AMERICAN VANGUARD CORP
For the period ended Dec 31, 2024. Filed May 29, 2025.
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FY2024 · Filed May 29, 2025
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Item 9A. Controls and Procedures
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Management, under the supervision of the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, periodically evaluate the effectiveness of the design and operation of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for ensuring that the information required to be disclosed in reports filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 is (i) recorded, processed, summarized and reported on a timely basis, and (ii) accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management, including the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Based upon their evaluation, as of December 31, 2024, the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer have concluded that these disclosure controls and procedures were not effective due to the material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting described below.
Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting
Management of the Company is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 for the Company. The Company’s internal control system over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance to management and the Board of Directors as to the fair, reliable and timely preparation and presentation of consolidated financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America filed with the SEC.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Therefore, even processes determined to be effective can provide only reasonable assurance with respect to the financial statement preparation and presentation.
Management conducted an evaluation of the Company’s internal controls over financial reporting based on a framework set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission in Internal Control—Integrated Framework (2013) (the “COSO framework”). This evaluation included review of the documentation of controls, evaluation of the design effectiveness of controls, testing of the effectiveness of controls and a conclusion on the evaluation. Based on this evaluation, management believes that, as of December 31, 2024, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting were not effective as a result of the material weaknesses detailed below.
Assessment and Conclusion
A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Management has identified the following material weaknesses associated with the control environment, control activities and risk assessment components of the COSO framework:
Control Environment – within the Company’s Australian component (AgNova), the Company identified that the individuals performing control activities within the component were not sufficiently trained or adequately supervised, and lacked appropriate reporting lines and accountability in accordance with principles of the COSO framework.
Control Activities – due to insufficient resources to facilitate a timely financial close process, the operation of internal controls over financial reporting specific to the controls being performed timely in accordance with principles of the COSO framework were not operating effectively. Further, within AgNova, the Company did not have sufficient segregation of duties in place in accordance with a principle of the COSO framework.
Risk Assessment – the Company identified that it did not design and implement an effective risk assessment based on the criteria established in the COSO framework. Specifically, the Company did not identify and assess changes to the business that could significantly impact the system of internal control in accordance with principles of the COSO framework.
In addition, management identified a deficiency that constituted a material weakness related to the review of customer agreements related to the accrued program costs and customer prepayments balances. The Company did not perform a sufficiently precise review in order to appropriately consider all agreed-upon terms with customers in its determination of the accrued program costs and customer prepayments balances.
Notwithstanding the material weaknesses described above, we have concluded that the financial statements included in this Form 10-K present fairly, in all material respects, our financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Deloitte & Touche, LLP, the independent registered public accounting firm that audited the consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2024, included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, was engaged to attest to and report on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2024. Their report is included herein.
Remediation Measures
Management is committed to addressing and remediating the material weaknesses described above. During the Company’s first fiscal quarter of 2025, the period during which the Company was completing its year-end closing and Annual Report on Form 10-K for the prior fiscal year, the Company failed to anticipate and prepare for several events that impacted the timely filing of our Annual Report on Form 10-K. These events included the need to obtain an amendment to the financial covenants required under the Company’s credit agreement, commencing work to renew, replace or restructure our current credit agreement and issues with oversight and accountability of accounting activities within the Company’s Australian component (AgNova).
Accordingly, the Company has identified the following remediation measures:
Enhancing the oversight, reporting lines and authorities, and accountability processes within our finance organization and including improved training, additional personnel with appropriate skillsets, dedicated personnel regarding risk assessment, more comprehensive supervisory processes and completing the implementation of, and standardized processes relating to, the global ERP system.
Implementing additional resources to mitigate risks and facilitate a timely financial close process including enhancing policies and procedures including implementing changes to the segregation of duties within AgNova.
Enhancing our risk assessment process to ensure it is sufficiently robust to identify and analyze significant events affecting our business, including the impact of these events on the timely completion of our financial statements and SEC filings.
Enhancing our review process of agreed upon terms related to the accrued program costs and customer prepayments balances to ensure it is sufficiently precise to identify changes that may impact the balances.
Though remediation measures are subject to continual review, we expect the remediation measures described above will contribute to addressing the identified material weaknesses. Implementation of the remediation measures is subject to oversight by the Audit Committee of our Board of Directors, and the identified material weaknesses will not be considered remediated until the remediation measures have been fully designed and implemented, the applicable controls operate for a sufficient period of time, and we have concluded through testing that the newly implemented controls are operating effectively.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
Other than the material weaknesses described above, there were no changes in internal control over financial reporting during the fourth quarter of the year ended December 31, 2024, that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
To the Stockholders and the Board of Directors of
Opinion on Internal Control over Financial Reporting
We have audited the internal control over financial reporting of American Vanguard Corporation and subsidiaries (the "Company") as of December 31, 2024, based on criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). In our opinion, because of the effect of the material weaknesses identified below on the achievement of the objectives of the control criteria, the Company has not maintained effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2024, based on criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013) issued by COSO.
We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2024, of the Company and our report dated May 28, 2025, expressed an unqualified opinion on those financial statements.
The Company's management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying Management's Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company's internal control over financial reporting based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk, and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Definition and Limitations of Internal Control over Financial Reporting
A company's internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company's internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company's assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
Material Weaknesses
A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the company’s annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. The following material weaknesses have been identified and included in management's assessment:
The Company has identified material weaknesses in the design and operation of internal controls over financial reporting in principles associated with the control environment, control activities, and risk assessment components of the COSO framework:
Control Environment - within the Company’s Australian component (AgNova), the Company identified that the individuals performing control activities within the component were not sufficiently trained or adequately supervised, and lacked appropriate reporting lines and accountability in accordance with principles of the COSO framework.
Control Activities - due to insufficient resources to facilitate a timely financial close process, the operation of internal controls over financial reporting specific to the controls being performed timely in accordance with principles of the COSO framework were not operating effectively. Further, within AgNova, the Company did not have sufficient segregation of duties in place in accordance with a principle of the COSO framework.
Risk Assessment - the Company identified that it did not design and implement an effective risk assessment based on the criteria established in the COSO framework. Specifically, the Company did not identify and assess changes to the business that could significantly impact the system of internal control in accordance with principles of the COSO framework.
In addition, the Company identified a deficiency that constituted a material weakness related to the review of customer agreements related to the accrued program costs and customer prepayments balances. The Company did not perform a sufficiently precise review in order to appropriately consider all agreed-upon terms with customers in its determination of the accrued program costs and customer prepayments balances.
These material weaknesses were considered in determining the nature, timing, and extent of audit tests applied in our audit of the consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2024, of the Company, and this report does not affect our report on such financial statements.
/s/Deloitte & Touche LLP
May 28, 2025
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