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10-KNov 16, 2023, 6:49 PM EST 10-KNov 20, 2024, 6:37 PM EST

ATKR

Atkore Inc. Common Stock

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ATKR's 2024 10-K Risk Factors highlight new cybersecurity and climate change risks, increased customer concentration, and potential impacts from global mega projects and regulatory changes, with expanded foreign operations and mixed credit ratings.

Breakdown

Item 1A. Risk Factors

You should carefully consider the factors described below, in addition to the other information set forth in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. These risk factors are important to understanding the contents of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and of other reports. Our reputation, business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows are subject to various risks. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones relevant to us. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently believe are immaterial may also adversely impact our reputation, business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

Risks Related to Our Business

Our performance may be impacted by general business and economic conditions, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

The success of our business is affected by a number of general business and economic conditions. Our primary end markets are new non-residential construction, MRR, residential, OEM, and international markets. Decrease in global economic activity may result in downturns or periods of economic weakness in our primary end markets. Such decreases may be instigated by factors beyond our control, including economic recessions, fluctuations in interest and currency exchange rates, supply chain disruptions, inflation, availability of raw materials and other items sourced for production and delivery of finished product, changes in end-user preferences, consumer confidence, public health conditions, including epidemics or pandemics, availability of credit, business office usage and changes in the fiscal or monetary policies of governments in the regions in which we operate. In turn, we may experience diminished demand for our products, which could create excess capacity and reduce the prices which we are able to charge for our products. The materialization of any of these risks could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

During the United States economic recession which began in the second half of 2007 and continued through June of 2009, demand for our products declined significantly. Another economic downturn in any of the markets we serve may result in a reduction of sales and pricing for our products. Any such economic downturn could also adversely affect the creditworthiness of our customers. If the creditworthiness of our customers declines, we could face increased credit risk and some, or many, of our customers may not be able to pay us amounts when they become due. Economic downturns may also result in restructuring actions and associated expenses and the impairment of long-lived assets, including goodwill and other intangibles. In particular, we may be forced to close underperforming facilities. Any such restructuring actions, combined with reduced demand and excess capacity, could negatively impact our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

We cannot predict economic conditions, or the timing or strength of demand in our markets. Weakness in the markets in which we operate could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

The non-residential construction industry accounts for a significant portion of our business, and a downturn in the non-residential construction industry could materially and adversely affect our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Our business is largely dependent on the non-residential construction industry. For new construction, we estimate that our product installation typically lags United States non-residential starts by six to twelve months. The United States non-residential construction industry is cyclical, with product demand based on numerous factors such as availability of credit, interest rates, general economic conditions, consumer confidence and other factors that are beyond our control. United States non-residential construction starts, as reported by Dodge, reached a historic low of 690 million square feet in our fiscal 2010 and increased to 1,~~468~~265 million square feet in our fiscal 20234, which was above historical average levels.

From time to time we have been adversely affected in various parts of the country by declines in non-residential building construction starts due to, among other things, supply chain disruptions and availability of construction labor and materials, changes in tax laws affecting the real estate industry, interest rate increases, governmental restrictions relating to public health conditions and business office usage. Continued uncertainty about current economic conditions will continue to pose a risk to our business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows, as participants in this industry may postpone spending in response to negative financial news or declines in income or asset values, which could have a continued material negative effect on the demand for our products.

The raw materials on which we depend in our production process may be subject to price increases which we may not be able to pass through to our customers, or to price decreases which may decrease the prices of our products. As a result, such price fluctuations could materially and adversely affect our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Our results of operations are impacted by changes in commodity prices, primarily steel, copper and resin. Historically, we have not engaged in material hedging strategies for raw material purchases. Substantially all of the products we sell (such as steel conduit, tubing and framing, copper wiring in our cables, and PVC and HDPE conduit) are subject to price fluctuations because they are composed primarily of steel, copper or resin, industrial commodities that are subject to price volatility. This volatility can significantly affect our gross profit. We also watch the market trends of certain other commodities, such as zinc (used in the galvanization process for a number of our products), electricity, natural gas and diesel fuel, as such commodities can be important to us as they impact our cost of sales, both directly through our plant operations and indirectly through transportation and freight expense.

We may not always be completely successful in managing raw material market fluctuations in the future. We generally sell our products on a spot basis (and not under long-term contracts). Accordingly, in periods of declining raw material prices, we may face pricing pressure from our customers to reduce our products prices. Conversely, in periods of increasing raw material prices, we may not be able to pass on such increases to our customers. Our inability to maintain established price levels in an environment of declining raw material prices, or offset increasing raw material prices by our products prices, could materially and adversely affect our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

We operate in a competitive landscape, and increased competition could materially and adversely affect our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

The principal markets that we serve are highly competitive. Competition is based primarily on product offering, product innovation, quality, service and price. Our principal competitors range from national manufacturers to smaller regional manufacturers and differ by each of our product lines. See Item 1, BusinessCompetition. Some of our competitors may have greater financial and other resources than we do and some may have more established brand names in the markets we serve. The actions of our competitors, including adding production capacity and the expansion of imported products, may encourage us to lower our prices or to offer additional services or enhanced products at a higher cost to us, which could reduce our gross profit, net income or cash flows or may cause us to lose market share.

Any of these consequences could materially and adversely affect our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Our operating results are sensitive to the availability and cost of freight and energy, which are important in the manufacture and transport of our products.

We are dependent on third-party freight carriers to transport many of our products. Our access to third-party freight carriers is not guaranteed, and we may be unable to transport our products at economically attractive rates in certain circumstances, particularly in cases of adverse market conditions or disruptions to transportation infrastructure. Our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows could be materially and adversely affected if we are unable to pass all of the cost increases on to our customers, if we are unable to obtain the necessary energy supplies or if freight carrier capacity in our geographic markets were to decline significantly or otherwise become unavailable.

Interruptions in the proper functioning of our information technology (IT) systems and the IT systems of those with whom we do business, including from cybersecurity threats, could disrupt operations and cause unanticipated increases in costs or decreases in revenues, or both.

We use our IT systems to, among other things, run and manage our manufacturing operations, manage inventories and accounts receivable, make purchasing decisions and monitor our results of operations, and process, transmit and store sensitive electronic data, including employee, supplier and customer records. As a result, the proper functioning of our IT systems is critical to the successful operation of our business. Our information systems include proprietary systems developed and maintained by us. In addition, we depend on IT systems of third parties, such as suppliers, retailers and OEMs to, among other things, market and distribute our products, develop new products and services, operate our website, host and manage our services, store data, process transactions, respond to customer inquiries and manage inventory and our supply chain. Although our IT systems are protected through physical and software safeguards and remote processing capabilities exist, our IT systems or those of third parties whom we depend upon are still vulnerable to natural disasters, power losses, unauthorized access, telecommunication failures and other problems. If critical proprietary or third-party IT systems fail or are otherwise unavailable, including as a result of system upgrades and transitions, our ability to manufacture, process orders, track credit risk, identify business opportunities, maintain proper levels of inventories, collect accounts receivable, pay expenses and otherwise manage our business would be adversely affected.

Our business is also vulnerable to cyberattacks. Cyber incidents can result from deliberate attacks or unintentional events. Cybersecurity attacks in particular are becoming more sophisticated and more frequent and include, but are not limited to, malicious software, attempts to gain unauthorized access to data (either directly or through our vendors) for purposes of misappropriating assets or sensitive information, corrupting data, or causing operational disruption, denial of service attacks, phishing, untargeted but sophisticated and automated attacks and other disruptive software campaigns. We have been, and likely will continue to be, subject to potential damage from cybersecurity attacks. Despite our security measures, our IT systems and infrastructure or those of our third parties may be vulnerable to such cyber incidents. The result of these incidents could include, but are not limited to, disrupted operations, misstated or misappropriated financial data, theft of our intellectual property or other confidential information (including of our customers, suppliers and employees), liability for stolen assets or information, increased cyber security protection costs and reputational damage adversely affecting customer or investor confidence. In addition, if any information about our customers, including payment information, were the subject of a successful cybersecurity attack against us, we could be subject to litigation or other claims by the affected customers. We have incurred costs and may incur significant additional costs in order to implement the security measures we feel are appropriate to protect our IT systems. See Item 1C, Cybersecurity.

When the networks of our business partners are comprised, this also raises risks regarding payments and orders.

Our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows could be materially and adversely affected by the importation of similar products into the United States, as well as U.S. trade policy and practices.

A substantial portion of our revenue is generated through our operations in the United States. Imports of products similar to those manufactured by us may reduce the volume of products sold by domestic producers and depress the selling prices of our products and those of our competitors.

We believe import levels are affected by, among other things, overall worldwide product demand, the trade practices of the U.S. and foreign governments, the cost of freight, the challenges involved in shipping, government subsidies to foreign producers and governmentally imposed trade restrictions, such as quotas, tariffs, other trade barriers in the United States and government enforcement of such quotas, tariffs and trade barriers. Increased imports of products similar to those manufactured by us in the United States could materially and adversely affect our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Contracts for global mega projects are complex and often include risk profiles greater than those of our usual product sales.

Our products can be assembled into interconnected skids to support plant operations and such assemblies have become accepted and used in the designs and construction of large scale manufacturing plants and data centers. The scale of these projects can push our products and services to over tens of millions of dollars or more. Supplying these complex assemblies poses unique challenges, which if not carefully discharged could subject us to warranty, indemnity and other contract obligations that could have a material affect on our results of operations.

We are directly and indirectly subject to legislative and regulatory changes that may affect demand for our products.

The markets for certain of our products are influenced by federal, state, local and international governmental regulations, trade policies and trade groups (such as the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, the iInflation Reduction Act of 2022 (the IRA), other infrastructure legislation, Buy America regulations, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Underwriters Laboratories, National Electrical Code and American Society of Mechanical Engineers) as well as other policies, including those imposed on the non-residential construction industry (such as the National Electrical Code and corresponding state and local laws based on the National Electrical Code). These regulations and policies are subject to change. Any changes to such regulations, laws and policies could materially and adversely affect our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows. Specifically, changes to the National Electrical Code and any similar state, local or non-U.S. laws, including changes that would allow for alternative products to be used in the non-residential construction industry or that would render less restrictive or otherwise reduce the current requirements under such laws and regulations, could expand the scope of products which could serve as alternatives to our products. As a result, competition in the industries in which we operate could increase, with a potential corresponding decrease in the demand for our products. To remain competitive, we may be forced to reduce the prices of our products.

In addition, in the event that changes in such laws would render current requirements more restrictive, we may be required to change our products or production processes to meet such increased restrictions, which could result in increased costs and cause us to lose market share.

The materialization of any of these risks may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Our results of operations could be adversely affected by weather.

Although weather patterns affect our operating results throughout the year, adverse weather historically has reduced construction activity in our first and second fiscal quarters as construction activity declines due to inclement weather, frozen ground and shorter daylight hours. In contrast, our

highest volume of net sales historically has occurred in our third and fourth fiscal quarters. If hurricanes, severe storms, floods, other natural disasters or similar events occur in the geographic regions in which we or our suppliers operate or through which deliveries must travel, our results of operations may be adversely affected.

Labor disputes, increased labor costs or work stoppages could adversely affect our operations and impair our financial performance.

As of September 30, 2024, approximately 20% of our domestic and international employees were represented with a collective bargaining agreement by labor unions. Several collective bargaining agreements to which the Company is a party, including the agreement covering the Companys production in Harvey, Illinois, will expire in 2024. Work stoppages or production interruptions could occur at our facilities or our suppliers facilities. Such disputes may arise under existing collective bargaining agreements with labor unions or in connection with negotiations of new collective bargaining agreements, as a result of supplier financial distress or for other reasons. Any amendments to existing collective bargaining agreements, or the implementation of new collective bargaining agreements, could result in increased labor costs.

Any organizing efforts, significant work stoppages or increases in labor costs could materially and adversely affect our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows. See Item 1, Business Human Capital Resources.

Our business requires skilled labor, and we may be unable to attract and retain qualified employees.

The Companys success is dependent on our employees, so its critical that we continue to attract and retain talent. To accomplish this, the Company needs to offer a total rewards package that includes competitive benefits and pay, reflecting our long-term commitment to the well-being of our employees. Efforts to attract talent to fill open roles in light of recent constrained labor availability may take more time than in the past and may cost the Company significantly more than in recent years. Moreover, the constrained labor conditions may mean that retention of existing talent may require significant additional pay and incentives.

We have incurred and continue to incur significant costs to comply with current and future environmental and health and safety laws and regulations, and our operations expose us to the risk of material environmental and health and safety laws liability.

We are subject to numerous federal, state, local and non-U.S. environmental laws governing, among other things, the generation, use, storage, treatment, transportation, disposal and management of hazardous substances and wastes, emissions or discharges of pollutants or other substances into the environment, investigation and remediation of, and damages resulting from, releases of hazardous substances.

Our failure to comply with applicable environmental laws, regulations and permit requirements could result in civil or criminal fines or penalties, enforcement actions, and regulatory or judicial orders enjoining or curtailing operations or requiring corrective measures such as the installation of pollution control equipment, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows. Accordingly, compliance with these laws, regulations, permits and approvals is a significant factor in our business. We have incurred, and expect to continue to incur, capital expenditures in addition to ordinary course costs to comply with applicable current and future environmental laws, such as those governing air emissions and wastewater discharges. These laws are subject to change, which could be frequent and material. The imposition of more stringent federal, state or local environmental rules or regulations could increase our operating costs and expenses. In addition, government agencies could impose conditions or other restrictions in our environmental permits which increase our costs.

From time to time, we may be held liable for the costs to address contamination at any real property we have ever owned, operated or used in our business activities or as a disposal site. We are currently, and may in the future be, required to investigate, remediate or otherwise address contamination at our current or former facilities. Many of our current and former facilities have a history of industrial usage for which additional investigation, remediation or other obligations could arise in the future and that could materially and adversely affect our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows. For example, as we sell, close or otherwise dispose of facilities, we may need to address environmental issues at such sites, including any previously unknown contamination.

We could be subject to third-party claims for property damage and nuisance or otherwise as a result of violations of, or liabilities under, environmental laws or in connection with releases of hazardous or other materials at any current or former facility. We could also be subject to environmental indemnification or other claims in connection with assets and businesses that we have divested.

We are also subject to various federal, state, local and foreign requirements concerning health and safety conditions at our manufacturing facilities, including those promulgated by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The operation of manufacturing facilities involves many risks, including the failure or substandard performance of equipment, suspension of operations and new governmental statues, regulations, guidelines and policies. Our and our customers operations are also subject to various hazards incidental to the production, use, handling, processing, storage and transportation of certain hazardous materials. These hazards can cause personal injury, severe damage to and destruction of property and equipment and environmental damage. Furthermore, we may become subject to claims with respect to workplace exposure, personal injury, workers compensation and other matters. We may be subject to material financial penalties or liabilities for noncompliance with health and safety requirements, as well as potential business disruption, if any of our facilities or a portion of any facility is required to be temporarily closed as a result of any significant injury or any noncompliance with applicable requirements. Moreover, we have sustained capital expenditure in complying with applicable health and safety laws and regulations, and any changes to such laws and regulations could increase our costs of operations.

We cannot assure you that any costs relating to future capital and operating expenditures to maintain compliance with environmental, health and safety laws, as well as costs to address contamination or environmental claims, will not exceed any current estimates or adversely affect our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows. Any unanticipated liabilities or obligations arising, for example, out of discovery of previously unknown conditions or changes in law or enforcement policies, could materially and adversely affect our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

We rely on several customers for a significant portion of our net sales, and the loss of such customers, or their inability or unwillingness to pay our invoices on time could materially and adversely affect our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Certain of our customers, in particular buying groups representing consortia of independent electrical distributors, national electrical distributors, OEMs and data center, medical center and global mega manufacturing project general contractors are material to our business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows because they account for a significant portion of our net sales. In fiscal 20234, our ten largest customers (including buyers and distributors in buying groups) accounted for approximately 3840% of our net sales. Our percentage of sales to our major customers may increase if we are successful in our strategy of expanding the range of products which we sell to existing customers. In such an event, or in the event of any consolidation in certain segments we serve, including retailers selling building products, our sales may be increasingly sensitive to deterioration in the financial condition of, or other adverse developments with respect to, one or more of our top customers. Our top customers may also be able to exert influences on us with respect to pricing, delivery, payment or other terms. Any termination of a business relationship with, or a significant sustained reduction in business received from, one or more of our largest customers could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

The majority of our net sales are facilitated through the extension of credit to our customers, and a significant asset included in our working capital is accounts receivable from customers. As of

September 30, 20234, Sonepar USA represented 147% and CED National represented 11% of the Companys accounts receivable, with no significant amounts past due. As of September 30, 2022, 3, Sone ~~customer,~~par USA represented 14% and CED National represented 101% of the Companys accounts receivable, with no significant amounts past due. For fiscal 2023, one customer, Sonepar USA accounted for more than 10% of sales, for fiscal 2022 ~~and 2021~~, no single customer accounted for more than 10% of sales. See Note 17, Segment Information to the accompanying consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report. If customers responsible for a significant amount of accounts receivable become insolvent or otherwise unable to pay for products and services, or become unwilling or unable to make payments in a timely manner, our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows could be materially and adversely affected.

Our working capital requirements could result in us having lower cash available for, among other things, capital expenditures and acquisition financing.

Our working capital needs fluctuate based on economic activity and the market prices for our main raw materials, which are predominantly steel, copper and PVC resin. We require significant working capital to purchase these raw materials and sell our products efficiently and profitably to our customers. Our cash collection cycle is generally one to two months longer than our cash payment cycle. If our working capital requirements increase and we are unable to finance our working capital on terms and conditions acceptable to us, we may not be able to obtain raw materials to respond to customer demand, which could result in a loss of sales.

If our working capital needs increase, the amount of liquidity we have at our disposal to devote to other uses will decrease. A decrease in liquidity could, among other things, limit our flexibility, including our ability to make capital expenditures and to complete acquisitions that we have identified, thereby materially and adversely affecting our business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

We may be required to recognize goodwill, intangible assets or other long-lived asset impairment charges.

As of September 30, 2024, we had goodwill of $314.0 million, intangible assets of $340.4 million, and other long-lived assets of $832.7 million. Goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets are not amortized and are subject to impairment testing at least annually. Future events, such as declines in our cash flow projections or customer demand, may cause impairments of our goodwill or long-lived assets based on factors such as the price of our common stock, projected cash flows, assumptions used or other variables.

In addition, if we divest long-lived assets at prices below their asset value, we must write them down to fair value resulting in long-lived asset impairment charges, which could adversely affect our financial position or results of operations. See Note 12, Goodwill and Intangible Assets to the accompanying consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report. We cannot accurately predict the amount and timing of any impairment of assets, and we may be required to recognize goodwill or other asset impairment charges which could materially and adversely affect our results of operations. See Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.

The nature of our business exposes us to product liability, construction defect and warranty claims and litigation as well as other legal proceedings, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

We are exposed to construction defect and product liability claims relating to our various products if our products do not meet customer expectations. Such claims and liabilities may arise out of the quality of raw materials or component parts we purchase from third-party suppliers, over which we do not have direct control, or due to our fabrication, assembly, or damage in shipment of our products. In addition, we warrant certain of our products to be free of certain defects and could incur costs related to paying warranty claims in connection with defective products. We cannot assure you that we will not experience material losses or that we will not incur significant costs to defend or pay for such claims.

W~~idespread public health conditions including pandemics could have a material ad~~hile we currently maintain insurance coverage to address a portion of these types of liabilities, we cannot make assurances that we will be able to obtain such insurance on acceptable terms in the future, if at all, or that any such insurance will provide adequate coverage against potential claims. Further, while we intend to seek indemnification against potential liability for product liability claims from relevant parties, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to recover under any such indemnification agreements. Any claims that result in liability exceeding our insurance coverage and rights to indemnification by third parties could materially and adversely affect our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows. Product liability claims can be expensive to defend and can divert the attention of management and other personnel for significant time periods, regardless of the ultimate outcome. See Note 15, Commitments and Contingencies to the accompanying consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report. An unsuccessful product liability defense could be highly costly and accordingly result in a decline in revenues and profitability.

From time to time, we are also involved in government inquiries and investigations, as well as consumer, employment, tort proceedings and other litigation. We cannot predict with certainty the outcomes of these legal proceedings and other contingencies. The outcome of some of these legal proceedings and other contingencies could require us to take actions which would adverse ~~impact~~ ly affect our operations or could require us to pay substantial amounts of money. Additionally, defending against these lawsuits and proceedings may involve significant expense and diversion o~~ur busin~~f managements attention and resources from other matters.

Widespread public health conditions including pandemics could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

While we have implemented risk management and contingency plans and taken preventive measures and other precautions, no predictions of specific scenarios can be made with respect to any future pandemic and such measures may not adequately protect our business from the impact of such events. These impacts include disruptions or restrictions on our employees ability to work in proximity to others or even to travel to or for work, as well as temporary closures of our facilities or the facilities of our customers, suppliers and other constituents of our supply chain.

Uncertainty and delays in our end-markets relating to public health conditions could have a material adverse impact on the demand for our products, some jurisdictions may raise taxes to help cover pandemic-related costs and disruptions to or adverse conditions in the financial industry could affect our ability to obtain financing on favorable terms or at all.

Climate change, and the regulatory and legislative developments related to climate change, may have a material adverse impact on our business and results of operations.

The potential physical impacts of climate change on our business operations are highly uncertain and differ in each geographic region where we operate. These impacts may include changes in weather patterns and increased weather intensity, water shortages, changing sea levels and changing temperatures. The impacts of climate change may materially and adversely impact the ability to produce, cost of production, insurance availability, and financial performance of our operations. Further, any impacts to our business and financial condition as a result of climate change are likely to occur over a sustained period of time and are therefore difficult to quantify with any degree of specificity. For example, extreme weather events may result in adverse physical effects on portions of our or others infrastructure, which could disrupt our supply chain and our customers and ultimately our business operations. In addition, disruption of transportation and distribution systems could result in reduced operational efficiency and customer service interruption. Climate-related events have the potential to disrupt our business, including the business of our suppliers and customers, and may cause us to experience higher attrition, and additional costs to resume operations.

~~Labor disputes, increased labor costs or work stoppages could ad~~Concern over~~sely affect our operations and impair our financial performance.~~

~~As of September 30, 2023, approx~~ climate~~ly 18% of our domestic and international employees were represented with a collec~~ change has led to legislative ~~bargaining agreement by labor unions. Several collec~~and regulatory initiative ~~bargaining agreements to which the Company is a party, including the agreement covering the Companys production in Harvey, Illinois, will expire in 2024. Work stoppages or~~ s across various jurisdictions in which we operate. For example, pro~~duction interruptions could occur at our facilities or our suppliers facilities. Such disputes may arise under existing collective bargaining agre~~posals that would impose mandatory disclosure requirements ~~with labor unions or in connection with negotiations of new collective bargaining agreements, as a result of supplier financial distress or for other reas~~on greenhouse gas emissions~~. Any amendments~~ continue to ~~existing~~be co~~llective bargaining agreements, or the implementation of new collective bargaining agreements, coul~~nsidered by policy makers and re~~sult in increased labor costs.~~

~~Any organizing efforts, signifi~~gulators. We can~~t work stoppages or increases in labor costs could~~ not predict what climate~~rially and adversely affect our business, financial position, results of oper~~ change related legislations or ~~cash flows. See Item 1, BusinessHuman Capital Resources.~~

~~Our business requires skilled labor, and we may be unable to attract and reta~~ regulations will be enacted in ~~qualified employees.~~

Tthe Companys success is dependent on our employees, so its critical that we continue to attract and retain talent. To accomplish this, the Company needs to offer a total rewards package that includes competitive benefits and pay, reflecting our long-term commitment to the well-being of our employees. Efforts to attract talent to ffuture or how existing or future laws or regulations will ~~open roles in light of recent constrain~~be administered ~~lab~~or ~~availability may take more time than in the past and may cost the~~ interpreted. Comp~~any significantly~~liance with more

st~~han in rece~~ringent ~~years. Moreover, the constrained labor condi~~laws or regulations ~~may mean that reten~~, or stricter interpretation of existing ~~talent~~laws, may require ~~significant a~~additional ~~pay and incentives.~~

expenditures, some of which could be material.

We have financial obligations relating to pension plans that we maintain in the United States.

We provide pension benefits through a number of noncontributory and contributory defined benefit retirement plans covering eligible United States employees. As of September 30, 20234, we estimated that our pension plans were overfunded by approximately $~~10.1~~8.7 million, both of which are frozen and do not accrue any additional service cost. As such, the funded status is primarily impacted by the performance of the underlying assets supporting the plan and changes in interest rates or other factors, which may trigger additional cash contributions. Our pension obligations are calculated annually and are based on several assumptions, including then-prevailing conditions, which may change from year to year. If in any year our assumptions are inaccurate, we could be required to expend greater amounts than anticipated.

Unplanned outages at our facilities or those of our suppliers and other unforeseen disruptions could materially and adversely affect our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Our business depends on the operation of our manufacturing and distribution facilities as well as those of our suppliers. It is possible that we or they could experience prolonged periods of reduced production or distribution capacity due to interruptions in the operations of our facilities or those of our key suppliers. It is also possible that operations may be disrupted due to other unforeseen circumstances such as power outages, explosions, fires, floods, accidents, effects of a pandemic and severe weather conditions. Availability of raw materials and delivery of products to customers could be affected by logistical disruptions. To the extent that lost production or distribution capacity could not be compensated for at unaffected facilities and depending on the length of the outage, our sales and production costs could be adversely affected.

We rely on the efforts of agents and distributors to generate sales of our products.

We utilize various third-party agents and distributors to market, sell and distribute our products and to directly interact with our customers and end-users by providing customer service and support. No single agent or distributor accounts for a material percentage of our annual net sales. We do not have long-term contracts with our third-party agents and distributors, who could cease offering our products. In addition, many of our third-party agents and distributors with whom we transact business also offer the products of our competitors to our ultimate customers and they could begin offering our products with less prominence. The loss of a substantial number of our third-party agents or distributors or a dramatic deviation from the amount of sales they generate, including due to an increase in their sales of our competitors products, could reduce our sales and could materially and adversely affect our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

~~We may be required to recognize goodwill, intangible assets or other long-lived asset impairment charges.~~

As of September 30, 2023, we had goodwill of $311.1 million, intangible assets of $394.4 million, and other long-lived assets of $679.8 million. Goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets are not amortized and are subject to impairment testing at least annually. Future events, such as declines in our cash flow projections or customer demand, may cause impairments of our goodwill or long-lived assets based on factors such as the price of our common stock, projected cash flows, assumptions used or other variables.

Our inability to introduce new products effectively or implement our innovation strategies could adversely affect our ability to compete.

We continually seek to develop products and solutions that allow us to stay at the forefront of developments in the Electrical and Safety Infrastructure markets. The success of new products depends on a variety of factors, including but not limited to, timely and successful product development, the effective consummation of strategic acquisitions, market acceptance and demand, competitive response, protection of associated intellectual property and avoidance of third-party infringement of the Companys intellectual property, our ability to manage risks associated with product life cycles, the effective management of inventory and purchase commitments, the availability and cost of raw materials and the quality of our initial products during the initial period of introduction. Some of the foregoing factors are beyond our control and we cannot fully predict the ultimate success of the introduction of new products, especially in the early stages of innovation. In introducing new products and implementing our innovation strategies, any delays, unexpected costs, diversion of resources, loss of key employees or other setbacks could materially and adversely affect our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

We are subject to certain safety and labor risks associated with the manufacturing and testing of our products.

As of September 30, 20234, we employed approximately 5,600 total full-time equivalent employees, a significant percentage of whom work at our 492 manufacturing facilities. Our business involves complex manufacturing processes and there is a risk that an accident resulting in property damage, personal injury or death could occur in one of our facilities. In addition, prior to the introduction of new products, our employees test such products under rigorous conditions, which could potentially result in injury or death. The outcome of any personal injury, wrongful death or other litigation is difficult to assess or quantify and the cost to defend litigation can be significant. As a result, the costs to defend any action or the potential liability resulting from any such accident or death or arising out of any other litigation, and any negative publicity associated therewith or negative effects on employee morale, could have a negative effect on our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows. In addition, any accident could result in manufacturing or product delays, which could negatively affect our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows. See Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.

We are exposed to construction defect and product liability claims relating to our various products if our products do not meet customer expectations. Such claims and liabilities may arise out of the quality of raw materials or component parts we purchase from third-party suppliers, over which we do not have direct control, or due to our fabrication, assembly, or damage in shipment of our products. In addition, we warrant certain of our products to be free of certain defects and could incur costs relatedWe may not be able to paying warranty claims in connection with defective products. We cannot assure you that we will not experience material losses or that we will not incur significant costs to defend or pay for such claims.

While we currently maintain insurance coverage to address a portion of these types of liabilities, we cannot make assurances that we will be able to obtain such insurance on acceptable terms in the future, if at all, or that any such insurance will provide adeadequate ~~coverage against potential claims. Further, while we intend to seek indemnification against potential liability for~~ ly product liability claims from relevant parties, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to recover under any such indemnification agreements. Any claims that result in liability exceeding our insurance coverage and rights to indemnification by third parties could materially and adversely affect our business, financial position, results of otect our intellectual proper~~ations or cash flows. Product liability claims can be expensive to defend and can divert the attention of management and other personnel for significant time period~~ty rights, regardless of the ultimate outcome. See Note 15, Commitments and Contingencies to the accompanying consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report. An unsuccessful product liability defense could be highly costly and accordingly result in a decline in revenues and profitability.

~~Fro~~and we m time to time, we are also involved in government inquiries and investigations, as well as consumer, employment, tort proceedings and other litigation. We cannot predict with certainty the outcomes of these legal proceedings and other contingencies. The outcome of some of these legal proceedings and other contingencies could require us to take actions which would adversely affect our operations or could require us to pay substantial amounts of money. Additionally, defending against these lawsuits and proceedings may involve significant expense and diversion of managements attention and resources from other matters.

~~We may not be able to adequately protect our intellectual property rights, and we may become in~~ay become involved in intellectual property disputes.

Our use of contractual provisions, confidentiality procedures and agreements, and patent, trademark, copyright, unfair competition, trade secret and other laws to protect our intellectual property and other proprietary rights may not be adequate. We have registered intellectual property (mainly trademarks and patents) in more than 802 countries. Because of the differences in foreign trademark, patent and other intellectual property or proprietary rights laws, we may not receive the same protection in foreign countries as we would in the United States.

Any failure of various measures to protect our technology and intellectual property, the independent discovery by third parties of our trade secrets and proprietary know-how and the independent development of substantially equivalent proprietary information or techniques by third parties could impair our competitive advantage. In particular, the infringement, expiration or other loss of these methods and other proprietary information could reduce the barriers to entry into our existing lines of business and may result in a loss of market share, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

Litigation may be necessary to enforce our intellectual property rights or to defend against claims by third parties that our products infringe their intellectual property rights. Any litigation or claims brought by or against us could result in substantial costs and diversion of our resources. A successful intellectual property infringement suit against us could prevent us from manufacturing or selling certain products in a particular area, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

We face risks associated with our international operations which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Our business operates and serves customers in certain foreign countries, including Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Israel, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. In addition the business is pursuing work on data centers or other construction projects in other jurisdictions, for example in Asia and Europe. There are certain risks inherent in doing business internationally, including economic volatility and sustained economic downturns, difficulties in enforcing contractual and intellectual property rights, currency exchange rate fluctuations and currency exchange controls, import or export restrictions, sanctions and changes in trade regulations, difficulties in developing, staffing, and simultaneously managing a number of foreign operations as a result of distance, issues related to occupational safety and adherence to local labor laws and regulations, potentially adverse tax developments, longer payment cycles, exposure to different legal standards, political or social unrest, including terrorism, risks related to government regulation and uncertain protection and enforcement of our intellectual property rights, the presence of corruption in certain countries and higher than anticipated costs of entry.

In fiscal 2023, the Company ~~determin~~initiated ~~it would~~plans to exit ~~its~~ operations in Russia and ~~expec~~recently submitted documents to ~~sell the related business~~the Russian approval authority with expectations of completing the sale in FY 2025 albeit at a loss. TAccordingly, the Company recognized an impairment of $~~7,477~~733 for the year ended September 30, 202~~3. The remaining value at risk related to these operations after the impairment is minimal~~4 and continues to recognize any incremental losses on those assets.

One or more of these factors could materially and adversely affect our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Changes in foreign laws and legal systems could materially impact our business.

Evolving foreign laws and legal systems, including those that occurred as a result of the United Kingdoms withdrawal from the European Union (Brexit), may adversely affect global economic and market conditions and could contribute to volatility in the foreign exchange markets.

The United Kingdom left the E.U. on January 31, 2020. On May 1, 2021, the E.U.-U.K. Trade and Cooperation Agreement (the TCA) became effective. The TCA provides the United Kingdom and E.U. members with preferential access to each others markets, without tariffs or quotas on imported products between the jurisdictions, provided that certain rules of origin requirements are complied with. However, economic relations between the United Kingdom and the E.U. are now on more restricted terms than existed prior to Brexit. It is difficult to predict the severity of the impact of these changes on our United Kingdom and E.U. based operations. Goods moving between the United Kingdom and any member of the E.U. are subject to additional customs requirements and documentation checks, leading to possible higher transportation and regulatory costs, as well as delays at ports of entry and departure. Such delays could adversely impact elements of our supply chain and also our ability to meet customers delivery schedules. The United Kingdom ~~has yet to~~ is still determ~~ine~~ining which E.U. laws and regulations to replace or replicate and compliance with any amended or additional laws and regulations could increase our costs. To the extent that higher costs are incurred which cannot be passed on to our customers, this could decrease the profitability of our United Kingdom and E.U. operations.

Our business, financial position or results of operations could be materially and adversely affected by our inability to acquire or import raw materials, component parts or finished goods from existing suppliers and significant increases in government regulation or restrictions relating to such imports.

Our business, financial position or results of operations could be materially and adversely affected by our inability to import raw materials, component parts or finished goods under the regulatory regimes applicable to our business. Although we seek to have alternate sources and recover increases in input costs through price increases in our products, regulatory changes or other governmental actions could result in the need to change suppliers or incur cost increases that cannot, in the short term, or in some cases even the long term, be offset by our prices. Such changes could reduce our gross profit, net income and cash flow. Any of these consequences could materially and adversely affect our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

We rely on materials, components and finished goods, such as Cpic fiber, steel and aluminum, that are sourced from or manufactured in foreign countries. Import tariffs and potential import tariffs have resulted or may result in increased prices for these imported goods and materials and, in some cases, may result or have resulted in price increases for domestically sourced goods and materials. Changes in U.S. trade policy have resulted and could result in additional reactions from U.S. trading partners, including adopting responsive trade policies making it more difficult or costly for us to export our products or import goods and materials from those countries. These measures could also result in increased costs for goods imported into the U.S. or may cause us to adjust our worldwide supply chain. Either of these could require us to increase prices to our customers which may reduce demand, or, if we are unable to increase prices, result in lowering our margin on products sold.

Additionally, anti-terrorism measures and other disruptions to the raw material supply network could impact our operations and those of our suppliers. In the aftermath of terrorist attacks in the United States, federal, state and local authorities have implemented and continue to implement various security measures that affect the raw material supply network in the United States and abroad. If

security measures disrupt or impede the receipt of sufficient raw materials to us and our suppliers, we may fail to meet the needs of our customers or may incur increased expenses to do so.

In connection with acquisitions, joint ventures or divestitures, we may become subject to liabilities and required to issue additional debt or equity.

In connection with any acquisitions or joint ventures and agreements relating to Tycos 2010 sale of a greater than 50% stake in the Company or otherwise, we may acquire or become subject to liabilities such as legal claims, including but not limited to third-party liability and other tort claims; claims for breach of contract; employment-related claims; environmental liabilities, conditions or damage;

permitting, regulatory or other compliance with law issues; liability for hazardous materials; or tax liabilities. If any of these liabilities are not adequately covered by insurance or an enforceable indemnity or similar agreement from a creditworthy counterparty, we may be responsible for significant out-of-pocket expenditures. In connection with any divestitures, we may incur liabilities for breaches of representations and warranties or failure to comply with operating covenants under any agreement for a divestiture. In addition, we may have to indemnify a counterparty in a divestiture for certain liabilities of the subsidiary or operations subject to the divestiture transaction. These liabilities, if they materialize, could materially and adversely affect our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

In addition, if we were to undertake a substantial acquisition for cash, the acquisition would likely need to be financed in part through additional financing from banks, through public offerings or private placements of debt or equity securities or through other arrangements. Such acquisition financing might decrease our ratio of earnings to fixed charges and adversely affect other leverage criteria and our credit rating. We cannot assure you that the necessary acquisition financing would be available to us on acceptable terms if and when required. Moreover, acquisitions financed through the issuance of equity securities could cause our stockholders to experience dilution.

We may be unable to identify, acquire, close or integrate acquisition targets successfully.

Acquisitions are a component of our growth strategy; however, there can be no assurance that we will be able to continue to grow our business through acquisitions as we have done historically or that any businesses acquired will perform in accordance with expectations or that business judgments concerning the value, strengths and weaknesses of businesses acquired will prove to be correct. We will continue to analyze and evaluate the acquisition of strategic businesses or product lines with the potential to strengthen our industry position or enhance our existing product offering. We cannot assure you that we will identify or successfully complete transactions with suitable acquisition candidates in the future, nor can we assure you that completed acquisitions will be successful. If an acquired business fails to operate as anticipated or presents greater than expected liability profile or cannot be successfully integrated with our existing business, our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows could be materially and adversely affected.

Regulations related to conflict minerals may force us to incur additional expenses, create complexities in our supply chain and damage our reputation with customers.

As a public company, we are subject to the requirements under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, or the Dodd-Frank Act. The SEC has adopted requirements under the Dodd-Frank Act for companies that use certain minerals and metals, known as conflict minerals, in their products, whether or not these products are manufactured by third parties. These requirements require companies to conduct due diligence and disclose whether or not such minerals originate from the Democratic Republic of Congo and adjoining countries. There are costs associated with complying with these disclosure requirements, including for efforts to determine the sources of conflict minerals used in our products and other potential changes to products, processes or sources of supply as a consequence of such verification activities.

In addition, compliance with these requirements could adversely affect the sourcing, supply and pricing of materials used in our products. Specifically, such requirements could limit the pool of suppliers who can provide conflict-free minerals and as a result, we may not be able to obtain these conflict-free minerals at competitive prices. We may also face reputational challenges if we are unable

to verify the origins for all conflict minerals used in our products through the procedures we have implemented. We may also encounter challenges to satisfy customers that may require all of the components of products purchased to be certified as conflict free. If we are not able to meet customer requirements, customers may choose to disqualify us as a supplier, or we may be forced to reduce our prices to compensate for this lack of certification.

Risks Related to Our Indebtedness

Our indebtedness may adversely affect our financial health.

As of September 30, 20234, we had approximately $77~~1.7~~2.0 million of total long-term consolidated indebtedness outstanding (including current portion) under AItkore and AIIs credit facilities (Credit Facilities), which consist of: (i) an asset-based credit facility (ABL Credit Facility); (ii) the new senior secured term loan facility (the New Senior Secured Term Loan Facility); and (iii) the 4.25% Senior Notes due 2031 (the Senior Notes). As of September 30, 20234, AII had $32~~2.4~~5.0 million of available borrowing capacity under the ABL Credit Facility and there were no outstanding borrowings (~~excluding $2.6 million of~~there were also no letters of credit issued under the facility). Our indebtedness could have important consequences for you. Because of our indebtedness:

our ability to obtain additional financing for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements or general corporate purposes and our ability to satisfy our obligations with respect to our indebtedness may be impaired in the future;

a large portion of our cash flow from operations may be dedicated to the payment of principal and interest on our indebtedness, thereby reducing the funds available to us for other purposes;

we are exposed to the risk of increased interest rates because a significant portion of our borrowings are at variable rates of interest;

it may be more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations to other creditors, resulting in possible defaults on, and acceleration of, such indebtedness;

we may be more vulnerable to general adverse economic and industry conditions;

we may be at a competitive disadvantage compared to our competitors with proportionately less indebtedness or with comparable indebtedness on more favorable terms and, as a result, they may be better positioned to withstand economic downturns;

our ability to refinance indebtedness may be limited or the associated costs may increase;

our flexibility to adjust to changing market conditions and ability to withstand competitive pressures could be limited; and

we may be prevented from carrying out capital spending and restructurings that are necessary or important to our growth strategy and efforts to improve our operating margins.

Despite our indebtedness levels, we and our subsidiaries may incur substantially more indebtedness, which may increase the risks created by our indebtedness.

We and our subsidiaries may incur substantial additional indebtedness in the future. The terms of the credit agreements and indenture governing the Credit Facilities do not fully prohibit us or our subsidiaries from incurring additional debt. If our subsidiaries are in compliance with certain leverage or coverage ratios set forth in the agreements governing the Credit Facilities, they may be able to incur substantial additional indebtedness, which may increase the risks created by our current indebtedness. Subject to certain conditions and without the consent of the then existing lenders, the loans under the New Senior Secured Term Loan Facility may be expanded (or a new term loan facility, revolving credit facility or letter of credit facility added) by up to $235.0 million, plus an additional amount not to exceed specified leverage or coverage ratios. In addition, subject to certain conditions and without the consent of the then existing lenders, the loans under the ABL Credit Facility may be expanded by up to $150 million, and the credit agreements governing the Credit Facilities allow for up to $50.0 million of second lien facilities. As of September 30, 20234, we had an additional $3~~22.4~~25.0 million in availability under the ABL Credit Facility.

Increases in interest rates would increase the cost of servicing our indebtedness and could reduce our profitability.

A portion of our outstanding indebtedness bears interest or will bear interest at variable rates. As a result, increases in interest rates would increase the cost of servicing our indebtedness and could materially and adversely affect our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows. As of September 30, 20234, each one percentage point change in interest rates would have resulted in a change of approximately $3.8 million in the annual interest expense on the New Senior Secured Term Loan Facility. As of September 30, 20234, assuming availability was fully utilized, each one percentage point change in interest rates would have resulted in a change of approximately $3.3 million in annual interest expense on the ABL Credit Facility. Additionally, if the ABL Credit Facility were fully utilized, the margin we pay on borrowings would increase by 0.3% from the current level and we would incur additional interest expense of $1.0 million. The impact of increases in interest rates could be more significant for us than it would be for some other companies because of our indebtedness, thereby affecting our profitability.

A lowering or withdrawal of the ratings, outlook or watch assigned to our indebtedness by rating agencies may increase our future borrowing costs and reduce our access to capital.

Our overall corporate rating ~~and~~, Senior Notes ~~are currently rated as non-investment grade, but our~~, New Senior Secured Term Loan Facility and ABL Credit ~~Facility have been assigned~~are each currently rated as investment grade ~~ratings~~ by certain ~~ratings~~ agencies while the other agencies have them as non-investment grades. Any rating, outlook or watch assigned could be lowered or withdrawn entirely by a rating agency if, in that rating agencys judgment, current or future circumstances relating to the basis of the rating, outlook or watch, such as adverse changes to our business, so warrant. Any future lowering of our ratings, outlook or watch likely would make it more difficult or more expensive for us to obtain additional debt financing.

The agreements and instruments governing our indebtedness contain restrictions and limitations that could significantly impact our ability to operate our business.

The Credit Facilities contain covenants that, among other things, restrict the ability of AII and its subsidiaries to incur additional indebtedness and create liens, pay dividends and make other distributions or to purchase, redeem or retire capital stock, purchase, redeem or retire certain junior indebtedness, make loans and investments, enter into agreements that limit AIIs or its subsidiaries' ability to pledge assets or to make distributions or loans to us or transfer assets to us, sell assets, enter into certain types of transactions with affiliates, consolidate, merge or sell substantially all assets, make voluntary payments or modifications of junior indebtedness and enter into new lines of business.

The restrictions in the Credit Facilities may prevent us from taking actions that we believe would be in the best interest of our business and may make it difficult for us to execute our business strategy successfully or effectively compete with companies that are not similarly restricted. We may also incur future debt obligations that might subject us to additional restrictive covenants that could affect our financial and operational flexibility. Additionally, we may be required to make accelerated payments due to the covenants and restrictions contained in the Credit Facilities. We may be unable to refinance our indebtedness, at maturity or otherwise, on terms acceptable to us or at all.

The ability of AII to comply with the covenants and restrictions contained in the Credit Facilities may be affected by economic, financial and industry conditions beyond our control including credit or capital market disruptions. The breach of any of these covenants or restrictions could result in a default that would permit the applicable lenders to declare all amounts outstanding thereunder to be due and payable, together with accrued and unpaid interest. If we are unable to repay indebtedness, lenders having secured obligations, such as the lenders under the Credit Facilities, could proceed against the collateral securing the indebtedness. In any such case, we may be unable to borrow under the Credit Facilities and may not be able to repay the amounts due under such facilities. This could materially and adversely affect our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows and could cause us to become bankrupt or insolvent.

Our ability to generate the significant amount of cash needed to pay interest and principal on our indebtedness and our ability to refinance all or a portion of our indebtedness or obtain additional financing depends on many factors beyond our control.

Atkore ~~Inc. (AI)~~ and AII are each holding companies, and as such they have no independent operations or material assets other than ownership of equity interests in their respective subsidiaries. AItkore and AII each depend on their respective subsidiaries to distribute funds to them so that they may pay obligations and expenses, including satisfying obligations with respect to indebtedness. Our ability to make scheduled payments on, or to refinance our obligations under, our indebtedness depends on the financial and operating performance of our subsidiaries and their ability to make distributions and dividends to us, which, in turn, depends on their results of operations, cash flows, cash requirements, financial position and general business conditions and any legal and regulatory restrictions on the payment of dividends to which they may be subject, many of which may be beyond our control.

We may be unable to maintain a level of cash flows from operating activities sufficient to permit us to pay the principal and interest on our indebtedness. If our cash flow and capital resources are insufficient to fund our debt service obligations, we may be forced to reduce or delay capital expenditures, sell assets, seek to obtain additional equity capital or restructure our indebtedness. In the future, our cash flow and capital resources may not be sufficient for payments of interest on and principal of our indebtedness, and such alternative measures may not be successful and may not permit us to meet our scheduled debt service obligations.

The outstanding borrowings under the ABL Credit Facility are scheduled to mature on May 26, 2026, the New Senior Secured Term Loan Facility has a maturity date of May 26, 2028, and the Senior Notes mature on June 1, 2031. We may be unable to refinance any of our indebtedness or obtain additional financing, particularly because of our indebtedness. Market disruptions, as well as our indebtedness levels, may increase our cost of borrowing or adversely affect our ability to refinance our obligations as they become due. If we are unable to refinance our indebtedness or access additional credit, or if short-term or long-term borrowing costs dramatically increase, our ability to finance current operations and meet our short-term and long-term obligations could be adversely affected.

If our subsidiary AII cannot make scheduled payments on its indebtedness, it will be in default and the lenders under the Credit Facilities could terminate their commitments to loan money or foreclose against the assets securing their borrowings, and we could be forced into bankruptcy or liquidation.

Our ability to generate the significant amount of cash needed to pay dividends depends on many factors beyond our control.

We may be unable to maintain a level of cash flow from operating activities sufficient to permit us to pay dividends. If our cash flow and capital resources are insufficient, payment of declared dividends could be left unpaid. In the future, our cash flow and capital resources may not be sufficient for the continuation of any dividend programs approved by the board of directors. As a result, we may not be able to pay dividends or continue to pay dividends at the expected rate or at all in November 20234.

Payments of dividends, if any, are at the sole discretion of our board of directors after taking into account various factors, including general and economic conditions, our financial condition and operating results, our available cash and current and anticipated cash needs, capital requirements, contractual, legal, tax and regulatory restrictions and implications of the payment of dividends by us to our stockholders or by our subsidiaries (including AII) to us, and such other factors as our board of directors may deem relevant. In addition, our operations are conducted almost entirely through our subsidiaries. As such, to the extent that we determine in the future to pay dividends on our common stock, none of our subsidiaries will be obligated to make funds available to us for the payment of dividends. Further, the agreements governing the Credit Facilities significantly restrict the ability of our subsidiaries to pay dividends or otherwise transfer assets to us. In addition, Delaware law imposes additional requirements that may restrict our ability to pay dividends to holders of our common stock.

To the extent that expectations by market participants regarding the potential payment, or amount, of any regular dividend prove to be incorrect, the price of our common stock may be materially and negatively affected and investors that bought shares of our common stock based on those expectations may suffer a loss on their investment. Further, to the extent that we declare a regular

dividend at a time

when market participants hold no such expectations or the amount of any such dividend exceeds current expectations, the price of our common stock may increase and investors that sold shares of our common stock prior to the record date for any such dividend may forego potential gains on their investment.

Risks Related to Our Common Stock

AItkore is a holding company with no operations of its own, and it depends on its subsidiaries for cash to fund all of its operations and expenses, including to make future dividend payments, if any.

Our operations are conducted entirely through our subsidiaries, and our ability to generate cash to fund our operations and expenses, to pay dividends or to meet debt service obligations is highly dependent on the earnings and the receipt of funds from our subsidiaries through dividends or intercompany loans. Deterioration in the financial condition, earnings or cash flow of AII and its subsidiaries for any reason could limit or impair their ability to pay such distributions. Additionally, to the extent our subsidiaries are restricted from making such distributions under applicable law or regulation or under the terms of our financing arrangements, or are otherwise unable to provide funds to the extent of our needs, there could be a material adverse effect on our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

For example, the agreements governing the Credit Facilities significantly restrict the ability of our subsidiaries to pay dividends, make loans or otherwise transfer assets to us. Furthermore, our subsidiaries are permitted under the terms of the Credit Facilities to incur additional indebtedness that may restrict or prohibit the making of distributions, the payment of dividends or the making of loans by such subsidiaries to us.

The timing and amount of the Companys share repurchases are subject to a number of uncertainties.

On November 16, 2021, the board of directors approved a share repurchase program (the 2021 Plan), for the repurchase of up to an aggregate amount of $400.0 million of the Companys common stock over a two-year period. On April 6, 2022, the board of directors approved an amendment to the ~~aforementioned p~~2021 Plan, extending it to a total repurchase of the Companys outstanding stock of $800.0 million. On November 11, 2022, the board of directors approved an amendment to the ~~aforementioned p~~2021 Plan, extending it to a total repurchase authorization of the Companys outstanding stock of $1,300 million. ~~We expect that shar~~ On May 2, 2024, the board of directors approved a new share repurchase program (the 2024 Plan, and together with the 2021 Plan and amendments thereto, the Plans) which is scheduled to begin after the repurchases authorization under the ~~program~~ 2021 Plan has been exhausted. The 2024 Plan authorizes the Company to repurchase up to $500.0 million of its outstanding stock. We expect that share repurchases under the Plans will be funded with cash on hand. The amount and timing of share repurchases will be based on a variety of factors. Important factors that could cause the Company to limit, suspend or delay its share repurchases include unfavorable trading market conditions, the price of the Companys common stock, the nature of other investment opportunities presented to us from time to time, the ability to obtain financing at attractive rates and the availability of U.S. cash. Th~~e share repurchase program~~ e Plans does not obligate us to acquire any particular amount of common stock, and it may be terminated at any time at the Companys discretion.

Anti-takeover provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated by-laws could discourage, delay or prevent a change of control of our company and may affect the trading price of our common stock.

Our third amended and restated certificate of incorporation (amended and restated certificate of incorporation) and our fourth amended and restated by-laws, (amended and restated by-laws) include a number of provisions that may discourage, delay or prevent a change in our management or control over us that stockholders may consider favorable. For example, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated by-laws collectively:

authorize the issuance of blank check preferred stock that could be issued by our board of directors to thwart a takeover attempt;

limit the ability of stockholders to remove directors;

provide that vacancies on our board of directors, including vacancies resulting from an enlargement of our board of directors, may be filled only by a majority vote of directors then in office;

prohibit stockholders from calling special meetings of stockholders;

prohibit stockholder action by written consent, thereby requiring all actions to be taken at a meeting of stockholders; and

establish advance notice requirements for nominations of candidates for election as directors or to bring other business before an annual meeting of our stockholders.

These provisions may prevent our stockholders from receiving the benefit from any premium to the market price of our common stock offered by a bidder in a takeover context. Even in the absence of a takeover attempt, the existence of these provisions may adversely affect the prevailing market price of our common stock if the provisions are viewed as discouraging takeover attempts in the future.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated by-laws may also make it difficult for stockholders to replace or remove our management. Furthermore, the existence of the foregoing provisions could limit the price that investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock. These provisions may facilitate management entrenchment that may delay, deter, render more difficult or prevent a change in our control, which may not be in the best interests of our stockholders.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation includes provisions limiting the personal liability of our directors for breaches of fiduciary duty under the DGCL.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation contains provisions relating to the liability of directors in response to claims arising under the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (DGCL). These provisions eliminate a directors personal liability to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL for monetary damages resulting from a breach of fiduciary duty, except in circumstances involving:

any breach of the directors duty of loyalty;

acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of the law;

Section 174 of the DGCL (unlawful dividends); or

any transaction from which the director derives an improper personal benefit.

The principal effect of the limitation on liability provision is that a stockholder will be unable to prosecute an action for monetary damages against a director unless the stockholder can demonstrate a basis for liability for which indemnification is not available under the DGCL. These provisions, however, should not limit or eliminate our rights or any stockholders rights to seek non-monetary relief, such as an injunction or rescission, in the event of a breach of a directors fiduciary duty. These provisions do not alter a directors liability under federal securities laws. The inclusion of this provision in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may discourage or deter stockholders or management from bringing a lawsuit against directors for a breach of their fiduciary duties, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise have benefited us and our stockholders.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation designates the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware as the sole and exclusive forum for certain litigation that may be initiated by our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers or stockholders.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware is, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding

brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed to us or our stockholders by any of our directors, officers, other employees, agents or stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising out of or under the DGCL, or as to which the DGCL confers jurisdiction on the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (including, without limitation, any action asserting a claim arising out of or pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or our amended and restated by-laws) or (iv) any action asserting a claim that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine. As a stockholder in our company, you are deemed to have notice of and have consented to the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation related to choice of forum. The choice of forum provision in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may limit our stockholders' ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or any of our directors, officers, other employees, agents or stockholders, which may discourage lawsuits with respect to such claims. Alternatively, if a court were to find the choice of forum provision contained in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

General Risk Factors

The market price of our common stock may be volatile and could decline.

The market price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly. Among the factors that could affect our stock price are:

industry or general market conditions;

availability of labor and raw materials;

domestic and international economic factors unrelated to our performance;

changes in our customers preferences;

new regulatory pronouncements and changes in regulatory guidelines;

lawsuits, enforcement actions and other claims by third parties or governmental authorities;

actual or anticipated fluctuations in our quarterly operating results;

changes in securities analysts estimates of our financial performance or lack of research coverage and reports by industry analysts;

action by institutional stockholders or other large stockholders, including future sales of our common stock;

failure to meet any guidance given by us or any change in any guidance given by us, or changes by us in our guidance practices;

announcements by us of significant impairment charges;

speculation in the press or investment community;

investor perception of us and our industry;

changes in market valuations or earnings of similar companies;

announcements by us or our competitors of significant contracts, acquisitions, dispositions or strategic partnerships;

war, terrorist acts and epidemic disease;

any future sales of our common stock or other securities;

additions or departures of key personnel; and

misconduct or other improper actions of our employees.

Stock markets have experienced extreme volatility in recent years that has been unrelated to the operating performance of particular companies. These broad market fluctuations may adversely affect the trading price of our common stock. In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of a companys securities, class action litigation has often been instituted against the affected company. Any litigation of this type brought against us could result in substantial costs and a diversion of our managements attention and resources, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or publish misleading or unfavorable research about our business, our stock price and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for our common stock depends in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. If one or more of the analysts that covers our common stock downgrades our stock or publishes misleading or unfavorable research about our business, our stock price would likely decline. If one or more of the analysts ceases coverage of our common stock or fails to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our common stock could decrease, which could cause our common stock price or trading volume to decline.

If we are unable to hire, engage and retain key personnel, our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows could be materially and adversely affected.

We are dependent, in part, on our continued ability to hire, engage and retain key employees at our operations around the world. Additionally, we rely upon experienced managerial, marketing and support personnel to effectively manage our business and to successfully promote our wide range of products. If we do not succeed in engaging and retaining key employees and other personnel, or if we do not succeed in facilitating transitions of new key personnel, we may be unable to meet our objectives and, as a result, our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows could be materially and adversely affected.

Future tax legislation could materially impact our business.

Changes in international and domestic tax laws, including the reaction by states to federal legislation and changes in tax law enforcement, could negatively impact our tax provision, cash flow, or tax related balance sheet amounts. In particular, it is possible that U.S. federal income or other tax laws or the interpretation of tax laws will change, including as a result of possible tax legislation that may be proposed by the Biden Administration. It is difficult to predict whether and when there will be tax law changes having a material adverse effect on our business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

On August 16, 2022, the I~~nflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA)~~ RA was enacted into law. The IRA contains significant tax law changes, including a corporate alternative minimum tax of 15% on adjusted financial statement income, which ~~if applicable for us would be~~took effect~~ive beginning~~ on October 1, 2023, a 1% excise tax on stock repurchases after December 31, 2022, and various tax incentives which include, but are not limited to, credits related to the manufacturing of solar powered energy which took effect on January 1, 2023. ~~We continue to evaluate t~~The impacts of this legislation a~~nd regulato~~re described in the Summary ~~guidance to determine what impact it will have on our~~of Significant Accounting Policies in Note 1, Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies. Additionally, see Note 7, Income Taxes to the accompanying consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report.

On ~~Octo~~December 820, 2021, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) ~~releas~~published a ~~state~~proposal for the establishment o~~n the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting, which a~~f a global minimum tax rate of 15% (Pillar Two"). The Pillar Two rules provide a template that jurisdictions can translate into domestic law, to assist with the implementation within an agreed ~~to a two-pillar solution to address tax challenges of the digit~~upon timeframe and in a coordinated manner, and are effective for fiscal ~~economy. On December 20~~years beginning after January 1, 202~~1, the OECD released~~4. To date, jurisdictions in which the ~~Model GloBE Rul~~Company operates are in various stages ~~for Pillar Two defining a 15% glob~~of implementation.

The Company has performed an initial assessment of the potential ~~minimum~~impact to income tax ~~rate for large multination~~es as a result of Pillar Two. The assessment of the potential ~~corporations. T~~impact is based on the ~~OECD continues to~~most recent tax filings, country-by-country re~~lease additional guidance and countries are imple~~porting, and financial statements of affected subsidiaries. Based on results of the assessment~~ing legislation with widespread adoption~~ , the Company believes it can avail itself of the ~~Model GloBE R~~transitional safe harbor rules in most for ~~Pillar Two expected by calendar year 2024. We are~~all of the jurisdictions in which the Company operates, and therefore do not anticipate it having a material impact on the financial statements. The Company continu~~ing~~es to ~~evaluate~~assess the ~~Model GloBE Rules for~~potential impact of Pillar Two and ~~related~~monitor developments in legislation, ~~and their potential impact on future periods~~regulation, and interpretive guidance in this area.

Changes in U.S. tax law could also have broader implications, including impacts to the economy, currency markets, inflation environment, consumer behavior or competitive dynamics, which are difficult to predict, and may positively or negatively impact our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Future offerings of debt or equity securities which would rank senior to our common stock may adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

If, in the future, we decide to issue debt or equity securities that rank senior to our common stock, it is likely that such securities will be governed by an indenture or other instrument containing covenants restricting our operating flexibility. Additionally, any convertible or exchangeable securities that we issue in the future may have rights, preferences and privileges more favorable than those of our common stock and may result in dilution to owners of our common stock. We and, indirectly, our stockholders, will bear the cost of issuing and servicing such securities. Because our decision to issue debt or equity securities in any future offering will depend on market conditions and other factors beyond our control, we cannot predict or estimate the amount, timing or nature of our future offerings. Thus, holders of our common stock will bear the risk of our future offerings reducing the market price of our common stock and diluting the value of their stock holdings in us.

We may need to raise additional capital, and we cannot be sure that additional financing will be available.

To satisfy existing obligations and support the development of our business, we depend on our ability to generate cash flow from operations and to borrow funds and issue securities in the capital markets. We may require additional financing for liquidity, capital requirements or growth initiatives. We may not be able to obtain financing on terms and at interest rates that are favorable to us or at all. Any inability by us to obtain financing in the future could materially and adversely affect our business, financial position, results of operations or cash flows.