TS Tenaris

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED CONDENSED INTERIM FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED CONDENSED INTERIM FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(In the notes all amounts are shown in U.S. dollars, unless otherwise stated)

1	General information

Tenaris S.A. (the "Company") was established as a public limited liability company (s ociété anonyme ) under the laws of the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg on December 17, 2001. The Company holds, either directly or indirectly, controlling interests in various subsidiaries in the steel pipe manufacturing and distribution businesses. References in these Consolidated Condensed Interim Financial Statements to "Tenaris" refer to Tenaris S.A. and its consolidated subsidiaries. A list of the principal Company's subsidiaries is included in Note 30 to the Company's audited Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2016.

The Company's shares trade on the Buenos Aires Stock Exchange, the Italian Stock Exchange and the Mexican Stock Exchange; the Company's American Depositary Securities ("ADS") trade on the New York Stock Exchange.

These Consolidated Condensed Interim Financial Statements were approved for issuance by the Company's Board of Directors on August 2, 2017.

2	Accounting policies and basis of presentation

These Consolidated Condensed Interim Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with IAS 34, "Interim Financial Reporting". The accounting policies used in the preparation of these Consolidated Condensed Interim Financial Statements are consistent with those used in the audited Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2016. These Consolidated Condensed Interim Financial Statements should be read in conjunction with the audited Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2016, which have been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS") as issued by the International Accounting Standard Board ("IASB") and in conformity with IFRS as adopted by the European Union ("EU").

The preparation of Consolidated Condensed Interim Financial Statements in conformity with IFRS requires management to make certain accounting estimates and assumptions that might affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities as of the balance sheet dates, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses for the reported periods. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

Material inter-company transactions, balances and unrealized gains (losses) on transactions between Tenaris's subsidiaries have been eliminated in consolidation. However, since the functional currency of some subsidiaries is its respective local currency, some financial gains (losses) arising from inter-company transactions are generated. These are included in the Consolidated Condensed Interim Income Statement under Other financial results .

There were no changes in valuation techniques during the period and there have been no changes in any risk management policies since the year ended December 31, 2016.

Whenever necessary, certain comparative amounts have been reclassified to conform to changes in presentation in the current period.

Following the sale of the steel electric conduit business in North America, known as Republic Conduit, the results of the mentioned business are presented as discontinued operations in accordance with IFRS 5 "Non-current Assets Held for Sale and Discontinued Operations". Consequently, all amounts related to discontinued operations within each line item of the Consolidated Income Statement are reclassified into discontinued operations. The Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows includes the cash flows for continuing and discontinued operations, cash flows from discontinued operations and earnings per share are disclosed separately in Note 13, as well as additional information detailing net assets of disposal group classified as held for sale and discontinued operations.

None of the accounting pronouncements issued after December 31, 2016 and as of the date of these Consolidated Condensed Interim Financial Statements have a material effect on the Company's financial condition or result of operations.

3	Segment information

In the six-month period ended June 30, 2017, net income under management view amounted to $209.8 million, while under IFRS it amounted to $279.0 million. In addition to the amounts reconciled above, the main differences arise from the impact of functional currencies on financial result, deferred income taxes as well as the result of investment in non-consolidated companies and changes on the valuation of inventories according to cost estimation internally defined.

 

 

 

3	Segment information (Cont.)

Allocation of net sales to geographical information is based on customer location. Allocation of depreciation and amortization is based on the geographical location of the underlying assets.

There are no revenues from external customers attributable to the Company's country of incorporation (Luxembourg). For geographical information purposes, "North America" comprises Canada, Mexico and the United States; "South America" comprises principally Argentina, Brazil and Colombia; "Europe" comprises principally Italy, Norway and Romania; "Middle East and Africa" comprises principally Kazakhstan, United Arab Emirates, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia and "Asia Pacific" comprises principally Thailand, China and Japan.

4	Cost of sales

 

5	Selling, general and administrative expenses

 

 

 

6	Financial results

(*)The six-month period ended June 2017 includes the negative impact from Euro appreciation against the U.S. dollar on Euro denominated intercompany liabilities in subsidiaries with functional currency U.S. Dollar, largely offset by an increase in currency translation adjustment reserve from an Italian subsidiary.

(**) The six-month period ended June 2016 includes the negative impact from Brazilian Real appreciation against the U.S. dollar on hedging instruments and of Cash and cash equivalent and Other investments denominated in U.S. dollar in subsidiaries which functional currency is the Brazilian real, partially offset by an increase in currency translation adjustment reserve from the Brazilian subsidiaries.

7	Dividend distribution

On May 3, 2017, the Company's Shareholders approved an annual dividend in the amount of $0.41 per share ($0.82 per ADS). The amount approved included the interim dividend previously paid in November 23, 2016 in the amount of $0.13 per share ($0.26 per ADS). The balance, amounting to $0.28 per share ($0.56 per ADS), was paid on May 24, 2017. In the aggregate, the interim dividend paid in November 2016 and the balance paid in May 2017 amounted to approximately $484.0 million.

On May 4, 2016 the Company's Shareholders approved an annual dividend in the amount of $0.45 per share ($0.90 per ADS). The amount approved included the interim dividend previously paid in November 25, 2015 in the amount of $0.15 per share ($0.30 per ADS). The balance, amounting to $0.30 per share ($0.60 per ADS), was paid on May 25, 2016. In the aggregate, the interim dividend paid in November 2015 and the balance paid in May 2016 amounted to approximately $531.2 million.

8	Property, plant and equipment, net

(*) Mainly due to the progress in the construction of the greenfield seamless facility in Bay City, Texas.

 

 

9	Intangible assets, net

10	Cash and cash equivalents and other investments

(*) Related to investments in companies under cost method.

 

 

 

11	Contingencies, commitments and restrictions to the distribution of profits

Contingencies

This note should be read in conjunction with Note 25 to the Company's audited Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2016.

Tenaris is from time to time subject to various claims, lawsuits and other legal proceedings, including customer claims, in which third parties are seeking payment for alleged damages, reimbursement for losses or indemnity. Some of these claims, lawsuits and other legal proceedings involve highly complex issues, and often these issues are subject to substantial uncertainties. Accordingly, potential liability with respect to a large portion of such claims, lawsuits and other legal proceedings cannot be estimated with certainty. Management, with the assistance of legal counsel, periodically reviews the status of each significant matter and assesses potential financial exposure. If a potential loss from a claim, lawsuit or proceeding is considered probable and the amount can be reasonably estimated, a provision is recorded. Accruals for loss contingencies reflect a reasonable estimate of the losses to be incurred based on information available to management as of the date of preparation of the financial statements, and take into consideration litigation and settlement strategies. The Company believes that the aggregate provisions recorded for potential losses in these financial statements are adequate based upon currently available information. However, if management's estimates prove incorrect, current reserves could be inadequate and Tenaris could incur a charge to earnings which could have a material adverse effect on Tenaris's results of operations, financial condition, net worth and cash flows.

Set forth below is a description of Tenaris's material ongoing legal proceedings:

§	Tax assessment in Italy

Dalmine, an Italian subsidiary of Tenaris, received on December 24, 2012 a tax assessment from the Italian tax authorities related to allegedly omitted withholding tax on dividend payments made in 2007. The assessment, which was for an estimated amount of EUR297 million (approximately $339 million), comprising principal, interest and penalties, was appealed with the first-instance tax court in Milan. In February 2014, the first-instance tax court issued its decision on this tax assessment, partially reversing the assessment and lowering the claimed amount to approximately EUR9 million (approximately $10.3 million), including principal, interest and penalties. On October 2, 2014, the Italian tax authorities appealed against the second-instance tax court decision on the 2007 assessment. On June 12, 2015, the second-instance tax court accepted Dalmine's defense arguments and rejected the appeal by the Italian tax authorities, thus reversing the entire 2007 assessment and recognizing that the dividend payment was exempt from withholding tax. The Italian tax authorities have appealed the second-instance tax court decision before the Supreme Court.

On December 24, 2013, Dalmine received a second tax assessment from the Italian tax authorities, based on the same arguments as those in the first assessment, relating to allegedly omitted withholding tax on dividend payments made in 2008 – the last such distribution made by Dalmine. Dalmine appealed the assessment with the first-instance tax court in Milan. On January 27, 2016, the first-instance tax court rejected Dalmine's appeal. This first-instance ruling, which held that Dalmine is required to pay an amount of EUR 225 million (approximately $257 million), including principal, interest and penalties, contradicts the first and second-instance tax court rulings in connection with the 2007 assessment. Dalmine obtained the suspension of the interim payment that would have been due, based on the first-instance decision, through the filing with the tax authorities of a bank guarantee, and appealed the January 2016 ruling with the second-instance tax court. The hearing in the second instance tax court has been called on September 25, 2017.

Tenaris continues to believe that Dalmine has correctly applied the relevant legal provisions and based on, among other things, the tax court decisions on the 2007 assessment and the opinion of legal counsel, Tenaris believes that it is not probable that the ultimate resolution of either the 2007 or the 2008 tax assessment will result in a material obligation.

§	CSN claims relating to the January 2012 acquisition of Usiminas shares

In 2013, Confab Industrial S.A., a Brazilian subsidiary of the Company ("Confab")was notified of a lawsuit filed in Brazil by Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional (CSN) and various entities affiliated with CSN against Confab and the other entities that acquired a participation in Usiminas' control group in January 2012.

 

 

11	Contingencies, commitments and restrictions to the distribution of profits (Cont.)

Contingencies (Cont.)

§	CSN claims relating to the January 2012 acquisition of Usiminas shares (Cont.)

The CSN lawsuit alleges that, under applicable Brazilian laws and rules, the acquirers were required to launch a tag-along tender offer to all non-controlling holders of Usiminas' ordinary shares for a price per share equal to 80% of the price per share paid in such acquisition, or BRL28.8, and seeks an order to compel the acquirers to launch an offer at that price plus interest. If so ordered, the offer would need to be made to 182,609,851 ordinary shares of Usiminas not belonging to Usiminas' control group, and Confab would have a 17.9% share in that offer.

On September 23, 2013, the first instance court dismissed the CSN lawsuit, and on February 8, 2017, the court of appeals maintained the understanding of the first instance court. On March 6, 2017, CSN filed a motion for clarification against the decision of the court of appeals, which was rejected on July 19, 2017. CSN may still appeal to the Superior Court of Justice or the Federal Supreme Court . For further information on the CSN lawsuit, see Note 25 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2016.

Tenaris continues to believe that all of CSN's claims and allegations are groundless and without merit, as confirmed by several opinions of Brazilian legal counsel, two decisions issued by the Brazilian securities regulator (CVM) in February 2012 and December 2016, and the first and second instance court decisions referred to above. Accordingly, no provision was recorded in these Consolidated Condensed Interim Financial Statements .

§	Veracel Celulose Accident Litigation

On September 21, 2007, an accident occurred in the premises of Veracel Celulose S.A. ("Veracel") in connection with a rupture in one of the tanks used in an evaporation system manufactured by Confab. The Veracel accident allegedly resulted in material damages to Veracel. Itaú Seguros S.A. ("Itaú"), Veracel's insurer at the time of the Veracel accident, initiated a lawsuit against Confab seeking reimbursement of damages paid to Veracel in connection with the Veracel accident. Veracel initiated a second lawsuit against Confab seeking reimbursement of the amount paid as insurance deductible in connection with the Veracel accident and other amounts not covered by insurance. Itaú and Veracel claim that the Veracel accident was caused by failures and defects attributable to the evaporation system manufactured by Confab. Confab believes that the Veracel accident was caused by the improper handling by Veracel's personnel of the equipment supplied by Confab in violation of Confab's instructions. The two lawsuits have been consolidated, and are now being considered by the 6th Civil Court of São Caetano do Sul; however, each lawsuit will be adjudicated through a separate ruling. Both proceedings are currently at evidentiary stage.

On March 10, 2016, a court-appointed expert issued its report on certain technical matters concerning the Veracel accident. Based upon a technical opinion received from a third-party expert, in August 2016, Confab filed its objections to the expert's report. Other parties have also filed their observations and/or opinions concerning the expert's report, which are currently subject to the court examination. As of June 30, 2017, the estimated amount of Itaú's claim is approximately BRL78 million (approximately $23.6 million), and the estimated amount of Veracel's claim is approximately BRL49.7 million (approximately $15.0 million), for an aggregate amount BRL127 . 7 million ($38.6 million). The final result of this claim depends largely on the court's evaluation of technical matters arising from the expert's opinion and objections presented by Confab. No provision has been recorded in these Consolidated Condensed Interim Financial Statements.

§	Petroamazonas Penalties

On January 22, 2016, Petroamazonas ("PAM"), an Ecuadorian state-owned oil company, imposed penalties to the Company's Uruguayan subsidiary, Tenaris Global Services S.A. ("TGS"), for its alleged failure to comply with delivery terms under a pipe supply agreement. The penalties amount to approximately $ 22.5 million as of the date hereof. Tenaris believes, based on the advice of counsel, that PAM has no legal basis to impose the penalties and that TGS has meritorious defenses against PAM. However, in light of the prevailing political circumstances in Ecuador, the Company cannot predict the outcome of a claim against a state-owned company and it is not possible to estimate the amount or range of loss in case of an unfavorable outcome.

 

 

 

11	Contingencies, commitments and restrictions to the distribution of profits (Cont.)

Contingencies (Cont.)

§	Ongoing investigation

The Company has learned that Italian and Swiss authorities are investigating whether certain payments were made from accounts of entities presumably associated with affiliates of the Company to accounts controlled by an individual allegedly related with officers of Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. and whether any such payments were intended to benefit Confab. Any such payments could violate certain applicable laws, including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The Company had previously reviewed certain of these matters in connection with an investigation by the Brazilian authorities related to "Operation Lava Jato" and the Audit Committee of the Company's Board of Directors has engaged external counsel in connection with a review of the alleged payments and related matters. In addition, the Company has voluntarily notified the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice. The Company intends to share the results of this review with the appropriate authorities, and to cooperate with any investigations that may be conducted by such authorities. At this time, the Company cannot predict the outcome of these matters or estimate the range of potential loss or extent of risk, if any, to the Company's business that may result from resolution of these matters.

Commitments

Set forth is a description of Tenaris's main outstanding commitments:

§

A Tenaris company is a party to a contract with Nucor Corporation under which it is committed to purchase on a monthly basis a minimum volume of hot-rolled steel coils at prices that are negotiated annually by reference to prices to comparable Nucor customers. The contract became effective in January 2013 and will be in force until December 2017; provided, however, that either party may terminate the contract at any time after January 1, 2015 with a 12-month prior notice. Due to the weak pipe demand associated with the reduction in drilling activity, the parties entered into a temporary agreement pursuant to which application of the minimum volume requirements were suspended, and the company is temporarily allowed to purchase steel volumes in accordance with its needs. As of June 30, 2017, the estimated aggregate contract amount through December 31, 2017, calculated at current prices, is approximately $464.9 million.

§

A Tenaris company entered into various contracts with suppliers pursuant to which it committed to purchase goods and services for a total amount of approximately $110.1 million related to the investment plan to expand Tenaris's U.S. operations with the construction of a state-of-the-art seamless pipe mill in Bay City, Texas. As of June 30, 2017 approximately $1,551 million had already been invested.

Restrictions to the distribution of profits and payment of dividends

As of December 31, 2016, equity as defined under Luxembourg law and regulations consisted of:

At least 5% of the Company's net income per year, as calculated in accordance with Luxembourg law and regulations, must be allocated to the creation of a legal reserve equivalent to 10% of the Company's share capital. As of June 30, 2017, this reserve is fully allocated and additional allocations to the reserve are not required under Luxembourg law. Dividends may not be paid out of the legal reserve.

The Company may pay dividends to the extent, among other conditions, that it has distributable retained earnings calculated in accordance with Luxembourg law and regulations.

 

 

11	Contingencies, commitments and restrictions to the distribution of profits (Cont.)

Restrictions to the distribution of profits and payment of dividends (Cont.)

At December 31, 2016, distributable amount under Luxembourg law totals $18.1 billion, as detailed below:

12	Investments in non-consolidated companies

a)

Ternium

Ternium S.A. ("Ternium"), is a steel producer with production facilities in Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, United States and Guatemala and is one of Tenaris's main suppliers of round steel bars and flat steel products for its pipes business.

At June 30, 2017, the closing price of Ternium's ADSs as quoted on the New York Stock Exchange was $28.09 per ADS, giving Tenaris's ownership stake a market value of approximately $645.3 million (Level 1). At June 30, 2017, the carrying value of Tenaris's ownership stake in Ternium, based on Ternium's IFRS financial statements, was approximately $530.8 million.

b)

Usiminas

Usiminas is a Brazilian producer of high quality flat steel products used in the energy, automotive and other industries and it is Tenaris's principal supplier of flat steel in Brazil for its pipes and industrial equipment businesses.

As of June 30, 2017 the closing price of the Usiminas' ordinary and preferred shares, as quoted on the BM&FBovespa Stock Exchange, was BRL8.83 ($2 . 67) and BRL4.6 ($1.39), respectively, giving Tenaris's ownership stake a market value of approximately $99 . 2 million (Level 1). As that date, the carrying value of Tenaris's ownership stake in Usiminas was approximately $67.6 million.

c)	Techgen, S.A. de C.V. ("Techgen")

 

Techgen is a Mexican company that operates a natural gas-fired combined cycle electric power plant in the Pesquería area of the State of Nuevo León, Mexico. The company started producing energy on December 1, 2016 and is fully operational, with a power capacity of between 850 and 900 megawatts. As of June 30, 2017, Tenaris held 22% of Techgen's share capital, and its affiliates Ternium and Tecpetrol International S.A. (a wholly-owned subsidiary of San Faustin S.A., the controlling shareholder of both Tenaris and Ternium) held 48% and 30% respectively.

Techgen is a party to transportation capacity agreements for a purchasing capacity of 150,000 MMBtu/Gas per day starting on August 1, 2016 and ending on July 31, 2036, and a party to a contract for the purchase of power generation equipment and other services related to the equipment. As of June 30, 2017, Tenaris's exposure under these agreements amounted to $59.8 million and $5.3 million respectively.

Tenaris issued a corporate guarantee covering 22% of the obligations of Techgen under a syndicated loan agreement between Techgen and several banks for an aggregate amount of $760 million which has been used in the construction of the facility. The main covenants under the corporate guarantee are limitations on the sale of certain assets and compliance with financial ratios (e.g. leverage ratio). As of June 30, 2017, the facility agreement has been fully disbursed and, accordingly, the amount guaranteed by Tenaris was approximately $167.2 million. During the six-month period ended June 30, 2017, Techgen's shareholders made additional investments in Techgen, through subordinated loans, which in the case of Tenaris amounted to $9 million. As of June 30, 2017, the aggregate outstanding principal amount under these loans was $95.2 million.

 

 

13	Net assets of disposal group classified as held for sale

On December 15, 2016, Tenaris entered into an agreement with Nucor Corporation (NC) pursuant to which it has sold to NC the steel electric conduit business in North America, known as Republic Conduit for an amount of $328 million (net of transaction costs). The sale was completed on January 19, 2017, with effect from January 20, 2017. The result of this transaction was an after-tax gain of $89.7 million, calculated as the net proceeds of the sale less the book value of net assets held for sale, the corresponding tax effect and related expenses.

The financial performances presented are relative to the 19 days of January 2017 and the six month period ended June 30, 2016.