mbuu-20230630
Table of Contents
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
(Mark One)
For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023
OR
For the transition period to
Commission file number: 001-36290
MALIBU BOATS, INC.
(Exact Name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
(Registrant’s telephone number,including area code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class Trading Symbol(s) Name of each exchange on which registered
Class A Common Stock, par value $0.01 MBUU Nasdaq Global Select Market
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yesþ No ̈
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ̈Noþ
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yesþ No ̈
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yesþ No ̈
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act:
Large accelerated filer ☑ Accelerated filer ☐
Non-accelerated filer ☐ Smaller reporting company ☐
Emerging growth company ☐
As of December 31, 2022, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, the aggregate value of the registrant’s common stock held by non-affiliates was approximately $1,067.0 million, based on the number of shares of Class A common stock held by non-affiliates as of December 31, 2022 and the closing price of the registrant’s Class A common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on December 31, 2022. Shares held by each executive officer, director and by each person who owns 10% or more of the outstanding Class A common stock have been excluded in that such persons may be deemed to be affiliates. This determination of affiliate status is not necessarily a conclusive determination for other purposes. The number of outstanding shares of the registrant’s Class A common stock, par value $0.01 per share, and Class B common stock, par value $0.01, as of August 24, 2023 was 20,603,689 and 12,respectively.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Portions of the registrant’s Proxy Statement for the 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K where indicated. Such proxy statement will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days of the registrant’s fiscal year ended June 30, 2023.
1
Table of Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
PART I 1
Item 1. Business 1
Item 1A. Risk Factors 14
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments 28
Item 2. Properties 28
Item 3. Legal Proceedings 29
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures 29
Item 6. [RESERVED] 32
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk 52
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 53
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures 95
Item 9B. Other Information 95
Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions That Prevent Inspections 95
PART III 96
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance 96
Item 11. Executive Compensation 96
Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services 96
PART IV
Item 15. Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules 97
i
Table of Contents
SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this Form 10-K are forward-looking statements, including statements regarding demand for our products and expected industry trends, our business strategy and plans, our prospective products or products under development, our vertical integration initiatives, our acquisition strategy and management’s objectives for future operations. In particular, many of the statements under the headings “Item 1A. Risk Factors,” “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Item 1. Business” constitute forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential,” “continue,” the negative of these terms, or by other similar expressions that convey uncertainty of future events or outcomes to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements are only predictions, involving known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our or our industry’s actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: general industry, economic and business conditions; our ability to execute our manufacturing strategy; our large fixed cost base; increases in the cost of, or unavailability of, raw materials, component parts and transportation costs; disruptions in our suppliers’ operations; our reliance on third-party suppliers for raw materials and components and any interruption of our informal supply arrangements; our reliance on certain suppliers for our engines and outboard motors; our ability to meet our manufacturing workforce needs; exposure to workers' compensation claims and other workplace liabilities; our ability to grow our business through acquisitions and integrate such acquisitions to fully realize their expected benefits; our growth strategy which may require us to secure significant additional capital; our ability to protect our intellectual property; disruptions to our network and information systems; our success at developing and implementing a new enterprise resource planning system; risks inherent in operating in foreign jurisdictions; a natural disaster, global pandemic or other disruption at our manufacturing facilities; increases in income tax rates or changes in income tax laws; our dependence on key personnel; our ability to enhance existing products and market new or enhanced products; the continued strength of our brands; the seasonality of our business; intense competition within our industry; increased consumer preference for used boats or the supply of new boats by competitors in excess of demand; competition with other activities for consumers’ scarce leisure time; changes in currency exchange rates; inflation and increases in interest rates; an increase in energy and fuel costs; our reliance on our network of independent dealers and increasing competition for dealers; the financial health of our dealers and their continued access to financing; our obligation to repurchase inventory of certain dealers; our exposure to claims for product liability and warranty claims; changes to U.S. trade policy, tariffs and import/export regulations; any failure to comply with laws and regulations including environmental, workplace safety and other regulatory requirements; our holding company structure; covenants in our credit agreement governing our revolving credit facility which may limit our operating flexibility; our variable rate indebtedness which subjects us to interest rate risk; our obligation to make certain payments under a tax receivables agreement; and any failure to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting or disclosure controls or procedures.
We discuss many of these factors, risks and uncertainties in greater detail under the heading “Item 1A. Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Form 10-K. These factors expressly qualify as forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf.
You should not rely on forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Actual results may differ materially from those suggested by the forward-looking statements for various reasons, including those discussed under “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in this Form 10-K. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update forward-looking statements for any reason after the date of this Form 10-K to conform these statements to actual results or to changes in our expectations.
ii
Table of Contents
PART I.
Item 1. Business
Unless otherwise expressly indicated or the context otherwise requires, in this Annual Report on Form 10-K:
•we use the terms “Malibu Boats,” the “Company,” “we,” “us,” “our” or similar references to refer (1) prior to the consummation of our initial public offering, or "IPO" on February 5, 2014, to Malibu Boats Holdings, LLC, or the LLC, and its consolidated subsidiaries and (2) after our IPO, to Malibu Boats, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries;
•we refer to the owners of membership interests in the LLC immediately prior to the consummation of the IPO, collectively, as our “pre-IPO owners”;
•we refer to owners of membership interests in the LLC (the "LLC Units"), collectively, as our “LLC members”;
•references to “fiscal year” refer to the fiscal year of Malibu Boats, which ends on June 30 of each year;
•we refer to our Malibu branded boats as "Malibu", our Axis Wake Research branded boats as "Axis", our Pursuit branded boats as "Pursuit", our Maverick, Cobia, Pathfinder and Hewes branded boats as "Maverick Boat Group", and our Cobalt branded boats as "Cobalt";
•we use the term “recreational powerboat industry” to refer to our industry group, which includes performance sport boats, sterndrive and outboard boats;
•we use the term “performance sport boat category” to refer to the industry category, consisting primarily of fiberglass boats equipped with inboard propulsion and ranging from 19 feet to 26 feet in length, which we believe most closely corresponds to (1) the inboard ski/wakeboard category, as defined and tracked by the National Marine Manufacturers Association, or NMMA, and (2) the inboard ski boat category, as defined and tracked by Statistical Surveys, Inc., or SSI;
•we use the terms “sterndrive” and “outboard” to refer to the industry category, consisting primarily of sterndrive and outboard boats ranging from 20 feet to 40 feet, which most closely corresponds to the sterndrive and outboard categories, as defined and tracked by NMMA, and the sterndrive and outboard propulsion categories, as defined and tracked by SSI; in some instances, we provide market information based on specific boat lengths or boat types within the sterndrive or outboard categories to reflect our performance in those specific markets in which we offer products; and
•references to certain market and industry data presented in this Form 10-K are determined as follows: (1) U.S. boat sales and unit volume for the overall powerboat industry and any powerboat category during any calendar year are based on retail boat market data from the NMMA; (2) U.S. market share and unit volume for the overall powerboat industry and any powerboat category during any fiscal year ended June 30 or any calendar year ended December 31 are based on comparable same-state retail boat registration data from SSI, as reported by the 50 states for which data was available as of the date of this Form 10-K; and (3) market share among U.S. manufacturers of exports to international markets of boats in any powerboat category for any period is based on data from the Port Import Export Reporting Service, available through March 31, 2023, and excludes such data for Australia and New Zealand.
This Annual Report on Form 10-K includes our trademarks, such as “ Monsoon,” “Surf Gate,” “Wakesetter,” “Surf Band,” and “Swim Step,” which are protected under applicable intellectual property laws and are the property of Malibu Boats, Inc. This Form 10-K also contains trademarks, service marks, trade names and copyrights of other companies, which are the property of their respective owners. Solely for convenience, trademarks and trade names referred to in this Form 10-K may appear without the ® or TM symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights or the right of the applicable licensor to these trademarks and trade names.
Our Company
We are a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of a diverse range of recreational powerboats, including performance sport boats, sterndrive and outboard boats under eight brands—Malibu, Axis, Pursuit, Maverick, Cobia, Pathfinder, Hewes and Cobalt. We have the #1 market share position in the United States in the performance sport boat category through our Malibu and Axis brands and the #1 market share position in the United States in the 24’—29’ segment of the sterndrive category through our Cobalt brand, and we are among the leading market share positions in the fiberglass outboard fishing boat market with our Pursuit and Maverick Boat Group brands. Our product portfolio of premium brands are used for a broad range of recreational boating activities including, among others, water sports such as water skiing,
1
Table of Contents
wakeboarding and wake surfing, as well as general recreational boating and fishing. Our passion for consistent innovation, which has led to propriety technology such as Surf Gate, has allowed us to expand the market for our products by introducing consumers to new and exciting recreational activities. We design products that appeal to an expanding range of recreational boaters and water sports enthusiasts whose passion for boating and water sports is a key aspect of their lifestyle and provide consumers with a better customer-inspired experience. With performance, quality, value and multi-purpose features, our product portfolio has us well positioned to broaden our addressable market and achieve our goal of increasing our market share in the expanding recreational boating industry.
Our flagship Malibu boats are designed for consumers seeking a premium performance sport boat experience and offer our latest innovations in performance, comfort and convenience. Our Axis boats appeal to consumers who desire a more affordable performance sport boat product but still demand high performance, functional simplicity and the option to upgrade key features. Our Pursuit boats expand our product offerings into the saltwater outboard fishing market and include center console, dual console and offshore models. Our Maverick Boat Group family of boats, including Maverick, Cobia, Pathfinder and Hewes, are highly complementary to Pursuit and its saltwater outboard offerings with a focus in length segments under 30 feet. Our Cobalt boats consist of mid to large-sized luxury cruisers and bowriders that we believe offer the ultimate experience in comfort, performance and quality.
Our boats are constructed of fiberglass, available in a range of sizes, hull designs and propulsion systems (i.e., inboard, sterndrive and outboard). We employ experienced product development and engineering teams that enable us to offer a range of models across each of our brands while consistently introducing innovative features in our product offerings. Our engineering teams closely collaborate with our manufacturing personnel in order to improve product quality and process efficiencies. The results of this collaboration are reflected in our receipt of numerous industry awards.
We sell our boats through a dealer network that we believe is the strongest in the recreational powerboat industry. As of June 30, 2023, our distribution channel consisted of over 400 dealer locations globally. Our dealer base is an important part of our consumers’ experience, our marketing efforts and our brands. We devote significant time and resources to find, develop and improve the performance of our dealers and believe our dealer network gives us a distinct competitive advantage.
Market and Competitive Position
The recreational powerboat industry, including the performance sport boat, sterndrive and outboard categories, is highly competitive for consumers and dealers. Competition affects our ability to succeed in the markets we currently serve and new markets that we may enter in the future. We compete with several large manufacturers that may have greater financial, marketing and other resources than we do. We compete with large manufacturers 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 wide variety of small, independent manufacturers. Competition in our industry is based primarily on brand name, price and product performance.
During calendar year 2022, retail sales of new recreational powerboats in the United States totaled $16.0 billion. Of the recreational powerboat categories defined and tracked by the NMMA, we serve three of the top four categories consisting of outboard, sterndrive and performance sport boat representing an addressable market of nearly $13.2 billion in retail sales through our Malibu, Axis, Pursuit, Maverick Boat Group brands and Cobalt brands. The following table illustrates the size of our addressable market in units and retail sales for calendar year 2022:
Recreational Powerboat Category Unit Sales Retail Sales
(Dollars in millions)
We maintain a leading market share position in a number of recreational boating categories with our various brands. According to SSI, in 2022 we held the number one market share position in the United States for performance sport boats with our Malibu and Axis brands, the number one market share position in the United States for the 24’—29’ segment of the sterndrive boat category through our Cobalt brand, and we are among the leading market share positions in the outboard fiberglass fishing market that our Pursuit and Maverick Boat Group brands serve, in each case based on unit volume. We have grown our U.S. market share in the performance sports boat category from 24.5% in 2010 to 28.8% in 2022 and we have
2
Table of Contents
expanded our market share in the 24’-29’ segment of the sterndrive boat category from 14.2% in 2010 to 35.9% in 2022. Our Pursuit brand has gained share within its market since our acquisition of Pursuit and we are positioned to gain a broader share of the overall outboard fiberglass fishing market with our Maverick Boat Group brands.
Our Products and Brands
We design, manufacture and sell recreational powerboats, including performance sport boats, sterndrive and outboard boats across eight brands: Malibu, Axis, Pursuit, Maverick, Cobia, Pathfinder, Hewes, and Cobalt. We believe that we deliver superior performance for general recreational purposes with a significant focus on water sports, including wakeboarding, water skiing and wake surfing as well as general recreational boating and fishing. In addition, we also offer various accessories and aftermarket parts. The following table provides an overview of our product offerings by brand as of June 30, 2023:
Innovative Features
In addition to the standard features included on all of our boats, we offer consumers a full selection of innovative optional features designed to enhance performance, functionality and the overall boating experience. We believe our innovative features drive our high average selling prices. Among our most successful and most innovative has been Surf Gate. Introduced in July 2012 and initially patented in September 2013, Surf Gate is available as an optional feature on all Malibu, Axis and certain Cobalt models. Surf Gate has revolutionized the increasingly popular sport of wake surfing. Prior to Surf Gate, boaters needed to empty ballast tanks on one side of the boat and shift passengers around to lean the boat to create a larger, more pronounced surf-quality wake. By employing precisely engineered and electronically controlled panels, Surf Gate alleviates this time-consuming and cumbersome process, allowing boaters to easily surf behind an evenly weighted boat without the need to wait for ballast changes. We have also developed our patented Surf Band technology that allows the rider to remotely control the surf wave, shape, size and side. Some of our other notable innovations include Power Wedge III, G5 and the power actuated G10+ Tower, Electronic Dashboard Controls, Flip Down Swim Step, Tower Mister, Splash and Stow and Cobalt's TruWave Technology. Pursuit also has introduced the industry first Electric Sliding Entertainment Center and sliding second row center console seating. Maverick Boat Group has introduced first of its kind "Hybrid" and "Open" Bay Boat designs in recent years.
3
Table of Contents
We won the Boating Industry Magazine's "Top Product" award for the Pursuit S 358 Sport in 2022. Malibu Trailers took the coveted NMMA Innovation Award at the Miami International Boat Show in 2022. The Malibu Wakesetter 23 LSV has won Wakeworld “Readers Choice” Wakeboard and Wakesurf Boat of the Year three years running in 2022, 2021 and 2020.
We also offer an array of less technological, but nonetheless value-added boat features such as gelcoat upgrades, upholstery upgrades, engine drivetrain enhancements (such as silent exhaust tips, propeller upgrades and closed cooling engine configuration), sound system upgrades, bimini tops, boat covers and trailers which further increase the level of customization afforded to consumers.
Our Dealer Network
We rely on independent dealers to sell our products. We establish performance criteria that our dealers must meet as part of their dealer agreements to ensure our dealer network remains the strongest in the industry. As a member of our network, dealers may qualify for floor plan financing programs, rebates, seasonal discounts and other allowances. We believe our dealer network is the most extensive in the market.
North America
As of June 30, 2023, our dealer network consisted of over 300 dealer locations servicing the performance sport boat, sterndrive, and outboard markets strategically located throughout the U.S. and Canada. Approximately 50% of our dealer locations have been with us, or with Pursuit, Maverick Boat Group or Cobalt, prior to our acquisition of them, for over ten years. Our top ten dealers represented 41.1%, 39.9% and 38.7%, of our net sales for fiscal year 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively. The top ten dealers for each of the Malibu, Saltwater Fishing and Cobalt segments represented approximately 53.3%, 56.8% and 53.1%, respectively, of net sales in fiscal year 2023. The top ten dealers for each segment are not the same across all segments. 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, including approximately 6.5%, 29.5% and 20.7% of consolidated sales in fiscal year 2023 for Malibu, Saltwater Fishing and Cobalt, 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, including approximately 23.3%, 0.0% and 0.9% of consolidated sales in fiscal year 2023 for Malibu, Saltwater Fishing and Cobalt, respectively.
We consistently review our distribution network to identify opportunities to expand our geographic footprint and improve our coverage of the market. We believe that our diverse product offering and strong market position in each region of the United States helped us capitalize on growth opportunities as our industry recovered from the economic downturn. We have the ability to opportunistically add new dealers and new dealer locations to previously underserved markets and use data and performance metrics to monitor dealer performance. We believe our outstanding dealer network allows us to distribute our products more efficiently than our competitors.
International
We have an extensive international distribution network for our Malibu, Axis, Pursuit, Maverick Boat Group and Cobalt brands. As of June 30, 2023, our dealer network consisted of over 100 dealer locations throughout Europe, Asia, Middle East, South America, South Africa, and Australia/New Zealand.
Dealer Management
Our relationships with our dealers are governed by dealer agreements. Each dealer agreement has a finite term lasting between one and three years. Our dealer agreements also are typically terminable without cause by the dealer with 60 days’ prior notice and by us for a dealer failing to meet performance criteria. We may also generally terminate these agreements immediately for cause upon certain events. Pursuant to our dealer agreements, the dealers typically agree to, among other things:
•represent our products at specified boat shows;
•market our products only to retail end users in a specific geographic territory;
•promote and demonstrate our products to consumers;
•place a specified minimum number of orders of our products during the term of the agreement in exchange for rebate or discount eligibility that varies according to the level of volume they commit to purchase;
•provide us with regular updates regarding the number and type of our products in their inventory;
4
Table of Contents
•maintain a service department to service our products, and perform all appropriate warranty service and repairs; and
•indemnify us for certain claims.
Our dealer network, including all additions, renewals, non-renewals or terminations, is managed by our sales personnel. Our sales teams operate using a semi-annual dealer review process involving our senior management team. Each individual dealer is reviewed semi-annually with a broad assessment across multiple key elements, including the dealer’s geographic region, market share and customer service ratings, to identify underperforming dealers for remediation and to manage the transition process when non-renewal or termination is a necessary step.
We have developed a system of financial incentives for our dealers based on customer satisfaction and achievement of best practices. Our brands employ dealer incentive programs that have been refined through decades of experience at each brand and may, from time to time, include the following elements:
•Rebates. Our domestic dealers agree to volume commitments that are used to determine applicable rebates. The structure of the dealer incentive depends on the brand represented. If a dealer meets its volume commitments as well as other terms of the dealer performance program, the dealer is entitled to the specified amounts subject to full compliance with our programs. Failure to meet the commitment volume or other terms of the program may result in partial or complete forfeiture of the dealer’s rebate.
•Free flooring. Our dealers that take delivery of current model year boats in the offseason, typically July through April, are entitled to have us pay the interest to floor the boat until the earlier of (1) the retail sale of the unit or (2) a date near the end of the current model year. This program is an additional incentive to encourage dealers to order in the offseason and helps us balance our seasonal production.
Our dealer incentive programs are structured to promote more evenly distributed ordering throughout the fiscal year, which allows us to achieve better level-loading of our production and thereby generate plant operating efficiencies. In addition, these programs may offer further rewards for dealers who are exclusive to our brands.
Floor Plan Financing
Our North American dealers often purchase boats through floor plan financing programs with third-party floor plan financing providers. During fiscal year 2023, approximately 75% of our North American shipments were made pursuant to floor plan financing programs which our dealers participate in. These programs allow dealers across our brands to establish lines of credit with third-party lenders to purchase inventory. Under these programs, a dealer draws on the floor plan facility upon the purchase of our boats and the lender pays the invoice price of the boats. As is typical in our industry, we have entered into repurchase agreements with certain floor plan financing providers to our dealers. Under the terms of these arrangements, in the event a lender repossesses a boat from a dealer that has defaulted on its floor financing arrangement and is able to deliver the repossessed boat to us, we are obligated to repurchase the boat from the lender. Our obligation to repurchase such repossessed products 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 financing program.
Our exposure under repurchase agreements with third-party lenders is mitigated by our ability to reposition inventory with a new dealer in the event that a repurchase event occurs. The primary cost to us of a repurchase event is any margin loss on the resale of a repurchased unit. Historically, we have been able to resell repurchased boats at an amount that exceeds our cost. In addition, the historical margin loss on the resale of repurchased units has often been below 10% of the repurchased amount. For fiscal years 2023, 2022 and 2021, we did not repurchase any boats under our repurchase agreements.
Marketing and Sales
We believe that providing a high level of service to our dealers and end consumers is essential to maintaining our reputation. Our sales personnel receive training on the latest Malibu, Axis, Pursuit, Maverick Boat Group and Cobalt products and technologies, as well as training on our competitors’ products and technologies, and attend trade shows to increase their market knowledge. This training is then passed along to our dealers to ensure a consistent marketing message and leverage our marketing expenditures. Malibu, Axis, Pursuit, Maverick Boat Group and Cobalt enjoy strong brand awareness, as evidenced by our substantial market share in their respective categories.
Our marketing strategy focuses on building brand awareness and loyalty in the inboard towboat market with Malibu and Axis brands and the outboard and sterndrive markets with Pursuit, Maverick Boat Group and Cobalt brands. Activating the marketing strategy involves creating custom content to be utilized in outbound marketing campaigns and social media to engage
5
Table of Contents
owners and prospects. In addition to retail websites developed for each of those brands and their unique consumers, the brands also manage all other aspects of marketing including traditional print advertising and trade shows.
Product Development and Engineering
We are strategically and financially committed to innovation, as reflected in our dedicated product development and engineering teams located in Tennessee, Kansas, California, and Florida and evidenced by our track record of new product introduction. As of June 30, 2023, our product development and engineering team consisted of nearly 60 professionals. These individuals bring to our product development efforts significant expertise across core disciplines, including boat design, trailer design, computer-aided design, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering. They are responsible for execution of all facets of our new product strategy, including designing new and refreshed boat models and new features, engineering these designs for manufacturing and integrating new features into our boats. In addition, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer are actively involved in the product development process and integration into manufacturing.
Our product development strategy consists of a two-pronged approach. First, we seek to introduce new boat models to target unaddressed or underserved segments of the recreational powerboat industry, while also updating and refreshing our existing boat models regularly. Second, we seek to develop and integrate innovative new or enhanced optional feature offerings into our boats. We intend to release new products and features multiple times during a year, which we believe enhances our reputation as a leading innovator in boat manufacturing and provides us with a competitive advantage.
We take a disciplined approach to the management of our product development strategy. We use a formalized phase gate process, overseen by a dedicated project manager, to develop, evaluate and implement new product ideas for both boat models and innovative features. Application of the phase gate process requires management to establish an overall timeline that is sub-divided into milestones, or “gates,” for product development. Setting milestones at certain intervals in the product development process ensures that each phase of development occurs in an organized manner and enables management to become aware of and address any issues in a timely fashion, which facilitates on-time, on-target release of new products with expected return on investment. Extensive testing and coordination with our manufacturing group are important elements of our product development process, which we believe enable us to minimize the risk associated with the release of new products. Our phase gate process also facilitates our introduction of new boat models and features throughout the year, which we believe provides us with a competitive advantage in the marketplace. Finally, in addition to our process for managing new product introductions in a given fiscal year, we also engage in longer-term product life cycle and product portfolio planning.
Manufacturing
We have eight manufacturing facilities located in five U.S. states and Australia. We produce performance sport boats through our Malibu and Axis brands at our Tennessee and Australia manufacturing facilities; we produce sterndrive and outboard boats through our Cobalt brand at our Kansas manufacturing facility; and we produce saltwater outboard boats under our Pursuit and Maverick Boat Group brands, as well as tooling parts, in Fort Pierce, Florida. We completed expansion projects at one of our Florida facilities (Maverick Boat Group) in fiscal year 2022 and at our other Florida facility (Pursuit Tooling) in fiscal year 2023. We also recently purchased a 260,000 square foot manufacturing facility near our Tennessee campus that we expect to fully finish constructing in fiscal year 2024. For our Malibu and Axis brands, we manufacture towers, tower accessories and stainless steel and aluminum billet at our California facility and engines and trailers at our Tennessee facility. For our Malibu, Axis and Cobalt brands, we produce wiring harnesses at our Alabama facility.
Our boats are built through a continuous flow manufacturing process that encompasses fabrication, assembly, quality management and testing. Each boat is produced on an established cycle depending on model that includes the fabrication of the hull and deck through gelcoat application and fiberglass lamination, grinding and hole cutting, installation of components, rigging, finishing, detailing and on-the-water testing. Production of cruisers occurs on a dedicated line that allows for the increased time needed to add the additional content required for production of larger boats.
We have vertically integrated key components of our manufacturing process, including the manufacturing of our own engines, boat trailers, towers and tower accessories, machined and billet parts, soft grip flooring, and most recently, wiring harnesses. We began including our engines, branded as Malibu Monsoon engines, in our Malibu and Axis boats for model year 2019, and in fiscal year 2024 we plan to begin offering Monsoon sterndrive engines to our Cobalt dealers and customers. We believe our engine marinization initiative will reduce our reliance on our previous engine suppliers for our Malibu, Axis and Cobalt brands while reducing the risk that a change in cost or production from any engine supplier for such brands could adversely affect our business. Our trailers are produced in a continuous flow manufacturing process involving cutting and bending of the main frame from raw top grade carbon steel, painting using our state-of-the-art system and installation of components. Our tower-related manufacturing in California uses multiple computer-controlled machines to cut all of the aluminum parts required for tower assembly. We are the only performance sport boat company that manufactures towers in-house. In fiscal year 2022, we acquired a facility to begin manufacturing our own wiring harnesses. As a result of this
6
Table of Contents
acquisition, we reduced the risk of production delays due to delays in receipt of wiring harnesses from third-party suppliers. Vertical integration of key components of our boats also gives us the ability to increase incremental margin per boat sold by reducing our cost base and improving the efficiency of our manufacturing process. Additionally, it allows us to have greater control over design, consumer customization options, construction quality, and our supply chain. We continually review our manufacturing process to identify opportunities for additional vertical integration investments across our portfolio of premium brands. We procure other components, such as electronic controls, from third-party vendors and install them on the boat.
Suppliers
We purchase a wide variety of raw materials from our supplier base, including resins, fiberglass, hydrocarbon feedstocks and steel, as well as product parts and components, such as engines and electronic controls, through a purchase order process. The most significant component used in manufacturing our boats, based on cost, are engines. Through our vertical integration initiative to marinize our own engines, we entered into an engine supply agreement with General Motors LLC (“General Motors”) in November 2016 for the supply of engine blocks to use in our Malibu and Axis brand boats which began in our model year 2019 and continued through model year 2023. In April 2023, we signed a new supply agreement with General Motors that will continue through model year 2026. We adopted this strategy to more directly control product path (design, innovation, calibration and integration) of our largest dollar procured part, to differentiate our product from our competitors, and to increase our ability to respond to ongoing changes in the marketplace.
Pursuant to our engine supply agreement with General Motors, General Motors will deliver engines to us as we submit purchase orders. No minimum amount of engines is required to be ordered by us. The engine supply agreement will expire at the end of production of model year 2026, unless terminated earlier by either party as permitted under the terms of the agreement, including by General Motors due to market conditions with at least eighteen (18) months’ advanced written notice.
We had joint marketing agreements with Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A., or Yamaha, that required us to supply a significant percentage of our Pursuit, Cobalt and Maverick Boat Group branded boats that are pre-rigged for outboard motors with Yamaha outboard motors in exchange for certain incentives. Those agreements expired on June 30, 2023. We are currently in discussions with Yamaha and expect to extend our agreement with Yamaha to supply outboard motors to a significant percentage of our Pursuit, Cobalt and Maverick Boat Group branded boats that are pre-rigged for outboard motors. Yamaha has continued to supply outboard motors to us since our prior agreements expired.
We experienced supply chain disruptions during fiscal year 2022 that we believe were driven by numerous factors, including labor shortages, ongoing domestic logistical constraints, West Coast port challenges and rising prices for our suppliers, in part due to inflationary pressures that continued into fiscal year 2023 and that we expect to continue into fiscal year 2024. With the exception of inflationary pressures, we believe that the systemic supply chain disruptions that we have experienced over the past several years have been largely rectified.
Insurance and Product Warranties
We carry various insurance policies, including policies to cover general products liability, workers’ compensation and other casualty and property risks, to protect against certain risks of loss consistent with the exposures associated with the nature and scope of our operations. Our policies are generally based on our safety record as well as market trends in the insurance industry and are subject to certain deductibles, limits and policy terms and conditions.
Our Malibu and Axis brand boats have a limited warranty for a period up to five years. Our Cobalt brand boats have (1) a structural warranty of up to ten years which covers the hull, deck joints, bulkheads, floor, transom, stringers, and motor mount, and (2) a five year bow-to-stern warranty on all components manufactured or purchased (excluding hull and deck structural components), including canvas and upholstery. Gelcoat is covered up to three years for Cobalt and one year for Malibu and Axis. Pursuit brand boats have a (1) limited warranty for a period of up to five years on structural components such as the hull, deck and defects in the gelcoat surface of the hull bottom, and (2) a bow-to-stern warranty of two years (excluding hull and deck structural components). Maverick, Pathfinder and Hewes brand boats have (1) a limited warranty for a period of up to five years on structural components such as the hull, deck and defects in the gelcoat surface of the hull bottom and (2) a bow-to-stern warranty of one year (excluding hull and deck structural components). Cobia brand boats have (1) a limited warranty for a period of up to ten years on structural components such as the hull, deck and defects in the gelcoat surface of the hull bottom and (2) a bow-to-stern warranty of three years (excluding hull and deck structural components). For each boat brand, there are certain materials, components or parts of the boat that are not covered by our warranty and certain components or parts that are separately warranted by the manufacturer or supplier (such as the engine). Our Malibu Monsoon engines that we manufacture for Malibu and Axis models have a limited warranty of up to five years or five-hundred hours.
7
Table of Contents
Strategic Acquisitions
One of our growth strategies is to drive growth in our business through targeted acquisitions that add value while considering our existing brands and product portfolio. We acquired Maverick Boat Group in December 2020, Pursuit in October 2018 and Cobalt in July 2017. The primary objectives of our acquisitions are to expand our presence in new or adjacent categories, to expand into other product lines that may benefit from our operating strengths, and to increase the size of our addressable market. When we identify potential acquisitions, we attempt to target companies with a leading market share, strong cash flows, and an experienced management team and workforce that provide a fit with our existing operations. After completing an acquisition, we focus on integrating the company with our existing business to provide additional value to the combined entity through cost savings and revenue synergies, such as the optimization of manufacturing operations, improved processes around product development, enhancement of our existing dealer distribution network, accelerated innovation, administrative cost savings, shared procurement, vertical integration and cross-selling opportunities.
Intellectual Property
We rely on a combination of patent, trademark and copyright protection, trade secret laws, confidentiality procedures and contractual provisions to protect our rights in our brand, products and proprietary technology. This is an important part of our business and we intend to continue protecting our intellectual property. By law, our patent rights have limited lives and expire periodically. Our boat patent rights relate to boat design, features and components that we feel are important to our competitive position in our business. Some of our well-known patents include our Surf Gate and Swim Step for our Malibu and Cobalt segments and Power Wedge for our Malibu segment.
Our trademarks which are registered in the U.S. and various countries around the world, generally may endure in perpetuity on a country-by-country basis, provided that we comply with all statutory maintenance requirements, including continued use of each trademark in each such country. Some of our well-known trademarks include: (i) for our Malibu segment, Malibu, Axis, Monsoon, Power Wedge, Surf Band, Surf Gate, and Wakesetter; (ii) for our Saltwater Fishing Segment, Pursuit, Cobia, Maverick, and Redfisher; and (iii) for our Cobalt segment, Cobalt and Splash & Stow.
Seasonality
Our dealers experience seasonality in their business. Retail demand for boats is seasonal, with a significant majority of sales occurring during peak boating season, which coincides with our first and fourth fiscal quarters. In order to minimize the impact of this seasonality on our business, we manage our manufacturing processes and structure dealer incentives to tie our annual volume rebates program to consistent ordering patterns, encouraging dealers to purchase our products throughout the year. In this regard, we may offer free flooring incentives to dealers from the beginning of our model year through April 30 of each year. Further, in the event that a dealer does not consistently order units throughout the year, such dealer’s rebate is materially reduced. We may offer off-season retail promotions to our dealers in seasonally slow months, during and ahead of boat shows, to encourage retail demand.
Safety and Regulatory Matters
Our operations and products are subject to extensive environmental and health and safety regulation under various federal, commonwealth, state, and local statutes, ordinances, rules and regulations in the United States and Australia where we manufacture our boats, and in other foreign jurisdictions where we sell our products. We believe we are in material compliance with those requirements. However, we cannot be certain that costs and expenses required for us to comply with such requirements in the future, including for any new or modified regulatory requirements, or to address newly discovered environmental conditions, will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, operating results, or cash flow. The regulatory programs to which we are subject include the following:
Hazardous Materials and Waste
Certain materials used in our manufacturing, including the resins used in production of our boats, are toxic, flammable, corrosive, or reactive and are classified as hazardous materials by the national, state and local governments in those jurisdictions where we manufacture our products. The handling, storage, release, treatment, and recycling or disposal of these substances and wastes from our operations are regulated in the United States by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”), and state and local environmental agencies. In the United States, handling, storage, release, treatment, and recycling or disposal of hazardous materials is regulated under Subtitle C of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (“RCRA”). The EPA works with state regulatory agencies to implement a compliance monitoring program with the goal of evaluating compliance with companies’ RCRA obligation. Our manufacturing facilities can be subject to on-site compliance evaluation inspections (CEIs) or targeted enforcement actions. The handling, storage, release, treatment and recycling or disposal of these substances and wastes from our operations are regulated in Australia by the Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, the New South Wales Environmental Protection Authority and other state and
8
Table of Contents
local authorities. Failure by us to properly handle, store, release, treat, recycle or dispose of our hazardous materials and wastes could result in liability for us, including fines, penalties, or obligations to investigate and remediate any contamination originating from our operations or facilities. We are not aware of any material contamination at our current or former facilities for which we could be liable under environmental laws or regulations, and we currently are not undertaking any remediation or investigation activities in connection with any contamination. Future spills or accidents or the discovery of currently unknown conditions or non-compliance could, however, give rise to investigation and remediation obligations or related liabilities.
Air Quality
In the United States, the federal Clean Air Act (“CAA”) and corresponding state and local laws and rules regulate emissions of air pollutants. Because our manufacturing operations involve molding and coating of fiberglass materials, which involves the emission of certain volatile organic compounds, hazardous air pollutants, and particulate matter, we are required to maintain and comply with a CAA operating permit requirements under Title V of the CAA (“Part 70 Permits”) for our Tennessee, Kansas and Florida facilities and local air permits for our California facilities. Our air permits generally require us to monitor our emissions and periodically certify that our emissions are within specified limits. To date, we have not had material difficulty complying with those limits.
The EPA and the California Air Resources Board (“CARB”) have, under the CAA, adopted regulations stipulating that many marine propulsion engines and watercraft meet certain air emission standards. Some of these standards require fitting a catalytic converter to the engine. These regulations also require, among other things, that engine manufacturers provide a warranty that their engines meet EPA and CARB emission standards. The engines used in our products are subject to these regulations. CARB has adopted an evaporative emissions regulation that applies to all spark-ignition marine watercraft with permanently installed fuel tanks sold in California (the Spark-Ignition Marine Watercraft Program). This regulation requires subject boat manufacturers to use specific CARB-certified components for the fuel systems in their boats, or to certify the boat meets a related performance standard. While we believe that our boats meet all applicable emission standards, the USEPA and CARB emissions regulations have increased the cost to manufacture our products.
OSHA
In the United States, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) standards address workplace safety generally, and limit the amount of emissions to which an employee may be exposed without the need for respiratory protection or upgraded plant ventilation. Our facilities are regularly inspected by OSHA and by state and local inspection agencies and departments. Our California facilities are also subject to California indoor air quality regulations, overseen by California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health. We believe that our facilities comply in all material aspects with these regulations. Although capital expenditures related to compliance with environmental and safety laws are expected to increase, we do not currently anticipate any material expenditure will be required to continue to comply with existing OSHA environmental or safety regulations in connection with our existing manufacturing facilities.
At our New South Wales, Australia (“NSW”) facility, employee health and safety is regulated by SafeWork NSW, which also has requirements that limit the amount of certain emissions to which an employee may be exposed without the need for respiratory protection or upgraded plant ventilation. In addition, SafeWork NSW provides licensing and registration for potentially dangerous work, investigates workplace incidents, and enforces work health and safety laws in NSW. Our NSW facilities can be routinely inspected by SafeWork NSW. We believe that our facilities comply in all material aspects with these requirements.
Boat Design and Manufacturing Standards
In the United States, the U.S. Coast Guard promulgates regulations related to the minimum construction and safety requirements for recreational boats. In addition, boats manufactured for sale in the European Community must be certified to meet the requirements of the applicable laws and standards, including Directive 2013/53/EU on recreational craft and personal watercraft. These certifications specify standards for the design and construction of powerboats. We believe that all of our boats meet these standards. In addition, safety of recreational boats in the United States is subject to federal regulation under the Boat Safety Act of 1971, which requires boat manufacturers to recall products for replacement of parts or components that have demonstrated defects affecting safety. We have instituted recalls for defective component parts produced by certain of our third-party suppliers, including recalls on third party supplied steering columns during fiscal year 2023 and fuel pumps during fiscal year 2019. None of our recalls have had a material adverse impact on us.
9
Table of Contents
Human Capital Management
Employee Profile
As of June 30, 2023, we had approximately 3,095 employees worldwide.
None of our team members are party to a collective bargaining agreement. We believe in working diligently to establish ourselves as an employer of choice.
Talent Retention and Development
We recognize employees are the heart of our organization and support them by offering a range of competitive pay, recognition and benefit programs. We provide market-competitive pay and benefits to encourage performance that creates sustainable and long-term employment. Additionally, we have numerous initiatives to support employee development, including annual performance evaluations and supervisor training programs, along with training programs for new employees (and those who are internally promoted) to learn new skills in boat production, such as gel coat application and fiberglass repair. We believe in internal promotion where possible and are committed to developing our current team members to become the next generation of leaders throughout the organization. Approximately 84% of our production leaders are internal promotions. We provide tuition assistance programs and take advantage of leadership development where possible. We partner with several colleges and universities to hire students from across the country in our Engineering Internship Program and many come to work for us after attaining their degree.
Employee Well-Being
Safety is a core value of our organization and we are committed to fostering a culture where safety is a number one priority. The success of our business depends, in part, upon the prevention of accidents, the reduction and/or prevention of occupational injuries and illnesses, and compliance with established safety and health policies and requirements. Dependent upon job tasks, some personnel will be required to have OSHA training and/or documentation to satisfy job requirements. Workplace safety is a fundamental organization-wide value, and we are committed to running an efficient program. We remain focused on building a safer workplace for our employees and will continue to work toward an injury-free workplace through the implementation of training and other safety initiatives.
Culture and Values
Our mission statement is a formal summary of our core purpose and focus and clearly communicates who we are. Our mission is to create the ultimate on-the-water lifestyle. Our core values are the guiding principles that dictate how we make decisions and interact with each other daily. We are committed to our core values of Safety, Integrity, People, Quality, Innovation, Customer Focus, and Continuous Improvement. We design products that appeal to an expanding range of recreational boaters, fisherman and water sports enthusiasts whose passion for boating is a key component of their active lifestyle. With our many awards and honors, we cultivate a culture of excellence and premier boat building.
We conducted our first annual engagement survey of all employees in 2023 as an opportunity to gather feedback from employees on their experience and overall satisfaction to identify areas for organizational improvement. Outside of formal surveys, we allow employees to continuously share any comments, questions or concerns with our leadership team, which are addressed as needed by our executive team.
Diversity and Inclusion
We are committed to maintaining an employee-first culture. We are dedicated to protecting the well-being of our employees and creating a culture that promotes inclusivity, acceptance, equality and diversity. Our employees bring a blend of diverse backgrounds, and we promote an inclusive workforce and the opportunity for career growth for all employees. We seek to hire the best-qualified individuals and do not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, national origin, citizenship status, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and similar classification. We continually evaluate our internal processes and programs to further build on our diverse, equitable and inclusive culture. We value our team and are committed to treating all employees with dignity and respect.
Community Involvement
We continually strive to make an impact on our local communities and serve them with gratitude. Each year, we partner with community organizations where our facilities are located and support local schools. In Tennessee, we partner with Toys for Tots and Angel Tree each holiday season. Our corporate sponsorship with the local Kiwanis Club has allowed us to give back to children with disabilities while also helping students prepare for the upcoming school year. We partner with the local
10
Table of Contents
Family Resources center each year to assist local students with cold-weather clothing fund and participate in additional local school initiatives to promote manufacturing trade jobs. In Kansas, we support our community through recreational leagues as well as donations to local libraries, events and school fundraisers, among other initiatives. In Florida, we give back to our local communities through the Treasure Coast Food Bank, Pet Food Drive for the Humane Society, Ready to Work Boot Camp, and the Everglades Foundation, Recreational Fishing Alliance and Coastal Conservation Association. Additionally, we are proud participants in and sponsors of the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk every year. We are proud of our partnerships with these outstanding organizations, and of the funds raised by our employees for children and families in the communities within which we operate.
Organizational Structure
Malibu Boats, Inc. was incorporated as a Delaware corporation on November 1, 2013 in anticipation of our IPO to serve as a holding company that owns only an interest in Malibu Boats Holdings, LLC. Immediately after the completion of our IPO and the recapitalization we completed in connection with our IPO, Malibu Boats, Inc. held approximately 49.3% of the economic interest in the LLC, which has since increased to approximately 97.8% of the economic interest in the LLC as of June 30, 2023.
The certificate of incorporation of Malibu Boats, Inc. authorizes two classes of common stock, Class A Common Stock and Class B Common Stock. Holders of our Class A Common Stock and our Class B Common Stock have voting power over Malibu Boats, Inc., the sole managing member of the LLC, at a level that is consistent with their overall equity ownership of our business. In connection with our IPO and the recapitalization we completed in connection with our IPO, Malibu Boats, Inc. issued to each pre-IPO owner, for nominal consideration, one share of Class B Common Stock of Malibu Boats, Inc., each of which provides its owner with no economic rights but entitles the holder to one vote on matters presented to stockholders of Malibu Boats, Inc. for each LLC Unit held by such holder. Pursuant to our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, each share of Class A Common Stock entitles the holder to one vote with respect to each matter presented to our stockholders on which the holders of Class A Common Stock are entitled to vote. Each holder of Class B Common Stock is entitled to the number of votes equal to the total number of LLC units held by such holder multiplied by the exchange rate specified in the exchange agreement with respect to each matter presented to our stockholders on which the holders of Class B Common Stock are entitled to vote. Accordingly, the holders of LLC Units collectively have a number of votes that is equal to the aggregate number of LLC Units that they hold. As the LLC members sell LLC Units to us or subsequently exchange LLC Units for shares of Class A Common Stock of Malibu Boats, Inc. pursuant to the exchange agreement described below, the voting power afforded to them by their shares of Class B Common Stock is automatically and correspondingly reduced. Subject to any rights that may be applicable to any then outstanding preferred stock, our Class A and Class B Common Stock vote as a single class on all matters presented to our stockholders for their vote or approval, except as otherwise provided in our certificate of incorporation or bylaws or required by applicable law. In addition, subject to preferences that may apply to any shares of preferred stock outstanding at the time, the holders of our Class A Common Stock are entitled to share equally, identically and ratably in any dividends or distributions (including in the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our affairs) that our board of directors may determine to issue from time to time, while holders of our Class B Common Stock do not have any right to receive dividends or other distributions.
As noted above, Malibu Boats, Inc. is a holding company with a controlling equity interest in the LLC. Malibu Boats, Inc., as sole managing member of the LLC, operates and controls all of the business and affairs and consolidates the financial results of the LLC. The limited liability company agreement of the LLC provides that it may be amended, supplemented, waived or modified by the written consent of Malibu Boats, Inc., as managing member of the LLC, in its sole discretion without the approval of any other holder of LLC Units, except that no amendment may materially and adversely affect the rights of a holder of LLC Units, other than on a pro rata basis with other holders of LLC Units, without the consent of such holder (unless more than one holder is so affected, then the consent of a majority of such affected holders is required). Pursuant to the limited liability company agreement of the LLC, Malibu Boats, Inc. has the right to determine when distributions (other than tax distributions) will be made to the members of the LLC and the amount of any such distributions. If Malibu Boats, Inc. authorizes a distribution, such distribution will be made to the members of the LLC (including Malibu Boats, Inc.) pro rata in accordance with the percentages of their respective LLC Units.
11
Table of Contents
The diagram below depicts our current organizational structure, as of June 30, 2023:
Our organizational structure allows the LLC members to retain their equity ownership in the LLC, an entity that is classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, in the form of LLC Units. Holders of Class A Common Stock, by contrast, hold their equity ownership in Malibu Boats, Inc., a Delaware corporation that is a domestic corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, in the form of shares of Class A Common Stock. The holders of LLC Units, including Malibu Boats, Inc., will incur U.S. federal, state and local income taxes on their proportionate share of any taxable income of the LLC. Net profits and net losses of the LLC will generally be allocated to the LLC’s members (including Malibu Boats, Inc.) pro rata in accordance with the percentages of their respective limited liability company interests. The limited liability company agreement provides for cash distributions to the holders of LLC Units if Malibu Boats, Inc. determines that the taxable income of the LLC will give rise to taxable income for its members. In accordance with the limited liability company agreement, we intend to cause the LLC to make cash distributions to the holders of LLC Units for purposes of funding their tax obligations in respect of the income of the LLC that is allocated to them. Generally, these tax distributions will be computed based on our estimate of the taxable income of the LLC allocable to such holder of LLC Units multiplied by an assumed tax rate equal to the highest effective marginal combined U.S. federal, state and local income tax rate prescribed for an individual or corporate resident in Los Angeles, California (taking into account the nondeductibility of certain expenses and the character of our income). For purposes of determining the taxable income of the LLC, such determination will be made by generally disregarding any adjustment to the taxable income of any member of the LLC that arises under the tax basis adjustment rules of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code and is attributable to the acquisition by such member of an interest in the LLC in a sale or exchange transaction.
Exchanges and Other Transactions with Holders of LLC Units
In connection with our IPO and the recapitalization we completed in connection with our IPO, we entered into an exchange agreement with the pre-IPO owners of the LLC under which (subject to the terms of the exchange agreement) each pre-IPO owner (or its permitted transferee) has the right to exchange its LLC Units for shares of our Class A Common Stock on a one-
12
Table of Contents
for-one basis, subject to customary conversion rate adjustments for stock splits, stock dividends and reclassifications, or, at our option, except in the event of a change in control, for a cash payment equal to the market value of the Class A Common Stock. The exchange agreement provides, however, that such exchanges must be for a minimum of the lesser of 1,000 LLC Units, all of the LLC Units held by the holder, or such amount as we determine to be acceptable. The exchange agreement also provides that an LLC member will not have the right to exchange LLC Units if Malibu Boats, Inc. determines that such exchange would be prohibited by law or regulation or would violate other agreements with Malibu Boats, Inc. to which the LLC member may be subject or any of our written policies related to unlawful or insider trading. The exchange agreement also provides that Malibu Boats, Inc. may impose additional restrictions on exchanges that it determines to be necessary or advisable so that the LLC is not treated as a “publicly traded partnership” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In addition, pursuant to the limited liability company agreement of the LLC, Malibu Boats, Inc., as managing member of the LLC, has the right to require all members of the LLC to exchange their LLC Units for Class A Common Stock in accordance with the terms of the exchange agreement, subject to the consent of the holders of a majority of outstanding LLC Units other than those held by Malibu Boats, Inc.
As a result of exchanges of LLC Units into Class A Common Stock and purchases by Malibu Boats, Inc. of LLC Units from holders of LLC Units, Malibu Boats, Inc. will become entitled to a proportionate share of the existing tax basis of the assets of the LLC at the time of such exchanges or purchases. In addition, such exchanges and purchases of LLC Units are expected to result in increases in the tax basis of the assets of the LLC that otherwise would not have been available. These increases in tax basis may reduce the amount of tax that Malibu Boats, Inc. would otherwise be required to pay in the future. These increases in tax basis may also decrease gains (or increase losses) on future dispositions of certain capital assets to the extent tax basis is allocated to those capital assets. We have entered into a tax receivable agreement with the pre-IPO owners (or their permitted assignees) that provides for the payment by Malibu Boats, Inc. to the pre-IPO owners (or their permitted assignees) of 85% of the amount of the benefits, if any, that Malibu Boats, Inc. is deemed to realize as a result of (1) increases in tax basis 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 obligations of Malibu Boats, Inc. and not of the LLC.
Available Information
Our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and amendments to reports filed or furnished pursuant to Sections 13(a) and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act are available on our web site at www.malibuboats.com, free of charge, as soon as reasonably practicable after the electronic filing of these reports with, or furnishing of these reports to, the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC. In addition, the SEC maintains a web site at www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC, including us.
13
Table of Contents
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.
Item 2. Properties
Tennessee
Our Malibu and Axis boats are manufactured in Loudon, Tennessee. We lease the property where we have our 197,000 square-foot facility that is used to manufacture Malibu and Axis boats. This property also includes warehouses and office space. The property is leased pursuant to a lease agreement that has a term through March 31, 2028, with the option to extend for three additional terms of ten years each. We also lease the property where we have our 23,500 square-foot facility that is used to store our warranty parts. This property also includes warehouses and office space. The property is leased pursuant to a lease agreement that has a term through December 31, 2024.
We also own 165,000 square-feet of space neighboring our manufacturing facility in Loudon, Tennessee that we use for trailer production, engine production, shipping and office space, respectively. Our Loudon facilities are used in our Malibu segment.
On July 25, 2023, we completed the purchase of a 260,000 square-foot facility in Lenoir City, Tennessee. This new facility provides for the opportunity to expand production of boats and provides more opportunities for vertical integration initiatives.
Kansas
Our Cobalt boats are manufactured in Neodesha, Kansas. We own the property in Neodesha, where we have four manufacturing facilities aggregating to 493,000 square feet of manufacturing space. Our Neodesha facilities are used in our Cobalt segment.
Florida
Our Pursuit boats are manufactured in Fort Pierce, Florida. We own the property where our Pursuit facilities are located which consist of six manufacturing facilities aggregating to 398,000 square feet of manufacturing space.
On March 1, 2023, we launched our new 116,000 square foot Tooling Design Center located on our Pursuit property. The new facility is a vertical integration initiative that will first focus on the tooling needs of our Pursuit brand, with the goal to build the majority of tooling across all of our brands at this site.
Our Maverick Boat Group boats are manufactured at a separate location in Fort Pierce, Florida. We own the property where our Maverick Boat Group facilities are located. Our two manufacturing facilities for Maverick Boat Group aggregate to 330,000 square feet of manufacturing space.
Our Fort Pierce facilities for Pursuit and the Maverick Boat Group are used in our Saltwater Fishing segment.
California