KENNAMETAL INC

This section describes material risks to our business that are currently known to us. Our business, financial condition or results of operations may be materially affected by a number of factors. Our management regularly monitors the risks inherent in our business, with input from our Enterprise Risk Management process. In addition to real time monitoring, we periodically conduct a formal enterprise-wide risk assessment to identify factors and circumstances that might present significant risk to the Company. Many of these risks are discussed throughout this report. The risks below, however, are not exhaustive. We operate in a rapidly changing environment. Other risks that we currently believe to be immaterial could become material in the future. We are also subject to legal and regulatory changes. New factors could emerge, and it is not possible to predict the outcome of all such risk factors on our business, financial condition or results of operations. The following discussion details the material risk factors and uncertainties that we believe could cause Kennametal’s actual results to differ materially from those projected in any forward-looking statements.

Global Operational Risks:

The conflicts in the Middle East, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and other conflicts could adversely affect our business. The conflicts in the Middle East that began in October 2023 and in February 2026, as well as the Russian invasion of Ukraine that began in February 2022 have resulted in disruptions within our business and throughout our supply chain. A significant escalation or expansion of these conflicts beyond the current geographic, political and economic scope and scale could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition and could exacerbate other risks. Such risks include, but are not limited to: an increase in the frequency and severity of the cybersecurity threats we and various third parties with whom we do business experience, unfavorable changes in exchange rates, delivery delays, price inflation in a wide variety of raw materials and components, widespread reductions in customer demand and increased logistical challenges.

Public health threats or outbreaks of communicable diseases could have a material adverse effect on our operations and financial results. We face risks related to public health threats or outbreaks of communicable diseases. A widespread healthcare crisis, such as an outbreak of a communicable disease could adversely affect the global economy and our business, our suppliers and our customers’ ability to conduct business for an indefinite period of time. For example, the global Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic negatively affected the global economy, disrupted financial markets, international trade, impacted qualified personnel availability, and significantly affected global supply chains, all of which had an effect on the Company and our end markets. The extent to which our business may be affected by public health threats or outbreaks in the future will depend on a variety of factors, many of which are outside of our control, including the duration of a pandemic or outbreak, impacts on economic activity, and the possibility of recession or financial market instability.

Downturns in the business cycle could adversely affect our sales and profitability. Our business has historically been cyclical and subject to significant effect from economic downturns. Global economic downturns coupled with global financial and credit market disruptions have had a negative effect on our sales and profitability in the past. These events could contribute to weak end markets, a sharp drop in demand for our products and services, higher energy costs and commodity prices, and higher costs of borrowing and/or diminished credit availability. Although we believe that the long-term prospects for our business remain positive, we are unable to predict the future course of industry variables or the strength and pace or sustainability of economic development.

Our international operations pose certain risks that may adversely affect sales and earnings. We have manufacturing operations and assets located outside of the U.S., including but not limited to those in Western Europe, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Israel, South Africa and Vietnam. We also sell our products to customers and distributors located outside of the U.S. During the year ended June 30, 2026, 57 percent of our consolidated sales were derived from non-U.S. markets. These international operations are subject to a number of special risks, in addition to the risks that affect our domestic operations, including currency exchange rate fluctuations, differing protections of intellectual property, trade barriers, exchange controls, regional economic uncertainty, overlap of different tax regimens, differing (and possibly more stringent) labor regulations, labor unrest, risk of governmental expropriation, domestic and foreign customs and tariffs, current and changing regulatory environments (including, but not limited to, the risks associated with the importation and exportation of products and raw materials), risk of failure of our foreign employees to comply with both U.S. and foreign laws, including antitrust laws, trade regulations and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, difficulty in obtaining distribution support, difficulty in staffing and managing widespread operations, differences in the availability and terms of financing, social and political instability and unrest and risks of increased taxes and/or adverse tax consequences. Also, in some foreign jurisdictions, we may be subject to laws limiting the right and ability of entities organized or operating therein to pay dividends or remit earnings to affiliated companies unless specified conditions are met. To the extent we are unable to effectively manage our international operations and these risks, our international sales may be adversely affected, we may be subject to additional and unanticipated costs, and we may be subject to litigation or regulatory action. As a consequence, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be seriously harmed.

Additional tax expense or exposures could affect our financial condition and results of operations. We are subject to various taxes in the U.S. and numerous other jurisdictions. Our future results of operations could be adversely affected by changes in our effective tax rate as a result of a change in the mix of earnings between U.S. and non-U.S. jurisdictions or among jurisdictions with differing statutory tax rates, changes in tax laws or treaties, or in their application or interpretation, changes in generally accepted accounting principles, changes in the valuation of deferred tax assets and liabilities, including the realizability of deferred tax assets, changes in the amount of earnings indefinitely reinvested in certain non-U.S. jurisdictions, and the results of audits and examinations of previously filed tax returns and continuing assessments of our tax exposures.

Implementation of tariffs and changes to or uncertainties related to tariffs and trade agreements could adversely affect our business. The U.S. government has imposed, proposed and modified tariffs on imports from various countries that it perceives as engaging in unfair trade practices and additional tariffs or trade restrictions may be imposed in the future. In response, many of these foreign governments have imposed retaliatory tariffs on goods that their countries import from the U.S. or have enacted export restrictions on certain goods, including critical minerals, produced in their country. Uncertainties with respect to tariffs, trade agreements or any potential trade wars could negatively affect the global economy and demand for our products and could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Changes in tariffs and trade barriers could also result in adverse changes in the cost and availability of our raw materials, most notably tungsten, and our ability to manufacture globally to support global sales which could lead to increased costs that we may not be able to effectively pass on to customers, each of which could materially adversely affect our operating margins, results of operations and cash flows.

Natural disasters or other global or regional catastrophic events could disrupt our operations and adversely affect results. Despite our concerted effort to minimize risk to our production capabilities and corporate information systems and to reduce the effect of unforeseen interruptions to us through business continuity planning, we still may be exposed to interruptions due to catastrophe, natural disaster, pandemic, terrorism or acts of war, which are beyond our control. Disruptions to our facilities or systems, or to those of our key suppliers, could also interrupt operational processes and adversely affect our ability to manufacture our products and provide services and support to our customers. As a result, our business, our results of operations, financial position, cash flows and stock price could be adversely affected.

Changes in the regulatory environment, including environmental, health and safety regulations, could subject us to increased compliance and manufacturing costs, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Health and safety regulations. Certain of our products contain hard metals, including tungsten and cobalt. Hard metal dust is being studied for potential adverse health effects by organizations in several regions throughout the world, including the U.S., Europe and Japan. Future studies on the health effects of hard metals may result in our products being classified as hazardous to human health, which could lead to new regulations in countries in which we operate that may restrict or prohibit the use of, and/or exposure to, hard metal dust. New regulation of hard metals could require us to change our operations, and these changes could affect the quality of our products and materially increase our costs.

Environmental regulations. We are subject to various environmental laws, and any violation of, or our liabilities under, these laws could adversely affect us. Our operations necessitate the use and handling of hazardous materials and, as a result, we are subject to various federal, state, local and foreign laws, regulations and ordinances relating to the protection of the environment, including those governing discharges to air and water, handling and disposal practices for solid and hazardous wastes, the cleanup of contaminated sites and the maintenance of a safe workplace. These laws impose penalties, fines and other sanctions for noncompliance and liability for response costs, property damages and personal injury resulting from past and current spills, disposals or other releases of, or exposure to, hazardous materials. We could incur substantial costs as a result of noncompliance with or liability for cleanup or other costs or damages under these laws. We may be subject to more stringent environmental laws in the future. If more stringent environmental laws are enacted in the future, these laws could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Regulations affecting the mining and drilling industries, utilities industry or the use of fossil fuels. Some of our principal customers are mining and drilling companies that supply coal, oil, gas or other fuels as a source of energy to utility companies or for transportation. The operations of these mining and drilling companies are geographically diverse and are subject to or affected by a wide array of regulations in the jurisdictions where they operate. As a result of changes in regulations and laws relating to these industries, including, without limitation, actions to limit or reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the use of fossil fuels, our customers’ operations could be disrupted or curtailed by governmental authorities. The high cost of compliance with these regulations may also induce customers to discontinue or limit their operations and may discourage companies from developing new opportunities. As a result of these factors, demand for our mining- and drilling-related products could be substantially affected by regulations adversely affecting the mining and drilling industries or altering the fuel choices of utilities or in transportation. Our principal customers also include transportation original equipment manufacturers and tier suppliers engaged in the production of internal combustion engines. As a result of breakthrough technologies, changing consumer preferences or regulations designed to limit or reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the use of fossil fuels in transportation, demand for our products could be negatively affected.

Climate change and resulting legal or regulatory responses. There is growing concern that a gradual increase in global average temperatures may cause significant changes in weather patterns around the globe and an increase in the frequency and severity of natural disasters. Such climate change may impair our production capabilities, disrupt our supply chain or impact demand for our products. Growing concern over climate change also may result in additional legal or regulatory requirements designed to reduce or mitigate the effects of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions on the environment. Increased energy or compliance costs and expenses as a result of increased legal or regulatory requirements may cause disruptions in, or an increase in the costs associated with, the manufacturing and distribution of our products. The impacts of climate change and legal or regulatory initiatives to address climate change could have a long-term adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Product liability claims could have a material adverse effect on our business. The sale of metal cutting, mining, highway construction and other tools and related products as well as engineered components and advanced materials entails an inherent risk of product liability claims. We cannot give any assurances that the coverage limits of our insurance policies will be adequate or that our policies will cover any particular loss. Insurance can be expensive, and we may not always be able to purchase insurance on commercially acceptable terms, if at all. Claims brought against us that are not covered by insurance or that result in recoveries in excess of our insurance coverage could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Business Strategy Risks:

Our restructuring efforts may not have the intended effects. We have implemented restructuring and other actions to reduce structural costs, improve operational efficiency and position the Company for long-term profitable growth. However, there is no assurance that these efforts, or that any other actions that we have taken or may take in the future, will be sufficient to counter any future economic or industry disruptions. We cannot provide assurance that we will not incur future restructuring charges or impairment charges, or that we will achieve all of the anticipated benefits from the restructuring actions we have taken or plan to take in the future.

We may not be able to complete, manage or integrate acquisitions successfully. We may evaluate acquisition opportunities that have the potential to strengthen or expand our business. We can give no assurances, however, that any acquisition opportunities will arise or if they do, that they will be consummated, or that additional financing, if needed, will be available on satisfactory terms. In addition, acquisitions involve inherent risks that the businesses acquired will not perform in accordance with our expectations. We may not be able to achieve the synergies and other benefits we expect from the integration of acquisitions as successfully or rapidly as projected, if at all. Our failure to consummate an acquisition or effectively integrate newly acquired operations could prevent us from realizing our expected strategic growth and rate of return on an acquired business and could have a material and adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.

Impairment of goodwill could result in a negative effect on our financial condition and results of operations. At June 30, 2026, goodwill totaled $279.2 million, or 9 percent of our total assets. Goodwill results from acquisitions, representing the excess of cost over the fair value of the net tangible and other identifiable intangible assets we have acquired. We assess at least annually whether there has been impairment in the value of our goodwill. If future operating performance at our Metal Cutting reporting unit were to fall significantly below current levels, we could record, under current applicable accounting rules, a non-cash impairment charge for goodwill. Any determination requiring the impairment of a significant portion of goodwill would negatively affect our financial condition and results of operations.

Our continued success depends on our ability to protect and defend our intellectual property. Our future success depends in part upon our ability to protect and defend our intellectual property. We rely principally on nondisclosure agreements and other contractual arrangements and trade secret laws and, to a lesser extent, trademark and patent laws, to protect our intellectual property. However, these measures may be inadequate to protect our intellectual property from infringement by others or prevent misappropriation of our proprietary rights. In addition, the laws of some foreign countries do not protect proprietary rights to the same extent as do U.S. laws. If one of our patents is infringed upon by a third party, we may need to devote significant time and financial resources to defend our rights with respect to such patent. We may not be successful in defending our patents. Similarly, while we do not knowingly infringe on the patents, copyrights or other intellectual property rights of others, we may be required to spend a significant amount of time and financial resources to resolve any infringement claims against us, and we may not be successful in defending our position or negotiating alternative remedies. Our inability to protect our proprietary information and enforce or defend our intellectual property rights in proceedings initiated by us or brought against us could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

If we are unable to retain our qualified management and employees, our business may be negatively affected. Our ability to provide high quality products and services depends in part on our ability to retain our skilled personnel in the areas of management, product engineering, servicing and sales. Competition for such personnel is intense, and our competitors can be expected to attempt to hire our management and skilled employees from time to time. In addition, our restructuring activities and strategies for growth have placed, and are expected to continue to place, increased demands on our management’s skills and resources. If we are unable to retain our management team and professional personnel, our customer relationships and level of technical expertise could be negatively affected, which may materially and adversely affect our business.

Any interruption of our workforce, including interruptions due to our restructuring initiatives, unionization efforts, changes in labor relations or shortages of appropriately skilled individuals could affect our business.

We operate in a highly competitive environment. Our domestic and foreign operations are subject to significant competitive pressures. We compete directly and indirectly with other manufacturers and suppliers of metal cutting tools, engineered components and advanced materials. Some of our competitors are larger than we are and may have greater access to financial resources or be less leveraged than us. In addition, the industry in which our products are used is a large, fragmented industry that is highly competitive.

Cybersecurity Risks:

Failure of, or a breach in security of, our information technology systems could adversely affect our business. We rely on information technology infrastructure (both on-premises and third-party managed) to achieve our business objectives. Despite security measures taken by us, our information technology systems may be vulnerable to computer viruses or attacks by hackers or breached due to employee error, supplier error, programming errors, malfeasance or other disruptions. Any disruption of our infrastructure could negatively affect our ability to record or process orders, manufacture and ship in a timely manner, or otherwise carry on business in the normal course. Any disruption could cause us to lose customers or revenue and could require us to incur significant expense to remediate. Increased global information technology threats, vulnerabilities, and a rise in sophisticated and targeted international computer crime pose a risk to the security of our systems and networks and the confidentiality, availability and integrity of our data. Any such breach in security could expose the Company and its employees, customers and suppliers to risks of misuse of confidential information, manipulation and destruction of data, production downtimes, litigation and operational disruptions, which in turn could adversely affect the Company's reputation, competitive position, business or results of operations.

In addition, we could be subject to liability if confidential information relating to customers, employees, vendors and the extended supply chain or other parties is misappropriated from our computer system. We cannot assure that our ongoing focus on system improvements will be sufficient to prevent or limit the damage from any cyber-attack or network disruption. We do not believe we have been the target of a material successful cyber-attack.

Raw Material Risks:

Our future operating results may be affected by fluctuations in the prices and availability of raw materials. The raw materials we use for our products include tungsten ore concentrates and scrap carbide, which are used to make tungsten oxide, as well as compounds and secondary materials such as cobalt. We also purchase steel bars and forgings for making toolholders and other tool parts, as well as for producing mining tools, rotary cutting tools and accessories. A significant portion of our raw materials is supplied by sources outside of the U.S., including tungsten, the global supply of which is concentrated in China. The raw materials extraction industry is highly cyclical and at times pricing and supply can be volatile due to a number of factors beyond our control, including natural disasters, pandemics or public health issues, general economic and political conditions, labor costs, competition, import duties, tariffs, export restrictions enacted by foreign governments and currency exchange rate fluctuations. This volatility can significantly affect our raw material costs. In an environment of increasing raw material prices, competitive conditions can affect how much of these price increases we can recover in the form of higher sales prices for our products. To the extent we are unable to pass on any raw material price increases to our customers, our profitability could be adversely affected. Furthermore, restrictions in the supply of tungsten, cobalt and other raw materials could adversely affect our operating results. Increased raw material costs could also increase our working capital requirements and negatively affect our liquidity. Conversely, if raw material prices decline significantly, we could face product pricing challenges or the net realizable value of certain inventory may fall below carrying value, requiring inventory write-downs that could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

Capital and Credit-Related Risks:

Restrictions contained in our revolving credit facility and other debt agreements may limit our ability to incur additional indebtedness. Our existing revolving credit facility and other debt agreements (each a “Debt Facility” and collectively, “Debt Facilities”) contain restrictive covenants, including restrictions on our ability to incur indebtedness. These restrictions could limit our ability to effectuate future acquisitions, limit our ability to pay dividends, limit our ability to make capital expenditures or restrict our financial flexibility. Our revolving credit facility contains covenants requiring us to achieve certain financial and operating results and maintain compliance with a specified financial ratio. Our ability to meet the financial covenant or requirements in our revolving credit facility may be affected by events beyond our control, and we may not be able to satisfy such covenants and requirements. A breach of these covenants or our inability to comply with the financial ratio, tests or other restrictions contained in a Debt Facility could result in an event of default under one or more of our other Debt Facilities. Upon the occurrence of an event of default under a Debt Facility, and the expiration of any grace periods, the lenders could elect to declare all amounts outstanding under one or more of our other Debt Facilities, together with accrued interest, to be immediately due and payable. If this were to occur, our assets may not be sufficient to fully repay the amounts due under our Debt Facilities or our other indebtedness.