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Tenaris SA (TS) Risk Analysis
Risk Overview Q4, 2023
Source: the company's latest filing for the period ended Dec 31, 2023, filed Mar 27, 2024
Risk Change Over Time
- Manufacturing - Risk 1Disruptions to our manufacturing processes could adversely impact our operations, affect customer service levels or our reputation, or expose us to liability and, consequently, adversely affect our financial results
Our steel pipe manufacturing processes depend on the operation of critical steelmaking equipment, such as electric arc furnaces ("EAF"), continuous casters, rolling mills, heat treatment and various operations that support them, such as our power generation facilities. Despite the investments we make to maintain critical production equipment, such equipment may incur downtime as a result of unanticipated failures or other events, such as fires, explosions, floods, earthquakes, accidents and severe weather conditions. Similarly, natural disasters or severe weather conditions, including those related to climate change, could significantly damage our production facilities and general infrastructure or affect the normal course of business. For example, our Mexican production facility located in Veracruz is located in a region prone to earthquakes, and our Bay City facility in Texas, United States is located in an area prone to strong winds and hurricanes, and occasional floods. More generally, changing weather patterns and climatic conditions in recent years have added to the unpredictability and frequency of natural disasters. For more information on the risks associated with climate-change, see "Key Information – Risk Factors – Risks Relating to Our Business and Industry – The physical risks resulting from climate change, including extreme weather conditions and shifts in weather patterns, have in the past and may in the future adversely affect our operations and financial results". Our operations may also be adversely affected as a result of work stoppages or other labor conflicts. In the past, our operations in Mexico were disrupted due to union-led stoppages resulting from an internal dispute within the local union. Although our Mexican operations have not experienced any further disruptions caused by employee stoppages since 2020, we cannot assure that further disruptions will not occur in the future. In addition, in some of the countries in which we have significant production facilities (e.g., Argentina and Brazil), significant inflationary pressures and higher tax burdens could increase labor demands and could eventually generate higher levels of labor conflicts, which may result in operational disruptions. In addition, epidemics and other public health crises may disrupt our operations, as was the case during 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak when some of our facilities or production lines were closed or shutdown. Some of the previously described emergency situations could result, and in some cases have resulted, in damage to property, delays in production or shipments and death or injury to persons. Any of the foregoing could expose us to liability and affect our reputation. To the extent that lost production or delays in shipments cannot be compensated for by unaffected facilities, such events could have an adverse effect on our profitability and financial condition. Additionally, we do not carry business interruption insurance, and the insurance we maintain for property damage and general liability may not be adequate or available to protect us under such events, its coverage may be limited, or the amount of our insurance may be less than the related loss. For more information on our insurance coverage, see "Information on the Company – Business overview – Insurance".
Risk Highlights Q4, 2023
Risk Word Cloud
Risk Factors Full Breakdown - Total Risks 26
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1It may be difficult to obtain or enforce judgments against the Company outside Luxembourg
The Company is a société anonyme organized under the laws of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, and most of its assets are located in other jurisdictions. Furthermore, most of the Company's directors and officers reside in other jurisdictions. As a result, investors may not be able to effect service of process upon the Company or its directors or officers. Investors may also not be able to enforce against the Company or its directors or officers in the investors' domestic courts, judgments predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the domestic laws of the investors' home countries. Likewise, it may be difficult for investors not domiciled in Luxembourg to bring an original action in a Luxembourg court predicated upon the civil liability provisions of other securities laws, including U.S. federal securities laws, against the Company, its directors or its officers. There is also uncertainty with regard to the enforceability of original actions of civil liabilities predicated upon the civil liability provisions of securities laws, including U.S. federal securities laws, outside the jurisdiction where such judgments have been rendered; and enforceability will be subject to compliance with procedural requirements under applicable local law, including the condition that the judgment does not violate the public policy of the applicable jurisdiction.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2Holders of shares and ADSs in the United States may not be able to exercise preemptive rights in certain cases
Pursuant to Luxembourg corporate law, existing shareholders of the Company are generally entitled to preferential subscription rights (preemptive rights) in the event of capital increases and issues of shares against cash contributions. Under the Company's articles of association, the board of directors has been authorized to waive, limit or suppress such preemptive subscription rights. Notwithstanding the waiver of any preemptive subscription rights, any issuance of shares for cash within the limits of the authorized share capital shall be subject to the preemptive subscription rights of existing shareholders, except (i) any issuance of shares (including without limitation, the direct issuance of shares or upon the exercise of options, rights convertible into shares, or similar instruments convertible or exchangeable into shares) against a contribution other than in cash; and (ii) any issuance of shares (including by way of free shares or at discount), up to an amount of 1.5% of the issued share capital of the Company, to directors, officers, agents, employees of the Company, its direct or indirect subsidiaries or its affiliates (or, collectively, the beneficiaries), including without limitation, the direct issuance of shares or upon the exercise of options, rights convertible into shares or similar instruments convertible or exchangeable into shares, issued for the purpose of compensation or incentive of the beneficiaries or in relation thereto (which the board of directors shall be authorized to issue upon such terms and conditions as it deems fit). For further details, see "Corporate Governance Statement – Corporate Governance". Holders of ADSs in the United States may, in any event, not be able to exercise any preemptive rights, if granted, for shares underlying their ADSs unless additional shares and ADSs are registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, ("Securities Act"), with respect to those rights, or an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act is available. The Company intends to evaluate, at the time of any rights offering, the costs and potential liabilities associated with the exercise by holders of shares and ADSs of the preemptive rights for shares, and any other factors it considers appropriate at the time, and then to make a decision as to whether to register additional shares. The Company may decide not to register any additional shares, requiring a sale by the Depositary of the holders' rights and a distribution of the proceeds thereof. Should the Depositary not be permitted or otherwise be unable to sell preemptive rights, the rights may be allowed to lapse with no consideration to be received by the holders of the ADSs.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 3Holders of ADSs may not be able to exercise, or may encounter difficulties in the exercise of, certain rights afforded to shareholders
Certain shareholders' rights under Luxembourg law, including the rights to participate and vote at general meetings of shareholders, to include items on the agenda for the general meetings of shareholders, to receive dividends and distributions, to bring actions, to examine our books and records and to exercise appraisal rights may not be available to holders of ADSs, or may be subject to restrictions and special procedures for their exercise, as holders of ADSs only have those rights that are expressly granted to them in the deposit agreement. Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas, as depositary under the ADS deposit agreement, or the Depositary, through its custodian agent, is the registered shareholder of the deposited shares underlying the ADSs, and therefore only the Depositary can exercise the shareholders' rights in connection with the deposited shares. For example, if the Company makes a distribution in the form of securities, the Depositary is allowed, at its discretion, to sell the right to acquire those securities on your behalf and to instead distribute the net proceeds to you. Also, under certain circumstances, such as the Company's failure to provide the Depositary with voting materials on a timely basis, you may not be able to vote at general meetings of shareholders by giving instructions to the Depositary. If the Depositary does not receive voting instructions from the holder of ADSs by the prescribed deadline, or the instructions are not in proper form, then the Depositary shall deem such holder of ADSs to have instructed the Depositary to vote the underlying shares represented by ADSs in favor of any proposals or recommendations of the Company (including any recommendation by the Company to vote such underlying shares on any given issue in accordance with the majority shareholder vote on that issue), for which purposes the Depositary shall issue a proxy to a person appointed by the Company to vote such underlying shares represented by ADSs in favor of any proposals or recommendations of the Company. Under the ADS deposit agreement, no instruction shall be deemed given and no proxy shall be given with respect to any matter as to which the Company informs the Depositary that (i) it does not wish such proxy given, (ii) it has knowledge that substantial opposition exists with respect to the action to be taken at the meeting, or (iii) the matter materially and adversely affects the rights of the holders of ADSs.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 4Holders of shares or ADSs may not have access to as much information about the Company as they would in the case of a U.S. domestic issuer
There may be less publicly available information about the Company than is regularly published by or about U.S. domestic issuers. Also, corporate and securities regulations governing Luxembourg companies may not be as extensive as those in effect in other jurisdictions and U.S. securities regulations applicable to foreign private issuers, such as the Company, differ in certain respects from those applicable to U.S. domestic issuers. Furthermore, IFRS, the accounting standards in accordance with which the Company prepares its consolidated financial statements, differ in certain material aspects from U.S. GAAP. For a summary of the significant ways in which the Company's corporate governance practices differ from the corporate governance standards required for domestic companies by the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE"), see "Corporate Governance Statement – Summary of differences with NYSE standards".
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 5The Company's controlling shareholder may be able to take actions that do not reflect the will or best interests of other shareholders
As of December 31, 2023, San Faustin beneficially owned 60.45% of the Company's issued share capital. San Faustin's share percentage ownership will increase if the cancellation of the shares repurchased by the Company under its share buyback program is approved at the upcoming extraordinary general meeting of shareholders, scheduled to be held on April 30, 2024. Rocca & Partners Stichting Administratiekantoor Aandelen San Faustin ("RP STAK") holds voting rights in San Faustin sufficient to control San Faustin. As a result, RP STAK is indirectly able to elect a substantial majority of the members of the Company's board of directors and has the power to determine the outcome of most actions requiring shareholder approval, including, subject to the requirements of Luxembourg law, the payment of dividends. The decisions of the controlling shareholder may not reflect the will or best interest of other shareholders. In addition, the Company's articles of association permit the Company's board of directors to waive, limit or suppress preemptive rights in certain cases. Accordingly, the Company's controlling shareholder may cause its board of directors to approve in certain cases an issuance of shares for consideration without preemptive rights, thereby diluting the minority interest in the Company. See "Key Information – Risk Factors – Risks Relating to shares and ADSs – Holders of shares and ADSs in the United States may not be able to exercise preemptive rights in certain cases".
See a full breakdown of risk according to category and subcategory. The list starts with the category with the most risk. Click on subcategories to read relevant extracts from the most recent report.
