manufacturers that may have greater financial, marketing and other resources than we do and who are represented by dealers in the markets in which we now operate and into which we plan to expand. We also compete with a variety of small, independent manufacturers. We cannot assure you that we will not face greater competition from existing large or small manufacturers or that we will be able to compete successfully with new competitors. Our failure to compete effectively with our current and future competitors would adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. We compete with a variety of other activities for consumers’ scarce leisure time. Our boats are used for recreational and sport purposes, and demand for our boats may be adversely affected by competition from other activities that occupy consumers’ leisure time and by changes in consumer life style, usage pattern or taste. Similarly, an overall decrease in consumer leisure time may reduce consumers’ willingness to purchase and enjoy our products. Changes in currency exchange rates can adversely affect our results. A portion of our sales are denominated in a currency other than the U.S. dollar. Consequently, a strong U.S. dollar may adversely affect reported revenues and, with the recent strengthening of the U.S. dollar, we have experienced a corresponding negative impact on our financial results with respect to our foreign operations. We also maintain a portion of our manufacturing operations in Australia which partially mitigates the impact of a strengthening U.S. dollar in that country. A portion of our selling, general and administrative costs are transacted in Australian dollars as a result. We also sell U.S. manufactured products into certain international markets in U.S. dollars, including the sale of products into Canada, Europe and Latin America. Demand for our products in these markets may also be adversely affected by a strengthening U.S. dollar. We do not currently use hedging or other derivative instruments to mitigate our foreign currency risks. Inflation could adversely affect our financial results. The market prices of certain materials and components used in manufacturing our products, especially resins that are made with hydrocarbon, feedstocks, copper, aluminum and stainless steel, can be volatile. While, historically, inflation has not had a material effect on our results of operations, significant increases in inflation, particularly those related to wages and increases in the cost of raw materials, recently have had, and may continue to have, an adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. In addition, new boat buyers often finance their purchases. Inflation typically results in higher interest rates that could translate into an increased cost of boat ownership. Should inflation and increased interest rates occur, prospective consumers may choose to forego or delay their purchases or buy a less expensive boat in the event credit is not available to finance their boat purchases. Risks Related to our Dealers We depend on our network of independent dealers, face increasing competition for dealers and have little control over their activities. Substantially all of our sales are derived from our network of independent dealers. Our top ten dealers represented 41.1%, 39.9% and 38.7% of our net sales for fiscal year 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Sales to our dealers under common control of OneWater Marine, Inc. represented approximately 17.2% , 16.8% and 16.3% of consolidated net sales in fiscal years 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Sales to our dealers under common control of Tommy's Boats represented approximately 10.7%, 9.4% and 7.3% of our consolidated net sales in the fiscal years ended June 30, 2023 , 2022 and 2021 respectively. The loss of a significant number of these dealers could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. We have agreements with the dealers in our network that typically provide for one-year terms, although some agreements have a term of up to three years. The number of dealers supporting our products and the quality of their marketing and servicing efforts are essential to our ability to generate sales. Competition for dealers among recreational powerboat manufacturers continues to increase based on the quality, price, value and availability of the manufacturers’ products, the manufacturers’ attention to customer service and the marketing support that the manufacturer provides to the dealers. We face competition from other manufacturers in attracting and retaining independent boat dealers. In addition, independent dealers in the recreational powerboat industry have experienced significant consolidation in recent years, which could result in the loss of one or more of our dealers in the future if the surviving entity in any such consolidation purchases similar products from a competitor. A significant deterioration in the 21 Table of Contents number or effectiveness of our dealers could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Our success depends, in part, upon the financial health of our dealers and their continued access to financing. Because we sell nearly all of our products through dealers, the financial health of our dealers is critical to our success. Our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected if the financial health of the dealers that sell our products suffers. Their financial health may suffer for a variety of reasons, including a downturn in general economic conditions, rising interest rates, higher rents, increased labor costs and taxes, compliance with regulations and personal financial issues. Our dealers also require adequate liquidity to finance their operations, including purchases of our boats. Dealers are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties that could unfavorably affect their liquidity positions, including, among other things, continued access to adequate financing sources on a timely basis on reasonable terms. These sources of financing are vital to our ability to sell products through our distribution network. Access to floor plan financing generally facilitates our dealers’ ability to purchase boats from us, and their financed purchases reduce our working capital requirements. If floor plan financing were not available to our dealers, our sales and our working capital levels would be adversely affected. We may be required to repurchase inventory of certain dealers. Many of our dealers have floor plan financing arrangements with third-party finance companies that enable the dealers to purchase our products. In connection with these agreements, we may have an obligation to repurchase our products from a finance company under certain circumstances, and we may not have any control over the timing or amount of any repurchase obligation nor have access to capital on terms acceptable to us to satisfy any repurchase obligation. This obligation is triggered if a dealer defaults on its debt obligations to a finance company, the finance company repossesses the boat and the boat is returned to us. Our obligation to repurchase a repossessed boat for the unpaid balance of our original invoice price for the boat is subject to reduction or limitation based on the age and condition of the boat at the time of repurchase, and in certain cases by an aggregate cap on repurchase obligations associated with a particular floor plan financing program. If boats are returned to us, it would have an adverse impact on our net sales and could result in downward pressure on pricing of our boats. Since fiscal year 2020, we have repurchased a total of two units from lenders to former dealers and those units were subsequently resold above their cost and at a minimal margin loss. One or more dealers may default on the terms of a credit line in the future. In addition, applicable laws regulating dealer relations may also require us to repurchase our products from our dealers under certain circumstances, and we may not have any control over the timing or amount of any repurchase obligation nor have access to capital on terms acceptable to us to satisfy any repurchase obligation. If we are required to repurchase a significant number of units under any repurchase agreement or under applicable dealer laws, our business, operating results and financial condition could be adversely affected. Risks Related to our Regulatory, Accounting, Legal and Tax Environment The manufacture and sale of boats exposes us to product liability risks and a significant adverse determination in any material claim against us could adversely affect our operating results or financial condition. The manufacture and sale of our boats expose us to significant risks associated with product liability, economic loss, and other claims. If our products are found to be defective or used incorrectly by our customers, bodily injury, property damage or other injury, including death, may result and this could give rise to additional product liability or economic loss claims against us and adversely affect our brand image or reputation. For instance, we recently settled certain product liability matters for $100.0 million after a jury found that our subsidiary, Malibu Boats, LLC, and another entity that was the manufacturer of the boat at issue, Malibu Boats West, Inc., negligently failed to warn of a hazard posed by the boat and that such failure was a proximate cause of the death of a passenger in the boat. Malibu Boats West, Inc. is not, and has never been, a subsidiary of ours but was a separate legal entity whose assets were purchased by Malibu Boats, LLC in 2006. See Note 17 of our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information. As noted, we maintain product and general liability insurance policies, including excess insurance coverage for product liability claims. However, we are not fully insured against all potential claims and we may experience legal claims in excess of our insurance coverage or claims that are not covered by insurance, either of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Any losses that we may suffer from any such claims, including any unanticipated adverse determination of a material product liability claim or other material claim (particularly an uninsured matter), could materially and adversely affect our financial condition, and the effect that any such liability may have upon the reputation and marketability of our products may have a negative impact on our business and operating results. 22 Table of Contents Significant product repair and/or replacement costs due to product warranty claims or product recalls could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations. We provide limited warranties for our boats. Although we employ quality control procedures, sometimes a product is distributed that needs repair or replacement. Our standard warranties require us, through our dealer network, to repair or replace defective products during such warranty periods. In addition, if any of our products are, or are alleged to be, defective, we may be required to participate in a recall of that product if the defect or alleged defect relates to safety. For example, in fiscal year 2019 we announced a recall on fuel pumps supplied to us by a third-party vendor and used in certain Malibu and Axis boats. While this recall did not have a material impact on our business, the repair and replacement costs we could incur in connection with a recall could materially and adversely affect our business and could cause consumers to question the safety or reliability of our products. Changes to U.S. trade policy, tariffs, and import/export regulations may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Changes in laws and policies governing foreign trade could adversely affect our business and trigger retaliatory actions by affected countries. There is significant uncertainty with respect to future trade regulations, including the imposition by the U.S. of tariffs and penalties on products manufactured outside the U.S., and existing international trade agreements, as shown by Brexit in Europe. The institution of global trade tariffs, trade sanctions, new or onerous trade restrictions, embargoes and other stringent government controls have the potential to adversely impact the U.S. economy, our industry, our suppliers, and global demand for our products and, as a result, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. We must comply with environmental laws and regulations as a boat manufacturer that could increase the costs of our products and reduce consumer demand. As with boat construction in general, our manufacturing processes involve the use, handling, storage and contracting for recycling or disposal of hazardous substances and wastes. The failure to manage or dispose of such hazardous substances and wastes properly could expose us to material liability or fines, including liability for personal injury or property damage due to exposure to hazardous substances, damages to natural resources, or for the investigation and remediation of environmental conditions. Under certain environmental laws, we may be liable for remediation of contamination at sites where our hazardous wastes have been disposed or at our current or former facilities, regardless of whether such facilities are owned or leased or whether we caused the condition of contamination. We have not been notified of and are otherwise currently not aware of any contamination at our current or former facilities, or at any other location, for which we could have any material liability under environmental laws or regulations, and we currently are not undertaking any remediation or investigation activities in connection with any contamination. Also, the components in our boats may become subject to more stringent environmental regulations. For example, boat engines and other emission producing components may become subject to more stringent emissions standards, which could increase the cost of our engines, components and products, which, in turn, may reduce consumer demand for our products. Our customers use our boats for recreational water and fishing activities. Environmental regulations, permitting and zoning requirements and other commercial policies and practices that limit access to water, including availability of slip locations and/or the ability to transfer boats among different waterways, access to fisheries, or the ability to fish in some areas could negatively affect demand for our boats. Future licensing requirements, including any licenses imposed on recreational boating, may also deter potential customers, thereby reducing our sales. Furthermore, regulations allowing the sale of fuel containing higher levels of ethanol for automobiles, which is not appropriate or intended for use in marine engines, may nonetheless result in increased warranty, service costs, customer dissatisfaction with products, and other claims against us if boaters mistakenly use this fuel in marine engines, causing damage to and the degradation of components in their marine engines. In addition to environmental regulations, we must also comply with product safety, workforce and other laws and regulations that may increase our costs and could result in harm to our reputation if we fail to comply with such regulations. We are subject to federal, state, local, and foreign laws and regulations, including product safety, workforce, and other regulations. For instance, we are subject to laws governing our relationships with employees, including, but not limited to, employment obligations such as employee wage, hour, and benefits issues. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) also imposes standards of conduct for and regulates workplace safety, including physical safety and limits on the amount of emissions to which an employee may be exposed without the need for respiratory protection or upgraded plant ventilation. Our facilities are also regularly inspected by OSHA and by state and local inspection agencies and departments. Any of these laws, rules, or regulations may cause us to incur significant expenses to achieve or maintain compliance, require us to modify our products, or modify our approach to our workforce, adversely affecting the price of or demand for 23 Table of Contents some of our products, and ultimately affect the way we conduct our operations. Failure to comply with any of these laws, rules, or regulations could result in harm to our reputation and/or could lead to fines and other penalties, including restrictions on the importation of our products into, and the sale of our products in, one or more jurisdictions until compliance is achieved. In addition, legal requirements are constantly evolving, and changes in laws, regulations or policies, or changes in interpretations of the foregoing, could result in compliance shortfalls, require additional product development investment, increase consumer pricing, and increase our costs or create liabilities where none exists today. Risks Related to our Capital Structure The only material asset of Malibu Boats, Inc. is our interest in the LLC, and therefore Malibu Boats, Inc. is dependent upon distributions from the LLC for any cash obligations of Malibu Boats, Inc. Malibu Boats, Inc. is a holding company and has no material assets other than its ownership of LLC Units in the LLC. Malibu Boats, Inc. has no independent means of generating revenue. We intend to cause the LLC to make distributions to its unit holders in an amount sufficient to cover all applicable taxes at assumed tax rates and payments under the tax receivable agreement. To the extent that Malibu Boats, Inc. need funds, and the LLC is restricted from making such distributions under applicable law or regulation or under the terms of its financing arrangements, or is otherwise unable to provide such funds, it could materially adversely affect our liquidity and financial condition. For example, our credit agreement generally prohibits the LLC, Malibu Boats, LLC, Malibu Australian Acquisition Corp., Cobalt Boats, LLC, PB Holdco, LLC, MBG Holdco, Inc. and Maverick Boat Group, Inc. from paying dividends or making distributions to Malibu Boats, Inc. However, our credit agreement permits (i) distributions to members of the LLC, including Malibu Boats, Inc., based on the member’s allocated taxable income, (ii) distributions to fund payments that are required under the our tax receivable agreement, (iii) purchases of stock or stock options of the LLC from former officers, directors or employees of loan parties under the credit agreement or payments pursuant to stock option and other benefit plans up to $5.0 million in any fiscal year, and (iv) repurchases of the outstanding stock and LLC units of Malibu Boats, Inc.. In addition, the LLC may make dividends and distributions, subject to compliance with other financial covenants. The credit agreement governing our revolving credit facility contains restrictive covenants which may limit our operating flexibility and may impair our ability to access sufficient capital to operate our business. We rely on our revolving credit facility to provide us with adequate liquidity to operate our business. The credit agreement governing our revolving credit facility contains restrictive covenants regarding indebtedness, liens, fundamental changes, investments, share repurchases, dividends and distributions, disposition of assets, transactions with affiliates, negative pledges, hedging transactions, certain prepayments of indebtedness, accounting changes and governmental regulation. The credit agreement also requires compliance with financial covenants consisting of a minimum ratio of EBITDA to interest expense and a maximum ratio of total debt to EBITDA. We have the option to request that lenders increase the amount available under the revolving credit facility by, or obtain incremental term loans of, up to $200.0 million, subject to the terms of the credit agreement and only if existing or new lenders choose to provide additional term or revolving commitments. Any incremental revolving commitments or term loan facility established under the credit agreement will also be subject to these same covenants and restrictions. These covenants may affect our ability to operate and finance our business as we deem appropriate. Violation of these covenants could constitute an event of default under the credit agreement governing our revolving credit facility. If there were an event of default under the credit agreement, our lenders could reduce or terminate our access to amounts under our credit facilities or declare all of the indebtedness outstanding under our revolving credit facility immediately due and payable. We may not have sufficient funds available, or we may not have access to sufficient capital from other sources, to continue funding our operations or to repay any accelerated debt. Even if we could obtain additional financing, the terms of the financing may not be favorable to us. In addition, substantially all of our assets are subject to liens securing our revolving credit facility. If amounts outstanding under the revolving credit facility were accelerated, our lenders could foreclose on these liens and we could lose substantially all of our assets. Any event of default under the credit agreement governing our revolving credit facility could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Our variable rate indebtedness subjects us to interest rate risk, which could cause our debt service obligations to increase significantly. Borrowings under our revolving credit facility are at variable rates of interest and expose us to interest rate risk. During the past year, interest rates have been increasing, which results in increased debt service obligations under our revolving credit facility even if our amount borrowed remains the same. Borrowings under our revolving credit facility bear interest at a variable rate equal to either, at our option, (i) the highest of the prime rate, the Federal Funds Rate plus 0.5%, or one-month Term SOFR plus 1% (the “Base Rate”) or (ii) SOFR, in each case plus an applicable margin ranging from 1.25% to 2.00% with respect to 24 Table of Contents SOFR borrowings and 0.25% to 1.00% with respect to Base Rate borrowings. The applicable margin will be based upon the consolidated leverage ratio of the LLC and its subsidiaries. As of August 24, 2023, we had $65.0 million outstanding under our revolving credit facility. If the rate used to calculate interest on our outstanding floating rate debt under our revolving credit facility Credit Agreement were to increase by 1.0%, we would expect to incur additional interest expense on such indebtedness as of August 24, 2023 of approximately $0.7 million on an annualized basis. We will be required to pay the pre-IPO owners (or any permitted assignee) for certain tax benefits pursuant to our tax receivable agreement with them, and the amounts we may pay could be significant. We entered into a tax receivable agreement with the pre-IPO owners (or their permitted assignees) that provides for the payment by us to the pre-IPO owners (or any permitted assignee) of 85% of the tax benefits, if any, that we are deemed to realize as a result of (1) the increases in tax basis resulting from our purchases or exchanges of LLC Units and (2) certain other tax benefits related to our entering into the tax receivable agreement, including tax benefits attributable to payments under the tax receivable agreement. These payment obligations are the obligations of Malibu Boats, Inc. and not of the LLC. For purposes of the agreement, the benefit deemed realized by Malibu Boats, Inc. will be computed by comparing its actual income tax liability (calculated with certain assumptions) to the amount of such taxes that it would have been required to pay had there been no increase to the tax basis of the assets of the LLC as a result of the purchases or exchanges, and had we not entered into the tax receivable agreement. Estimating the amount of payments that may be made under the tax receivable agreement is by its nature imprecise, insofar as the calculation of amounts payable depends on a variety of factors. The actual increase in tax basis, as well as the amount and timing of any payments under the agreement, will vary depending upon a number of factors, including: • the timing of purchases or exchanges - for instance, the increase in any tax deductions will vary depending on the fair value, which may fluctuate over time, of the depreciable or amortizable assets of the LLC at the time of each purchase or exchange; • the price of shares of our Class A Common Stock at the time of the purchase or exchange - the increase in any tax deductions, as well as the tax basis increase in other assets, of the LLC is directly related to the price of shares of our Class A Common Stock at the time of the purchase or exchange; • the extent to which such purchases or exchanges are taxable - if an exchange or purchase is not taxable for any reason, increased deductions will not be available; and • the amount and timing of our income - Malibu Boats, Inc. will be required to pay 85% of the deemed benefits as and when deemed realized. If we do not have taxable income, we generally will not be required (absent a change of control or other circumstances requiring an early termination payment) to make payments under the tax receivable agreement for that taxable year because no benefit will have been realized. However, any tax benefits that do not result in realized benefits in a given tax year will likely generate tax attributes that may be utilized to generate benefits in previous or future tax years. The utilization of such tax attributes will result in payments under the tax receivable agreement. We expect that the payments that Malibu Boats, Inc. may make under the tax receivable agreement may be substantial. Assuming no material changes in the relevant tax law, and that we earn sufficient taxable income to realize all tax benefits that are subject to the agreement, we expect that future payments under the tax receivable agreement relating to the purchases by Malibu Boats, Inc. of LLC Units will be approximately $43.5 million over the next sixteen (16) years. Future payments to pre-IPO owners (or their permitted assignees) in respect of subsequent exchanges or purchases would be in addition to these amounts and are expected to be substantial. The foregoing numbers are estimates and the actual payments could differ materially. It is possible that future transactions or events, such as changes in tax legislation, could increase or decrease the actual tax benefits realized and the corresponding tax receivable agreement payments. Further, there may be a material negative effect on our liquidity if distributions to Malibu Boats, Inc. by the LLC are not sufficient to permit Malibu Boats, Inc. to make payments under the tax receivable agreement after it has paid taxes. For example, Malibu Boats, Inc. may have an obligation to make tax receivable agreement payments for a certain amount while receiving distributions from the LLC in a lesser amount, which would negatively affect our liquidity. The payments under the tax receivable agreement are not conditioned upon the pre-IPO owners’ (or any permitted assignees’) continued ownership of us. Malibu Boats, Inc. is required to make a good faith effort to ensure that it has sufficient cash available to make any required payments under the tax receivable agreement. The limited liability company agreement of the LLC requires the LLC to make 25 Table of Contents “tax distributions” which, in the ordinary course, will be sufficient to pay the actual tax liability of Malibu Boats, Inc. and to fund required payments under the tax receivable agreement. If for any reason the LLC is not able to make a tax distribution in an amount that is sufficient to make any required payment under the tax receivable agreement or we otherwise lack sufficient funds, interest would accrue on any unpaid amounts at LIBOR, plus 500 basis points until they are paid. Recent actions taken by the Chief Executive of the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority (the “FCA”), which regulates LIBOR, discontinued U.S. LIBOR after June 30, 2023. Our tax receivable agreement does not provide for an alternative reference rate to LIBOR. Therefore, pursuant to the Adjustable Interest Rate (LIBOR) Act (the “ LIBOR Act ”), 12 U.S.C. §§ 5801-5807, and the regulations promulgated to carry out the LIBOR Act, 12 C.F.R. Part 253, on July 1, 2023 we believe LIBOR with respect to the tax receivables agreement was automatically replaced by operation of law with the SOFR plus a spread adjustment. We do not currently anticipate failing to pay any amounts owed under our tax receivable agreement. In certain cases, payments under the tax receivable agreement to the pre-IPO owners (or any permitted assignees) of LLC Units may be accelerated or significantly exceed the actual benefits we realize in respect of the tax attributes subject to the tax receivable agreement. The tax receivable agreement provides that, in the event that we exercise our right to early termination of the tax receivable agreement, or in the event of a change in control or a material breach by us of our obligations under the tax receivable agreement, the tax receivable agreement will terminate, and Malibu Boats, Inc. will be required to make a lump-sum payment equal to the present value of all forecasted future payments that would have otherwise been made under the tax receivable agreement, which lump-sum payment would be based on certain assumptions, including those relating to our future taxable income. The change in control payment and termination payments to the pre-IPO owners (or any permitted assignees) could be substantial and could exceed the actual tax benefits that Malibu Boats, Inc. receives as a result of acquiring the LLC Units because the amounts of such payments would be calculated assuming that we would have been able to use the potential tax benefits each year for the remainder of the amortization periods applicable to the basis increases, and that tax rates applicable to us would be the same as they were in the year of the termination. In these situations, our obligations under the tax receivable agreement could have a substantial negative impact on our liquidity. There can be no assurance that we will be able to finance our obligations under the tax receivable agreement. Payments under the tax receivable agreement will be based on the tax reporting positions that we determine. Although we are not aware of any issue that would cause the Internal Revenue Service, or the IRS, to challenge a tax basis increase, Malibu Boats, Inc. will not be reimbursed for any payments previously made under the tax receivable agreement. As a result, in certain circumstances, payments could be made under the tax receivable agreement in excess of the benefits that Malibu Boats, Inc. actually realizes in respect of (1) the increases in tax basis resulting from our purchases or exchanges of LLC Units and (2) certain other tax benefits related to our entering into the tax receivable agreement, including tax benefits attributable to payments under the tax receivable agreement. Risks Related to our Common Stock Our stock price may be volatile and stockholders may be unable to sell shares at or above the price at which they purchased them. Our closing stock price ranged from $46.96 per share to $70.49 per share during fiscal year 2023. The market price of our Class A Common Stock could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to the risk factors listed in this section and others beyond our control. Further, stock markets may experience extreme price and volume fluctuations that can affect the market prices of equity securities. These fluctuations can be unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of those companies. These broad market and industry fluctuations, as well as general economic, political and market conditions such as recessions, interest rate changes or international currency fluctuations, could harm the market price of our Class A Common Stock. Future sales of our Class A Common Stock in the public market could cause our share price to fall; furthermore, you may be diluted by future issuances of Class A Common Stock in connection with our incentive plans, acquisitions or otherwise. Sales of a substantial number of shares of our Class A Common Stock in the public market, in particular sales by our directors, officers or other affiliates, or the perception that these sales might occur, could depress the market price of our Class A Common Stock and could impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities. Furthermore, any Class A Common Stock that we issue in connection with our Long-Term Incentive Plan or other equity incentive plans that we may adopt in the future, our acquisitions or otherwise would dilute the percentage ownership of holders of our Class A Common Stock. 26 Table of Contents Our governing documents and Delaware law could prevent a takeover that stockholders consider favorable and could also reduce the market price of our stock. Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws contain certain provisions that could delay or prevent a change in control. These provisions could also make it more difficult for stockholders to elect directors and take other corporate actions. These provisions include, without limitation: • a classified board structure; • a requirement that stockholders must provide advance notice to propose nominations or have other business considered at a meeting of stockholders; • supermajority stockholder approval to amend our bylaws or certain provisions in our certificate of incorporation; and • authorization of blank check preferred stock. In addition, we are subject to the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law. These provisions may prohibit large stockholders, in particular those owning 15% or more of our outstanding Class A Common Stock, from engaging in certain business combinations without the approval of substantially all of our stockholders for a certain period of time. These and other provisions in our certificate of incorporation, bylaws and under Delaware law could discourage potential takeover attempts, reduce the price that investors might be willing to pay for shares of our Class A Common Stock in the future and result in the market price being lower than it would be without these provisions. 27 Table of Contents Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments None.