We have total debt of $1.9 billion. The maturities of the long-term debt range from 2024 through 2051. Our next scheduled maturity of outstanding debt is our $300 million 3.8% Senior Notes due in November 2024, which we expect to retire predominantly with commercial paper. We expect lower interest expense as we deleverage, but at current interest rates and commercial paper balances, interest costs would increase by approximately $4 million on an annualized basis, or if we are required to refinance commercial paper under our credit facility our interest costs would increase by approximately $7 million on an annualized basis related to the
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retirement. For more details on long-term debt, please refer to Footnote I to our Consolidated Financial Statements on page 95 in our Form 10-K filed February 27, 2024.
CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND ESTIMATES
We prepare our consolidated financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. To do so, we must make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, expenses, and disclosures. If we used different estimates or judgments, our financial statements could change. Some of these changes could be significant. Our estimates are frequently based upon historical experience and are considered by management, at the time they are made, to be reasonable and appropriate. Estimates are adjusted for actual events as they occur.
Critical accounting estimates are those that are: (a) subject to uncertainty and change and (b) of material impact to our financial statements. There were no newly identified critical accounting policies or estimates in the first nine months of 2024, and there have been no material changes to our critical accounting policies and estimates as previously disclosed beginning on page 54 in our Form 10-K filed February 27, 2024.
CONTINGENCIES
Litigation
Litigation Contingencies
We are exposed to litigation contingencies that, if realized, could have a material negative impact on our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
Although we deny liability in all currently threatened or pending litigation proceedings, we have recorded an immaterial aggregate litigation contingency accrual at September 30, 2024 (which does not include accrued expenses related to workers' compensation, vehicle-related personal injury, product and general liability claims, taxation issues, and environmental matters). Based on current known facts, aggregate reasonably possible (but not probable, and therefore, not accrued) losses in excess of accruals for litigation contingencies are estimated to be $14 million. If our assumptions or analyses regarding any of our contingencies are incorrect, or if facts change or future litigation arises, we could realize losses in excess of the recorded accruals (including losses in excess of the $14 million referenced above), which could have a material negative impact on our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. Also, we could be subject to future litigation of various types (including, but not limited to, litigation related to employment, intellectual property, environmental, taxation, vehicle-related personal injury, climate change, and others) that could negatively impact our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. For more information regarding our litigation contingencies, see Item 1 Legal Proceedings on page 45 and Note O Contingencies on page 22 of the Notes to Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements.
Climate Change
Transition Risks
Change in Laws, Policies, and Regulations. Many scientists, legislators, and others attribute global warming to increased levels of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, including carbon dioxide, which has led to significant legislative and regulatory efforts to limit such emissions. At September 30, 2024, we had approximately 120 production facilities in 18 countries. We also maintain a fleet of over-the-road tractor trailers that emit GHG. Our manufacturing facilities are primarily located in North America, Europe, and Asia. There are certain transition risks (meaning risks related to the process of reducing our carbon footprint) that could materially affect our business, capital expenditures, compliance costs, results of operations, financial condition, competitive position, and reputation. One of these transition risks is the change in treaties, laws, policies, and regulations that could impose significant operational and compliance burdens. For example, some of our operations are subject to certain governmental actions like the EU “European Green Deal” (which provides for a 55% reduction in net GHG emissions by 2030 (compared to 1990 levels), and no net emissions of GHG by 2050), and the “Paris Agreement” (which is an international treaty on climate change designed to lower GHG emissions).
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Other laws that could materially increase our compliance costs are the California Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act and Climate-Related Financial Risk Act, as well as the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, and the EU regulation on Deforestation-free Products. In addition, with respect to our Automotive Group, the EU is moving forward with an effective ban on the sale of new gas-powered automobiles (with the exception of CO2-neutral automobiles) in the EU from 2035 (with interim requirements by 2030), aiming to accelerate the conversion to zero-GHG emission automobiles as part of a broad package to combat global warming. Also, President Biden signed executive orders setting the goal of having zero-emission vehicles account for half of all new U.S. passenger car and light truck sales by 2030 and committing the Federal government to procuring only zero-emission vehicles by 2035. Finally, some states, including California and New York, are also implementing similar provisions. Our automotive products can be sold to manufacturers of either gas-powered or electric-powered vehicles. However, if our customers (who may be subject to any of these or other similarly proposed or newly enacted laws and regulations) incur additional costs to comply with such laws and regulations, which in turn, impact their ability to operate at similar levels in certain jurisdictions, the demand for our products could be adversely affected. Also, overall, there continues to be a lack of consistent climate legislation in the jurisdictions in which we operate, which creates economic and regulatory uncertainty. If these laws or regulations (including the SEC’s recently adopted climate-related disclosure rules, if upheld) impose significant operational restrictions and compliance requirements on us, they could increase costs associated with our operations, including costs for raw materials and transportation. Non-compliance with climate change treaties, legislative, and regulatory requirements could also negatively impact our reputation. To date, however, we have not experienced a material impact from climate change legislative and regulatory efforts.
Market Transition. We are engaged in the manufacture of various automotive components, including mechanical and pneumatic lumbar support and massage systems for seating, seat suspension systems, motors and actuators, and cables. For several decades, automotive manufacturers have sought lightweight components designed to increase fuel efficiency in the automobiles they manufacture. Replacing traditional steel components with high-strength steel, magnesium, aluminum alloys, carbon fiber, polymer composites, or post-consumer grade recycled nylon and plastics can directly reduce the weight of a vehicle's body and chassis and therefore reduce a vehicle's fuel consumption. This increased fuel efficiency also indirectly reduces GHG emissions. Because of our technological competitiveness, this long-standing market transition has not had, and is not expected to have, a material negative impact on our share of the markets in which we compete. However, if we are unable to continue to react to changes in technology, successfully develop, engineer, and bring to market new and innovative products, or successfully respond to evolving business trends, including continuing to produce comparatively lightweight components, our share in these automotive markets could be negatively impacted.
Physical Climate Change Risks
Direct Physical Effects. The acute and chronic physical effects of climate change, such as severe weather-related events, natural disasters, and/or significant changes in climate patterns, could have an increasingly adverse impact on our business and customers. As mentioned above, at September 30, 2024, we had approximately 120 manufacturing facilities in 18 countries, primarily located in North America, Europe, and Asia. We serve thousands of customers worldwide. In 2023, our largest customer represented less than 6% of our sales, and our customers were located in approximately 100 countries. Although our diverse geographical manufacturing footprint and our broad geographical customer base mitigate the potential physical risks of any local or regional climate change weather-related event having a material effect on our operations and results, the increased frequency and severity of such weather-related events could pose a risk to our operations and results.
To continue improving our climate-related risk assessment processes, we use technology-based tools to monitor our property portfolio’s exposure to certain natural catastrophic events. We integrated climate-related risk into our enterprise risk management process, providing an opportunity to improve our internal processes for identifying, assessing, and managing climate-related risks. In April 2023, we experienced tornado damage to a shared Home Furniture and Bedding facility in Mississippi. This event did not have a material impact on our physical properties as a whole, or our overall ability to manufacture and distribute our products to customers in a timely fashion, and it did not have a material effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations. However, in the future, depending on whether severe weather-related events increase in frequency and severity, such events could result in potential damage to our physical assets, local infrastructure,
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transportation systems, water delivery systems, our customers’ or suppliers’ operations, as well as prolonged disruptions in our manufacturing operations (including, but not limited to, our steel rod mill), all of which could harm our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
Indirect Physical Effects. The physical effects of climate change could continue to have an adverse impact on our supply chain. In recent years, we experienced (due, in part, to severe weather-related impacts) supply shortages in chemicals, which restricted foam supply. The restriction of foam supply constrained overall mattress production in the bedding industry and reduced our production levels. The cost of chemicals and foam also increased due to the shortages. Severe weather impacts could also reduce supply of other products in our supply chain that could result in higher prices for our products and the resources needed to produce them. If we are unable to secure an adequate and timely supply of raw materials or products in our supply chain, or the cost of these raw materials or products materially increases, it could have a negative impact on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
In 2023, drought conditions lowered the water levels of the Mississippi River and Panama Canal, reducing traffic through these waterways. Although these issues have not had a material impact on our results of operations, additional logistical disruptions including, but not limited to, natural disasters, could result in additional costs and delays in our ability to deliver products timely to certain customers.
In addition, although the cost has not been, and is not expected to be, material to our business, results of operations, and financial condition, severe weather-related incidents have resulted and may, in the future, result in increased costs of our property insurance.
GHG Reduction Strategy
To date, we have not experienced material climate-related compliance costs. However, evaluating opportunities to reduce our carbon footprint, setting goals for carbon reduction, and measuring performance in achieving those goals are part of our sustainability and corporate governance strategy moving forward. We have completed our 2023 GHG emissions inventory. To ensure our information is complete and accurate, we engaged a third-party limited assurance provider to review our 2023 data. Our emissions inventory includes Scope 1 and Scope 2 carbon dioxide equivalent emissions. We considered the principles and guidance of the GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard and GHG Protocol Scope 2 Guidance in preparing our 2023 GHG emissions inventory. As of 2023, our total GHG emissions were 25% less than our combined Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions inventory compared to our baseline year of 2019, which generally correlates with our decrease in production and volume over the same time period.
Our baseline measurement will inform a long-term GHG reduction strategy, including setting reduction targets and other key performance areas. Our key initiatives as we move through 2024, 2025, and into 2026 include: developing our emissions reduction pathways to reduce GHG emissions, undertaking our first Scope 3 emissions inventory, assessing where emission reduction opportunities lie within our value chain, and preparing for and complying with new reporting requirements. As we evaluate our GHG emissions, we recognize the importance of understanding the impact of our emissions across our value chain. We expect to compile a full emissions inventory, including Scope 3, to inform the setting of a science-aligned carbon reduction target. We currently do not have an estimate of the capital expenditures or operating costs that may be required to implement our GHG reduction strategy. While implementing our GHG reduction strategy is expected to require capital investment and increase operational costs, the ultimate impact and associated cost cannot be predicted at this time. For more information regarding our GHG reduction strategy, see our Sustainability Report at www.leggett.com. Our Sustainability Report does not constitute part of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.
Cybersecurity Risks
We rely on information systems to obtain, process, analyze, and manage data, as well as to facilitate the manufacture and distribution of inventory to and from our facilities. We receive, process, and ship orders, manage the billing of and collections from our customers, and manage the accounting for and payment to our vendors. We also manage our production processes with certain industrial control systems. Consequently, we are subject to cybersecurity risk.
Although we have purchased broad form cyber insurance coverage and strive to provide a balanced level of cybersecurity protections, cybersecurity risk has increased due to remote access, remote work conditions, and increased sophistication of cybersecurity adversaries, as well as the increased frequency of cybersecurity attacks. As such, information technology failures or cybersecurity breaches could still create system disruptions
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or unauthorized disclosure or alterations of confidential information and disruptions to the systems of our third-party suppliers and providers. We cannot be certain that the attacker’s capabilities will not compromise our technology protecting information systems or bypass our detection capabilities, including those resulting from ransomware attached to our industrial control systems. If these systems are interrupted or damaged by any incident or fail for any extended period of time, then our results of operations could be adversely affected. We may incur remediation costs, increased cybersecurity protection costs, lost revenues resulting from unauthorized use of proprietary information, litigation and legal costs, increased insurance premiums, reputational damage, damage to our competitiveness, and negative impact on our stock price and long-term shareholder value. We may also be required to devote significant management resources and expend significant additional resources to address problems created by any such interruption, damage, or failure.
A significant portion of our assets consists of goodwill and other long-lived assets, the carrying value of which may be reduced if we determine that those assets are impaired. At September 30, 2024, goodwill and other intangible assets represented $1.0 billion, or 26% of our total assets. In addition, net property, plant and equipment, operating lease right-of-use assets, and sundry assets totaled $1.1 billion, or 29% of total assets.
As discussed in Major Factors that Impact our Business on page 24, we recorded a $675 million non-cash impairment of goodwill in the second quarter of 2024.
In evaluating the potential for impairment of goodwill and other long-lived assets, we make assumptions regarding future operating performance, business trends, and market and economic performance, as well as our future sales and operating margins, growth rates, and discount rates. We are continuing to monitor all factors impacting these reporting units. If actual results or the long-term outlook of any of our reporting units materially differ from the assumptions and estimates used in the goodwill and other long-lived assets valuation calculations, we could incur future impairment charges. These non-cash charges could have a material negative impact on our earnings.
NEW ACCOUNTING STANDARDS
The FASB has issued accounting guidance effective for the current and future periods. See Note A Interim Presentation to the Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements on page 9 for a more complete discussion.
QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
Interest Rates
Substantially all of our debt is denominated in United States dollars. The fair value of fixed rate debt was approximately $190.0 million less than carrying value of $1,787.9 million at September 30, 2024 and approximately $175.0 million less than carrying value of $1,786.4 million at December 31, 2023. The fair value of fixed rate debt was based on quoted market prices in an active market. The fair value of variable rate debt is not significantly different from its recorded amount.
Investment in Foreign Subsidiaries
We view our investment in foreign subsidiaries as a long-term commitment. This investment may take the form of either permanent capital or notes. Our net investment (i.e., total assets less total liabilities subject to translation exposure) in foreign operations with functional currencies other than the U.S. dollar was $1,056.0 million at September 30, 2024 compared to $1,202.1 million at December 31, 2023.
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Derivative Financial Instruments
We are subject to market and financial risks related to interest rates and foreign currency. In the normal course of business, we utilize derivative instruments (individually or in combinations) to reduce or eliminate these risks. We seek to use derivative contracts that qualify for hedge accounting treatment; however, some instruments may not qualify for hedge accounting treatment. It is our policy not to speculate using derivative instruments. Information regarding cash flow hedges and fair value hedges is provided in Note A Summary of Significant Accounting Policies in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in our Form 10-K filed February 27, 2024 and Note N Derivative Financial Instruments beginning on page 21 of the Notes to Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements and is incorporated by reference into this section.
MARKET AND INDUSTRY DATA
Unless indicated otherwise, the information concerning our industries contained herein is based on our general knowledge of and expectations concerning the industries. Our market share is based on estimates using our internal data, data from various industry analyses, internal research, and adjustments and assumptions that we believe to be reasonable. We have not independently verified data from industry analyses and cannot guarantee their accuracy or completeness.
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.
EFFECTIVENESS OF COMPANY'S DISCLOSURE CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
An evaluation as of September 30, 2024 was carried out by the Company’s management, with the participation of the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act)). Based upon this evaluation, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective, as of September 30, 2024, to provide assurance that information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified by the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management, including its Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
CHANGES IN THE COMPANY'S INTERNAL CONTROL OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING
There were no changes during the quarter ended September 30, 2024 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
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PART II - OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1. Legal Proceedings.
The information in Note O Contingencies beginning on page 22 of our Notes to Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements is incorporated into this section by reference. Reference is made to Item 3. Legal Proceedings and Note S Contingencies in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in our Form 10-K filed February 27, 2024, Item 1. Legal Proceedings and Note M Contingencies in the Notes to the Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements in our Form 10-Q filed May 8, 2024, and Item 1. Legal Proceedings and Note O Contingencies in the Notes to the Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements in our Form 10-Q filed August 7, 2024.
MATTRESS ANTIDUMPING MATTERS
Petition Regarding China, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Serbia, Thailand, Turkey, and Vietnam.On March 31, 2020, the Company, along with six other domestic mattress producers, Brooklyn Bedding LLC, Corsicana Mattress Company, Elite Comfort Solutions (a Leggett subsidiary), FXI, Inc., Innocor, Inc., and Kolcraft Enterprises, Inc., and two labor unions, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union, AFL-CIO (collectively, 2020 Petitioners), filed petitions with the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) and the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) alleging that manufacturers of mattresses in Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Serbia, Thailand, Turkey, and Vietnam were unfairly selling their products in the United States at less than fair value and manufacturers of mattresses in China were unfairly benefiting from subsidies, causing harm to the U.S. industry and seeking the imposition of duties on mattresses imported from these countries.
These petitions resulted in antidumping and countervailing duty orders imposing duties ranging from 2.22% to 763.28% on mattresses imported from China, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Serbia, Thailand, Turkey, and Vietnam for five years, through May 2026, at which time the DOC and ITC will conduct a sunset review to determine whether to extend the order for an additional five years.
Following certain appeals that were filed with the U.S. Court of International Trade (CIT), some of which remain ongoing, the CIT ruled in favor of the ITC and 2020 Petitioners and sustained the ITC’s unanimous injury decision. On February 15, 2024, one respondent filed an appeal of the CIT's decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, but agreed to dismiss the appeal on October 29, 2024.
Petition Regarding Indonesia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Burma, India, Italy, Kosovo, Mexico, the Philippines, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, and Taiwan.On July 28, 2023, the Company, along with nine other domestic mattress producers, Brooklyn Bedding LLC, Carpenter Company, Corsicana Mattress Company, Future Foam, Inc., FXI, Inc., Kolcraft Enterprises Inc., Serta Simmons Bedding, LLC, Southerland Inc., and Tempur Sealy International, and two labor unions, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union, AFL-CIO (collectively, 2023 Petitioners), filed petitions with the DOC and the ITC alleging that manufacturers of mattresses in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Burma, India, Italy, Kosovo, Mexico, the Philippines, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, and Taiwan were unfairly selling their products in the United States at less than fair value and manufacturers of mattresses in Indonesia were unfairly benefiting from subsidies, causing harm to the U.S. industry and seeking the imposition of duties on mattresses imported from these countries. The ITC made a preliminary determination of injury on September 11, 2023.On December 26, 2023, the DOC made a negative preliminary determination regarding Indonesian subsidies. The DOC’s preliminary determination on dumping was issued February 26, 2024 and imposed duties on finished mattresses. With respect to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Burma, Italy, Philippines, Poland, Slovenia, and Taiwan, the DOC’s final determinations were issued on May 9, 2024, and imposed duties ranging from 106.27% to 744.81% on finished mattresses. The ITC’s final determination with respect to those countries was issued on June 11, 2024. With respect to Indonesia, India, Kosovo, Mexico, and Spain, the DOC’s final determinations were issued July 16, 2024, and (excluding Indonesia) imposed duties ranging from 4.61% to 344.70%. Regarding Indonesia, the DOC found that the subsidies were below the de minimis threshold. The order evidencing the ITC’s final determination as to India, Kosovo, Mexico, and Spain was issued in September 2024.
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Item 1A. Risk Factors.
Our 2023 Annual Report on Form 10-K filed February 27, 2024 includes a detailed discussion of our risk factors in Item 1A Risk Factors which is incorporated herein by reference. The information presented below updates and should be read in conjunction with the risk factors and information disclosed in that Form 10-K.
Investing in our securities involves risk. Set forth below and elsewhere in this report are risk factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results contemplated by the forward-looking statements contained in this report. We may amend or supplement these Risk Factors from time to time by other reports we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
OPERATIONAL RISK FACTORS
Our Restructuring Plan may not achieve its intended outcomes, and we may incur restructuring costs, restructuring-related costs, and impairments in addition to those anticipated to be incurred in connection with our announced Restructuring Plan.
In the first quarter of 2024, we committed to a restructuring plan, primarily associated with our Bedding Products segment and, to a lesser extent, our Furniture, Flooring & Textile Products segment (the “Restructuring Plan” or “Plan”), which is expected to be substantially complete by the end of 2025. The Plan was expanded in the second quarter of 2024 to include a restructuring opportunity within the Specialized Products segment and in the third quarter of 2024 to include the general and administrative cost structure initiatives. Pursuant to the Plan, we expect to:
•consolidate between 15 and 20 production and distribution facilities (out of 50) in the Bedding Products segment and a small number of production facilities in the Furniture, Flooring & Textile Products segment;
•incur restructuring and restructuring-related costs between $65 and $85 million, of which $40 to $50 million are anticipated to be incurred in 2024 and the remainder in 2025. This includes $30 to $40 million in cash costs, the majority of which are anticipated to be incurred in 2024;
•realize annualized EBIT benefit of $50 to $60 million after initiatives are fully implemented in late 2025 versus our prior estimate of $40 to $50 million, as we now expect to realize approximately a $10 million benefit in 2025 from general and administrative initiatives;
•receive between $60 and $80 million in pretax net cash proceeds from the sale of real estate associated with the Restructuring Plan; and
•experience a reduction in annual sales by approximately $80 million.
We continue to make solid progress executing the Plan. To date, we have consolidated 13 production and distribution facilities in the Bedding Products segment and two production facilities in the Furniture, Flooring & Textile Products segment. All domestic innerspring production has been shifted into our four larger, remaining spring production facilities. We also downsized our Chinese innerspring operation and will exit our Mexican innerspring operation by year end, which will conclude all innerspring-related restructuring activity in Bedding Products. In Specialty Foam, we have closed three operations. In early fourth quarter we closed one Adjustable Bed location and shifted production to a more cost-advantaged facility. We successfully executed the restructuring activity in Home Furniture, and we expect to complete phase one of our Flooring Products restructuring by early next year. In Hydraulic Cylinders, manufacturing optimization and operational efficiency improvements are underway.
We initiated a thorough analysis of our general and administrative cost structure across our business units and corporate shared services. Our general and administrative project team is analyzing and identifying opportunities to drive efficiencies. We continue to analyze and identify potential opportunities within our business unit functions; however, we anticipate potential cost reductions will be smaller than those identified in our corporate functions.
We are also exploring a potential sale of our Aerospace business, which is not included in the Plan, and have incurred $1 million of restructuring-related costs in the third quarter of 2024 related to this activity. This business has not reached the criteria to be classified as held for sale.
Total restructuring and restructuring-related costs, including Plan costs and costs to explore the potential sale of our Aerospace business, for the three and nine months ending September 30, 2024, were $12 million
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($11 millioncash and $1 million non-cash) and$34 million ($27 million cash and $7 million non-cash), respectively.
We realized $6 million of EBIT benefit from the Plan in the third quarter and $9 million year to date. We still expect to realize approximately $10-$15 million of EBIT benefit in 2024. In the third quarter we realized $4 million of sales attrition and have realized $7 million of sales attrition year to date. We now expect sales attrition in 2024 of approximately $15 million versus our prior estimate of $25 million.
To date and in line with 2024 expectations, we have realized $20 million of proceeds from the sale of real estate associated with the Plan, including the sale of one facility in third quarter 2024 for net proceeds of $17 million (pretax gain of $14 million) and one facility in late October 2024 for net proceeds of $3 million (estimated pretax gain of $3 million).
Because of certain risks and uncertainties, the Plan may not achieve its intended outcomes. Our estimates of the number of facilities to be consolidated and the cash and non-cash costs and impairments associated with the Plan may change as our analysis develops and additional information is obtained. Also, we may not be able to implement the Plan in a timely manner that will positively impact our financial condition and results of operations. Moreover, we may not be able to dispose of real estate pursuant to the Plan or obtain the expected proceeds in a timely manner. The Plan may also negatively impact our relationships with employees, customers, and vendors. Finally, because restructuring activities are complex and involve time-consuming processes, substantial demands may be placed on management, which could divert attention from other business priorities or disrupt our daily operations. Any failure to achieve the intended outcomes could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows, and liquidity.
We continue to evaluate our businesses for further restructuring opportunities in addition to those activities included in the announced Plan. The execution of any of these opportunities may result in additional material restructuring costs, restructuring-related costs, or impairments.
The physical effects of climate change could adversely affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
Direct Physical Effects
The acute and chronic physical effects of climate change, such as severe weather-related events, natural disasters, and/or significant changes in climate patterns, could have an increasingly adverse impact on our business and customers. At September 30, 2024, we had approximately 120 manufacturing facilities in 18 countries, primarily located in North America, Europe, and Asia. We serve thousands of customers worldwide. In 2023, our largest customer represented less than 6% of our sales, and our customers were located in approximately 100 countries. Although our diverse geographical manufacturing footprint and our broad geographical customer base mitigate the potential physical risks of any local or regional climate change weather-related event having a material effect on our operations and results, the increased frequency and severity of such weather-related events could pose a risk to our operations and results.
To continue improving our climate-related risk assessment processes, we use technology-based tools to monitor our property portfolio’s exposure to certain natural catastrophic events. We integrated climate-related risk into our enterprise risk management process, providing an opportunity to improve our internal processes for identifying, assessing, and managing climate-related risks. In April 2023, we experienced tornado damage to a shared Home Furniture and Bedding facility in Mississippi. This event did not have a material impact on our physical properties as a whole, or our overall ability to manufacture and distribute our products to customers in a timely fashion, and it did not have a material effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations. However, in the future, depending on whether severe weather-related events increase in frequency and severity, such events could result in potential damage to our physical assets, local infrastructure, transportation systems, water delivery systems, our customers’ or suppliers’ operations, as well as prolonged disruptions in our manufacturing operations (including, but not limited to, our steel rod mill), all of which could harm our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
Indirect Physical Effects
The physical effects of climate change could continue to have an adverse impact on our supply chain. In recent years, we experienced (due, in part, to severe weather-related impacts) supply shortages in chemicals, which restricted foam supply. The restriction of foam supply constrained overall mattress production in the bedding industry and reduced our production levels. The cost of chemicals and foam also increased due to the
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shortages. Severe weather impacts could also reduce supply of other products in our supply chain that could result in higher prices for our products and the resources needed to produce them. If we are unable to secure an adequate and timely supply of raw materials or products in our supply chain, or the cost of these raw materials or products materially increases, it could have a negative impact on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
In 2023, drought conditions lowered the water levels of the Mississippi River and Panama Canal, reducing traffic through these waterways. Although these issues have not had a material impact on our results of operations, additional logistical disruptions including, but not limited to, natural disasters, could result in additional costs and delays in our ability to deliver products timely to certain customers.
In addition, although the cost has not been, and is not expected to be, material to our business, results of operations, and financial condition, severe weather-related incidents have resulted and may, in the future, result in increased costs of our property insurance.
Global economic, political, legal, and business factors could adversely impact our business, results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows.
We operate in global markets. Approximately 39% of our sales in 2023 were generated outside the United States. In addition, as of December 31, 2023, we had 50 manufacturing facilities outside the United States, and approximately 31% of our tangible long-lived assets were located outside the United States. Our reliance on international sales and international manufacturing facilities exposes us to a number of risks, including price and currency controls; government embargoes or trade restrictions, including import and export tariffs; extraterritorial effects of U.S. laws such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act; expropriation of assets; war, civil uprisings, acts of terror, and riots; political instability; nationalization of private enterprises; hyperinflationary conditions; the necessity of obtaining governmental approval for new and continuing products and operations, currency conversion, or repatriation of assets; legal systems of decrees, laws, taxes, regulations, interpretations, and court decisions that are not always fully developed and that may be retroactively or arbitrarily applied; cost and availability of international labor, materials, and shipping channels; and customer loyalty to local companies.
Additionally, the growth of new Chinese auto market entrants and increases in Chinese auto exports, particularly to Europe, is driving further market disruption. Europe has responded by introducing new tariffs, but it is to be seen if this will slow the pace of Chinese imports. These Chinese imports have, and may continue to have, a negative impact to the demand for our automotive products. A Chinese OEM could displace one or more of our existing customers and elect an alternative domestic supplier, which could result in additional lost market share. In Europe, economic softness and consumer affordability issues have given Chinese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers opportunities to supply lower price electric vehicles, leading to the production declines and program launch delays for our customers. In North America, consumer affordability issues and uncertainty around EV transition timelines is resulting in program launch delays and our customers replacing higher cost components with lower cost components.
These factors could result in, or could continue to result in, among other things, supply chain or production disruptions, lower consumer demand, compressed profit margins, and foreign exchange rate changes, any of which could materially negatively impact our business, results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows.
FINANCIAL RISK FACTORS
There can be no assurance that we will continue to pay cash dividends on our common stock.
We recently lowered our quarterly cash dividend from $.46 per share to $.05 per share. Financial conditions or our pursuit of strategic alternative uses of cash could lead to a further reduction, suspension, or termination of the payment of cash dividends at any time. Dividends on shares of common stock are declared at the discretion of the Board of Directors. Any decision would consider general and economic conditions, our financial condition and operating results, our available cash and current and anticipated cash needs, our ability to generate sufficient earnings and cash flows, capital requirements, strategic alternatives, our decision to reduce leverage, our compliance with our leverage ratio under our credit agreement, contractual, legal, and tax implications, and other factors. There can be no assurance that we will continue to pay cash dividends on our common stock.
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Our borrowing costs and access to liquidity may be impacted by lower credit ratings.
Independent rating agencies evaluate our credit profile on an ongoing basis and have assigned ratings for our long-term and short-term debt. Recently, our credit ratings have been lowered and could be lowered further. These recent downgrades have resulted in slightly higher credit spreads, and could impact marketability. Lower credit ratings could adversely affect our borrowing capacity and our financial arrangements, including access to the commercial paper market, our lending agreements, and supply chain financing arrangements. If we are unable to meet our short-term borrowing needs in the commercial paper market, we may rely more heavily on bank debt to fund short-term working capital needs at higher interest costs. Any future downgrades of our credit ratings could also further increase our cost of debt and negatively impact our weighted average cost of capital.
Macroeconomic uncertainties have had, and could further have, an adverse impact on the collection of receivables in accordance with their terms due to customer bankruptcy, financial difficulties, or insolvency.
Some of our customers have been adversely affected by macroeconomic uncertainties and have suffered financial difficulty. Macroeconomic uncertainties may include, but are not limited to, rising interest rates, inflation, weak demand, changing market dynamics, increased geopolitical tensions, and political economic policy changes. As a result, our customers may be unable to pay their debts to us, they may reject their contractual obligations to us under bankruptcy laws or otherwise, or we may have to negotiate significant discounts and/or extend financing terms with these parties.
We monitor our receivable portfolio closely and make reserve decisions based upon individual customer credit risk reviews, customer payment trends (percentage of current and past due), historical loss experience, and general macroeconomic and industry trends that could impact the expected collectability of all customers or pools of customers with similar risk. We recorded bad debt expense of $9 million during the first nine months of 2024. Weak demand and changing market dynamics have created disruption and financial instability for some of our customers, particularly in the Bedding Products segment. A few of these customers began to exhibit slow payment and past-due trends during 2024. As a result, we increased our reserves for these customers and implemented payment plans where needed. We believe we have established appropriate reserves. As of September 30, 2024, our allowance for doubtful accounts for trade receivables was $17 million. If we are unable to collect receivables on a timely basis, larger provisions for bad debt may be required and may result in a negative impact on our earnings, liquidity, cash flow, and financial condition.
Our goodwill and other long-lived assets have been, and could further be, subject to impairment which could negatively impact our earnings.
A significant portion of our assets consists of goodwill and other long-lived assets, the carrying value of which may be reduced if we determine that those assets are impaired. At September 30, 2024, goodwill and other intangible assets represented $1.0 billion, or 26% of our total assets. In addition, net property, plant and equipment, operating lease right-of-use assets, and sundry assets totaled $1.1 billion, or 29% of total assets.
We test goodwill for impairment at the reporting unit level (the business groups that are one level below the operating segments) when triggering events occur, or at least annually. We perform our annual goodwill impairment testing in the second quarter. The 2023 goodwill impairment testing indicated no impairments.
The 2024 annual goodwill impairment testing indicated that fair value had fallen below carrying value for three reporting units, and fair value exceeded carrying value by less than 100% for one reporting unit.
A $675 million non-cash goodwill impairment charge was recorded related to the following reporting units:
Reporting Unit
Segment
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2024
Bedding
Bedding Products
$
587.2
Work Furniture
Furniture, Flooring & Textile Products
44.5
Hydraulic Cylinders
Specialized Products
43.6
$
675.3
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The fair values of our reporting units in relation to their respective carrying values and significant assumptions used are presented in the tables in Note F to the Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements, beginning on page 15.
In general, the fair values for our reporting units decreased versus prior year due to macroeconomic pressures, including low demand, particularly in residential end markets. The fair values of our reporting units were reconciled to our consolidated market capitalization, which decreased due to the significant decline in stock price during the second quarter of 2024. Our closing stock price per share was $26.17 on December 29, 2023, $19.15 on March 28, 2024, and $11.46 on June 28, 2024. We concluded that an impairment existed under generally accepted accounting principles in connection with the preparation and review of our second quarter financial statements filed on August 7, 2024 as part of the quarterly report on Form 10-Q. We do not expect that the impairment charge will result in any cash expenditures.
Units with Impairments
In addition to the decline in our stock price during the second quarter, the reporting units discussed below also had the following factors contributing to the impairments:
Bedding
Domestic bedding manufacturers are facing numerous challenges, including low demand, overcapacity, and increased pressure from finished mattress imports, resulting in financial stress across the industry. The domestic mattress market has changed dramatically in a relatively short time span. The landscape has shifted from a largely domestic OEM-produced innerspring mattress market to one where innerspring, foam, and hybrid mattresses are sold at a wide range of price points through a variety of channels and produced by a mix of fewer large domestic OEMs, domestic private label producers, and import manufacturers. These changing market dynamics and weak demand have created disruption and financial instability with some of our customers.
The Bedding reporting unit's fair value exceeded carrying value by 40% at our second quarter 2023 testing date. Late in the fourth quarter of 2023 we concluded we had a triggering event after certain of our Elite Comfort Solutions and Kayfoam customers notified us of efforts to improve their financial position by moving their business to or exploring alternative suppliers. We expected that these customer efforts would reduce our future cash flows. Accordingly, we performed a goodwill impairment test, which indicated no goodwill impairments. However, the estimated fair value of this reporting unit had decreased and fair value in excess of carrying value had dropped to 19%.
Work Furniture
Work Furniture demand for both contract and residential end-use products has remained at sustained low levels. Fair value exceeded carrying value by 74% at our second quarter 2023 testing date.
Hydraulic Cylinders
The Hydraulic Cylinders reporting unit's fair value at our second quarter 2023 testing date exceeded carrying value by 18%. Fair value approximated carrying value primarily due to an August 2022 acquisition that is experiencing operational inefficiencies.
Units with No Impairments, but Fair Value Exceeded Carrying Value by Less than 100%
Aerospace Products
The Aerospace Products reporting unit did not incur impairment charges, but fair value exceeded carrying value by less than 100% at both testing dates. The fair value of this reporting unit exceeded its carrying value by 21% at our second quarter 2024 testing date as compared to 44% in 2023. Aerospace’s long-term forecasts continue to reflect demand improvements as industry recovery continues. Current demand is now similar to pre-pandemic levels.
In evaluating the potential for impairment of goodwill and other long-lived assets, we make assumptions regarding future operating performance, business trends, and market and economic performance, as well as our future sales and operating margins, growth rates, and discount rates. We are continuing to monitor all factors impacting these reporting units. If actual results or the long-term outlook of any of our reporting units materially differ from the assumptions and estimates used in the goodwill and other long-lived assets valuation
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calculations, we could incur future impairment charges. These non-cash charges could have a material negative impact on our earnings.
If we do not comply with the restrictive covenants in our credit facility, we may not be able to borrow in the commercial paper market or under our credit facility and our outstanding debt instruments may default, all of which would adversely impact our liquidity.
Our credit facility is a multi-currency facility maturing in September 2026, providing us the ability, from time to time, to borrow, repay, and re-borrow up to $1.2 billion, subject to certain restrictive covenants and customary conditions. The credit facility serves as back-up for our commercial paper borrowing.
To provide additional borrowing capacity and financial flexibility, we amended our credit agreement in March 2024 to increase the Leverage Ratio from 3.50 to 1.00 to 4.00 to 1.00. After the amendment, our credit facility contains restrictive covenants which include (a) an amended Leverage Ratio requiring us to maintain, as of the last day of each fiscal quarter, or when we borrow under the credit facility (i) Consolidated Funded Indebtedness minus the lesser of: (A) Unrestricted Cash, or (B) $750 million to (ii) Consolidated EBITDA for the four consecutive trailing quarters of not greater than 4.00 to 1.00 as of March 31, 2024 through June 30, 2025, and not greater than 3.50 to 1.00 beginning September 30, 2025 through maturity; provided however, subject to certain limitations, if we make a Material Acquisition in any fiscal quarter after June 30, 2025, at our election, the maximum Leverage Ratio shall be 4.00 to 1.00 for the fiscal quarter during which such Material Acquisition is consummated and the next three consecutive fiscal quarters; (b) a limitation of the amount of total secured obligations to 15% of our total consolidated assets; and (c) a limitation on our ability to sell, lease, transfer, or dispose of all, or substantially all, of our assets and the assets of our subsidiaries, taken as a whole (other than accounts receivable sold in a Permitted Securitization Transaction, products sold in the ordinary course of business and our ability to sell, lease, transfer, or dispose of any of our assets or the assets of one of our subsidiaries to us or one of our subsidiaries, as applicable) at any given point in time.
If our earnings are reduced, the covenants in the credit facility will continue to reduce our borrowing capacity, both under the credit facility or through commercial paper issuances. Depending on the degree of earnings reduction, our liquidity could be materially negatively impacted. This covenant may also restrict our current and future operations, including (i) our flexibility to plan for, or react to, changes in our businesses and industries; and (ii) our ability to use our cash flows, or obtain additional financing, for future working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions, or other general corporate purposes. If we are not in compliance with the restrictive covenants in our credit facility, and are not able to negotiate more lenient terms, we may not be able to access the commercial paper market or borrow under the credit facility.
Also, if we fail to comply with the covenants specified in the credit facility, we may trigger an event of default, in which case the lenders would have the right to: (i) terminate their commitment to provide loans under the credit facility; and (ii) declare all borrowings outstanding, together with accrued and unpaid interest and fees, to be immediately due and payable. Additionally, our senior notes contain cross-default provisions which could make outstanding amounts under the senior notes immediately payable in the event of an acceleration of amounts due under the credit facility following a material uncured default. If debt under the credit facility or senior notes were to be accelerated, we may not have sufficient cash to repay this debt, which would have an immediate material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition.
We may not be able to realize deferred tax assets on our balance sheet depending upon the amount and source of future taxable income.
Our ability to realize deferred tax assets on our balance sheet is dependent upon the amount and source of future taxable income. As of September 30, 2024, we had $151 million of deferred tax assets ($167 million less a $16 million valuation allowance). After netting of deferred tax liabilities, the net amount presented within Sundry assets on our Consolidated Condensed Balance Sheets is $22 million. It is possible the amount and source of our taxable income could materially change in the future. Particularly, our mix of earnings by taxing jurisdiction may materially change in that we may have more or less taxable income generated in North America, Europe, or Asia as compared to prior years. This change may impact our underlying assumptions on which valuation allowances are established and negatively affect future period earnings and balance sheets. As a result, we may not be able to realize deferred tax assets on our balance sheet.
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MARKET RISK FACTORS
Unfair competition could adversely affect our market share, sales, profit margins, and earnings.
We produce innersprings for mattresses that are sold to bedding manufacturers. We produce steel wire rod for consumption by our wire mills (primarily to produce innersprings) and to sell to third parties. We also produce and sell finished mattresses.
In response to petitions filed with the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) and the International Trade Commission (ITC) generally alleging that innersprings, steel wire rod, and mattresses were being unfairly sold in the United States by certain foreign manufacturers at less than fair value (dumping) and that certain foreign manufacturers of steel wire rod and mattresses were unfairly benefiting from subsidies, certain antidumping and/or countervailing duties have been imposed on the imports of such products. Some antidumping and countervailing duties orders are subject to ongoing appeal. Some orders are set to expire in the upcoming months, at which time the DOC and ITC will conduct a sunset review to determine whether to extend the orders for an additional five years. If any of the antidumping and countervailing duties are overturned on appeal, or not extended beyond their current terms and dumping and/or subsidization recurs, or manufacturers in the subject countries circumvent the existing duties through transshipment in other jurisdictions or otherwise, our market share, sales, profit margins, and earnings could be adversely affected.
For more information on antidumping and/or countervailing duties regarding innersprings, steel wire rod and mattresses, please refer to the Competition section on page 28 in the Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Conditions and Results of Operations of this Form 10-Q, and Item 1 Legal Proceedings on page 45 of this Form 10-Q.
We are exposed to foreign currency exchange rate risk which may negatively impact our competitiveness, profit margins, and earnings.
International sales have represented a significant percentage of our total sales, which exposes us to currency exchange rate fluctuations. In 2023, 39% of our sales were generated by international operations, primarily in Europe, China, Canada, and Mexico. We expect that a significant amount of our sales will continue to come from outside the United States in the future. As of December 31, 2023, 50 of our manufacturing facilities were located outside the United States. We are also exposed to currency exchange rate fluctuations by our purchase of raw materials and component parts from suppliers in multiple countries. We experience currency-related gains and losses where sales or purchases are denominated in currencies other than the functional currency. We also have balance sheet, cash flow, and net investment risk associated with foreign currency exchange rates. If the applicable foreign currency exchange rates devalue the currency we receive for the sale of our products, or the currency we use to purchase raw materials or component parts from our suppliers, it may have a material adverse effect on our competitiveness, profit margins, and earnings.
For more information regarding currency exchange rate risk, please refer to Note N on page 21 of the Notes to Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements.
Higher interest rates have affected, and could continue to affect, our interest expense and make it more costly to refinance our long-term debt.
We have borrowed money by issuing commercial paper with maturities of less than 270 days. We also have issued long-term senior notes with fixed interest rates. As of September 30, 2024, we had $1.9 billion of debt outstanding. Our next scheduled maturity of outstanding debt is our $300 million 3.8% Senior Notes due in November 2024, which we expect to retire predominantly with commercial paper. Credit spreads on commercial paper have widened to some extent, which has contributed to an increase in interest expense. Further increases in interest rates, or the need to refinance outstanding commercial paper through our credit facility, could continue to negatively impact our interest expense, and make it more costly to refinance our outstanding senior notes.
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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND CYBERSECURITY RISK FACTORS
Information technology failures, cybersecurity incidents, or new technology disruptions could have a material adverse effect on our operations.
We have approximately 120 production facilities in 18 countries, primarily located in North America, Europe, and Asia. We rely on information systems to obtain, process, analyze, and manage data, as well as to facilitate the manufacture and distribution of inventory to and from our facilities. We receive, process, and ship orders, manage the billing of and collections from our customers, and manage the accounting for and payment to our vendors. We also manage our production processes with certain industrial control systems. Consequently, we are subject to cybersecurity risk. We also have risk associated with the network connectivity and systems for consolidated reporting. Technology failures or security breaches of a new or existing infrastructure, including our industrial control systems, could impede normal operations, create system disruptions, or create unauthorized disclosure or alteration of confidential information.
Our cybersecurity program is based on industry-recognized frameworks and takes a multifaceted approach to protecting our network, systems, and data, including personal information. We deploy a wide range of protective security technologies and tools, including, but not limited to, encryption, firewalls, endpoint detection and response, security information and event management, 24/7 security operations center, multi-factor authentication, and threat intelligence feeds.
From time to time, we have experienced immaterial cybersecurity threats and incidents. When these threats and incidents occur, we have taken appropriate remediation steps and, through investigation (as more fully described below), determined that the threats or incidents did not have a material effect on our business, results of operations, or financial results. Although we are not aware of any material cybersecurity incidents, because of past immaterial cybersecurity threats and what we have learned in responding to those threats, we have improved cybersecurity efforts, including expansion of resources. Between 2023 and 2024, we expect to spend roughly $15 million in maintaining and enhancing our cybersecurity protection efforts.
Cybersecurity alerts are monitored by our security operations center. When a cybersecurity alert meets certain categorized thresholds, as determined by our Cybersecurity Incident Response Plan, we follow an escalation review process which can result in our Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) forwarding the alert to the crisis response team consisting of our CEO, CFO, Chief Human Resources Officer, Chief Information Officer, and General Counsel. Our CISO and the Crisis Response Team, pursuant to guidance from our CISO, assess and manage our response to cybersecurity threats and incidents. Our CISO follows a risk-based escalation process to notify our General Counsel of certain cybersecurity threats and incidents, and our General Counsel analyzes our obligation to report any incident publicly. If the General Counsel determines disclosure is warranted, she reports this conclusion to the CISO, the Crisis Response Team, and the Company's Public Disclosure Committee for consideration and disclosure. In addition, our CISO (or CFO when warranted) reports cybersecurity activity to the Board of Directors quarterly, with procedures in place for interim reporting, if necessary. Our full Board has oversight of our cybersecurity process.
Although we have purchased broad form cyber insurance coverage and strive to provide a balanced level of cybersecurity protections, cybersecurity risk has increased due to remote access, remote work conditions, and increased sophistication of cybersecurity adversaries, as well as the increased frequency of cybersecurity attacks. As such, information technology failures or cybersecurity breaches could still create system disruptions or unauthorized disclosure or alterations of confidential information and disruptions to the systems of our third-party suppliers and providers. We cannot be certain that the attacker’s capabilities will not compromise our technology protecting information systems or bypass our detection capabilities, including those resulting from ransomware attached to our industrial control systems. If these systems are interrupted or damaged by any incident or fail for any extended period of time, then our results of operations could be adversely affected. We may incur remediation costs, increased cybersecurity protection costs, lost revenues resulting from unauthorized use of proprietary information, litigation and legal costs, increased insurance premiums, reputational damage, damage to our competitiveness, and negative impact on our stock price and long-term shareholder value. We may also be required to devote significant management resources and expend significant additional resources to address problems created by any such interruption, damage, or failure.
In addition, our ability to effectively compete may be impacted by our ability to anticipate and respond effectively to the opportunity and threat presented by new technology disruption and developments, including artificial intelligence.
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Finally, burdens associated with regulatory compliance, including regulations adopted by the SEC regarding cybersecurity disclosure, may increase our costs.
The unauthorized use of artificial intelligence could expose sensitive Company information, infringe intellectual property rights, violate privacy laws, and harm our reputation.
Our business uses artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, including those offered by third parties, on a limited basis, generally to mitigate cybersecurity risks. While we prohibit the use of unauthorized AI technologies, our employees may use AI in an unauthorized manner, which could expose our sensitive data to disclosure, violate third-party intellectual property rights, violate privacy laws, produce inaccurate responses that could lead to errors in our business activities, and ultimately harm our reputation. Our ability to mitigate these risks will depend on our continued effective maintenance, training, monitoring, and enforcement of appropriate policies governing the use of AI technologies, and the results of any such use, by us. The legal and regulatory landscape relating to AI and the use of AI is uncertain and rapidly evolving, requiring us to stay apprised of such developments. These evolving laws and regulations could require changes in our implementation of AI technology and increase our compliance costs and the risk of non-compliance. If any of these risks are realized, it could adversely impact our results of operations, cash flow, financial condition, and stock price.
REGULATORY RISK FACTORS
Privacy and data protection regulations are complex and could harm our business, reputation, financial condition, and operating results.
Governments around the world have adopted legislative and regulatory rules concerning the collection and use of personal data. As a multinational company with employee personal data and business contact information from individuals in many countries, we are subject to many different data protection laws, including federal and state-specific laws in the U.S., and the laws of other jurisdictions in which we operate, such as those in Europe, China, India, and Brazil. For example, the European Union (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Switzerland new Federal Act on Data Protection (nFADP), and United Kingdom (UK) GDPR apply to our operations that collect or process personal data of EU, Swiss, and UK individuals, respectively. If our operations are found to violate these broad-ranging European laws, we may incur substantial fines, face reputational harm, and be required to change our business practices, any of which could have an adverse effect on our business.
As a U.S. company, the ability to manage aspects of our operation and workforce centrally and the ability to make decisions based on complete and accurate global data are important and require the ability to transfer and access personal data. The adequacy of the laws of the data-importing country are of increasing importance under various international laws. The validity of data transfer mechanisms remains subject to legal, regulatory, and political developments in many countries and could have an adverse impact on our ability to process and transfer personal data. This may inhibit our ability to transfer our employee personal data from our other operations, such as in Europe, China, and Brazil, to our headquarters in the U.S. or elsewhere, making it much more difficult to effectively manage our global human capital. These evolving privacy and data protection requirements create uncertainty and added compliance obligations that could harm our business, reputation, financial condition, and operating results.
Environmental regulatory compliance costs, additional potential related liabilities and climate change transition risks, including new treaties, laws, and regulations, could negatively impact our business, capital expenditures, compliance costs, results of operations, financial condition, competitive position, and reputation.
Increased focus by the U.S. and other governmental authorities on climate change and other environmental matters has led to enhanced regulation in these areas, which is expected to result in increased compliance costs and could subject us to potential liabilities. The extent of these costs and risks is difficult to predict and will depend, in large part, on the extent of final regulations and the ways in which those regulations are enforced.
We have approximately 120 manufacturing facilities in 18 countries, primarily located in North America, Europe, and Asia. Most of our facilities are engaged in manufacturing processes that produce GHG emissions, including carbon dioxide. We also maintain a fleet of over-the-road tractor trailers that emit GHG emissions when providing freight services to many of our U.S.-based manufacturing locations. There are certain transition
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risks (meaning risks related to the process of reducing our carbon footprint) that could materially affect our business, capital expenditures, compliance costs, results of operations, financial condition, competitive position, and reputation. One of these transition risks is the change in treaties, laws, policies, and regulations that could impose significant operational and compliance burdens. For example, some of our operations are subject to certain governmental actions like the EU “European Green Deal” (which provides for a 55% reduction in net GHG emissions by 2030 (compared to 1990 levels), and no net emissions of GHG by 2050), and the “Paris Agreement” (which is an international treaty on climate change designed to lower GHG emissions).
Other laws that could materially increase our compliance costs are the California Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act and Climate-Related Financial Risk Act, as well as the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, and the EU regulation on Deforestation-free Products. In addition, with respect to our Automotive Group, the EU is moving forward with an effective ban on the sale of new gas-powered automobiles (with the exception of CO2-neutral automobiles) in the EU from 2035 (with interim requirements by 2030), aiming to accelerate the conversion to zero-GHG emission automobiles as part of a broad package to combat global warming. Also, President Biden signed executive orders setting the goal of having zero-emission vehicles account for half of all new U.S. passenger car and light truck sales by 2030 and committing the Federal government to procuring only zero-emission vehicles by 2035. Finally, some states, including California and New York, are also implementing similar provisions. Our automotive products can be sold to manufacturers of either gas-powered or electric-powered vehicles. However, if our customers (who may be subject to any of these or other similarly proposed or newly enacted laws and regulations) incur additional costs to comply with such laws and regulations, which in turn, impact their ability to operate at similar levels in certain jurisdictions, the demand for our products could be adversely affected.
In addition, overall, there continues to be a lack of consistent climate legislation in the jurisdictions in which we operate, which creates economic and regulatory uncertainty. If these laws or regulations (including the SEC's recently adopted climate-related disclosure rules, if upheld) impose significant operational restrictions and compliance requirements on us, they could increase costs associated with our operations, including costs for raw materials and transportation. Non-compliance with climate change treaties or legislative and regulatory requirements could also lead to significant fines and penalties and negatively impact our reputation. To date, we have not experienced a material impact from climate change legislative and regulatory efforts. Further, we currently do not have an estimate of the capital expenditures or operating and administrative costs that may be required to implement our GHG reduction strategy or comply with regulatory requirements, but these items are expected to require capital investment and increase costs. The ultimate impact and associated cost of these legislative and regulatory developments and implementing our GHG reduction strategy cannot be predicted at this time.
Changes in tax laws or challenges to our tax positions pursuant to ongoing tax audits could negatively impact our earnings and cash flows.
We are subject to the tax laws and reporting rules of the U.S. (federal, state, and local) and several foreign jurisdictions. Current economic and political conditions make these tax rules (and governmental interpretation of these rules) in any jurisdiction, including the U.S., subject to significant change and uncertainty. There are proposals by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the European Union, and other tax jurisdictions, some of which were already adopted in various countries, to reform tax laws or change interpretations of existing tax rules. These proposals generally center around global base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) concepts, and as they are adopted, could continue to impact how our earnings and transactions are taxed as a multinational corporation. Whether, or in what form, these proposals will become law in various countries around the world, or how such laws might be interpreted, could impact our assumptions related to the taxation of certain foreign earnings and have an adverse effect on our earnings and cash flows.
We are subject to audit by taxing authorities in the countries where we operate and are currently in various stages of examination in several of these jurisdictions. We have established liabilities as we believe are appropriate, with such amounts representing what we believe is a reasonable provision for taxes that we ultimately might be required to pay. However, these liabilities could be increased over time as more information becomes known relative to the resolution of these audits, as either certain governmental tax positions may be sustained, or we may agree to certain tax adjustments. We could incur additional tax expense if we have adjustments higher than the liabilities recorded.
We are subject to value-added taxes (VAT) in various foreign jurisdictions. Where we are entitled to a refund of the VAT we have paid, we are required to make a claim for refund from the government authorities.
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We establish VAT receivables for these claims, but have been experiencing refund delays in Mexico. As of September 30, 2024, we had outstanding VAT refund claims with the Mexican government of $36 million. Although we believe the amounts we have claimed are fully collectable, continued government actions in Mexico, including audits of the amounts we have requested, could either further delay the receipt of our refunds, or cause us to settle for a lesser amount than the VAT receivable we have recorded. These actions could adversely impact our future cash flows and/or pretax earnings.
LITIGATION RISK FACTORS
We are exposed to litigation contingencies that, if realized, could have a material negative impact on our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
Although we deny liability in all currently threatened or pending litigation proceedings, we have recorded an immaterial aggregate litigation contingency accrual at September 30, 2024. Based on current facts and circumstances, aggregate reasonably possible (but not probable) losses in excess of the recorded accruals for litigation contingencies are estimated to be $14 million. If our assumptions or analyses regarding any of our contingencies are incorrect, if facts and circumstances change, or if future litigation arises, we could realize losses in excess of the recorded accruals (and in excess of the $14 million referenced above) which could have a material negative impact on our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. For more information regarding our legal contingencies, please see Item 1 Legal Proceedings on page 45 and Note O Contingencies on page 22 of the Notes to Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements.
Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds.
ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
The table below is a listing of our purchases of the Company’s common stock by calendar month for the periods presented.
Period
Total
Number of
Shares
Purchased 1
Average
Price
Paid
per
Share 1
Total Number
of Shares
Purchased
as Part of
Publicly
Announced
Plans or
Programs 2
Maximum
Number of
Shares that
may yet be
Purchased
Under the
Plans or
Programs 2
July 2024
—
$
—
—
10,000,000
August 2024
—
$
—
—
10,000,000
September 2024
—
$
—
—
10,000,000
Total
—
$
—
—
1This column does not include shares withheld for taxes on stock unit conversions, which totaled 15,653 shares in the third quarter of 2024. The average price paid per share for these shares was $12.01.
2On August 7, 2024, the Board authorized the Company to repurchase up to 10 million shares each calendar year. This standing authorization was first announced on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2024, filed August 7, 2024, and will remain in force until repealed by the Board of Directors. This standing Board authorization replaced the prior Board authorization adopted in 2022, which provided the same repurchase authority to the Company with only minor administrative differences. We substantively have had the same share repurchase authority since 2004, and this authority includes the 2024 calendar year. No specific repurchase schedule has been established. The authority does not obligate the Company to purchase a minimum number of shares.
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Item 5. Other Information.
DIRECTOR AND OFFICER TRADING ARRANGEMENTS
During the three months ended September 30, 2024, no director or officer (as defined in Rule 16a-1(f) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) of the Company adopted, modified, or terminated a “Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement” or “non-Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement,” as each term is defined in Item 408(a) of Regulation S-K.
CHANGES TO COMPANY'S PROCEDURE FOR IDENTIFYING AND EVALUATING DIRECTOR CANDIDATES
On November 5, 2024, the Board of Directors (the “Board”) approved changes to the Company’s Procedure for Identifying and Evaluating Director Candidates (the “Procedure”) which applies, in part, to director nominees recommended by shareholders. The Procedure was amended to clarify that the Nominating, Governance and Sustainability Committee (the “Committee”) of the Board may consider the “applicability to the Company’s business and industry” when evaluating the potential director nominee's “accomplishments in his or her field.” The complete Procedure can be found at www.leggett.com/governance, under Leggett & Platt Governance, Director Nomination Procedure. The Leggett website does not constitute part of this Form 10-Q filing.
CERTIFICATE OF ELIMINATION
On November 5, 2024, the Board adopted a Certificate of Elimination of Certificate of Designation of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock (the “Certificate of Elimination”) which was filed with the Missouri Secretary of State on November 6, 2024 and had the effect of eliminating from the Company’s Restated Articles of Incorporation all references to the Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock associated with the Company’s prior shareholder rights plan which expired by its terms in 2009. The Company’s Restated Articles of Incorporation and Certificate of Elimination are attached asExhibit 3.1.1 and Exhibit 3.1.2, respectively, and are incorporated herein by reference.
CHANGES TO BYLAWS
On November 5, 2024, the Board amended the Company’s Bylaws, effective immediately, to eliminate an outdated reference to Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”). The Bylaws contained a provision that allowed the Company to exclude a “proxy access” shareholder nominee for election as a director in its proxy materials for any annual meeting of shareholders, or if the proxy statement has already been filed, to exclude the nomination of (or a vote with respect to) a shareholder nominee for director, if such nominee was not an “outside director” for the purposes of Section 162(m) of the Code. The Board removed this exclusion in light of amendments to Section 162(m) which rendered it inapplicable to the Company for this purpose. A marked version of the amended Bylaw provisions, and a clean version of the Company’s Bylaws, as amended effective November 5, 2024, is attached hereto as Exhibit 3.2.1 and Exhibit 3.2.2, respectively, and are incorporated herein by reference.
Inline XBRL Instance Document - the instance document does not appear in the Interactive Data File because its XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document.
Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101)
*
Denotes filed herewith.
**
Denotes furnished herewith.
***
Filed as Exhibit 101 to this report are the following formatted in inline XBRL (eXtensible Business Reporting Language): (i) Consolidated Condensed Balance Sheets at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023; (ii) Consolidated Condensed Statements of Operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and September 30, 2023; (iii) Consolidated Condensed Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss) for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and September 30, 2023; (iv) Consolidated Condensed Statements of Cash Flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and September 30, 2023; (v) Consolidated Condensed Statements of Changes in Equity for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and September 30, 2023; and (vi) Notes to Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements.
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
LEGGETT & PLATT, INCORPORATED
DATE: November 7, 2024
By:
/s/ KARL G. GLASSMAN
Karl G. Glassman President and Chief Executive Officer
DATE: November 7, 2024
By:
/s/ BENJAMIN M. BURNS
Benjamin M. Burns Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer