FORM 6 - K



SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549


Report of Foreign Private Issuer
Pursuant to Rule 13a - 16 or 15d - 16 of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934


As of April 28, 2016

TENARIS, S.A.
(Translation of Registrant's name into English)

TENARIS, S.A.
29, Avenue de la Porte-Neuve 3rd floor
L-2227 Luxembourg
(Address of principal executive offices)


Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover Form 20-F or 40-F.

Form 20-F  Ö   Form 40-F

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant by furnishing the information contained in this Form is also thereby furnishing the information to the Commission pursuant to Rule 12G3-2(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
 
Yes         No  Ö      


If “Yes” is marked, indicate below the file number assigned to the registrant in connection with Rule 12g3-2(b): 82-.
 
 

 
The attached material is being furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Rule 13a-16 and Form 6-K under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. This report contains Tenaris’s
Press Release announcing Tenaris 2016 First Quarter Results.
 
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.



Date: April 28, 2016.



Tenaris, S.A.




By: /s/ Cecilia Bilesio                     
Cecilia Bilesio
Corporate Secretary


 
 



Giovanni Sardagna
Tenaris
 1-888-300-5432
www.tenaris.com

Tenaris Announces 2016 First Quarter Results

The financial and operational information contained in this press release is based on unaudited consolidated condensed interim financial statements presented in U.S. dollars and prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standard Board and adopted by the European Union, or IFRS.
 
Luxembourg, April 27, 2016. - Tenaris S.A. (NYSE, Buenos Aires and Mexico: TS and MTA Italy: TEN) (“Tenaris”) today announced its results for the quarter ended March 31, 2016 in comparison with its results for the quarter ended March 31, 2015.

Summary of 2016 First Quarter Results

(Comparison with fourth and first quarter of 2015)
 
 
Q1 2016
Q4 2015
Q1 2015
Net sales ($ million)
1,257
1,420
(11%)
2,254
(44%)
Operating income ($ million)
42
24
73%
379
(89%)
Net income (loss) ($ million)
28
(45)
162%
254
(89%)
Shareholders’ net income (loss) ($ million)
18
(47)
139%
255
(93%)
Earnings (loss) per ADS ($)
0.03
(0.08)
139%
0.43
(93%)
Earnings (loss) per share ($)
0.02
(0.04)
139%
0.22
(93%)
EBITDA* ($ million)
205
223
(8%)
527
(61%)
EBITDA margin (% of net sales)
16.3%
15.7%
 
23.4%
 
 
*EBITDA is defined as operating income plus depreciation, amortization and impairment charges/(reversals). EBITDA includes severance charges of $12 million in Q1 2016, $34 million in Q4 2015 and $16 million in Q1 2015. If these charges were not included EBITDA would have been $218 million, 17.3% of sales in Q1 2016, $257 million, 18.1% of sales in Q4 2015,and $543 million, 24.1% of sales in Q1 2015.

Sales continue to decline sequentially affected by ongoing reductions in drilling activity worldwide and continuing pressure on selling prices, though average selling prices for the quarter were supported by sales of coating services for offshore line pipe projects in sub-Saharan Africa. Our EBITDA margin, however, remained stable sequentially supported by lower selling, general and administrative expenses. Net income returned to a positive level reflecting improved operating results, a positive contribution from non-consolidated companies and a lower tax charge.
 


Cash provided by operating activities reached $309 million during the quarter and after capital expenditures of $230 million we had positive free cash flow of $79 million. Our net cash position (cash, other current investments and fixed income investments held to maturity less total borrowings) rose to $1.9 billion at March 31, 2016.

Market Background and Outlook

Oil prices have risen from their January lows, but will need to sustain higher levels for some months before oil and gas companies begin to increase investment levels. Meanwhile, drilling activity continues to decline in North America and the rest of the world with rig counts reaching post-war lows in the United States and Canada. With the reduction in activity, OCTG inventory levels in many parts of the world remain high in relation to consumption and we will see a second consecutive year of net destocking.

Over the past month, we have seen a rapid escalation in steel and raw material costs while OCTG pipe prices continue to decline on reduced consumption and pressure from excess inventories on the ground. This is unsustainable and we expect that OCTG prices will adjust to the new raw material and steel cost situation.

In this environment, our sales and margins in the next two quarters will be affected by volume and price declines reflecting lower drilling activity, the completion of deliveries to major South American pipeline projects and the current severe pricing context. By the end of the year, however, we expect sales to begin to recover based on a likely pick up in drilling activity in North America and our current order backlog for our Eastern Hemisphere operations.

We will continue to adjust our operations in these unfavorable conditions, concentrating on cost and cash flow management while strengthening our market position in preparation for an eventual recovery.

 
Analysis of 2016 First Quarter Results

Tubes Sales volume
 (thousand metric tons)
Q1 2016
Q4 2015
Q1 2015
Seamless
366
440
(17%)
655
(44%)
Welded
146
145
1%
160
(8%)
Total
512
585
(12%)
815
(37%)

Tubes
Q1 2016
Q4 2015
Q1 2015
(Net sales - $ million)
         
North America
380
487
(22%)
961
(60%)
South America
350
440
(20%)
487
(28%)
Europe
133
119
12%
236
(44%)
Middle East & Africa
239
199
20%
314
(24%)
Far East & Oceania
28
47
(40%)
78
(64%)
Total net sales ($ million)
1,130
1,292
(13%)
2,077
(46%)
Operating income ($ million)
21
5
294%
370
(94%)
Operating income (% of sales)
1.9%
0.4%
 
17.8%
 
 
†Tubes Operating  income includes severance charges of $11 million in Q1 2016, $28 million in Q4 2015 and $15 million in Q1 2015.

Net sales of tubular products and services decreased 13% sequentially and 46% year on year. In North America sales declined due to lower drilling activity throughout the region and high OCTG inventory levels in relation to consumption. In South America sales declined due to lower drilling activity in Argentina and Colombia. In Europe sales increased sequentially due to a good level of shipments in the North Sea. In the Middle East & Africa our sales increased as we started to see a gradual increase in sales to national oil companies in the Middle East and we had a high level of sales of coating services for offshore line pipe projects in sub-Saharan Africa. In the Far East and Oceania, the decline in sales reflected a steep decline in shipments to Indonesia, Oceania and China.

Operating income from tubular products and services amounted to $21 million in the first quarter of 2016, compared to $5 million in the previous quarter and $370 million in the first quarter of 2015. The sequential increase is a result of a decline in selling, general and administrative expenses, mainly due to the collection of doubtful accounts provisioned in previous quarters and lower intangibles amortization charges, as in the previous quarter we suffer the full year effect of the reestimation in the useful life of customer relationships in Canada.

Others
Q1 2016
Q4 2015
Q1 2015
Net sales ($ million)
127
128
(1%)
177
(28%)
Operating income ($ million)
21
19
11%
9
132%
Operating income (% of sales)
16.6%
14.9%
 
5.1%
 

Net sales of other products and services decreased 1% sequentially as a decline in sales of industrial equipment in Brazil and sucker rods was offset by higher sales of pipes for electric conduit in the United States. The operating margin increased following an improvement in the results of our electric conduit business in the United States.

Selling, general and administrative expenses, or SG&A, amounted to $287 million, or 22.8% of net sales, in the first quarter of 2016, compared to $369 million, 26.0% in the previous quarter and $436 million, 19.4% in the first quarter of 2015. Sequentially SG&A declined 22%, due to lower charges for doubtful accounts, as we collected receivables from PDVSA provisioned in previous quarters, and lower amortization of intangibles.
Financial results amounted to a loss of $15 million in the first quarter of 2016, compared to a gain of $19 million in the previous quarter and a loss of $1 million in the same period of 2015. Losses in this quarter are mostly due to the impact from the Euro appreciation on Euro denominated intercompany liabilities in subsidiaries with functional currency U.S. dollar and the impact from the Brazilian Real appreciation on hedging instruments. These results are to a large extent offset by changes to our currency translation reserve.

Equity in earnings of non-consolidated companies generated a gain of $12 million in the first quarter of 2016, compared to a loss of $46 million in the previous quarter and a gain of $8 million the first quarter of 2015. These results are mainly derived from our equity investment in Ternium (NYSE:TX) and Usiminas (BSP:USIM). In the fourth quarter of 2015 these results were negatively affected by impairment charges on our investment in Usiminas.

Income tax charges totaled $11 million in the first quarter of 2016. During this quarter our tax rate was negatively affected by the effect of the Argentine peso devaluation on the tax base used to calculate deferred taxes at our Argentine subsidiaries which have the U.S. dollar as their functional currency.

Results attributable to non-controlling interests amounted to $10 million in the first quarter of 2016, compared to $2 million in the previous quarter and losses of $1 million in the first quarter of 2015. Results during this quarter are mainly attributable to our pipe coating subsidiary in Nigeria.

Cash Flow and Liquidity

Net cash provided by operations during the first quarter of 2016 was $309 million, compared to $203 million in the previous quarter and $878 million in the first quarter of 2015.

Capital expenditures amounted to $230 million for the first quarter of 2016, compared to $307 million in the previous quarter and $261 million in the first quarter of 2015.

At the end of the quarter, our net cash position (cash, other current investments and fixed income investments held to maturity less total borrowings) amounted to $1.9 billion, compared to $1.8 billion at the beginning of the year.

Conference call

Tenaris will hold a conference call to discuss the above reported results, on April 28, 2016, at 10:00 a.m. (Eastern Time). Following a brief summary, the conference call will be opened to questions. To access the conference call dial in +1 877 730.0732 within North America or +1 530 379.4676 Internationally. The access number is “89190308”. Please dial in 10 minutes before the scheduled start time. The conference call will be also available by webcast at www.tenaris.com/investors.
 


A replay of the conference call will be available on our webpage http://ir.tenaris.com/ or by phone from 1:00 pm on April 28 through 11:59 pm on May 6. To access the replay by phone, please dial +1 855 859.2056 or +1 404 537.3406 and enter passcode “89190308” when prompted.

Some of the statements contained in this press release are “forward-looking statements”. Forward-looking statements are based on management’s current views and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by those statements. These risks include but are not limited to risks arising from uncertainties as to future oil and gas prices and their impact on investment programs by oil and gas companies.
 

 
Consolidated Condensed Interim Income Statement

(all amounts in thousands of U.S. dollars)
Three-month period ended March 31,
 
2016
2015
Continuing operations
Unaudited
Net sales
1,257,254
2,253,555
Cost of sales
(927,393)
(1,440,692)
Gross profit
329,861
812,863
Selling, general and administrative expenses
(286,567)
(436,107)
Other operating income (expense), net
(1,130)
2,617
Operating income
42,164
379,373
Finance Income
19,895
12,107
Finance Cost
(4,304)
(6,257)
Other financial results
(30,158)
(7,270)
Income before equity in earnings of non-consolidated companies and income tax
27,597
377,953
Equity in earnings of non-consolidated companies
11,727
7,915
Income before income tax
39,324
385,868
Income tax
(11,374)
(131,925)
Income for the period
27,950
253,943
     
Attributable to:
   
Owners of the parent
18,161
255,082
Non-controlling interests
9,789
(1,139)
 
27,950
253,943
     



 
Consolidated Condensed Interim Statement of Financial Position
 
(all amounts in thousands of U.S. dollars)
At March 31, 2016
 
At December 31, 2015
 
Unaudited
 
 
ASSETS
         
Non-current assets
         
  Property, plant and equipment, net
5,840,103
   
5,672,258
 
  Intangible assets, net
2,087,412
   
2,143,452
 
  Investments in non-consolidated companies
495,319
   
490,645
 
  Available for sale assets
21,572
   
21,572
 
  Other investments
369,511
   
394,746
 
  Deferred tax assets
193,752
   
200,706
 
  Receivables
213,890
9,221,559
 
220,564
9,143,943
Current assets
         
  Inventories
1,604,225
   
1,843,467
 
  Receivables and prepayments
154,818
   
148,846
 
  Current tax assets
178,317
   
188,180
 
  Trade receivables
1,152,667
   
1,135,129
 
  Other investments
2,036,183
   
2,140,862
 
  Cash and cash equivalents
531,762
5,657,972
 
286,547
5,743,031
Total assets
 
14,879,531
   
14,886,974
EQUITY
         
Capital and reserves attributable to owners of the parent
 
11,808,693
   
11,713,344
Non-controlling interests
 
158,097
   
152,712
Total equity
 
11,966,790
   
11,866,056
LIABILITIES
         
Non-current liabilities
         
  Borrowings
33,649
   
223,221
 
  Deferred tax liabilities
681,655
   
750,325
 
  Other liabilities
233,450
   
231,176
 
  Provisions
63,711
1,012,465
 
61,421
1,266,143
           
Current liabilities
         
  Borrowings
965,973
   
748,295
 
  Current tax liabilities
161,328
   
136,018
 
  Other liabilities
218,580
   
222,842
 
  Provisions
13,503
   
8,995
 
  Customer advances
90,495
   
134,780
 
  Trade payables
450,397
1,900,276
 
503,845
1,754,775
Total liabilities
 
2,912,741
   
3,020,918
Total equity and liabilities
 
14,879,531
   
14,886,974
 

 
Consolidated Condensed Interim Statement of Cash Flows
 
 
Three-month period ended March 31,
(all amounts in thousands of U.S. dollars)
2016
2015
Cash flows from operating activities
Unaudited
     
Income for the period
27,950
253,943
Adjustments for:
 
 
Depreciation and amortization
163,155
147,737
Income tax accruals less payments
(16,171)
14,137
Equity in earnings of non-consolidated companies
(11,727)
(7,915)
Interest accruals less payments, net
(19,399)
(4,451)
Changes in provisions
6,798
(10,586)
Changes in working capital
102,915
515,636
Other, including currency translation adjustment
55,626
(30,608)
Net cash provided by operating activities
309,147
877,893
 
 
 
Cash flows from investing activities
 
 
Capital expenditures
(230,249)
(261,259)
Changes in advance to suppliers of property, plant and equipment
14,258
2,294
Net loan to non-consolidated companies
(10,384)
(6,288)
Proceeds from disposal of property, plant and equipment and intangible assets
1,723
554
Cash flows from purchases and sales of securities, net
129,928
(536,731)
Net cash used in investing activities
(94,724)
(801,430)
 
 
 
Cash flows from financing activities
 
 
Dividends paid to non-controlling interest in subsidiaries
(4,311)
 -
Acquisitions of non-controlling interests
(366)
 -
Proceeds from borrowings
253,471
607,310
Repayments of borrowings
(220,833)
(418,195)
Net cash provided by financing activities
27,961
189,115
   
 
Increase in cash and cash equivalents
242,384
265,578
Movement in cash and cash equivalents
 
 
At the beginning of the period
286,198
416,445
Effect of exchange rate changes
2,161
(10,206)
Increase in cash and cash equivalents
242,384
265,578
At March 31,
530,743
671,817
   
 
 
At March 31,
Cash and cash equivalents
2016
2015
Cash and bank deposits
531,762
675,619
Bank overdrafts
(1,019)
(3,802)
 
530,743
671,817