Business and Strategic Risks General economic conditions may adversely affect our operating results and financial condition. Our business is sensitive to negative changes in general economic conditions, both inside and outside the United States. Slower global economic growth, increasing interest rates, inflationary pressures, instability and uncertainty in the markets in which we operate may adversely impact our business resulting in: •reduced demand and longer sales cycle for our products, delays in the shipment of orders, or increases in order cancellations; •increased risk of excess and obsolete inventories; •increased price pressure for our products and services; and •greater risk of impairment to the value, and a detriment to the liquidity, of our investment portfolio. Our operating results and financial condition could be harmed if the markets into which we sell our products decline or do not grow as anticipated. Visibility into our markets is limited. Our quarterly sales and operating results are highly dependent on the volume and timing of orders received during the fiscal quarter, which are difficult to forecast and may be cancelled by our customers. In addition, our revenue and earnings forecasts for future fiscal quarters are often based on the expected seasonality of our markets. However, the markets we serve do not always experience the seasonality that we expect as customer spending policies and budget allocations, particularly for capital items, may change. Any decline in our customers' markets or in general economic conditions has in the past and may in the future result in a reduction in demand for our products and services. Also, if our customers' markets decline, we may not be able to collect on outstanding amounts due to us. Such declines could harm our consolidated financial position, results of operations, cash flows and stock price, and could limit our profitability. Also, in such an environment, pricing pressures could intensify. Since a significant portion of our operating expenses is relatively fixed in nature due to sales, research and development and manufacturing costs, if we were unable to respond quickly enough, these pricing pressures could further reduce our operating margins. 52 Table of Contents Economic, political, foreign currency and other risks associated with international sales and operations could adversely affect our results of operations. Because we sell our products worldwide, our business is subject to risks associated with doing business internationally. We anticipate that revenue from international operations will continue to represent a majority of our total revenue. International revenue and costs are subject to the risk that fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates could adversely affect our financial results when translated into U.S. dollars for financial reporting purposes. The overall effect of changes in foreign currency exchange rates had a 3 percentage point favorable impact on revenue growth in the six months ended April 30, 2026 when compared to the same period last year. Typically, when movements in foreign currency exchange rates have a positive impact on revenue, they will also have a negative impact on our profitability by increasing our costs and expenses, or vice versa. In addition, many of our employees, contract manufacturers, suppliers, job functions, outsourcing activities and manufacturing facilities are located outside the United States. Accordingly, our results of operations and financial condition could be negatively affected by a variety of factors, including: •interruption to transportation flows for delivery of parts and other inputs to us and our products to our customers; •ongoing instability or changes in a specific country's or region's political, economic or other conditions, including inflation, recession, interest rate fluctuations and actual or anticipated military or political conflicts, including uncertainties and instability in economic and market conditions caused by pandemics like COVID-19, conflicts in Ukraine/Russia and the Middle East, and political and trade uncertainties in the greater China region; •changes in diplomatic and trade relationships, as well as changes to tariffs, trade protection measures, import or export licensing requirements, new or different customs duties, trade embargoes and sanctions and other trade barriers; •tariffs imposed by the United States on goods from other countries and tariffs imposed by other countries on U.S. goods, including tariffs and trade policies by the U.S. government on various imports from China and by the Chinese government on certain U.S. goods; •negative consequences from changes in or differing interpretations of laws and regulations, including those related to tax and import/export; •difficulty in staffing and managing widespread operations; •differing labor regulations; and •differing protection of intellectual property. We sell many of our products internationally. Furthermore, we source many components and materials for our products from and have manufacturing operations in several countries. Future tariffs and tariffs already implemented could have a negative impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition. It may be time-consuming and expensive for us to alter our business operations in order to adapt to any such change. Further, additional tariffs, the scope and duration of which, if implemented, remain uncertain, and the potential commencement and escalation of a trade war and retaliatory measures could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Most of our accounting and tax processes including general accounting, cost accounting, accounts payable, accounts receivable and tax functions are centralized at locations in India and Malaysia. If economic, political, health or other conditions change in those countries, it may adversely affect operations, including impairing our ability to pay our suppliers and collect our receivables. Our results of operations, as well as our liquidity, may be adversely affected and possible delays may occur in reporting financial results. In addition, a significant amount of certain types of expenses, such as payroll, utilities, tax, and marketing expenses, are paid in local currencies. Our hedging programs reduce, but do not always entirely eliminate the impact of currency exchange rate movements within any given twelve-month period. Therefore fluctuations in exchange rates, including those caused by currency controls, could impact our business, operating results and financial condition by resulting in lower revenue or increased expenses. For expenses beyond any twelve-month period, our hedging strategy does not mitigate our exposure. In addition, our currency hedging programs involve third-party financial institutions as counterparties. The weakening or failure of financial institution counterparties may adversely affect our hedging programs and our financial condition through, among other things, a reduction in available counterparties, increasingly unfavorable terms, and the failure of the counterparties to perform under hedging contracts. 53 Table of Contents If we do not introduce successful new products and services in a timely manner to address increased competition through frequent new product and service introductions, rapid technological changes and changing industry standards, our products and services may become obsolete, and our operating results may suffer. We generally sell our products in industries that are characterized by increased competition through frequent new product and service introductions, rapid technological changes and changing industry standards. Without the timely introduction of new products, services and enhancements, our products and services may become technologically obsolete over time, in which case our revenue and operating results could suffer. The success of our new products and services will depend on several factors, including our ability to: •properly identify customer needs and predict future needs; •innovate and develop new technologies, services and applications; •appropriately allocate our research and development spending to products and services with higher growth prospects; •successfully commercialize new technologies in a timely manner; •manufacture and deliver new products in sufficient volumes and on time; •differentiate our offerings from our competitors' offerings; •price our products competitively; •anticipate our competitors' development of new products, services or technological innovations; and •control product quality in our manufacturing process. In addition, if we fail to accurately predict future customer needs and preferences or fail to produce viable technologies, we may invest in research and development of products and services that do not lead to significant revenue, which would adversely affect our profitability. Even if we successfully innovate and develop new and enhanced products and services, we may incur substantial costs in doing so, and our operating results may suffer. In addition, promising new products may fail to reach the market or realize only limited commercial success because of real or perceived concerns of our customers. Furthermore, as we collaborate with pharmaceutical customers to develop drugs such as companion diagnostics assays or provide drug components like active pharmaceutical ingredients, we face risks that those drug programs may be cancelled upon clinical trial failures. Demand for some of our products and services depends on the capital spending policies of our customers, research and development budgets and on government funding policies. Our customers include pharmaceutical companies, laboratories, universities, healthcare providers, government agencies and public and private research institutions. Many factors, including public policy spending priorities, available resources, mergers and consolidations, institutional and governmental budgetary policies and spending priorities, and product and economic cycles, have a significant effect on the capital spending policies of these entities. Fluctuations in the research and development budgets at these organizations could have a significant effect on the demand for our products and services. Research and development budgets fluctuate due to changes in available resources, consolidation, spending priorities, general economic conditions, medical reimbursement policies and institutional and governmental budgetary policies. The timing and amount of revenue from customers that rely on government or research funding may vary significantly due to factors that can be difficult to forecast, including changes in spending authorizations and budgetary priorities for our products and services. If demand for our products and services is adversely affected, our revenue and operating results would suffer. Recent and dynamic government rule making and policy changes, as well as ongoing geopolitical instability, could increase our costs, affect our markets and customers and impact our results of operations. The rapid increase or change in government regulations, including tariffs and proposed tariffs in the geographies and markets in which we operate, could result in significant costs and require modifications in the way we and our customers conduct business. As we and our customers respond to newly enacted rules and legislation and judicial rulings on the legality of such rules and legislations, effects on purchasing behavior and global trade relationships could affect our revenue. Increases in our costs and expenses related to our compliance or mitigation activities and those of our customers and suppliers could have a negative effect on our operating margin. If we are unable to respond to changing regulations in a timely and effective manner, our results of operations could be adversely affected. In addition, geopolitical instability, including conflicts in the Middle East, and evolving trade regulations, including tariffs, sanctions, and export controls, may restrict our ability to ship products globally or source critical components. These 54 Table of Contents developments can increase costs, disrupt supply chains, and require operational adjustments. Failure to comply with these regulations could result in penalties, loss of export privileges, and reputational harm. Additionally, our business operations related to our product sales to customers receiving funding from the U.S. federal government could be impacted by a lack of appropriations of additional funding to federal agencies. Inadequate funding for government agencies, including from government shutdowns, or other disruptions to these agencies’ operations, such as actions to greatly reduce the size of the federal workforce, could hinder their ability to hire and retain key leadership and other personnel, prevent new products and services from being developed or commercialized in a timely manner, or otherwise prevent those agencies from performing normal business functions on which the operation of the businesses of certain of our customers and our business may rely, which could negatively impact our business. Failure to adjust our purchases due to changing market conditions or failure to accurately estimate our customers' demand could adversely affect our income. Our income could be harmed if we are unable to adjust our purchases to reflect market fluctuations, including those caused by the seasonal nature of the markets in which we operate. The sales of our products and services are dependent, to a large degree, on customers whose industries are subject to seasonal trends in the demand for their products. During a market upturn, we may not be able to purchase sufficient supplies or components to meet increasing product demand, which could materially affect our results. In the past, we have experienced a shortage of parts for some of our products. In addition, some of the parts that require custom design are not readily available from alternate suppliers due to their unique design or the length of time necessary for design work. Should a supplier cease manufacturing such a component, we would be forced to reengineer our product. In addition to discontinuing parts, suppliers may also extend lead times, limit supplies or increase prices due to capacity constraints or other factors. In order to secure components for the production of products, we may enter into non-cancelable purchase commitments with vendors, or at times make advance payments to suppliers, which could impact our ability to adjust our inventory to declining market demands. If demand for our products is less than we expect, we may experience excess and obsolete inventories and be forced to incur additional expenses, which could adversely affect our income. Our business will suffer if we are not able to retain and hire key personnel. Our future success depends partly on the continued service of our key research, engineering, sales, marketing, manufacturing, executive and administrative personnel. If we fail to retain and hire a sufficient number of these personnel, we will not be able to maintain or expand our business. We believe our pay levels are competitive within the regions that we operate. However, there is intense competition for certain highly technical specialties in geographic areas where we continue to recruit, and it may become more difficult to hire and retain our key employees. Our strategic initiatives to adjust our cost structure could have long-term adverse effects on our business, and we may not realize the operational or financial benefits from such actions. We have implemented multiple strategic initiatives across our businesses to adjust our cost structure, and we may engage in similar activities in the future. These strategic initiatives and our regular ongoing cost reduction activities may distract management, could slow improvements in our products and services and limit our ability to increase production quickly if demand for our products increases. In addition, delays in implementing our strategic initiatives, unexpected costs or failure to meet targeted improvements may diminish the operational and financial benefits we realize from such actions. Any of the above circumstances could have an adverse effect on our business and operating results and financial condition. Our acquisitions, strategic investments and alliances, joint ventures, exiting of businesses and divestitures may result in financial results that are different than expected. In the normal course of business, we frequently engage in discussions with third parties relating to possible acquisitions, strategic investments and alliances, joint ventures and divestitures, and generally expect to complete several transactions per year. In addition, we may decide to exit a particular business within our product portfolio. As a result of such transactions, our financial results may differ from our own or the investment community's expectations in a given fiscal quarter, fiscal year, or over the long term. We may have difficulty developing, manufacturing and marketing the products of a newly acquired company in a way that enhances the performance of our combined businesses or product lines. Acquired businesses may also expose us to new risks and new markets, and we may have difficulty addressing these risks in a cost effective and timely manner. Transactions such as acquisitions have resulted, and may in the future result, in unexpected significant costs and expenses. In the future, we may be required to record charges to earnings during the period if we determine there is an impairment of goodwill or intangible assets, up to the full amount of the value of the assets, or, in the case of strategic 55 Table of Contents investments and alliances, consolidate results, including losses, of third parties or write down investment values or loans and convertible notes related to the strategic investment. Integrating the operations of acquired businesses within Agilent could be a difficult, costly and time-consuming process that involves a number of risks. Acquisitions and strategic investments and alliances may require us to integrate and collaborate with a different company culture, management team, business model, business infrastructure and sales and distribution methodology and assimilate and retain geographically dispersed, decentralized operations and personnel. Depending on the size and complexity of an acquisition, our successful integration of the entity depends on a variety of factors, including introducing new products and meeting revenue targets as expected, the retention of key employees and key customers, increased exposure to certain governmental regulations and compliance requirements and increased costs and use of resources. Further, the integration of acquired businesses is likely to result in our systems and internal controls becoming increasingly complex and more difficult to manage. Any difficulties in the assimilation of acquired businesses into our control system could harm our operating results or cause us to fail to meet our financial reporting obligations. Even if we are able to successfully integrate acquired businesses within Agilent, we may not be able to realize the revenue and other synergies and growth that we anticipated from the acquisition in the time frame that we expected, and the costs of achieving these benefits may be higher than what we expected. As a result, the acquisition and integration of acquired businesses may not contribute to our earnings as expected, we may not achieve our operating margin targets when expected, or at all, and we may not achieve the other anticipated strategic and financial benefits of such transactions. A successful divestiture depends on various factors, including our ability to effectively transfer liabilities, contracts, facilities and employees to the purchaser, identify and separate the intellectual property to be divested from the intellectual property that we wish to keep and reduce fixed costs previously associated with the divested assets or business. In addition, if customers of the divested business do not receive the same level of service from the new owners, this may adversely affect our other businesses to the extent that these customers also purchase other Agilent products. In exiting a business, we may still retain liabilities associated with the support and warranties for products of those businesses and other indemnification obligations. All of these efforts require varying levels of management resources, which may divert our attention from other business operations. If we do not realize the expected benefits or synergies of such transactions, our consolidated financial position, results of operations, cash flows and stock price could be negatively impacted. The impact of consolidation and acquisitions of competitors is difficult to predict and may harm our business. The life sciences industry is intensely competitive and has been subject to increasing consolidation. Consolidation in our industries could result in existing competitors increasing their market share through business combinations and result in stronger competitors, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. We may not be able to compete successfully in increasingly consolidated industries and cannot predict with certainty how industry consolidation will affect our competitors or us. Public health crises may adversely impact, and pose risks to, certain elements of our business, results of operations and financial condition, the nature and extent of which are highly uncertain and unpredictable. Our global operations expose us to risks associated with public health crises, including epidemics and pandemics. Public health crises, and any related remediation measures such as quarantine, curfew and other travel and activity restrictions, may impact our operations and sales and delivery of products and services. Our supply chain has in the past and may in the future be impacted, and we could experience disruptions or delays in shipments of certain materials or components of our products. We may be unable to accurately predict the full extent and duration of the impact of a public health crisis on our business and operations due to numerous uncertainties, including the duration and severity of the crisis, the efficacy and distribution of vaccines, containment measures and additional waves of infection. Regulatory, Legal and Compliance Risks If we fail to maintain an effective system of internal controls, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results, which could lead to a loss of investor confidence in our financial statements and have an adverse effect on our stock price. Effective internal controls are necessary for us to provide reliable and accurate financial statements and to effectively prevent fraud. We devote significant resources and time to comply with the internal control over financial reporting requirements of the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 and continue to enhance our controls. However, we cannot be certain that we 56 Table of Contents will be able to prevent future significant deficiencies or material weaknesses. Inadequate internal controls could cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which could have a negative effect on investor confidence in our financial statements, the trading price of our stock and our access to capital. Our customers and we are subject to various governmental regulations. Compliance with or changes in such regulations may cause us to incur significant expenses, and if we fail to maintain satisfactory compliance with certain regulations, we may be forced to recall products and cease their manufacture and distribution, and we could be subject to civil or criminal penalties. Our customers and we are subject to various significant international, federal, state and local regulations, including but not limited to regulations in the areas of health and safety, packaging, product content, employment, labor and immigration, import/export controls, trade restrictions and anti-competition. In addition, as a global organization, we are subject to data privacy and security laws, regulations, and customer-imposed controls in numerous jurisdictions as a result of having access to and processing confidential, personal, sensitive and/or patient health data in the course of our business. Global privacy laws, including the EU's General Data Protection Regulation, China’s Personal Information Protection Law and Data Security Law, the California Consumer Privacy Act and Brazil’s Lei Geral de Protecao de Dados, apply to our activities involving the processing of personal data, both in relation to our product and service offerings and the management of our workforce. The global proliferation of privacy laws, with governmental authorities around the world passing or considering passing legislative and regulatory proposals concerning privacy and data protection, continues to result in new requirements regarding the handling of personal data and when personal data may be transferred outside the country where it was collected. Many such laws impose significant penalties for non-compliance (including possible fines of up to four percent of total company revenue under the General Data Protection Regulation or orders to stop processing personal data in a particular jurisdiction). Each of these privacy, security and data protection laws and regulations could impose significant limitations and increase our cost of providing our products and services where we process personal data and could harm our results of operations and expose us to significant fines, penalties and other damages. We must also comply with complex foreign and U.S. laws and regulations, such as the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the U.K. Bribery Act, and other local laws prohibiting corrupt payments to governmental officials, anti-competition regulations and sanctions imposed by the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control and other similar laws and regulations. Such laws demand that we implement, test, and monitor an effective compliance program in order to detect and prevent instances of non-compliance. Violations of these laws and regulations could result in fines and penalties, criminal sanctions, suspension of government contracts or debarment, restrictions on our business conduct and on our ability to offer our products in one or more countries, and could also materially affect our brand, our ability to attract and retain employees, our international operations, our business and our operating results. Although we have implemented policies and procedures designed to ensure compliance with these laws and regulations, there can be no assurance that our employees, contractors, or agents will not violate our policies. These regulations are complex, change frequently and have tended to become more stringent over time. We may be required to incur significant expenses to comply with these regulations or to remedy any violations of these regulations. Any failure by us to comply with applicable government regulations could also result in the cessation of our operations or portions of our operations, product recalls or impositions of fines, suspension of government contracts or debarment and restrictions on our ability to carry on or expand our operations. In addition, because many of our products are regulated or sold into regulated industries, we must comply with additional regulations in marketing our products. We develop, configure and market our products in conformance with these regulations to meet customer needs. Any significant change in these regulations could reduce demand for our products, force us to modify our products to comply with new regulations or increase our costs of producing these products. If demand for our products is adversely affected or our costs increase, our operating results and business would suffer. Our products and operations are also often subject to the rules of industrial standards bodies, like the International Standards Organization, as well as regulation by other agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration. We also must comply with work safety rules. If we fail to adequately address any of these regulations, our businesses could be harmed. We are subject to extensive regulation by the Food and Drug Administration and certain similar foreign regulatory agencies, and failure to comply with such regulations could harm our reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations. A number of our products and services are subject to regulation by the Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and certain similar foreign 57 Table of Contents regulatory agencies. In addition, a number of our products and services may in the future be subject to regulation by the Food and Drug Administration and certain similar foreign regulatory agencies. These regulations govern a wide variety of product and service-related activities, from quality management, design and development to manufacturing, labeling, promotion, sales, distribution and post-market surveillance. In addition, we are subject to inspections by these and other regulatory authorities. If we or any of our suppliers, distributors or customers fail to comply with Food and Drug Administration regulations and other applicable regulatory requirements or are perceived to potentially have failed to comply, we may face, among other things, warning letters; adverse publicity affecting both us and our customers; investigations or notices of non-compliance, fines, injunctions, and civil or criminal penalties; import or export restrictions; partial suspensions or total shutdown of production facilities or the imposition of operating restrictions; suspension or revocation of our license to operate, increased difficulty in obtaining required Food and Drug Administration clearances or approvals or foreign equivalents; seizures or recalls of our products or those of our customers; corresponding customer and third party claims; or the inability to sell our products. Any such Food and Drug Administration or other regulatory agency actions could disrupt our business and operations, lead to significant remedial costs and have a material adverse impact on our financial position and results of operations. In addition, the global regulatory environment has become increasingly stringent for our products and services. For example, in May 2022, the EU began enforcing the EU In Vitro Diagnostic Regulation, which imposes stricter requirements for the marketing and sale of in vitro diagnostics in the EU. These new regulations are more stringent in a variety of areas, including clinical evidence requirements, quality management systems and post-market surveillance activities. Failure to meet these requirements could adversely impact our business in the EU and other regions that tie their product registrations to the EU requirements. Some of our products are subject to particularly complex regulations such as regulations of toxic substances, and failure to comply with such regulations could harm our business. Some of our products and related consumables are used in conjunction with chemicals whose manufacture, processing, distribution and notification requirements are regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under the Toxic Substances Control Act and by regulatory bodies in other countries under similar laws, to prevent unreasonable risks to human health or the environment. Under the Toxic Substances Control Act, the Environmental Protection Agency has authority to require reporting, record-keeping and testing, and to implement restrictions relating to chemical substances and/or mixtures. The Toxic Substances Control Act prohibits persons from manufacturing (domestic production or importation of) any chemical in the United States that has not been reviewed by the Environmental Protection Agency for its effect on health and safety or which is not listed on the Environmental Protection Agency Toxic Substances Control Act chemical substance inventory. We must ensure conformance of the manufacturing, storing, processing, distribution of and notification about these chemicals to these laws and adapt to regulatory requirements in all applicable countries as these requirements change. If we fail to comply with the notification, record-keeping and other requirements in the manufacture or distribution of our products, then we could be subject to civil penalties, criminal prosecution and, in some cases, prohibition from distributing or marketing our products until the products or component substances are brought into compliance. Our business may suffer if we fail to comply with government contracting laws and regulations. We derive a portion of our revenue from direct and indirect sales to U.S. federal, state, local, and foreign governments and their respective agencies. Such contracts are subject to various procurement laws and regulations and contract provisions relating to their formation, administration and performance. Failure to comply with these laws, regulations or provisions in our government contracts could result in the imposition of various civil and criminal penalties, suspension of government contracts or debarment, termination of contracts, forfeiture of profits, suspension of payments, increased pricing pressure or suspension from future government contracting. If our government contracts are terminated, if we are suspended from government work, or if our ability to compete for new contracts is adversely affected, our business could suffer. Our reputation, ability to do business and financial statements may be harmed by improper conduct by any of our employees, agents or business partners. Our internal controls and compliance systems may not always protect us from acts committed by employees, agents or business partners of ours (or of businesses we acquire or partner with) that would violate U.S. and/or non-U.S. laws, including the laws governing payments to government officials, bribery, fraud, kickbacks and false claims, pricing, sales and marketing practices, conflicts of interest, competition, employment practices and workplace behavior, export and import compliance, money laundering and data privacy. In particular, the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the U.K. Bribery Act and similar anti-bribery laws in other jurisdictions generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments to government officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business, and we operate in many parts of the world that have experienced governmental corruption to some degree. Any such improper actions or allegations of such acts could damage our reputation and subject us to civil or criminal investigations in the United States and in other jurisdictions, and related 58 Table of Contents shareholder lawsuits could lead to substantial civil and criminal, monetary and non-monetary penalties and could cause us to incur significant legal and investigatory fees. In addition, the government may seek to hold us liable as a successor for violations committed by companies in which we invest or that we acquire. We also rely on our suppliers to adhere to our supplier standards of conduct, and material violations of such standards of conduct could occur that could have a material effect on our business, reputation and financial statements. The expectations and requirements of regulators and other key stakeholders, including on corporate governance and sustainability-related matters, continue to evolve and diverge, and our ability to meet these expectations and requirements could impact our risk exposure and financial conditions. We are subject to rapidly changing and varied expectations and requirements, including on corporate governance and sustainability issues, from a wide range of stakeholders, such as governmental and self-regulatory organizations, including the Securities and Exchange Commission, U.S. federal and state governments, New York Stock Exchange, and the European Union, as well as our investors, customers and suppliers. In addition, many of our stakeholders have diverging demands, perspectives and preferences, including on topics such as climate change and diversity. We may not be able to meet the diverse expectations and demands of all of our stakeholders, which could result in an adverse impact on our business, financial results, stock price or reputation, and subject us to legal, reputational and operational risks. For example, U.S. federal, state and local governmental authorities, as well as governmental authorities in various jurisdictions, have proposed or implemented and are likely to continue to propose or implement, legislative and regulatory initiatives around corporate governance and environmental and social practices and disclosures. Compliance with such evolving expectations, rules and regulations, including any that may emerge in the future as well as those incorporated in our contractual obligations from our customers, could increase the cost and complexity of operating our business, and could adversely impact us. In addition, various jurisdictions have adopted or proposed laws, regulations and policies that diverge from, or potentially conflict with, those adopted or proposed in other jurisdictions, making compliance more difficult and uncertain. Failure to comply with any law, regulation or policy, including as a result of making good faith interpretations that may differ from those taken by authorities in relevant jurisdictions, could potentially result in legal, reputational and operational risks. Furthermore, any actual or perceived failure to achieve our current and future sustainability goals, including those which result from contractual obligations from our customers, or to act responsibly with respect to such matters or to effectively respond to new or additional sustainability-related legal or regulatory requirements, could result in adverse publicity and adversely affect our business and reputation. There is no assurance that we will be able to successfully achieve any sustainability-related goal or execute on any sustainability-related strategy, or adequately meet stakeholder expectations with respect to such matters. Our ability to deliver on any sustainability-related goal or strategy is subject to numerous risks, many of which are outside of our control. These factors include rapidly shifting regulatory requirements and stakeholder expectations, our ability to recruit and retain a robust workforce, the activities and availability of suppliers and other business partners, cost considerations and the development and availability of cost-effective technologies or resources. Environmental contamination from past and ongoing operations could subject us to substantial liabilities. Certain properties we have previously owned or leased are undergoing remediation for subsurface contamination. Although we are indemnified for liability relating to the required remediation at some of those properties, we may be subject to liability if these indemnification obligations are not fulfilled. In other cases, we have agreed to indemnify the current owners of certain properties for liabilities related to contamination, including companies with which we have previously been affiliated such as HP, Inc., Hewlett-Packard Enterprise (formerly Hewlett-Packard Company) and Siemens Healthineers (formerly Varian Medical Systems, Inc.). Further, other properties we have previously owned or leased at which we have operated in the past, or for which we have otherwise contractually assumed or provided indemnities, certain actual or contingent environmental liabilities, may or do require remediation. While we are not aware of any material liabilities associated with any potential environmental contamination at any of those properties or facilities, we may be exposed to material liability if environmental contamination at material levels is found to exist. In addition, in connection with the acquisition of certain companies, we have assumed other costs and potential or contingent liabilities for environmental matters. Any significant costs or liabilities could have an adverse effect on results of operations. 59 Table of Contents We are subject to environmental laws and regulations that expose us to a number of risks and could result in significant liabilities and costs. Our current and historical manufacturing and research and development processes and facilities are subject to various foreign, federal, state and local environment protection and health and safety laws and regulations. As a result, we may become subject to liabilities for environmental contamination, and these liabilities may be substantial. Although our policy is to apply strict standards for environmental protection and health and safety at our sites inside and outside the United States, we may not be aware of all conditions that could subject us to liability. Further, in the event that any future climate change legislation would require that stricter standards be imposed by domestic or international environmental regulatory authorities, we may be required to make certain changes and adaptations to our manufacturing processes and facilities. We cannot predict how changes will affect our business operations or the cost of compliance to us, our customers or our suppliers. Failure to comply with these environmental protection and health and safety laws and regulations could result in civil, criminal, regulatory, administrative or contractual sanctions, including fines, penalties or suspensions, restrictions on our operations and reputational damage. If we have any violations of, or incur liabilities pursuant to these laws or regulations, our financial condition and operating results could be adversely affected. Issues in the development, deployment, and use of artificial intelligence technologies in our business operations, services and products may result in reputational harm, regulatory action, or legal liability, and any failure to adapt to such technological developments or industry trends could adversely affect the competitiveness of our business. We are integrating artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies ("AI") into our business operations, products and services, while continuing to explore the opportunities that AI could bring to the company. The use of AI, particularly generative AI, presents opportunities as well as risks that could negatively impact the business. The development, deployment, and use of AI, including within the life sciences industry, is still in its early stages, where the use of insufficiently developed AI technologies and premature deployment practices could result in unintended outcomes that harm the business. AI technologies may be developed using inaccurate, incomplete, flawed or biased algorithms, training methodologies or data, which could result in competitive harm, regulatory penalties, legal liability, or brand or reputational harm. Further, a failure to timely and effectively use or deploy AI and integrate it into new product offerings and services could negatively impact our competitiveness, particularly ahead of evolving industry trends and evolving consumer demands. We may be unable to devote adequate financial resources to develop or acquire new AI technologies and systems in the future. Use of AI to improve internal business operations, or in the development or provision of products or services, poses risks and challenges. AI can pose risks from an intellectual property, confidential data leakage, data protection and privacy perspective, as well as raise ethical concerns, compliance issues, and security risks. The input of confidential information or trade secrets into AI systems may result in the loss of intellectual property, proprietary rights, or attorney-client privilege in such information or trade secrets. The use of AI technologies for developing products or services may adversely affect or preclude the company’s intellectual property rights in such products or services, or may expose the company to liability related to the infringement, misappropriation or other violation of third-party intellectual property. The use of AI technologies with personally identifiable information may also result in legal liability. Further, particularly given the nascent stage of the technology, the use of AI can lead to unintended consequences, including the generation of outputs that appear correct but are factually inaccurate, misleading, or that result in unintended biases and discriminatory outcomes, or are otherwise flawed, which could harm our reputation and business and expose us to risks related to such inaccuracies or errors in these outputs. Moreover, AI is subject to a dynamic and rapidly evolving legal and regulatory environment, which, without appropriate review, governance and risk management, could expose the company to unforeseen legal or regulatory scrutiny and liabilities. As such, it remains uncertain how AI laws and regulations will impact our business or the associated cost or risks related to compliance therewith or with respect to embedding compliance mechanisms appropriately and effectively into our operations. The use of AI may be subject to new legal or regulatory requirements, the impact of which may be prohibitive or pose further risks from a legal or regulatory action perspective. 60 Table of Contents Third parties may claim that we are infringing their intellectual property, and we could suffer significant litigation or licensing expenses or be prevented from selling products or services. From time to time, third parties may claim that one or more of our products or services infringe their intellectual property rights. We analyze and take action in response to such claims on a case by case basis. Any dispute or litigation regarding patents or other intellectual property could be costly and time-consuming due to the complexity of our technology and the uncertainty of intellectual property litigation and could divert our management and key personnel from our business operations. A claim of intellectual property infringement could force us to enter into a costly or restrictive license agreement, which could not be available under acceptable terms or at all, could require us to redesign our products, which would be costly and time-consuming, and/or could subject us to significant damages or to an injunction against the development and sale of certain of our products or services. Our intellectual property portfolio may not be useful in asserting a counterclaim, or negotiating a license, in response to a claim of intellectual property infringement. In certain of our businesses, we rely on third-party intellectual property licenses, and we cannot ensure that these licenses will continue to be available to us in the future or can be expanded to cover new products on favorable terms or at all. Third parties may infringe our intellectual property, and we may suffer competitive injury or expend significant resources enforcing our rights. Our success depends in large part on our proprietary technology, including technology we obtained through acquisitions. We rely on various intellectual property rights, including patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets, as well as confidentiality provisions and licensing arrangements, to establish, maintain and enforce our proprietary rights. If we do not enforce our intellectual property rights successfully, our competitive position may suffer, which could harm our operating results. Our pending patent, 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 with a significant competitive advantage. We may need to spend significant resources monitoring and enforcing our intellectual property rights, and we may not be aware of or able to detect or prove infringement by third parties. Our competitive position may be harmed if we cannot detect infringement and enforce our intellectual property rights quickly or at all. In some circumstances, we may choose to not pursue enforcement because an infringer has a dominant intellectual property position or for other business reasons. In addition, competitors could avoid infringement by designing around our intellectual property rights or by developing non-infringing competing technologies. Intellectual property rights and our ability to enforce them may be unavailable or limited in some countries, which could make it easier for competitors to capture market share and could result in lost revenue. Furthermore, some of our intellectual property is licensed to others which may allow them to compete with us using that intellectual property. Operational Risks Our operating results may suffer if our manufacturing capacity does not match the demand for our products. Because we cannot immediately adapt our production capacity and related cost structures to rapidly changing market conditions, when demand does not meet our expectations, our manufacturing capacity may exceed our production requirements. If during a market downturn we had excess manufacturing capacity, then our fixed costs associated with excess manufacturing capacity would adversely affect our gross margins and operating results. If, during a general market upturn or an upturn in one of our segments, we cannot increase our manufacturing capacity to meet product demand, we may not be able to fulfill orders in a timely manner which could lead to order cancellations, contract breaches or indemnification obligations. This inability could materially and adversely limit our ability to improve our gross margins and operating results. If we are unable to successfully manage the consolidation and streamlining of our manufacturing operations, we may not achieve desired efficiencies, and our ability to deliver products to our customers could be disrupted. Although we utilize manufacturing facilities throughout the world, we have consolidated, and may further consolidate, our manufacturing operations to certain of our facilities to achieve efficiencies and gross margin improvements. Additionally, we typically consolidate the production of products from our acquisitions into our supply chain and manufacturing processes, which are technically complex and require expertise to operate. If we are unable to establish processes to efficiently and effectively produce high quality products in the consolidated locations, we may not achieve the anticipated synergies and production may be disrupted, which could adversely affect our business and operating results. 61 Table of Contents Dependence on contract manufacturing and outsourcing other portions of our supply chain, including logistics and third-party package delivery services, may adversely affect our ability to bring products to market and damage our reputation. Dependence on outsourced information technology and other administrative functions may impair our ability to operate effectively. As part of our efforts to streamline operations and to manage costs, we outsource aspects of our manufacturing processes and other functions and continue to evaluate additional outsourcing. If our contract manufacturers or other outsourcers fail to perform their obligations in a timely manner or at satisfactory quality levels, our ability to bring products to market and our reputation could suffer. For example, during a market upturn, our contract manufacturers may be unable to meet our demand requirements, which may preclude us from fulfilling our customers' orders on a timely basis. The ability of these manufacturers to perform is largely outside of our control. If one or more of the third-party package delivery or other logistics providers we use experiences a significant disruption in services or institutes a significant price increase, we may have to seek alternative providers, which could result in increased costs, and/or delay the delivery of our products. Additionally, changing or replacing our contract manufacturers, logistics providers or other outsourcers could cause disruptions or delays. In addition, we outsource significant portions of our information technology and other administrative functions. Since information technology is critical to our operations, any failure to perform on the part of our information technology providers could impair our ability to operate effectively. In addition to the risks outlined above, problems with manufacturing or information technology outsourcing could result in lower revenue and unexecuted efficiencies and impact our results of operations and our stock price. If we suffer a loss to our factories, facilities or distribution system due to catastrophe, our operations could be seriously harmed. Our factories, facilities and distribution system are subject to the risk of catastrophic loss due to fire, flood, terrorism, public health crises, increasing severity or frequency of extreme weather events, or other climate-change related risks, including resource scarcity, rationing or unexpected costs from increases in fuel and raw material prices that may be caused by extreme weather conditions. In addition, several of our facilities could be subject to a catastrophic loss caused by earthquake due to their locations. Our production facilities, headquarters and laboratories in California, and our production facilities in Japan, are all located in areas with above-average seismic activity. In addition, our facilities in California are susceptible to extreme weather conditions such as drought, flooding and wildfires. If any of our facilities were to experience a catastrophic loss, it could disrupt our operations, delay production, shipments and revenue and result in large expenses to repair or replace the facility. If such a disruption were to occur, we could breach agreements, our reputation could be harmed, and our business and operating results could be adversely affected. In addition, because we have consolidated our manufacturing facilities and we may not have redundant manufacturing capability readily available, we are more likely to experience an interruption to our operations in the event of a catastrophe in any one location. Although we carry insurance for property damage and business interruption, these coverages are subject to deductibles as well as caps and may not be sufficient to cover the entirety of potential losses in certain catastrophic events. We do not carry insurance or financial reserves for interruptions or potential losses arising from earthquakes or terrorism. Also, our third-party insurance coverage will vary from time to time in both type and amount depending on availability, cost and our decisions with respect to risk retention. Economic conditions and uncertainties in global markets may adversely affect the cost and other terms upon which we are able to obtain third-party insurance. If our third-party insurance coverage is adversely affected or to the extent we have elected to self-insure, we may be at a greater risk that our financial condition will be harmed by a catastrophic loss. If we experience a significant disruption in, or breach in security of, our information technology systems, or if we fail to implement new systems and software successfully, our business could be adversely affected. We rely on several centralized information technology systems throughout our company to provide products and services, keep financial records, process orders, manage inventory, process shipments to customers and operate other critical functions. Our information technology systems may be susceptible to damage, disruptions or shutdowns due to power outages, hardware failures, computer viruses, attacks by computer hackers, telecommunication failures, user errors, catastrophes or other unforeseen events. For example, in December 2020, it was widely reported that SolarWinds, an information technology company, was the subject of a cyberattack that created security vulnerabilities for thousands of its clients. We identified an impacted SolarWinds server and promptly took steps to contain and remediate the incidents. While we believe that there were no disruptions to our operations as a result of this attack, other similar attacks could have a significant negative impact on our systems and operations. Our information technology systems also may experience interruptions, delays or cessations of service or produce errors in connection with system integration, software upgrades or system migration work that takes place from time to time. If we were to experience a prolonged system disruption in the information technology systems that involve our interactions with customers or suppliers, it could result in the loss of sales and customers and significant incremental costs, 62 Table of Contents which could adversely affect our business. In addition, security breaches of our information technology systems or products could result in the misappropriation or unauthorized disclosure of confidential information belonging to us or to our employees, partners, customers or suppliers, which could result in our suffering significant financial or reputational damage. Concern over increasingly prevalent cyberattacks or other forms of security breaches of information technology systems can result in additional legal and regulatory requirements in the markets we operate our business and may lead to increased compliance burdens and costs to meet the regulatory obligations. For example, as a U.S. publicly traded company, we are subject to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Final Rule on Cybersecurity Risk Management, Strategy, Governance and Incident Disclosure which requires enhanced disclosure requirements for cybersecurity, with similar applicable requirements under the EU’s NIS2 Directive and China’s Data Security Law. Financial and Tax Risks Our retirement and post retirement pension plans are subject to financial market risks that could adversely affect our future results of operations and cash flows. We have significant retirement and post retirement pension plan assets and obligations. The performance of the financial markets and interest rates impact our plan expenses and funding obligations. Significant decreases in market interest rates, decreases in the fair value of plan assets and investment losses on plan assets will increase our funding obligations and adversely impact our results of operations and cash flows. Changes in tax laws, unfavorable resolution of tax examinations, or exposure to additional tax liabilities could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, financial condition and liquidity. We are subject to taxes in the U.S., Singapore and various foreign jurisdictions. Governments in the jurisdictions in which we operate implement changes to tax laws and regulations periodically. Any implementation of tax laws that fundamentally change the taxation of corporations in the U.S. or Singapore could materially impact our effective tax rate and could have a significant adverse impact on our financial results. We are also subject to examinations of our tax returns by tax authorities in various jurisdictions around the world. We regularly assess the likelihood of adverse outcomes resulting from ongoing tax examinations to determine the adequacy of our provision for taxes. These assessments can require a high degree of judgment and estimation. Intercompany transactions associated with the sale of inventory, services, intellectual property and cost share arrangements are complex and affect our tax liabilities. The calculation of our tax liabilities involves dealing with uncertainties in the application of complex tax laws and regulations in multiple jurisdictions. There can be no assurance that the outcomes from ongoing tax examinations will not have an adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition. A difference in the ultimate resolution of tax uncertainties from what is currently estimated could have an adverse effect on our financial results and condition. If tax incentives change or cease to be in effect, our income taxes could increase significantly. We benefit from tax incentives extended to our foreign subsidiaries to encourage investment or employment. Singapore has granted us tax incentives which require renewal at various times in the future. The incentives are conditioned on achieving various thresholds of investments and employment or specific types of income. Our taxes could increase if the incentives are not renewed upon expiration. If we cannot or do not wish to satisfy all or parts of the tax incentive conditions, we may lose the related tax incentive and could be required to refund tax incentives previously realized. As a result, our effective tax rate could be higher than it would have been had we maintained the benefits of the tax incentives. We have outstanding debt and may incur other debt in the future, which could adversely affect our financial condition, liquidity and results of operations. We are party to a $1.5 billion five-year unsecured credit facility that will expire on June 7, 2028, pursuant to which we are permitted to establish an incremental revolving credit facility of up to $750 million. We also entered into an Uncommitted Money Market Line Credit Agreement which provides for an aggregate borrowing capacity of $300 million. Under our U.S. commercial paper program, the company may issue and sell unsecured, short-term promissory notes in the aggregate principal amount not to exceed $1.5 billion with up to 397-day maturities. As of April 30, 2026, we had approximately $3.4 billion in outstanding indebtedness which included an aggregate outstanding principal amount of $3.3 billion in unsecured senior notes. We may borrow additional amounts in the future and use the proceeds from any future borrowing for general corporate purposes, future acquisitions, expansion of our business or repurchases of our outstanding shares of common stock. 63 Table of Contents Our incurrence of this debt, and increases in our aggregate levels of debt, may adversely affect our operating results and financial condition by, among other things: •increasing our vulnerability to downturns in our business, to competitive pressures and to adverse economic and industry conditions; •requiring the dedication of an increased portion of our expected cash flows from operations to service our indebtedness, thereby reducing the amount of expected cash flows available for other purposes, including capital expenditures, acquisitions, stock repurchases and dividends; and •limiting our flexibility in planning for or reacting to changes in our business and our industry. Our credit facility imposes restrictions on us, including restrictions on our ability to create liens on our assets and engage in certain types of sale and leaseback transactions and the ability of our subsidiaries to incur indebtedness, and requires us to maintain compliance with specified financial ratios. Our ability to comply with these ratios may be affected by events beyond our control. In addition, the indentures governing our senior notes contain covenants that may adversely affect our ability to incur certain liens or engage in certain types of sale and leaseback transactions. If we breach any of the covenants and do not obtain a waiver from the lenders or noteholders, then, subject to applicable cure periods, our outstanding indebtedness could be declared immediately due and payable. We cannot assure that we will continue to pay dividends on our common stock. Since the first quarter of fiscal year 2012, we have paid a quarterly dividend on our common stock. The timing, declaration, amount and payment of any future dividends fall within the discretion of our Board of Directors and will depend on many factors, including our available cash, estimated cash needs, earnings, financial condition, operating results, capital requirements, as well as limitations in our contractual agreements, applicable law, regulatory constraints, industry practice and other business considerations that our Board of Directors considers relevant. A change in our dividend program could have an adverse effect on the market price of our common stock. Adverse conditions in the global banking industry and credit markets may adversely impact the value of our cash investments or impair our liquidity. As of April 30, 2026, we had cash and cash equivalents of approximately $1.8 billion invested or held in a mix of money market funds, time deposit accounts and bank demand deposit accounts. Disruptions and volatility in the financial markets may, in some cases, result in an inability to access assets such as money market funds that traditionally have been viewed as highly liquid or hinder our ability to borrow money in the amounts, at interest rates or upon the more favorable terms and conditions that could be available under different economic circumstances. Any failure of our counterparty financial institutions or funds in which we have invested may adversely impact our cash and cash equivalent positions and, in turn, our operating results and financial condition. 64 Table of Contents