Pandemics
81 of 521 companies dropped a paragraph in Risk Factors that uses one of these words:
pandemic, COVID, epidemic, outbreak.
The paragraph was in the earlier 10-K and nothing like it is in the latest.
It counts text; it does not say how serious a risk is. Words in capitals only (such as AI) must be in capitals.
By sector
Sector is the SEC's industry description of the company. Each count opens that sector's quotes below.
| Sector | Companies | Compared |
|---|---|---|
| Apparel & Other Finishd Prods of Fabrics & Similar Matl | 1 | 1 |
| Communications Equipment, NEC | 1 | 1 |
| Gold and Silver Ores | 1 | 1 |
| Heavy Construction Other Than Bldg Const - Contractors | 1 | 1 |
| Meat Packing Plants | 1 | 1 |
| Motor Vehicle Parts & Accessories | 1 | 1 |
| Oil & Gas Field Machinery & Equipment | 1 | 1 |
| Real Estate Operators (No Developers) & Lessors | 1 | 1 |
| Retail-Drug Stores and Proprietary Stores | 1 | 1 |
| Retail-Eating & Drinking Places | 1 | 1 |
| Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, NEC | 1 | 1 |
| Special Industry Machinery, NEC | 1 | 1 |
| Telephone & Telegraph Apparatus | 1 | 1 |
| Laboratory Analytical Instruments | 3 | 5 |
| Agricultural Chemicals | 1 | 2 |
| Cigarettes | 1 | 2 |
| Computer Peripheral Equipment, NEC | 1 | 2 |
| Converted Paper & Paperboard Prods (No Contaners/Boxes) | 1 | 2 |
| Industrial Organic Chemicals | 1 | 2 |
| Mining & Quarrying of Nonmetallic Minerals (No Fuels) | 1 | 2 |
| Printed Circuit Boards | 1 | 2 |
| Pumps & Pumping Equipment | 1 | 2 |
| Refuse Systems | 1 | 2 |
| Rubber & Plastics Footwear | 1 | 2 |
| Services-Computer Programming Services | 1 | 2 |
| Services-General Medical & Surgical Hospitals, NEC | 1 | 2 |
| Services-Medical Laboratories | 1 | 2 |
| Ship & Boat Building & Repairing | 1 | 2 |
| Telephone Communications (No Radiotelephone) | 1 | 2 |
| Biological Products, (No Diagnostic Substances) | 2 | 5 |
| State Commercial Banks | 2 | 6 |
| Air-Cond & Warm Air Heatg Equip & Comm & Indl Refrig Equip | 1 | 3 |
| Computer & office Equipment | 1 | 3 |
| Computer Communications Equipment | 1 | 3 |
| Operative Builders | 1 | 3 |
| Perfumes, Cosmetics & Other Toilet Preparations | 1 | 3 |
| Services-Consumer Credit Reporting, Collection Agencies | 1 | 3 |
| Soap, Detergents, Cleang Preparations, Perfumes, Cosmetics | 1 | 3 |
| Finance Services | 9 | 28 |
| Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus | 3 | 10 |
| Pharmaceutical Preparations | 3 | 11 |
| Investment Advice | 2 | 8 |
| Electronic & Other Electrical Equipment (No Computer Equip) | 1 | 4 |
| Retail-Eating Places | 1 | 4 |
| Security & Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges & Services | 1 | 4 |
| Services-Computer Processing & Data Preparation | 1 | 4 |
| Semiconductors & Related Devices | 3 | 15 |
| Retail-Variety Stores | 1 | 5 |
| National Commercial Banks | 2 | 11 |
| Fire, Marine & Casualty Insurance | 2 | 12 |
| Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service | 1 | 6 |
| Electric Services | 2 | 15 |
| Services-Business Services, NEC | 2 | 16 |
| Real Estate Investment Trusts | 3 | 27 |
| Services-Prepackaged Software | 2 | 19 |
139 paragraphs · Cigarettes show all sectors
In periods of economic uncertainty, adult consumers may tend to purchase low-price brands, and the volume of our premium-price and mid-price brands and our profitability could be materially adversely impacted as a result. Such down-trading trends may be reinforced by regulation that limits branding, communication and product differentiation. In addition to economic uncertainty (including recessions and inflation) unusual weather events and global or local epidemics, endemics or pandemics (such as COVID-19) has and may change the preferences of our adult consumers and lower demand for our products, particularly for our mid-price or premium-price brands.
Read in the 10-K filed Feb 6, 2025 ↗