T AT&T Inc

 

	SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
	Washington, D.C. 20549
(Mark One)
	FORM 11-K
☒	ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
	For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016
	OR
☐	TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
	For the transition period from                  to
	Commission File Number:1-8610
	A. Full title of the plan and the address of the plan, if different from that of the issuer named below:
	AT&T PUERTO RICO RETIREMENT SAVINGS PLAN
	B. Name of issuer of the securities held pursuant to the plan and the address of its principal executive office:
	AT&T INC.
	208 S. Akard, Dallas, Texas 75202

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Each participant is entitled to exercise voting rights attributable to the AT&T shares allocated to their account and is notified by the Company prior to the time that such rights may be exercised. Subject to the fiduciary provisions of ERISA, the trustee will not vote any allocated shares for which instructions have not been given by the participant. The trustee votes any unallocated shares in the same proportion as it votes those shares that were allocated to the extent the proportionate vote is consistent with the trustee's fiduciary obligation under ERISA. Participants have the same voting rights in the event of a tender or exchange offer.

Although it has not expressed any intent to do so, AT&T has the right under the Plans to discontinue its contributions at any time and to terminate the Plans subject to the provisions of ERISA. In the event that the Plans are terminated, subject to the conditions set forth by ERISA, the account balances of all participants shall be 100% vested.

Administrative and Operating Expenses; Investment Manager Fees  Except to the extent paid by the Company, all expenses incident to the administration and operation of the Plans are charged to participants, either directly to their accounts or through the investment funds offered under the Group Trust or AT&T Master Trust, in accordance with administrative procedures established by the plan administrator.  Investment manager fees are charged through the investment funds.  Expenses charged directly to participant accounts (e.g., recordkeeping, communications fees) are reflected as a periodic fee on the participant account statements.  In addition, expenses and fees with respect to certain transactions and services (e.g., plan loan initiation fees) are charged directly to participants who incur them rather than to the Plans as a whole.

Subsequent Events Effective April 17, 2017, the Company merged the DIRECTV Puerto Rico 401(k) Plan into the ARSP-PR. As a result of the merger, net assets in the amount of $6,623 were transferred into the ARSP-PR in April 2017. All provisions of the ARSP-PR will remain the same.

Effective April 17, 2017, the Company merged the Quickplay 401(k) Plan into the ARSP. As a result of the merger, net assets in the amount of $2,414 were transferred into the ARSP in April 2017. All provisions of the ARSP will remain the same.

NOTE 2. ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The accompanying financial statements were prepared in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), which require management to make estimates that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Distributions are recorded when paid.

Investment Valuation and Income Recognition   Investments are stated at fair value except those investments that are fully benefit-responsive investments which are stated at contract value. Fair value is the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. See Note 3 for discussion of fair value measurements. Investments in securities traded on a national securities exchange are valued at the last reported sales price on the last business day of the year. If no sale was reported on that date, they are valued at the last reported bid price. Shares of registered investment companies (i.e. mutual funds) are valued based on quoted market prices, which represent the net asset value of shares held at year-end.

 

Common/collective trust funds and 103-12 investment entities (i.e. an investment entity that holds the assets of two or more plans which are not members of a related group or employee benefit plan) are valued at quoted redemption values that represent the net asset values of units held at year-end. Publicly traded partnerships are valued using trades on a national securities exchange based on the last reported sales price on the last business day of the year.

Investment contracts held by a defined contribution plan are required to be reported at contract value. Contract value is the relevant measurement attribute for that portion of the net assets available for benefits of a defined contribution plan attributable to fully benefit-responsive investment contracts because contract value is the amount participants would receive if they were to initiate permitted transactions under the terms of the Plans. The Group Trust invests in fully benefit-responsive and synthetic guaranteed investment contracts (Synthetic GICs). The underlying investments of the Synthetic GICs are owned by the Group Trust and are comprised of corporate bonds and notes, registered investment companies and government securities. The contract value of the fully benefit-responsive investment contracts represents contributions plus earnings, less participant withdrawals and administrative expenses.

Purchases and sales of securities are reflected as of the trade date. Dividend income is recognized on the ex-dividend date. Interest earned on investments is recognized on the accrual basis.

Notes Receivable from Participants Notes receivable from participants represent participant loans that are recorded at their unpaid principal balance plus any accrued, but unpaid interest. Interest income on notes receivable from participants is recorded when it is earned. Related fees are recorded as administrative expenses and are expensed when they are incurred. No allowance for credit losses has been recorded as of December 31, 2016 or 2015. If a participant ceases to make loan repayments and the plan administrator deems the participant loan to be a distribution, the participant loan balance is reduced and a distribution is recorded.

Recent Accounting Standards

In February 2017, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2017-06, "Employee Benefit Plan Master Trust Reporting" (ASU 2017-06). ASU 2017-06 requires plans to report interests in a master trust and changes in the value of that interest as separate line items on the plan's financial statements. The plans must also disclose the master trust's investments by general type as well as other assets and liabilities and disclose the dollar amount of the plan's interest in each category disclosed. The new standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, with retrospective application. Early adoption is permitted. Management is currently evaluating this updated guidance.

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The Plans held investments in the AT&T Master Trust (for certain investment fund options as disclosed in Note 1), and the AT&T Master Trust held an investment in the Group Trust as of December 31, 2016 and 2015, and for the year ended December 31, 2016.

AT&T Savings Plan Master Trust Investments

AT&T established the AT&T Master Trust to manage assets of pooled investment options among various AT&T sponsored employee benefit plans.

Each participating plan's interest in the investment fund options (i.e., separate accounts) of the AT&T Master Trust is based on account balances of the participants and their elected investment fund options. The AT&T Master Trust assets are allocated among the participating plans by assigning to each plan those transactions (primarily contributions, benefit payments, and expenses) that can be specifically identified, and by allocating investment income and administrative expenses related to the AT&T Master Trust on a daily basis based on each participant's account balance within each investment fund option.

The participating plans and ownership percentages of the AT&T Master Trust are listed below:

 

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Notes to Financial Statements (Continued)

(Dollars in Thousands)

The Plans' percentage interest in each of the investment fund options within the AT&T Master Trust at December 31, 2015 is disclosed below:

The financial position of the AT&T Master Trust was as follows:

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Notes to Financial Statements (Continued)

(Dollars in Thousands)

The following tables set forth by level, within the fair value hierarchy, the AT&T Master Trust's assets at fair value, excluding its investment in the Group Trust:

 

² This category includes a common/collective trust fund with an objective of providing investment results that approximate the overall performance of the common stocks included in the Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Index. There are currently no redemption restrictions on this investment.

³ This category includes a common/collective trust fund with an objective of providing investment results that approximate the overall performance of the common stocks included in the Standard and Poor's Composite Stock Price Index of 500 stocks (the S&P 500®). There are currently no redemption restrictions on this investment.

⁴ This category includes a common/collective trust fund with an objective of providing investment results that approximate the overall performance of the common stocks included in the Dow Jones Wilshire 4500 Index. There are currently no redemption restrictions on this investment.

⁵ This category includes a common/collective trust fund with an objective of providing investment results that approximate the overall performance of the common stocks included in the All Country World Index ex U.S. Index. Except for a short-term trading fee applicable to certain participant transactions, there are currently no redemption restrictions on this investment.

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AT&T established the Group Trust to manage assets of pooled investment options among various AT&T sponsored employee benefit trusts. Each participating trust's interest in the investment fund options (i.e., separate accounts) of the Group Trust is based on account balances of the participants and their elected investment fund options. The Group Trust assets are allocated among the participating plans by assigning to each trust those transactions (primarily contributions, distributions, and expenses) that can be specifically identified and by allocating investment income and administrative expenses to the individual plans on a daily basis based on each participant's account balance within each investment fund option.

The participating entities and ownership percentages of the Group Trust are listed below:

Notes to Financial Statements (Continued)

(Dollars in Thousands)

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Notes to Financial Statements (Continued)

(Dollars in Thousands)

The following table sets forth by level, within the fair value hierarchy, the Group Trust's assets at fair value as of December 31, 2015:

⁴ These are non-publically traded registered investment companies, consisting of a short-term floating rate portfolio plus publically-traded high-yield and asset-backed fixed income securities. The fair value of the investments in this group have been estimated using the net asset values reported by the fund manager. These funds are utilized on a discretionary basis as part of a broad fixed income mandate. These are open-ended funds, with no final termination dates.

 

Derivative Financial Instruments

In the normal course of operations, Group Trust assets and liabilities held in the AT&T Stable Value Fund (Stable Value Fund) may include derivative financial instruments (futures and foreign currency forward contracts). These instruments involve, in varying degrees, elements of credit and market volatility risks in excess of more traditional investment holdings such as equity and debt instruments. The contract or notional amounts disclosed provide a measure of the Group Trust's involvement in such instruments but are not indicative of potential loss. The intent is to use derivative financial instruments as an economic hedge to manage market volatility and foreign currency exchange rate risk associated with the Stable Value Fund's investment assets. The Group Trust's fiduciaries do not anticipate any material adverse effect on the Group Trust's financial position resulting from its involvement in these instruments.

Notes to Financial Statements (Continued)

(Dollars in Thousands)

The following table presents the effect of gains (losses) with respect to these derivative instruments, by type of derivative. The gains (losses) are located on the Statement of Changes in Net Assets Available for Benefits as Net Income from Investment in AT&T Savings Plan Master Trust to the extent of the Plans' ownership in the AT&T Master Trust.

The primary risk managed by the Group Trust using futures contracts is the price risk associated with investments. On behalf of the AT&T Master Trust, investment managers for the Group Trust enter into various futures contracts to economically hedge investments in domestic securities. These contracts, which are considered derivatives under ASC Topic 815, Derivatives and Hedging are agreements between two parties to buy or sell a security or financial interest at a set price on a future date and are standardized and exchange-traded. Upon entering into such a contract on behalf of the Group Trust, the investment manager is required to pledge to the broker an amount of cash or securities equal to the minimum "initial margin" requirements of the exchange on which the contract is traded. Pursuant to the contract, the investment manager agrees to receive from or pay to the broker an amount of cash equal to the daily fluctuation in the value of the contract. Such receipts or payments are known as variation margin and are recorded on a daily basis by the trustee as a realized gain or loss equal to the difference in the value of the contract between daily closing prices. Upon entering into such contracts, the Group Trust bears the risk of interest or exchange rates or securities prices moving unexpectedly, in which case, the Group Trust may not achieve the anticipated benefits of the futures contracts and may realize a loss. With futures, there is minimal counterparty credit risk to the Group Trust since futures are exchange traded and the exchange's clearinghouse, as counterparty to all exchange traded futures, guarantees the futures against default. The investments in the Group Trust are subject to equity price risk and interest rate risk, in the normal course of pursuing its investment objectives. The U.S. interest rate futures held in the portfolio as of December 31, 2016 and 2015 were used primarily to hedge and manage the duration risk of the portfolio.

The fair value of the open futures contracts is separately disclosed in the detail of the Group Trust investments presented below and are included in the Statement of Net Assets Available for Benefits to the extent of the Plans' ownership in the AT&T Master Trust.

Notes to Financial Statements (Continued)

(Dollars in Thousands)

At December 31, 2016, open futures contracts held in the Group Trust were as follows:

Notes to Financial Statements (Continued)

(Dollars in Thousands)

At December 31, 2015, open futures contracts held in the Group Trust were as follows:

Foreign Currency Contracts

The primary risks managed by the Group Trust using foreign currency forward contracts is the foreign currency exchange rate risk associated with the Group Trust's investments denominated in foreign currencies. On behalf of the AT&T Master Trust, investment managers for the Group Trust enter into forward foreign currency contracts, which are agreements to exchange foreign currencies at a specified future date at a specified rate, the terms of which are not standardized on an exchange. These contracts are intended to minimize the effect of currency fluctuations on the performance of investments denominated in foreign currencies. Although in some cases, forward foreign currency contracts are used to express a view on the direction of a particular currency, risk arises both from the possible inability of the counterparties to meet the terms of the contracts (credit risk) and from movement in foreign currency exchange rates (market risk). Foreign currency forward contracts are entered into with major banks to minimize credit risk, and accordingly, no credit reserve has been established against these amounts.

The contracts are recorded at fair value on the date the contract is entered into, which is typically zero. The fair value of the foreign currency contracts are disclosed in unsettled trades and other of the Group Trust and are included in the Statement of Net Assets Available for Benefits to the extent of the Plans' ownership in the AT&T Master Trust.

As of December 31, 2016 and 2015, the contracts held by the Group Trust were:

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The Stable Value Fund consists of fully benefit-responsive investment contracts with various financial institutions and insurance companies which can be accounted for by the Plans at contract value. Generally contract value represents contributions made under the contract, plus earnings, less participant withdrawals and administrative expenses.

The investments held by the Stable Value Fund as of December 31, 2016 include Synthetic GICs which are fully benefit-responsive investment contracts. Synthetic GICs are constructed by combining a stable value insurance wrapper contract and a fixed income portfolio. The assets supporting the Synthetic GICs are owned by the Group Trust and generally consist of high quality fixed income securities.

Traditional Guaranteed Investment Contracts ("Traditional GICs" also known as "General Account GICs") are issued by insurance companies and typically pay a guaranteed fixed or floating rate of interest over the life of the contract with a repayment of principal at maturity. A Synthetic GIC is similar to a Traditional GIC but has unbundled the insurance and investment components of the Traditional GIC.

Wrapper contracts are typically issued by a bank or insurance company, and seek to provide preservation of principal by permitting daily liquidity at contract value for participant directed transactions, in accordance with the provisions of the Plans. Wrapper contracts amortize the realized and unrealized gains and losses on the underlying fixed income investments through adjustments to the future interest crediting rate of the contract. Wrapper contracts typically contain contractual provisions that prevent the interest crediting rate from falling below zero.

Investment Risk

Additionally, the Group Trust invests in securities with contractual cash flows, such as asset backed securities, collateralized mortgage obligations and commercial mortgage-backed securities. The value, liquidity and related income of these securities are sensitive to changes in economic conditions, including real estate value, delinquencies or defaults, or both, and may be adversely affected by shifts in the market's perception of the issuers and changes in interest rates.

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DIRECTV Savings Plan Master Trust

The DIRECTV Master Trust was transferred to the Plan upon the merger of the DIRECTV 401(k) Plan into the Plan on December 31, 2016. The DIRECTV Master Trust was created pursuant to a trust agreement between DIRECTV and State Street, as trustee of the funds, to permit the commingling of plan assets for investment and administrative purposes. As of December 31, 2016, ARSP was the only plan in the DIRECTV Master Trust. The assets of the DIRECTV Master Trust are held by State Street. The DIRECTV Master Trust was subsequently merged into the AT&T Master Trust in January 2017. (See Note 1)

The following tables summarize the net assets and net investment income of the DIRECTV Master Trust.

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The following table sets forth by level within the fair value hierarchy a summary of the DIRECTV Master Trust's investments measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2016:

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The fair values of participation units held in collective trusts are based on the net asset values reported by the fund managers as of the Plan's financial statement dates and recent transaction prices. Each collective trust provides for daily redemptions by the Plan at reported net asset values per share, with no advance notification requirement.

NOTE 5. PARTIES IN INTEREST TRANSACTIONS

NOTE 6. TAX STATUS

NOTE 7. RECONCILIATION OF FINANCIAL STATEMENTS TO FORM 5500

The following is a reconciliation of Net Assets Available for Benefits per the ARSP financial statements to the Form 5500 as of December 31, 2016:

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