PNR, §1A diff (2018 → 2019)

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS You should carefully consider all of the information in this document and the following risk factors before making an investment decision regarding our securities. Any of the following risks could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and the actual outcome of matters as to which forward-looking statements are made in this document. Risks Relating to Our Business General global economic and business conditions affect demand for our products. We compete in various geographic regions and product markets around the world. Among these, the most significant are global industrial, commercial, and residential markets. We have experienced, and expect to continue to experience, fluctuations in revenues and results of operations due to economic and business cycles. Important factors for our businesses and the businesses of our customers include the overall strength of the global economy and various regional economies and our customers’ confidence in these economies, industrial and governmental capital spending, the strength of the residential and commercial real estate markets, the residential housing market, the commercial business climate, unemployment rates, availability of consumer and commercial financing, interest rates, and energy and commodity prices. The businesses of many of our industrial customers are to varying degrees cyclical and have experienced periodic downturns. While we attempt to minimize our exposure to economic or market fluctuations by serving a balanced mix of end markets and geographic regions, any of the above factors, individually or in the aggregate, or a significant or sustained downturn in a specific end market or geographic region could reduce demand for our products and services, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. We compete in attractive markets with a high level of competition, which may result in pressure on our profit margins and limit our ability to maintain or increase the market share of our products. The markets for our products and services are geographically diverse and highly competitive. We compete against large and well-established national and global companies, as well as regional and local companies and lower cost manufacturers. Competition may also result from new entrants into the markets we serve, offering products and/or services that compete with us. We compete based on technical expertise, intellectual property, reputation for quality and reliability, timeliness of delivery, previous installation history, contractual terms, service offerings, customer experience and service, and price. Competition may also result from new entrants into the markets we serve, offering products and/or services that compete with us. Some of our competitors, in particular smaller companies, attempt to compete based primarily on price, localized expertise and local relationships, especially with respect to products and applications that do not require a great deal of engineering or technical expertise. In addition, during economic downturns average selling prices tend to decrease as market participants compete more aggressively on price. Moreover, demand for our products, which impacts profit margins, is affected by changes in customer order patterns, such as changes in the levels of inventory maintained by customers and the timing of customer purchases, and changes in customers’ preferences for our products, including the success of products offered by our competitors. Customer purchasing behavior may also shift by product mix in the market or result in a shift to new distribution channels, including e-commerce, which is a rapidly developing area. If we are unable to continue to differentiate our products, services and solutions or adapt to changes in customer purchasing behavior or shifts in distribution channels, or if we are forced to cut prices or to incur additional costs to remain competitive, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Volatility in currency exchange rates could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Sales outside of the U.S. for the year ended December 31, 2019 accounted for 37% of our net sales. Our financial statements reflect translation of items denominated in non-U.S. currencies to U.S. dollars. Therefore, if the U.S. dollar strengthens in relation to the principal non-U.S. currencies from which we derive revenue as compared to a prior period, our U.S. dollar reported revenue and income will effectively be decreased to the extent of the change in currency valuations, and vice-versa. Fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, most notably the strengthening of the U.S. dollar against the euro, could have a material adverse effect on our reported revenue in future periods. In addition, currency variations could have a material adverse effect on margins on sales of our products in countries outside of the U.S. and margins on sales of products that include components obtained from suppliers located outside of the U.S. Our future growth is dependent upon our ability to transform and adapt our products, services, solutions, and organization to meet the demands of local markets in both developed and emerging economies and by developing or acquiring new technologies that achieve market acceptance with acceptable margins. We operate in global markets that are characterized by customer demand that is often global in scope but localized in delivery. We compete with thousands of smaller regional and local companies that may be positioned to offer products produced at lower cost than ours, or to capitalize on highly localized relationships and knowledge that are difficult for us to replicate. Also, in several emerging markets, potential customers prefer local suppliers, in some cases because of existing relationships and in other cases because of local legal restrictions or incentives that favor local businesses. Accordingly, our future success depends upon a number of factors, including our ability to transform and adapt our products, services, solutions, organization, workforce and sales strategies to fit localities throughout the world, particularly in high growth emerging markets; identify emerging technological and other trends in our target end markets; and develop or acquire competitive technologies, products, services, and solutions and bring them to market quickly and cost-effectively. The failure to effectively adapt our products, services, or solutions could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. We may not be able to identify, finance and complete suitable acquisitions and investments, and any completed acquisitions and investments may be unsuccessful or consume significant resources. Our business strategy includes acquiring businesses and making investments that complement our existing businesses. We continue to analyze and evaluate the acquisition of strategic businesses or product lines with the potential to strengthen our industry position or enhance our existing set of product, service, and solution offerings. We may not be able to identify suitable acquisition candidates, obtain financing or have sufficient cash necessary for acquisitions or successfully complete acquisitions in the future. Any acquisitions that we complete may not be successful. Acquisitions and investments may involve significant cash expenditures, debt incurrences, equity issuances, operating losses and expenses. Acquisitions involve numerous other risks, including: • diversion of management time and attention from daily operations; • difficulties integrating acquired businesses, technologies and personnel into our business; • difficulties in obtaining and verifying the financial statements and other business information of acquired businesses; • inability to obtain required regulatory approvals; • potential loss of key employees, key contractual relationships or key customers of acquired companies or of ours; • assumption of the liabilities and exposure to unforeseen liabilities of acquired companies, including risks relating to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (the “FCPA”) and privacy laws, including the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”); and • dilution of interests of holders of our shares through the issuance of equity securities or equity-linked securities. It may be difficult for us to integrate acquired operations, including those from our recent acquisitions of Aquion, Inc. and Pelican Water Systems, efficiently into our business operations. Any acquisitions or investments may not be successful and may ultimately result in impairment charges and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. We may not achieve some or all of the expected benefits of our business initiatives. During 2019, 2018 and 2017, we initiated and continued execution of certain business initiatives aimed at reducing our fixed cost structure and realigning our business. As a result, we have incurred substantial expense, including restructuring charges. We may not be able to achieve the operating efficiencies to reduce costs or realize benefits that were anticipated in connection with these initiatives. If we are unable to execute these initiatives as planned, we may not realize all or any of the anticipated benefits, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. We are exposed to political, regulatory, economic, trade, and other risks that arise from operating a multinational business. Sales outside of the U.S. for the year ended December 31, 2019 accounted for 37% of our net sales. Further, most of our businesses obtain some products, components and raw materials from non-U.S. suppliers. Accordingly, our business is subject to the political, regulatory, economic, trade, and other risks that are inherent in operating in numerous countries. These risks include: • changes in general economic and political conditions in countries where we operate, particularly in emerging markets; • relatively more severe economic conditions in some international markets than in the U.S.; • the imposition of tariffs, duties, exchange controls or other trade restrictions; • changes in tax treaties, laws or rulings that could have a material adverse impact on our effective tax rate; • the difficulty of enforcing agreements and collecting receivables through non-U.S. legal systems; • the difficulty of communicating and monitoring evolving standards and directives across our product lines, services, and global facilities; • trade protection measures and import or export licensing requirements and restrictions; • the possibility of terrorist action affecting us or our operations; • the threat of nationalization and expropriation; • difficulty in staffing and managing widespread operations in non-U.S. labor markets; • limitations on repatriation of earnings or other regionally-imposed capital requirements; • the difficulty of protecting intellectual property in non-U.S. countries; and • changes in and required compliance with a variety of non-U.S. laws and regulations. In 2016, the United Kingdom voted in a referendum to exit the European Union (“Brexit”), which resulted in significant currency exchange rate fluctuations and volatility. The Brexit bill was passed by the United Kingdom on January 23, 2020, and it was passed by the European Parliament on January 29, 2020. The United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union became effective on January 31, 2020. Given the lack of comparable precedent, the implications of Brexit, or how such implications might affect our company, continue to remain unclear at this time. Brexit could, among other impacts, disrupt trade and the movement of goods, services and people between the United Kingdom and the European Union or other countries as well as create legal and global economic uncertainty. Our success depends in part on our ability to anticipate and effectively manage these and other risks. We cannot assure that these and other factors will not have a material adverse effect on our international operations or on our business as a whole. Changes in U.S. or foreign government administrative policy, including changes to existing trade agreements, could have a material adverse effect on us. As a result of changes to U.S. or foreign government administrative policy, there may be changes to existing trade agreements, like the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”) and its anticipated successor agreement, the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (“USMCA”), which is still subject to approval by Canada, greater restrictions on free trade generally, and significant increases in tariffs on goods imported into the U.S., particularly tariffs on products manufactured in Mexico, China, or other U.S. trading countries where we have operations or manufacture or sell products, among other possible changes. If the USMCA is ratified by Canada, its provisions will go into effect shortly thereafter. While the USMCA is somewhat similar to NAFTA, it contains several new compliance obligations addressing such issues as rules of origin, labor standard, certificate of origin documentation and de minimis thresholds, as well as new policies on labor and environmental standards, intellectual property protections and some digital trade provisions. We are currently analyzing the expected impact of the USMCA. While certain aspects of the USMCA are expected to be positive, others, including potentially higher regulatory compliance costs, may have an adverse impact on our business. It remains unclear what the U.S. administration or foreign governments, including China, will or will not do with respect to tariffs, NAFTA, USMCA or other international trade agreements and policies. A trade war, other governmental action related to tariffs or international trade agreements, including NAFTA and USMCA, changes in U.S. social, political, regulatory and economic conditions or in laws and policies governing foreign trade, manufacturing, development and investment in the territories and countries where we currently manufacture and sell products, and any resulting negative sentiments towards the U.S. as a result of such changes, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. We may experience cost and other inflation. In the past, we have experienced material cost and other inflation in a number of our businesses. We strive for productivity improvements and implement increases in selling prices to help mitigate cost increases in raw materials (especially metals and resins), energy and other costs including wages, pension, health care and insurance. We continue to implement operational initiatives in order to mitigate the impacts of this inflation and continuously reduce our costs. However, these actions may not be successful in managing our costs or increasing our productivity. Continued cost inflation or failure of our initiatives to generate cost savings or improve productivity could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Intellectual property challenges may hinder our ability to develop, engineer and market our products. Patents, non-compete agreements, proprietary technologies, customer relationships, trademarks, trade names and brand names are important to our business. Intellectual property protection, however, may not preclude competitors from developing products similar to ours or from challenging our names or products. Our pending patent applications, and our pending copyright and trademark registration applications, may not be allowed, or competitors may challenge the validity or scope of our patents, copyrights or trademarks. In addition, our patents, copyrights, trademarks and other intellectual property rights may not provide us a significant competitive advantage. Over the past few years, we have noticed an increasing tendency for participants in our markets to use challenges to intellectual property as a means to compete. Patent and trademark challenges increase our costs to develop, engineer and market our products. We may need to spend significant resources monitoring, enforcing and defending our intellectual property rights, and we may or may not be able to detect infringement by third parties. If we fail to successfully enforce our intellectual property rights or register new patents, our competitive position could suffer, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. We have significant goodwill and intangible assets and future impairment of our goodwill and intangible assets could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations. We test goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment on at least an annual basis, and more frequently if circumstances warrant. As of December 31, 2019 our goodwill and intangible assets were $2,598 million and represented 63% of our total assets. Declines in fair market value could result in future goodwill and intangible asset impairment charges. A loss of, or material cancellation, reduction, or delay in purchases by, one or more of our largest customers could harm our business. Our net sales to our largest customer represented approximately 15% of our consolidated net sales in 2019. While we do not have any other customers that accounted for 10% or more of our consolidated net sales in 2019, we have other customers that are key to the success of our business. Our concentration of sales to a relatively small number of larger customers makes our relationship with each of these customers important to our business. Our success is dependent on retaining these customers, which requires us to successfully manage relationships and anticipate the needs of our customers in the channels in which we sell our products. Our customers also may be impacted by economic conditions in the industries of those customers, which could result in reduced demand for our products. We cannot provide assurance that we will be able to retain our largest customers. In addition, some of our customers may shift their purchases to our competitors in the future. The loss of one or more of our largest customers, any material cancellation, reduction, or delay in purchases by these customers, or our inability to successfully develop relationships with additional customers could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Catastrophic and other events beyond our control may disrupt operations at our manufacturing facilities and those of our suppliers, which could cause us to be unable to meet customer demands or increase our costs, or reduce customer spending. If operations at any of our manufacturing facilities or those of our suppliers were to be disrupted as a result of significant equipment failures, natural disasters, earthquakes, power outages, fires, explosions, terrorism, adverse weather conditions, labor disputes, public health epidemics or other catastrophic events or events outside of our control, we may be unable to fill customer orders and otherwise meet customer demand for our products. In addition, these types of events may negatively impact residential, commercial and industrial spending in impacted regions or, depending on the severity, globally. As a result, any of such events could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. For example, we are evaluating the potential impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak that originated in China, including evaluating the impact on our employees, customers, and global supply chain, and of governmental actions being taken to curtail the spread of the virus. The significance of the impact of the coronavirus outbreak to us remains unclear at this time; however, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Interruptions in production, in particular at our manufacturing facilities, could increase our costs and reduce our sales. Any interruption in production capability could require us to make substantial capital expenditures to fill customer orders. We maintain property damage insurance that we believe to be adequate to provide for reconstruction of facilities and equipment, as well as business interruption insurance to mitigate losses resulting from any production interruption or shutdown caused by an insured loss. However, any recovery under our insurance policies may not offset the lost sales or increased costs that may be experienced during the disruption of operations, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Seasonality of sales and weather conditions could have a material adverse effect on our financial results. We experience seasonal demand with end-customers and end-users within each of our business segments. Demand for pool equipment in the Pool business, water treatment solutions in our Water Solutions and Industrial Filtration businesses, and residential water supply, infrastructure and agricultural products in the businesses within the Industrial & Flow Technologies segment follows warm weather trends and is at seasonal highs from April to August. While we attempt to mitigate the magnitude of the sales spike in the Pool business and in the businesses within the Industrial & Flow Technologies segment by employing some advance sale “early buy” programs (generally including extended payment terms and/or additional discounts), we cannot provide any assurance that such programs will be successful. In addition, seasonal effects in the Pool business and in the businesses within the Industrial & Flow Technologies segment may vary from year to year and be impacted by weather patterns, particularly by temperature, heavy flooding and droughts. Moreover, adverse weather conditions, such as cold or wet weather, may negatively impact demand for, and sales of, pool equipment in the Pool business and residential water supply, commercial, infrastructure and agricultural products in the businesses within the Industrial & Flow Technologies segment. Covenants in our debt instruments may adversely affect us. Our credit agreements and indentures contain customary financial covenants, including those that limit the amount of our debt, which may restrict the operations of our business and our ability to incur additional debt to finance acquisitions. Our ability to meet the financial covenants may be affected by events beyond our control, and we cannot provide assurance that we will meet those tests. A breach of any of these covenants could result in a default under our credit agreements or indentures. Upon the occurrence of an event of default under any of our credit facilities or indentures, the lenders or trustees could elect to declare all amounts outstanding thereunder to be immediately due and payable and, in the case of credit facility lenders, terminate all commitments to extend further credit. If the lenders or trustees accelerate the repayment of borrowings, we cannot provide assurance that we will have sufficient assets to repay our credit facilities and our other indebtedness. Furthermore, acceleration of any obligation under any of our material debt instruments will permit the holders of our other material debt to accelerate their obligations, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition. We may increase our debt or raise additional capital, our credit ratings may be downgraded in the future, or our interest rates may increase, each of which could affect our financial condition, and may decrease our profitability. As of December 31, 2019, we had $1,029.1 million of total debt outstanding. We may increase our debt or raise additional capital in the future, subject to restrictions in our debt agreements. If our cash flow from operations is less than we anticipate, if our cash requirements are more than we expect, or if we intend to finance acquisitions, we may require more financing. However, debt or equity financing may not be available to us on acceptable terms, if at all. If we incur additional debt or raise equity through the issuance of additional capital shares, the terms of the debt or capital shares issued may give the holders rights, preferences and privileges senior to those of holders of our ordinary shares, particularly in the event of liquidation. The terms of the debt may also impose additional and more stringent restrictions on our operations than we currently have. If we raise funds through the issuance of additional equity, the percentage ownership of existing shareholders in our company would decline. If we are unable to raise additional capital when needed, our financial condition could be adversely affected. Unfavorable changes in the ratings that rating agencies assign to our debt may ultimately negatively impact our access to the debt capital markets and increase the costs we incur to borrow funds. If ratings for our debt fall below investment grade, our access to the debt capital markets may become restricted. Additionally, our credit agreements generally include an increase in interest rates if the ratings for our debt are downgraded. In addition, borrowings under our revolving credit facility and term loans bear interest at a rate equal to an adjusted base rate or the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”), plus, in each case, an applicable margin. The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority, which regulates LIBOR, has announced it intends to stop compelling banks to submit rates for calculation of LIBOR after 2021. The credit agreement governing our revolving credit facility and term loans provides procedures for determining a replacement or alternative base rate in the event that LIBOR is discontinued; however, any calculation of interest based upon such replacement or alternative base rate may result in higher interest rates. To the extent that our interest rates increase, our interest expense will increase, which could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Our leverage could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. Our ability to make payments on and to refinance our indebtedness, including our existing debt as well as any future debt that we may incur, will depend on our ability to generate cash in the future from operations, financings or asset sales. Our ability to generate cash is subject to general economic, financial, competitive, legislative, regulatory and other factors that are beyond our control. If we are not able to repay or refinance our debt as it becomes due, we may be forced to sell assets or take other disadvantageous actions, including (i) reducing financing in the future for working capital, capital expenditures and general corporate purposes or (ii) dedicating an unsustainable level of our cash flow from operations to the payment of principal and interest on our indebtedness. The lenders who hold such debt could also accelerate amounts due, which could potentially trigger a default or acceleration of any of our other debt. Disruptions in the financial markets could adversely affect us, our customers and our suppliers by increasing funding costs or reducing availability of credit. In the normal course of our business, we may access credit markets for general corporate purposes, which may include repayment of indebtedness, acquisitions, additions to working capital, repurchase of shares, capital expenditures and investments in our subsidiaries. Although we expect to have sufficient liquidity to meet our foreseeable needs, our access to and the cost of capital could be negatively impacted by disruptions in the credit markets, which have occurred in the past and made financing terms for borrowers unattractive or unavailable. These factors may make it more difficult or expensive for us to access credit markets if the need arises. In addition, these factors may make it more difficult for our suppliers to meet demand for their products or for prospective customers to commence new projects, as customers and suppliers may experience increased costs of debt financing or difficulties in obtaining debt financing. Disruptions in the financial markets have had adverse effects on other areas of the economy and have led to a slowdown in general economic activity that may continue to adversely affect our businesses. One or more of these factors could adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. Our share price may fluctuate significantly. We cannot predict the prices at which our shares may trade. The market price of our shares may fluctuate widely, depending on many factors, some of which may be beyond our control, including: • actual or anticipated fluctuations in our results of operations due to factors related to our business; • success or failure of our business strategy; • our quarterly or annual earnings, or those of other companies in our industry; • our ability to obtain third-party financing as needed; • announcements by us or our competitors of significant acquisitions or dispositions; • changes in accounting standards, policies, guidance, interpretations or principles; • changes in earnings estimates or guidance by us or securities analysts or our ability to meet those estimates or guidance; • the operating and share price performance of other comparable companies; • investor perception of us; • overall market fluctuations; • results from any material litigation or governmental investigation or environmental liabilities; • natural or other environmental disasters; • changes in laws and regulations affecting our business; and • general economic conditions and other external factors. Stock markets in general have experienced volatility that has often been unrelated to the operating performance of a particular company. These broad market fluctuations could have a material adverse effect on our share price. Risks Relating to Legal, Regulatory and Compliance Matters Violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, U.K. Bribery Act, and other anti-corruption laws outside the U.S. could have a material adverse effect on us. The FCPA, U.K. Bribery Act, and other anti-corruption laws in other jurisdictions generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments to government officials or other persons for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. Recent years have seen a substantial increase in anti-bribery law enforcement activity, with more frequent and aggressive investigations and enforcement proceedings by both the U.S. Department of Justice and the SEC, increased enforcement activity by non-U.S. regulators and increases in criminal and civil proceedings brought against companies and individuals. Our policies mandate compliance with these anti-bribery laws. We operate in many parts of the world that are recognized as having governmental and commercial corruption and in certain circumstances, strict compliance with anti-bribery laws may conflict with local customs and practices. Because many of our customers and end users are involved in infrastructure construction and energy production, they are often subject to increased scrutiny by regulators. We cannot assure you that our internal control policies and procedures will always protect us from reckless or criminal acts committed by our employees or third-party intermediaries. In the event that we believe or have reason to believe that our employees or agents have or may have violated applicable anti-corruption laws, including the FCPA, we may be required to investigate or have outside counsel investigate the relevant facts and circumstances, which can be expensive and require significant time and attention from senior management. Violations of these laws may require self-disclosure to government agencies and result in criminal or civil sanctions, which could disrupt our business and result in a material adverse effect on our reputation, business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Our failure to satisfy international trade compliance regulations, and changes in U.S. government sanctions, could have a material adverse effect on us. Our global operations require importing and exporting goods and technology across international borders on a regular basis. Certain of the products we manufacture are “dual use” products, which are products that may have both civil and military applications, or may otherwise be involved in weapons proliferation, and are often subject to more stringent export controls. From time to time, we obtain or receive information alleging improper activity in connection with imports or exports. Our policy mandates strict compliance with U.S. and non-U.S. trade laws applicable to our products. However, even when we are in strict compliance with law and our policies, we may suffer reputational damage if certain of our products are sold through various intermediaries to entities operating in sanctioned countries. When we receive information alleging improper activity, our policy is to investigate that information and respond appropriately, including, if warranted, reporting our findings to relevant governmental authorities. Nonetheless, our policies and procedures may not always protect us from actions that would violate U.S. and/or non-U.S. laws. Any improper actions could subject us to civil or criminal penalties, including material monetary fines, or other adverse actions including denial of import or export privileges, and could damage our reputation and business prospects. We are exposed to potential environmental laws, liabilities and litigation. We are subject to U.S. federal, state, local and non-U.S. laws and regulations governing our environmental practices, public and worker health and safety, and the indoor and outdoor environment. Compliance with these environmental, health and safety regulations could require us to satisfy environmental liabilities, increase the cost of manufacturing our products or otherwise have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Any violations of these laws by us could cause us to incur unanticipated liabilities. We are also required to comply with various environmental laws and maintain permits, some of which are subject to renewal from time to time, for many of our businesses, and we could suffer if we are unable to renew existing permits or to obtain any additional permits that we may require. Compliance with environmental requirements also could require significant operating or capital expenditures or result in significant operational restrictions. We cannot assure you that we have been or will be at all times in compliance with environmental and health and safety laws. If we violate these laws, we could be fined, criminally charged or otherwise sanctioned by regulators. We have been named as defendant, target or a potentially responsible party (“PRP”) in a number of environmental clean-ups relating to our current or former businesses. We have disposed of a number of businesses in recent years and in certain cases, we have retained responsibility and potential liability for certain environmental obligations. We have received claims for indemnification from certain purchasers. We may be named as a PRP at other sites in the future for existing business units, as well as both divested and acquired businesses. In addition to clean-up actions brought by governmental authorities, private parties could bring personal injury or other claims due to the presence of, or exposure to, hazardous substances. Certain environmental laws impose liability on current or previous owners or operators of real property for the cost of removal or remediation of hazardous substances at their properties or at properties at which they have disposed of hazardous substances. We have projects underway at several current and former manufacturing facilities to investigate and remediate environmental contamination resulting from our past operations or by other businesses that previously owned or used the properties. The cost of clean-up and other environmental liabilities can be difficult to accurately predict. In addition, environmental requirements change and tend to become more stringent over time. Our eventual environmental clean-up costs and liabilities could exceed the amount of our current reserves. Our subsidiaries are party to asbestos-related product litigation that could adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Our subsidiaries, along with numerous other companies, are named as defendants in a substantial number of lawsuits based on alleged exposure to asbestos-containing materials, substantially all of which relate to our discontinued operations. These cases typically involve product liability claims based primarily on allegations of manufacture, sale or distribution of industrial products that either contained asbestos or were attached to or used with asbestos-containing components manufactured by third parties. Each case typically names between several dozen to more than a hundred corporate defendants. Historically, our subsidiaries have been identified as defendants in asbestos-related claims. Our strategy has been, and continues to be, to mount a vigorous defense aimed at having unsubstantiated suits dismissed, and, only where appropriate, settling claims before trial. As of December 31, 2019, there were approximately 730 claims pending against our subsidiaries, substantially all of which relate to our discontinued operations. We cannot predict with certainty the extent to which we will be successful in litigating or otherwise resolving lawsuits in the future, and we continue to evaluate different strategies related to asbestos claims filed against us including entity restructuring and judicial relief. Unfavorable rulings, judgments or settlement terms could have a material adverse impact on our business and financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. We are exposed to certain regulatory and financial risks related to climate change. Climate change is receiving ever increasing attention worldwide. Many scientists, legislators and others attribute global warming to increased levels of greenhouse gases, which has led to significant legislative and regulatory efforts to limit greenhouse gas emissions. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) has published findings that emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases (“GHGs”) present an endangerment to public health and the environment because emissions of such gases are, according to the EPA, contributing to the warming of the earth’s atmosphere and other climate changes. Based on these findings, the EPA has implemented regulations that require reporting of GHG emissions, or that limit emissions of GHGs from certain mobile or stationary sources. In addition, the U.S. Congress and federal and state regulatory agencies have considered other legislation and regulatory proposals to reduce emissions of GHGs, and many states have already taken legal measures to reduce emissions of GHGs, primarily through the development of GHG inventories, GHG permitting and/or regional GHG cap-and-trade programs. It is uncertain whether, when and in what form a federal mandatory carbon dioxide emissions reduction program, or other state programs, may be adopted. Similarly, certain countries have adopted the Kyoto Protocol and/or the Paris Accord, and these and other existing international initiatives and regulations or those under consideration could affect our international operations. To the extent our customers, particularly our energy and industrial customers, are subject to any of these or other similar proposed or newly enacted laws and regulations, we are exposed to risks that the additional costs by customers to comply with such laws and regulations could impact their ability or desire to continue to operate at similar levels in certain jurisdictions as historically seen or as currently anticipated, which could negatively impact their demand for our products and services. In addition, as customers become increasingly concerned about the environmental impact of their purchases, if we fail to keep up with changing regulations or innovate in ways that minimize the energy use of our products, customers may choose more energy efficient alternatives. These actions could also increase costs associated with our operations, including costs for raw materials and transportation. It is uncertain what laws will be enacted and therefore we cannot predict the potential impact of such laws on our future financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Increased information technology security threats and computer crime pose a risk to our systems, networks, products and services, and we are exposed to potential regulatory, financial and reputational risks relating to the protection of our data. We rely upon information technology systems and networks in connection with a variety of business activities, some of which are managed by third parties. As our business increasingly interfaces with employees, customers, dealers and suppliers using information technology systems and networks, we are subject to an increased risk to the secure operation of these systems and networks. Our evolution into smart products, Internet of Things, business-to-consumer, and e-commerce subjects us to increased cyber and technology risks. The secure operation of our information technology systems and networks is critical to our business operations and strategy. Information technology security threats -- from user error to attacks designed to gain unauthorized access to our systems, networks and data -- are increasing in frequency and sophistication. These threats pose a risk to the security of our systems and networks and the confidentiality, availability and integrity of the data we process and maintain. Establishing systems and processes to address these threats may increase our costs. We have experienced data breaches, and, although we have determined such data breaches to be immaterial and such data breaches have not had a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows, there can be no assurance of similar results in the future. Should future attacks succeed in the theft of assets, exporting sensitive data or financial information or controlling sensitive systems or networks, it could expose us and our employees, customers, dealers and suppliers to the theft of assets, misuse of information or systems, compromising of confidential information, manipulation and destruction of data, defective products, production downtimes and operations disruptions. The occurrence of any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. In addition, such breaches in security could result in litigation, regulatory action and potential liability and the costs and operational consequences of implementing further data protection measures. Changes in data privacy laws and our ability to comply with them could have a material adverse effect on us. We collect and store data that is sensitive to Pentair and its employees, customers, dealers and suppliers. A variety of state, national, foreign and international laws and regulations apply to the collection, use, retention, protection, security, disclosure, transfer and other processing of personal and other data. Many foreign data privacy regulations, including the GDPR, which became effective in the European Union in 2018, are more stringent than federal regulations in the United States. Within the United States, many states are considering adopting, or have already adopted privacy regulations, including, for example, the California Consumer Privacy Act. These laws and regulations are rapidly evolving and changing, and could have an adverse effect on our operations. Companies’ obligations and requirements under these laws and regulations are subject to uncertainty in how they may be interpreted by courts and governmental authorities. The costs of compliance with, and the other burdens imposed by, these and other laws or regulatory actions may increase our operational costs, and/or result in interruptions or delays in the availability of systems. In the case of non-compliance of these laws, including the GDPR, regulators have the authority to levy significant fines. In addition, if there is a breach of privacy, we may be required to make notifications under data privacy regulations. The occurrence of any of these events could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. We may be negatively impacted by litigation and other claims. We are currently, and may in the future, become subject to litigation and other claims. These legal proceedings are typically claims that relate to the products or to the conduct of our business and include, without limitation, claims relating to commercial or contractual disputes with suppliers, customers or parties to acquisitions and divestitures, intellectual property matters, environmental, safety and health matters, product liability, the use or installation of our products, consumer protection matters, and employment and labor matters. The outcome of such legal proceedings cannot be predicted with certainty and some may be disposed of unfavorably to us. We also may not have insurance that covers such claims. While we currently maintain what we believe to be suitable product liability insurance, we may not be able to maintain this insurance on acceptable terms, and this insurance may not provide adequate protection against potential or previously existing liabilities. In addition, we self-insure a portion of product liability claims. Further, some of our business involves the sale of our products to customers that are constructing large and complex systems, facilities or other capital projects, and while we generally try to limit our exposure liquidated damages, consequential damages and other damages in the contracts for these projects, we could be exposed to significant monetary damages and other liabilities in connection with the sale of our products for these projects for a variety of reasons. In addition, some of our businesses, customers, and dealers are subject to various laws and regulations regarding consumer protection and advertising and sales practices, and we have been named, and may be named in the future, as a defendant in litigation, some of which are or may be class action complaints, arising from alleged violation of these laws and regulations. Successful claims or litigation against us for significant amounts could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Our focus on consumer solutions for residential and commercial water treatment as a strategic priority exposes us to certain risks that could have a material adverse impact on our revenue and profitability as well as our reputation. As we introduce residential and commercial water solutions, we may have limited experience in markets we choose to enter, and our customers may not like our value propositions. New initiatives we test through trials and pilots may not scale or grow effectively or as we expected, which could limit our growth and negatively affect our operating results. Designing, marketing and executing these solutions is subject to incremental risks. These risks include, for example: • increased labor expense to fulfill our customer promises, which may be higher than the related revenue; • the requirement to recruit, train and retain qualified personnel; • increased risk of errors or omissions in the fulfillment of solutions or services; • unpredictable extended warranty failure rates and related expenses; • employees in transit using company vehicles to visit customer locations and employees being present in customer homes, which may increase our scope of liability; • the potential for increased scope of liability relating to our consumer products, services and solutions and related business model; • the engagement of third parties to assist with installation or servicing of our products and solutions, and the potential responsibility for the actions they take; and • increased risk of non-compliance with new laws and regulations applicable to these solutions. These expanded risks increase the complexity of our business and place significant responsibility on our management, employees, operations, systems, technical expertise, financial resources, and internal controls and compliance functions. Risks Relating to the Separation of nVent Electric plc by Spin-off The spin-off transaction could result in substantial tax liability to us and our shareholders if the spin-off does not qualify as a tax-free transaction. On April 30, 2018, we completed the separation of our Electrical business through the spin-off of nVent Electric plc to our shareholders. The spin-off was conditioned on our receipt of opinions of tax advisors and tax rulings from taxing authorities. However, these tax opinions will not be binding on taxing authorities. Accordingly, taxing authorities or the courts may reach conclusions with respect to the spin-off that are different from the conclusions reached in such opinions. Moreover, such opinions were based on certain statements and representations made by us, which, if incomplete or inaccurate in any material respect, could invalidate the opinions. If the spin-off and certain related transactions were determined to be taxable, we could be subject to a substantial tax liability that could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. In addition, if the spin-off were taxable, each holder of our ordinary shares who received shares of nVent Electric plc in the spin-off would generally be treated as receiving a taxable distribution of property in an amount equal to the fair market value of the shares received. We may be exposed to claims and liabilities as a result of the spin-off. In connection with the spin-off, we and nVent Electric plc entered into a separation and distribution agreement and various other agreements, including a transition services agreement, a tax matters agreement and an employee matters agreement. These agreements provide for the performance of services by each company for the benefit of the other for a period of time after the spin-off and provide for specific indemnity and liability obligations. The indemnity rights we have against nVent under the agreements may not be sufficient to protect us. In addition, our indemnity obligations to nVent may be significant, and these risks could negatively affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Risks Relating to Our Jurisdiction of Incorporation in Ireland and Tax Residency in the U.K. We are subject to changes in law and other factors that may not allow us to maintain a worldwide effective corporate tax rate that is competitive in our industry. While we believe that we should be able to maintain a worldwide effective corporate tax rate that is competitive in our industry, we cannot give any assurance as to what our effective tax rate will be in the future because of, among other things, uncertainty regarding tax policies of the jurisdictions where we operate. Also, the tax laws of the U.S., the U.K., Ireland and other jurisdictions could change in the future, and such changes could cause a material change in our worldwide effective corporate tax rate. These changes include the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act enacted in the U.S. in December 2017, which made significant changes to certain U.S. tax laws relevant to us, including limitations on the deductibility of certain interest expense and employee compensation, limitations on various other deductions and credits, the imposition of taxes in respect of certain cross-border payments or transfers, the imposition of taxes on certain earnings of non-U.S. entities on a current basis, and changes in the timing of the recognition of income or its character. These items and regulations and guidance implementing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act could materially adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows or our effective tax rate in future reporting periods. In addition, legislative action could be taken by the U.S., the U.K., Ireland or the European Union that could override tax treaties or modify tax statutes or regulations upon which we expect to rely and adversely affect our effective tax rate. We cannot predict the outcome of any specific legislative proposals. If proposals were enacted that had the effect of disregarding our incorporation in Ireland or limiting our ability as an Irish company to maintain tax residency in the U.K. and take advantage of the tax treaties among the U.S., the U.K. and Ireland, we could be subject to increased taxation, which could materially adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows or our effective tax rate in future reporting periods. A change in our tax residency could have a negative effect on our future profitability, and may trigger taxes on dividends or exit charges. Under current Irish legislation, a company is regarded as resident for tax purposes in Ireland if it is centrally managed and controlled in Ireland, or, in certain circumstances, if it is incorporated in Ireland. Under current U.K. legislation, a company that is centrally managed and controlled in the U.K. is regarded as resident in the U.K. for taxation purposes unless it is treated as resident in another jurisdiction pursuant to any appropriate double tax treaty with the U.K. Other jurisdictions may also seek to assert taxing jurisdiction over Pentair. Where a company is treated as tax resident under the domestic laws of both the U.K. and Ireland, article 4(3) of the Double Tax Convention between Ireland and the U.K. (the “residence tie-breaker”) historically provided that the company should be treated as resident only in one of those two jurisdictions if its place of effective management is situated in that jurisdiction. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development proposed a number of measures relating to the tax treatment of multinationals, some of which are implemented by amending double tax treaties through a multilateral instrument (the “MLI”). The MLI has now entered into force for a number of countries, including Ireland and the U.K. Under the MLI, the residence tie-breaker is amended so that a company will not cease being dual resident until there is a determination by the tax authorities of the two contracting states, instead of an objective application of the place of effective management test. Under Ireland’s domestic tax residency rules, Pentair should not be Irish resident until January 1, 2021 (provided that there is no change in ownership and no major change in the nature or conduct of the business of the company before that date, in which case the residence tie-breaker should apply from the date of the change of ownership). Accordingly, we do not expect the change to the residence tie-breaker to have effect until January 1, 2021 at the earliest. It is possible that in the future, whether as a result of a change in law or the practice of any relevant tax authority or as a result of any change in the conduct of our affairs, we could become, or be regarded as having become, resident in a jurisdiction other than the U.K. If Pentair ceases to be resident in the U.K. and becomes resident in another jurisdiction, it may be subject to U.K. exit charges, and could become liable for additional tax charges in the other jurisdiction (including dividend withholding taxes or corporate income tax charges). If Pentair were to be treated as resident in more than one jurisdiction, it could be subject to taxation in multiple jurisdictions. If, for example, Pentair were considered to be a tax resident of Ireland, we could become liable for Irish corporation tax, and any dividends paid by it could be subject to Irish dividend withholding tax. Irish law differs from the laws in effect in the United States and may afford less protection to holders of our securities. It may not be possible to enforce court judgments obtained in the U.S. against us in Ireland based on the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal or state securities laws. In addition, there is some uncertainty as to whether the courts of Ireland would recognize or enforce judgments of U.S. courts obtained against us or our directors or officers based on the civil liabilities provisions of the U.S. federal or state securities laws or hear actions against us or those persons based on those laws. We have been advised that the U.S. currently does not have a treaty with Ireland providing for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters. Therefore, a final judgment for the payment of money rendered by any U.S. federal or state court based on civil liability, whether or not based solely on U.S. federal or state securities laws, would not automatically be enforceable in Ireland. As an Irish company, we are governed by the Irish Companies Act, which differs in some material respects from laws generally applicable to U.S. corporations and shareholders, including, among others, differences relating to interested director and officer transactions and shareholder lawsuits. Likewise, the duties of directors and officers of an Irish company generally are owed to the company only. Shareholders of Irish companies generally do not have a personal right of action against directors or officers of the company and may exercise such rights of action on behalf of the company only in limited circumstances. Accordingly, holders of our securities may have more difficulty protecting their interests than would holders of securities of a corporation incorporated in a jurisdiction of the U.S. Transfers of our ordinary shares may be subject to Irish stamp duty. Transfers of our ordinary shares effected by means of the transfer of book entry interests in the Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) will not be subject to Irish stamp duty. However, if you hold your ordinary shares directly rather than beneficially through DTC, any transfer of your ordinary shares could be subject to Irish stamp duty (currently at the rate of 1 percent of the higher of the price paid or the market value of the shares acquired). Payment of Irish stamp duty is generally a legal obligation of the transferee. We currently intend to pay, or cause one of our affiliates to pay, stamp duty in connection with share transfers made in the ordinary course of trading by a seller who holds shares directly to a buyer who holds the acquired shares beneficially. In other cases we may, in our absolute discretion, pay or cause one of our affiliates to pay any stamp duty. Our articles of association provide that, in the event of any such payment, we (i) may seek reimbursement from the buyer, (ii) will have a lien against the shares acquired by such buyer and any dividends paid on such shares and (iii) may set-off the amount of the stamp duty against future dividends on such shares. Parties to a share transfer may assume that any stamp duty arising in respect of a transaction in our shares has been paid unless one or both of such parties is otherwise notified by us. Our ordinary shares, received by means of a gift or inheritance could be subject to Irish capital acquisitions tax. Irish capital acquisitions tax (“CAT”) could apply to a gift or inheritance of our ordinary shares irrespective of the place of residence, ordinary residence or domicile of the parties. This is because our shares will be regarded as property situated in Ireland. The person who receives the gift or inheritance has primary liability for CAT. Gifts and inheritances passing between spouses are exempt from CAT. Children have a tax-free threshold of €335,000 per lifetime in respect of taxable gifts or inheritances received from their parents for periods on or after October 9, 2019. ITEM 1B.