SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this Form 10-K are forward-looking statements, including statements regarding our future financial position, sources of revenue, demand for our products, our strengths, business strategy and plans, prospective products or products under development, costs, timing and likelihood of success, gross margins, non-GAAP financial measures and management’s objectives for future operations. In particular, many of the statements under the headings “Item 1A. Risk Factors,” “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Item 1. Business” constitute forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential,” “continue,” the negative of these terms, or by other similar expressions that convey uncertainty of future events or outcomes to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements are only predictions, involving known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our or our industry’s actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Such factors include general economic conditions; significant fluctuations in our annual and quarterly financial results; our reliance on our network of independent dealers and increasing competition for dealers; the financial health of our dealers and their continued access to financing; our obligation to repurchase inventory of certain dealers; our failure to manage our manufacturing levels while addressing the seasonal retail pattern for our products; our large fixed cost base; intense competition within our industry; increased consumer preference for used boats or the supply of new boats by competitors in excess of demand; the successful introduction of new products; competition with other activities for consumers’ scarce leisure time; the continued strength of our brands; our ability to execute our manufacturing strategy successfully; our ability to meet our manufacturing workforce needs; our reliance on third-party suppliers and ability to obtain adequate raw materials and components; our dependence on key personnel; our ability to grow our business through acquisitions or strategic alliances and new partnerships; our ability to protect our intellectual property; our exposure to claims for product liability and warranty claims; risks inherent in operating in foreign jurisdictions; an increase in energy costs; any failure to comply with laws and regulations including environmental and other regulatory requirements; a natural disaster or other disruption at our manufacturing facilities; increases in income tax rates or changes in income tax laws; our status as an “emerging growth company”; and increased costs as a result of being a new public company.
We discuss many of these factors, risks and uncertainties in greater detail under the heading “Item 1A. Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Form 10-K. These factors expressly qualify as forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf.
You should not rely on forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Actual results may differ materially from those suggested by the forward-looking statements for various reasons, including those discussed under “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in this Form 10-K. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update forward-looking statements for any reason after the date of this Form 10-K to conform these statements to actual results or to changes in our expectations.
PART I.
Unless otherwise expressly indicated or the context otherwise requires, in this Annual Report on Form 10-K:
This Annual Report on Form 10-K includes our trademarks, such as “Surf Gate” and “Wakesetter,” which are protected under applicable intellectual property laws and are the property of Malibu Boats. This Form 10-K also contains trademarks, service marks, trade names and copyrights of other companies, which are the property of their respective owners. Solely for convenience, trademarks and trade names referred to in this Form 10-K may appear without the ® or TM symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights or the right of the applicable licensor to these trademarks and trade names.
Our Company
We are a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of performance sport boats, having the #1 market share position in the United States since 2010. Our boats are used for water sports, including water skiing, wakeboarding and wake surfing, as well as general recreational boating. Since inception in 1982, we believe we have been a consistent innovator in the powerboat industry, designing products that appeal to an expanding range of recreational boaters and water sports enthusiasts whose passion for boating and water sports is a key aspect of their lifestyle. We believe many of our innovations, such as our proprietary Surf Gate technology launched in 2012, expand the market for our products by introducing consumers to new and exciting recreational activities. We believe that our boats are increasingly versatile, allowing consumers to use them for a wide range of activities that enhance the experience of a day on the water with family and friends. While there is no guarantee that we will achieve market share growth in the future, we believe that the performance, quality, value and multi-purpose features of our boats position us to achieve our goal of increasing our market share in the expanding recreational boating market.
We sell our high performance boats under two brands-Malibu and Axis Wake Research, or Axis. Our flagship Malibu brand boats offer our latest innovations in performance, comfort and convenience, and are designed for consumers seeking a premium boating experience. Retail prices of our Malibu boats typically range from $55,000 to $125,000. We launched our Axis brand of boats in 2009 to appeal to consumers who desire a more affordable product but still demand high performance, functional simplicity and the option to upgrade key features. Retail prices of our Axis boats typically range from $45,000 to $85,000.