Skip to main content

Fluence Energy Inc

For the period ended Jun 30, 2024. Filed Aug 7, 2024.

View on SEC.gov

About this filing

A company's report for each of its first three quarters. The financial statements are not audited. It shows how the business has moved since the last annual report, and what management says changed.

Jun 30, 2024 · Filed Aug 7, 2024

FLNC$5.40+2.5%Stored close · as of Nov 9, 2026

Extracted filing text, with the paragraph anchors used by the comparison.

See the whole filing, with its images and exhibits

Item 1A. Risk Factors

There have been no material changes with respect to our risk factors previously disclosed in our 2023 Annual Report, other than as set forth below. You should carefully consider the risks described in Item 1A. "Risk Factors" of our 2023 Annual Report, and all of the other information included in this Report, before making an investment decision. Our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected by any of these risks or uncertainties.

Our 2024 Revolver imposes certain restrictions that may affect our ability to operate our business and make payments on our indebtedness.

We are party to the 2024 Credit Agreement, as may be amended from time to time, with revolving commitments in an initial aggregate principal amount of $500.0 million, with a cash draw sublimit of $150.0 million and a letter of credit sublimit in the amount of $500.0 million. The 2024 Revolver contains covenants that, among other things, restrict our ability to incur additional indebtedness; incur liens; sell, transfer, or dispose of property and assets; invest; make dividends or distributions or other restricted payments and engage in affiliate transactions. In addition, we are required to maintain minimum liquidity, minimum consolidated leverage ratio, and certain other financial requirements relating to the guarantor coverage test on certain applicable dates. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources—2024 Credit Agreement” for further discussion of the 2024 Revolver. The 2024 Revolver limits our ability to make certain payments, including dividends or distributions on Fluence Energy, LLC’s equity and other restricted payments, provided, however, that payments in respect of certain tax distributions under the Third Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of Fluence Energy, LLC and certain payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement are permitted. See “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Liquidity and Capital Resources—Tax Receivable Agreement” for further discussion of the Tax Receivable Agreement. Such restrictions may restrict our current and future operations, particularly our ability to respond to certain changes in our business or industry or take future actions, including raising additional debt or equity financing to operate during general economic or business downturns, to compete effectively or to take advantage of new business opportunities. As of the date of this Report, we had no borr owings under the 2024 Revolver and no letters of credit outstanding.

Our ability to meet the restrictive covenants under the 2024 Credit Agreement may be impacted by events beyond our control. Our 2024 Credit Agreement and related security agreements provide that our breach or failure to satisfy certain covenants constitutes an event of default. Upon the occurrence of an event of default, our lenders could elect to declare all amounts outstanding under its debt agreements to be immediately due and payable. In addition, our lenders, to whom we granted a security interest in substantially all of our assets, would have the right to proceed against such assets we provided as collateral pursuant to the 2024 Credit Agreement and related security agreements. If our borrowings under our 2024 Revolver were to be accelerated, we may not have sufficient cash on hand or be able to sell sufficient collateral to repay outstanding borrowings or be able to borrow sufficient funds to refinance, which would have an immediate adverse effect on our business and operating results. Any such acceleration could potentially cause us to cease operations and result in a complete loss of your investment in our Class A common stock.

Moreover, the 2024 Revolver requires us to dedicate a portion of our cash flow from operations to interest payments, thereby reducing the availability of cash flow to fund working capital, capital expenditures and other general corporate purposes; increasing our vulnerability to adverse general economic, industry, or competitive developments or conditions;

and limiting our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and the industry in which we operate or in pursuing our strategic objectives.

Short sellers may engage in manipulative activity intended to drive down the market price of our Class A common stock, which has and could in the future result in related governmental and regulatory scrutiny, among other effects.

Short selling is the practice of selling securities that the seller does not own but rather has borrowed or intends to borrow from a third party with the intention of later buying lower priced identical securities to return to the lender. Accordingly, it is in the interest of a short seller of our Class A common stock for the price to decline. At any time, short sellers may publish, or arrange for the publication of, opinions or characterizations that are intended to create negative market momentum. Short selling reports can cause increased volatility in an issuer’s stock price, and result in regulatory and governmental inquiries. For example, on February 22, 2024, as previously disclosed, the Short Seller Report was published which contained certain allegations against the Company. In response to the Short Seller Report, our Audit Committee completed an internal investigation, with the assistance of outside counsel and forensic accountants, into the allegations in the Short Seller Report. We, after consultation with the Audit Committee, believe that the internal investigation demonstrated that the allegations of wrongdoing contained in the Short Seller Report are without merit. We have been informed that the SEC is conducting a formal investigation andasking for certain information regarding our financial reporting. We intend to fully cooperate with the SEC’s investigation. Based on the information requested by the SEC, we believe that the SEC is reviewing the Company’s revenue recognition practices, a previously-disclosed material weakness in internal controls, capitalization of internal-use software costs, as well as certain service contracts with related parties. These areas were the subject of assertions in the Short Seller Report and were included in the Audit Committee’s internal investigation. Any inquiries or investigations conducted by a governmental organization or other regulatory body, such as the ongoing SEC investigation, or any internal investigation, such as the one conducted by our Audit Committee, could result in a material diversion of our management’s time and result in substantial cost and, in the event of an adverse finding, could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations. In addition, any perceived or actual failure by us to comply with applicable laws, rules, regulations, and standards could have a significant impact on our reputation and expose us to legal risk and potential criminal and civil liability.

ContentsView on SEC.gov

The text of this filing, as the company filed it with the SEC, without its images or exhibits. This is not investment advice.