MDU US Equity☆

Item 1A. Risk Factors

The Company's business and financial results are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including those set forth below and in other documents filed with the SEC. The factors and other matters discussed herein are important factors that could cause actual results or outcomes for the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements included elsewhere in this document. If any of the risks described below actually occur, the Company's business, prospects, financial condition or financial results could be materially harmed. The following are the most material risk factors applicable to the Company and are not necessarily listed in order of importance or probability of occurrence.

Economic Risks

The Company is subject to government regulations that may have a negative impact on its business and its results of operations and cash flows.

The Company's businesses are subject to comprehensive regulation by federal, state and local regulatory agencies with respect to, among other things, allowed rates of return and recovery of investments and costs; financing; rate structures; customer service; health care coverage and costs; taxes; franchises; recovery of fuel, purchased power and purchased natural gas costs; carbon compliance obligations costs; and construction and siting of generation, distribution and transmission facilities. These governmental regulations significantly influence the Company's operating environment and may, among other things, affect its ability to recover costs from its customers. The Company is unable to predict the impact on operating results from future regulatory activities of any of these agencies. Changes in regulations or the imposition of additional regulations could also have an adverse impact on the Company's results of operations and cash flows.

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In the normal course of business, the Company often places assets in service and establishes historical test periods before rate cases that seek to adjust customer rates and the Company's allowed rate of return to recover those investments can be filed for. The rate case review policy varies by jurisdiction in which the Company operates and is as long as eleven months in certain states. Because of this process, the Company could have assets placed in service without the benefit of rate relief, commonly referred to as regulatory lag. In certain jurisdictions, regulatory authorities have approved various infrastructure and annual rate adjustment mechanisms to effectively reduce regulatory lag inherent in the rate making process. Regulatory lag could significantly increase if the regulatory authorities modify or terminate these rate mechanisms. There can be no assurance that applicable regulatory commissions will determine that the Company's costs have been prudent, which could result in the disallowance of costs in setting rates for customers. Also, the regulatory process of approving rates for these businesses may not allow for timely and full recovery of the costs of providing services or a return on the Company's invested capital. Changes in regulatory requirements or operating conditions may require early retirement of certain assets. While regulation typically provides rate recovery for these retirements, there is no assurance regulators will allow full recovery of all remaining costs, which could leave stranded asset costs. Rising fuel costs could increase the risk that the utility businesses will not be able to fully recover those fuel costs from customers.

The utility operates under franchise agreements granted by municipalities, which allow the Company to access public rights-of-way and provide utility services within city boundaries. These agreements typically require renewal every set number of years and risks include items such as potential non-renewal and renegotiation which could result in less favorable terms, additional fees or new operational obligations. Failure to obtain or renew franchise agreements on acceptable terms could materially affect the Company's ability to serve its customers in those jurisdictions.

Economic volatility affects the Company's operations, as well as the demand for its services.

Economic conditions and population growth affect the electric and natural gas distribution businesses' growth in service territory, customer base and usage demand. Economic volatility in the markets served, along with economic conditions such as increased customer rates and unemployment which could impact the ability of the Company's customers to make payments, could adversely affect the Company's results of operations, cash flows and asset values. Further, any material decreases in customers' energy demand, for economic or other reasons, could have an adverse impact on the Company's earnings and results of operations.

Demand for energy from high volume customers may impact the Company's business.

The ability to serve significant new commercial or industrial customers, including data centers and significant pipeline projects, may require certain regulatory approvals, and the activities and related costs could be significant. The inability or delays in obtaining regulatory approvals or securing necessary infrastructure to support such projects, due to supply chain risk, operational risk, or other factors, may impact the Company's ability, or the cost, to provide energy to new customers. The contract rates may not fully recover the costs, the contracts may increase counterparty credit risk, and the costs to provide service may be higher than expected. The addition of high volume customers or multiple customers serving the same industry, such as data center load, may increase the concentration of sales and increase revenue and earnings volatility.

Additionally, demand for electricity associated with data center expansion could lead to an increase in demand for electric power in the MISO and in the Company's service territory, which could lead to an increase in generation capacity and grid infrastructure needed and could impact prices for customer energy purchased on the MISO market. Alternatively, this rapid expansion of data centers and resulting increase in demand for electric power may not develop as planned.

The Company's operations involve risks that may result from catastrophic events.

The Company's operations include a variety of inherent hazards and operating risks, such as product leaks; explosions; mechanical failures; vandalism; fires; wildfires; pandemics; social or civil unrest; protests and riots; natural disasters; cyberattacks; acts of terrorism; and acts of war. These hazards and operating risks may occur in the future, which could result in loss of human life; personal injury; property damage; environmental impacts; impairment of operations; and substantial financial losses. The Company maintains insurance against some, but not all, of these risks and losses. A significant incident could also increase regulatory scrutiny and result in penalties and higher amounts of capital expenditures and operational costs. Losses not fully covered by insurance could have an adverse effect on the Company’s financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

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A disruption of the regional electric transmission grid, local distribution infrastructure or interstate natural gas infrastructure could negatively impact the Company's business and reputation. There have been cyber and physical attacks within the energy industry on energy infrastructure, such as substations, and such attacks may occur in the future. Because the Company's electric and natural gas utility and pipeline systems are part of larger interconnecting systems, any attacks on the interconnected systems or the Company's infrastructure causing a disruption could result in a significant decrease in revenues and an increase in system repair costs negatively impacting the Company's financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

Liabilities from wildfires could have a negative impact on the Company's operations or financial performance, and the Company's protocols may not prevent such liability. The Company invests resources on initiatives designed to mitigate wildfire risks; however, the potential for a wildfire event exists even when effective mitigation procedures are followed. Despite the Company's wildfire mitigation initiatives, a wildfire could be ignited, spread and cause damages, which would subject the Company to significant liability. Other potential risks associated with wildfires include the inability to secure sufficient insurance coverage, uninsured losses or losses in excess of current insurance coverage, increased costs of insurance, damage to the Company's reputation, regulatory recovery risk, litigation risk, the potential for a credit downgrade or the inability to access capital markets on reasonable terms.

The Company’s insurance policies have limits and exclusions that may not fully mitigate losses, and an increase in cost, or the unavailability or cancellation of third-party insurance coverages, would increase the Company’s overall risk exposure.

The Company maintains insurance coverages from third party insurers as part of its overall risk management strategy and most of its contracts require the Company to maintain specific insurance coverage limits. The Company maintains insurance policies with respect to workers’ compensation, auto liability, general liability, excess liability, contractors pollution liability, legal liability, professional liability, directors and officers liability, employment practices liability, cyber policy, terrorism, property and other types of coverages, but these policies are subject to deductibles and the Company is self-insured up to the amount of those deductibles. Insurance losses are accrued based upon the Company's estimates of the ultimate liability for claims reported and an estimate of claims incurred but not yet reported. Insurance liabilities are difficult to assess and estimate due to unknown factors, including the frequency and severity of injuries, the magnitude of damage to or loss of property or the environment, the determination of the Company's liability in proportion to other parties, estimates of incidents not reported and the effectiveness of the Company's safety programs, and as a result, the Company's actual losses may exceed its estimates. There can be no assurance that the Company's current or past insurance coverages will be sufficient or effective under all circumstances or against all claims and liabilities, including claims resulting from wildfires or other natural disasters, to which the Company may be subject.

The Company generally renews its insurance policies on an annual basis; therefore, deductibles and levels of insurance coverages may change in future periods. There can be no assurance that any of the Company's existing insurance coverages will be renewed upon the expiration of the coverage period or that future coverage will be available at reasonable and competitive rates or at the required limits. The cost of the Company's insurance has significantly increased over time and may continue to increase in the future. In addition, insurers may fail, cancel the Company's coverage, increase the cost of coverage, determine to exclude certain items from coverage, or otherwise be unable to provide the Company with adequate insurance coverage. The Company may not be able to obtain certain types of insurance or incremental levels of insurance in scope or amount sufficient to cover liabilities it may incur. For example, due to the increase in wildfire losses and related insurance claims, insurers have reduced coverage availability and increased the cost of insurance coverage for such events in recent years, and the Company's current levels of coverage may not be sufficient to cover potential losses. If the Company's risk exposure increases as a result of adverse changes in its insurance coverage, the Company could be subject to increased liabilities that could negatively affect its business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

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In addition, the Company performs work in hazardous environments and its employees are exposed to a number of hazards. Incidents can occur, regardless of fault, that may be catastrophic and adversely impact the Company's employees and third parties by causing serious personal injury, loss of life, damage to property or the environment, and interruption of operations. In locations or environments where claims have become more frequent or severe in recent years, insurance may become difficult or impossible to obtain. The Company's contracts may require it to indemnify other parties for injury, damage or loss arising out of the Company's presence at its customers’ location, or in the performance of the Company's work, in both cases regardless of fault, and provide for warranties of materials and workmanship. The Company also may be required to name other parties as an additional insured party under its insurance policies. The Company maintains limited insurance coverage against these and other risks associated with its business. This insurance may not protect the Company against liability for certain events, and the Company cannot guarantee that its insurance will be adequate in risk coverage or policy limits to cover all losses or liabilities that it may incur. Any future damages caused by the Company's services that are not covered by insurance or are in excess of policy limits could negatively affect its business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

The Company is subject to capital market, debt, and interest rate risks and may be unable to obtain the financing required at acceptable terms, or at all.

The Company's operations and growth plans require significant capital investment. Consequently, the timing, magnitude, and sources of capital required may exceed cash flows from operations and, as such, the Company relies on financing sources and capital markets as sources of liquidity for capital requirements and may require non-traditional financing sources, such as partnerships. If the Company is not able to access capital at competitive rates, the ability to implement business plans, make capital expenditures or pursue acquisitions the Company would otherwise rely on for future growth may be adversely affected. Market disruptions may increase the cost of borrowing or adversely affect the Company's ability to access one or more financial markets. Such disruptions could include items such as a significant economic downturn, the financial distress of unrelated industry leaders in the same line of business, the deterioration of capital market conditions, turmoil in the financial services industry, volatility in commodity prices, increased trade tariffs and trade disputes with other countries, supply chain weaknesses, pandemics, natural disasters, war, terrorist attacks and cyberattacks.

The Company’s inability to generate sufficient cash flow to satisfy or refinance its debt obligations could adversely affect its business, financial condition, results of operations, and other corporate requirements. This could require the Company to direct a substantial portion of its future cash flow toward payments on its indebtedness, which would reduce the amount of cash flow available to fund working capital, capital expenditures, and other corporate requirements, thereby limiting its ability to respond to business opportunities.

If the Company does not comply with its financial covenants and does not obtain a waiver or amendment from its lenders, the lenders may elect to cause any amounts then owed to become immediately due and payable, not fund any new borrowing, or they may decline to renew the Company’s credit facility. In that event, the Company would seek to establish a replacement credit facility with one or more other lenders, including lenders with which it has an existing relationship, potentially on less desirable terms. There can be no guarantee that replacement financing would be available at commercially reasonable terms, if at all. Higher interest rates on borrowings have impacted and could further impact the Company's future operating results.

The issuance of a substantial amount of the Company's common stock, whether issued in connection with an acquisition or otherwise, would have a dilutive effect on stockholders, and such an issuance, or perception that such an issuance may occur, could adversely affect the market price of the Company's common stock.

Significant changes in prices for commodities, labor, or other production and delivery inputs and other environmental compliance costs could negatively affect the Company's businesses.

The Company's operations are exposed to fluctuations in prices for labor, petroleum products, raw materials and services, pipeline transportation charges, and costs of credits for carbon allowance programs. Prices are generally subject to change in response to fluctuations in supply and demand and other general economic and market conditions beyond the Company's control.

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Fluctuations in oil and natural gas production, supplies and prices; fluctuations in commodity price basis differentials; political and economic conditions in oil-producing countries; actions of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries; demand for oil due to economic conditions; war and other external factors impact the development of oil and natural gas supplies and the expansion and operation of natural gas pipeline systems. The Company has benefited from associated natural gas production in the Bakken, which has provided opportunities for organic growth projects. Depressed oil and natural gas prices; however, place pressure on the ability of oil exploration and production companies to meet credit requirements and can be a challenge if prices remain depressed long-term. Prolonged depressed prices for oil and natural gas could negatively affect the growth, results of operations, cash flows and asset values of the Company's electric, natural gas and pipeline businesses.

If oil and natural gas prices increase significantly, which has occurred and may reoccur, customer demand could decline for utility and pipeline services, which could impact the Company's results of operations and cash flows. While the Company has fuel clause recovery mechanisms for its utility operations in all of the states where it operates, higher utility fuel costs could also significantly impact results of operations if such costs are not recovered. Delays in the collection of utility fuel cost recoveries, as compared to expenditures for fuel purchases, could also negatively impact the Company's cash flows.

Increased labor costs, due to labor shortages, competition from other industries, or other factors, could negatively affect the Company's results of operations.

In 2025, 2024 and 2023, the Company experienced elevated commodity and supply chain costs at varying degrees over the 3-year timeframe, including the costs of labor, raw materials, energy-related products and other inputs used for constructing the facilities the Company uses to provide its services.

If environmental compliance costs increase significantly, customer demand could decline for the natural gas distribution segment, which could impact the Company’s results of operations and cash flows. While the Company has environmental compliance recovery mechanisms, higher costs could also significantly impact results of operations if such costs are not recovered. Delays in the collection of environmental compliance costs, as compared to expenditures for environmental compliance costs, could also negatively impact the Company’s cash flows.

The Company's operations could be negatively impacted by import tariffs, changes in trade policy, and/or other government mandates.

The Company operates in or provides services to capital intensive industries in which federal trade policies could significantly impact the availability and cost of materials. Imposed and proposed tariffs could significantly increase the prices and delivery lead times on raw materials and finished products that are critical to the Company and its customers. Prolonged lead times on the delivery of raw materials and further tariff increases on raw materials and finished products could adversely affect the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations.

The United States government has implemented changes, and may do so again, to trade policy and introduced tariffs on a range of products from certain countries, in addition to applying baseline tariffs on imports from most countries. These actions have created uncertainty in global markets and have increased and may continue to increase the cost of raw materials, commodities, supplies and equipment purchased by the Company. Additionally, the tariff and trade policy changes could cause supply chain disruptions and delays in sourcing materials and equipment which could delay large capital projects and negatively impact the Company's financial condition and results of operations. If the Company's regulators do not determine the increased costs are prudent, or otherwise disallow certain costs, it could impact the Company's ability to recover the cost increases through rates or on a timely basis, which could adversely affect the Company's financial condition and results of operations.

Reductions in the Company's credit ratings or inability to obtain a credit rating could increase financing costs.

There is no assurance the Company's current credit ratings, or those of its subsidiaries, will remain in effect or that a rating will not be lowered or withdrawn by a rating agency. Events affecting the Company's, including its subsidiaries', financial results may impact its cash flows and credit metrics, potentially resulting in a change in the Company's or its subsidiaries' credit ratings. The Company's or its subsidiaries' credit ratings may also change as a result of the differing methodologies or changes in the methodologies used by the rating agencies.

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Increasing costs associated with health care plans and changes in employment laws or regulations may adversely affect the Company's results of operations.

The Company's self-insured costs of health care benefits for eligible employees continues to increase. Increasing quantities of large individual health care claims and an overall increase in total health care claims could have an adverse impact on operating results, financial position and liquidity. Complying with any new legislation and regulation at both the federal and state levels related to health care, unemployment tax rates and workers' compensation rates, among others, could adversely affect the Company's results of operations as well as change the Company's benefit program and costs.

The Company is exposed to risk of loss resulting from the nonpayment and/or nonperformance by the Company's customers and counterparties.

If the Company's customers or counterparties experience financial difficulties, which has occurred and may reoccur in the future, the Company could experience difficulty in collecting receivables. Nonpayment and/or nonperformance by the Company's customers and counterparties, particularly customers and counterparties of the Company’s pipeline business, could have a negative impact on the Company's results of operations and cash flows. The Company could also have indirect credit risk from participating in energy markets such as MISO in which credit losses are socialized to all participants.

Changes in tax law and other regulations may negatively affect the Company's business.

Changes to federal, state and local tax laws have the ability to benefit or adversely affect the Company's earnings and customer costs. Significant changes to corporate tax rates could result in the impairment of deferred tax assets that are established based on existing law at the time of deferral. The electric business owns and operates renewable energy generating facilities. These facilities generate production tax credits used to reduce the Company's federal income tax liability. The amount of production tax credits earned depends on the date the qualifying generating facilities are placed in service and various operating and economic factors, including facility generation, transmission constraints, and wind production. These factors could impact the level of production tax credits. Regulation incorporates changes in tax law into the rate-setting process, which could create timing delays before the impact of changes are realized.

Financial market changes could impact the Company’s pension and postretirement benefit plans and obligations.

The Company has pension and postretirement defined benefit plans for some of its current and former employees. Assumptions regarding future costs, returns on investments, interest rates and other actuarial assumptions have a significant impact on the funding requirements and expense recorded relating to these plans. Adverse changes in economic indicators, such as consumer spending, inflation data, interest rate changes, political developments and threats of terrorism, among other things, can create volatility in the financial markets. These changes could impact the assumptions and negatively affect the value of assets held in the Company's pension and other postretirement benefit plans and may increase the amount and accelerate the timing of required funding contributions for those plans.

Operational Risks

Significant portions of the Company’s natural gas pipelines and power generation and transmission facilities are aging. The aging infrastructure may require significant additional maintenance or replacement that could adversely affect the Company’s results of operations.

Certain risks increase as the Company's energy delivery infrastructure ages, including breakdown or failure of equipment, pipeline leaks and fires developing from power lines, all of which have occurred and may reoccur in the future resulting in material costs. Aging infrastructure is more prone to failure, which increases maintenance costs, unplanned outages and the need to replace facilities. Even if properly maintained, reliability may ultimately deteriorate and negatively affect the Company’s ability to serve its customers, which could result in increased costs associated with regulatory oversight. The costs associated with compliance with PHMSA rules related to pipeline integrity and other similar programs, maintaining the aging infrastructure and capital expenditures for new or replacement infrastructure could cause rate volatility and/or regulatory lag in some jurisdictions. If, at the end of its life, the investment costs of a facility have not been fully recovered, the Company may be adversely affected if regulatory commissions do not allow such costs to be recovered in rates. Such impacts of aging infrastructure could adversely affect the Company’s results of operations and cash flows.

Additionally, hazards from aging infrastructure could result in serious injury, loss of human life, significant damage to property, environmental impacts and impairment of operations, which in turn could lead to substantial financial losses. The location of facilities near populated areas, including residential areas, business centers, industrial sites and other public gathering places, could increase the damages resulting from these risks. A major incident involving another natural gas system could lead to additional capital expenditures, increased regulation, and fines and penalties on natural gas utilities and pipelines. The occurrence of any of these events could adversely affect the Company’s results of operations, financial position and cash flows.

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The Company's utility and pipeline operations are subject to planning risks.

Most electric and natural gas utility investments, including natural gas transmission pipeline investments, are made with the intent of being used for decades. In particular, electric transmission and generation resources are planned well in advance of when they are placed into service based upon resource plans using assumptions over the planning horizon, including sales growth, commodity prices, equipment and construction costs, regulatory treatment, available technology and public policy. Public policy changes and technology advancements related to areas, such as energy efficient appliances and buildings, renewable and distributive electric generation and storage, carbon dioxide emissions, electric vehicle penetration, restrictions on or disallowance of new or existing services, and natural gas availability and cost may significantly impact the planning assumptions. Changes in critical planning assumptions may result in excess generation, transmission and distribution resources creating increased per customer costs and downward pressure on load growth. These changes could also result in a stranded investment if the Company is unable to fully recover the costs of its investments.

The Company could be subject to penalties, reputational harm, and operational changes if it violates mandatory reliability and security requirements.

The Company is subject to potentially adverse publicity as a result of the reliability of the Company’s services and how quickly the Company responds to certain outages. Adverse publicity could have a negative impact on the Company’s reputation as well as the way that state legislatures, utility commissions and other regulatory authorities view the Company and/or lead to less favorable legislative and regulatory outcomes or increased regulatory oversight. The imposition of any of the foregoing on the Company as a result of its actual or alleged failure to comply with reliability and security requirements could have a negative effect on the Company’s results of operations and financial condition.

The regulatory approval, permitting, construction, startup, and/or operation of pipelines, power generation and transmission facilities may involve unanticipated events, delays, and unrecoverable costs.

The construction, startup and operation of natural gas pipelines and electric power generation and transmission facilities involve many risks, which may include delays; breakdown or failure of equipment; inability to obtain or remain in compliance with required governmental permits and approvals; inability to obtain or renew easements; public opposition; inability to complete financing; inability to negotiate acceptable equipment acquisition, construction, fuel supply, off-take, transmission, transportation or other material agreements; contractor performance failures; changes in markets and market prices for power; cost increases and overruns; the risk of performance below expected levels of output or efficiency; the inability to obtain full cost recovery in regulated rates; and the inability to recover preliminary costs incurred prior to receiving regulatory approval. Such unanticipated events could negatively impact the Company's ability to execute on its capital plan, its business, and its results of operations and cash flows.

Operating or other costs required to comply with current or potential pipeline safety regulations and potential new regulations under various agencies could be significant. The regulations require verification of pipeline infrastructure records by pipeline owners and operators to confirm the maximum allowable operating pressure of certain lines. Increased emphasis on pipeline safety and increased regulatory scrutiny may result in penalties and higher costs of operations. If these costs are not fully recoverable from customers, they could have an adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations and cash flows.

Supply chain disruptions may adversely affect Company operations.

The Company relies on third-party vendors and manufacturers to supply many of the materials necessary for its operations. Global logistic disruptions have impacted the flow of materials and restricted global trade flows. Manufacturers are competing for a limited supply of key commodities and logistical capacity which has impacted lead times, pricing, supply and demand. Disruptions or delays in receiving materials; price increases from suppliers or manufacturers; or inability to source needed materials, which have occurred and could reoccur, could adversely affect the Company’s capital expenditure programs, growth plans, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.

Joint ownership of coal-fired generation facilities could impact the Company’s ability to manage changing regulations and economic conditions.

The Company has an ownership interest in three coal-fired electric generating facilities jointly with other co-owners who have varying ownership interests in the facilities. The Company’s ability to make determinations on changing environmental regulations and economic conditions may be impacted by its rights and obligations under the co-ownership agreements and related agreements. Such a determination could impact the Company’s ability to effectively manage these changing conditions to meet its strategic objectives and could adversely impact its financial condition, results of operations and liquidity.

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Environmental and Regulatory Risks

The Company's operations could be adversely impacted by severe weather and changing weather patterns.

Changing weather patterns and severe weather events, such as tornadoes, fires, rain, drought, ice and snowstorms, and high and low temperature extremes, occur in regions in which the Company operates and maintains infrastructure. Climate change could change the frequency and severity of these weather events, which may create physical and financial risks to the Company. Such risks could have an adverse effect on the Company's financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Severe weather events may damage or disrupt the Company's electric and natural gas transmission and distribution facilities, which could result in disruption of service and ability to meet customer demand and increase maintenance or capital costs to repair facilities and restore customer service. The cost of providing service could increase if the frequency of severe weather events increases because of climate change or otherwise. The Company may not recover all costs related to mitigating these physical risks.

Utility customers’ energy needs vary with weather conditions, primarily temperature and humidity. For residential customers, heating and cooling represent the largest energy use. To the extent weather conditions are affected by climate change, customers’ energy use could increase or decrease. Increased energy use by its utility customers due to weather may require the Company to invest in additional generating assets, transmission and other infrastructure to serve increased load. Decreased energy use due to weather may result in decreased revenues. Extreme weather conditions, such as uncommonly long periods of high or low ambient temperature in general require more system backup, adding to costs, and can contribute to increased system stress, including service interruptions. Weather conditions outside of the Company's service territory could also have an impact on revenues. The Company buys and sells electricity that might be generated outside its service territory, depending upon system needs and market opportunities. Extreme temperatures may create high energy demand and raise electricity prices, which could increase the cost of energy provided to customers.

Climate change may impact a region’s economic health, which could impact revenues at all of the Company's businesses. The Company's financial performance is tied to the health of the regional economies served. The Company provides natural gas and electric utility service for some states and communities that are economically affected by the agriculture industry. Increases in severe weather events or significant changes in temperature and precipitation patterns could adversely affect the agriculture industry and, correspondingly, the economies of the states and communities affected by that industry.

The insurance industry may be adversely affected by severe weather events, which may impact availability of insurance coverage, insurance premiums and insurance policy terms.

The Company may be subject to litigation related to climate change. Costs of such litigation could be significant, and an adverse outcome could require substantial capital expenditures, changes in operations and possible payment of penalties or damages, which could affect the Company's results of operations and cash flows if the costs are not recoverable in rates.

The price of energy also has an impact on the economic health of communities. The cost of additional regulatory requirements related to climate change, such as regulation of carbon dioxide emissions under the federal Clean Air Act, requirements to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy or credits, or other environmental regulation or taxes, could impact the availability of goods and the prices charged by suppliers, which would normally be borne by consumers through higher prices for energy and purchased goods, and could adversely impact economic conditions of areas served by the Company. To the extent financial markets view climate change and emissions of GHGs as a financial risk, this could negatively affect the Company's ability to access capital markets or result in less competitive terms and conditions.

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The Company's operations are subject to environmental laws and regulations that may increase costs of operations, impact or limit business plans, or expose the Company to environmental liabilities.

The Company is subject to environmental laws and regulations affecting many aspects of its operations, including air and water quality, wastewater discharge, the generation, transmission and disposal of solid waste and hazardous substances, and other environmental considerations. These laws and regulations can increase capital, operating and other costs; cause delays as a result of litigation and administrative proceedings; and create compliance, remediation, containment, monitoring and reporting obligations. Environmental laws and regulations can also require the Company to install pollution control equipment at its facilities, clean up spills and other contamination and correct environmental hazards, including payment of all or part of the cost to remediate sites where the Company's past activities, or the activities of other parties, caused environmental contamination. These laws and regulations generally require the Company to obtain and comply with a variety of environmental licenses, permits, inspections and other approvals and may cause the Company to shut down existing facilities due to difficulties in assuring compliance or where the cost of compliance makes operation of the facilities uneconomical. Although the Company strives to comply with all applicable environmental laws and regulations, public and private entities and private individuals may interpret the Company's legal or regulatory requirements differently and seek injunctive relief or other remedies against the Company. The Company cannot predict the outcome, financial or operational, of any such litigation or administrative proceedings.

Existing environmental laws and regulations may be revised and new laws and regulations seeking to protect the environment have been adopted such as the Climate Commitment Act in Washington and the Climate Protection Program Rule in Oregon, requiring natural gas distribution companies to reduce overall GHG emissions, and the EPA's Coal Combustion Residuals Rule, potentially requiring additional management and remediation of electric generation coal ash facilities, and other future rules may be adopted or become applicable to the Company. These laws and other regulations could require the Company to limit the use or output of certain facilities; restrict the use of certain fuels; prohibit or restrict new or existing services; replace certain fuels with renewable fuels; retire and replace certain facilities; install pollution controls; remediate environmental impacts; remove or reduce environmental hazards; or forego or limit the development of resources. Revised or new laws and regulations that increase compliance and disclosure costs and/or restrict operations, particularly if costs are not fully recoverable from customers, could adversely affect the Company's results of operations and cash flows.

Stakeholder actions and increased regulatory activity related to ESG matters, particularly climate change and reducing GHG emissions, could adversely impact the Company's operations, costs of or access to capital and impact or limit business plans.

The Company has faced and may continue to face stakeholder scrutiny related to ESG matters. Certain stakeholders of the Company, such as investors, customers, employees, and lenders, have increased their scrutiny of the impacts and social cost associated with ESG matters, including climate change and certain stakeholders may hold divergent opinions on these issues.

Certain states and customers are seeking cleaner energy sources and may demand alternatives to traditional energy sources. If state or customer sentiment shifts more rapidly than expected, the Company may face reduced demand for its existing services or be pressured to offer new low-carbon solutions. Decarbonization policies on building electrification initiatives could slow or reduce future customer additions in the Company's service territories. Jurisdictions pursuing aggressive GHG reduction strategies may adopt building codes or incentive structures that discourage new natural gas hookups, potentially impacting the Company's long-term growth assumptions. Concern that GHG emissions contribute to global climate change has led to international, federal, state and local legislative and regulatory proposals to reduce or mitigate the effects of GHG emissions. The Company may experience significant future costs associated with compliance of such legislative actions. The Company’s primary GHG emission is carbon dioxide from fossil fuels combustion at Montana-Dakota's electric generating facilities, particularly its jointly owned coal-fired facilities.

Treaties, legislation or regulations to reduce GHG emissions in response to climate change may be adopted and can affect the Company's operations by requiring additional energy conservation efforts or renewable energy sources, limiting emissions, imposing carbon taxes or other compliance costs; as well as other mandates that could significantly increase capital expenditures and operating costs or reduce demand for the Company's services. If the Company’s utility and pipeline operations do not receive timely and full recovery of GHG emission compliance costs from customers, then such costs could adversely impact the results of operations and cash flows. Significant reductions in demand for the Company's services as a result of increased costs or emissions limitations could also adversely impact the results of operations and cash flows.

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Due to the uncertain availability of technologies to control GHG emissions and the unknown obligations that potential GHG emission legislation or regulations may create, the Company cannot determine the potential financial impact on its operations. In addition, any increased focus on climate change and stricter regulatory requirements may result in the Company facing adverse reputational risks associated with certain of its operations producing GHG emissions. There have also been efforts to discourage the investment community from investing in equity and debt securities of companies engaged in fossil fuel related business and pressuring lenders to limit funding to such companies. Additionally, some insurance carriers have indicated an unwillingness to insure assets and operations related to certain fossil fuels. If the Company is unable to satisfy the climate-related expectations of certain stakeholders, the Company may suffer reputational harm, which may cause its stock price to decrease or difficulty in accessing the capital or insurance markets. Such efforts, if successfully directed at the Company, could increase the costs of or access to capital or insurance and interfere with business operations and ability to make capital expenditures.

Ownership of the Company's Common Stock Risks

Statutory, legal, and regulatory requirements may limit another party's ability to acquire the Company or impose conditions on an acquisition of or by the Company.

Approval from federal and state regulatory agencies would be needed for acquisition of the Company, as well as for certain acquisitions by the Company. The approval process could be lengthy and the outcome uncertain, which may deter potential acquirers from approaching the Company or impact the Company's ability to pursue acquisitions.

The Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation, bylaws, and Delaware law each contain provisions that may discourage or delay an acquisition of the Company, which could decrease the trading price of the Company’s common stock.

The Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation, bylaws, and Delaware law each contain provisions that are intended to deter coercive takeover practices and inadequate takeover bids by making such practices or bids more expensive to the acquirers and to encourage prospective acquirers to negotiate with the Company’s board of directors rather than attempt a hostile takeover of the Company. These provisions include rules regarding how stockholders may present proposals or nominate directors for election at stockholder meetings and the right of the Company’s board of directors to issue preferred stock without stockholder approval. In addition, Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law may discourage, delay, or prevent a change in control of the Company. Any delay or prevention of a change of control or change in management that stockholders might otherwise consider to be favorable could cause the market price of the Company’s common stock to decline.

The Company's stock price may be volatile and the value of its common stock may decline.

The market price of the Company’s common stock may be volatile and may fluctuate or decline as a result of a variety of factors, some of which are beyond its control, including without limitation actual or anticipated fluctuations in its financial condition or results of operations; variance in its financial performance from the expectations of securities analysts which may result in securities analysts issuing unfavorable research about the Company; changes in the Company’s projected operating and financial results; significant data breaches; material litigation; future sales of the Company’s common stock by the Company or its stockholders, or the perception that such sales may occur; changes in senior management or key personnel; the trading volume of the Company’s common stock; changes in the anticipated future size and growth rate of its service territories; and general macroeconomic, geopolitical, and market conditions beyond the Company’s control.

Broad market and industry fluctuations, as well as general economic, political, regulatory, and market conditions, such as recessions, or interest rate changes, may also negatively affect the market price of the Company’s common stock. In the past, companies that have experienced volatility in the market price of their securities have been subject to securities class action litigation. The Company may be the target of this type of litigation in the future, which could result in substantial expenses and divert management’s attention.

In addition, the Company enters into equity FSAs from time to time under which the Company may, at its election and subject to customary conditions, settle all or a portion of the agreements by physical delivery of shares of its common stock in exchange for cash proceeds, net share settlement, or cash settlement. Equity FSA's can expose the Company to risks associated with fluctuations in the market price of its common stock and certain forward-price adjustment factors, which may reduce the net proceeds the Company ultimately receives or increase its settlement obligation. These agreements also expose the Company to counterparty and timing risks and there can be no assurance that settling the agreements will ultimately prove to be beneficial to the Company's stockholders.

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The Company's inability to implement its long-term strategic plan may adversely affect future results.

The Company’s ability to successfully implement and execute its long-term strategic plan is dependent on many factors. The Company’s strategies may require significant capital investment and management attention. If the Company cannot successfully execute its strategic growth initiatives, its capital investment plan, or if the long-term plan does not adequately address the challenges or opportunities the Company faces, its financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected. Additionally, failure to meet stockholder expectations, particularly with respect to financials, cost-cutting programs, operating margins, and earnings per share, could result in volatility in the market value of the Company’s stock.

The Company is a holding company and relies on cash from its subsidiaries to pay dividends.

The Company depends on earnings, cash flows and dividends from its subsidiaries to pay dividends on its common stock. Regulatory, contractual and legal limitations, as well as their capital requirements, affect the ability of the subsidiaries to pay dividends to the Company and thereby could restrict or influence the Company's ability or decision to pay dividends on its common stock, which could adversely affect the Company's stock price.

The Company may face risks associated with stockholder activism.

Publicly-traded companies are subject to campaigns by stockholders advocating corporate actions related to matters, such as corporate governance, operational practices, and strategic direction. The Company has, and may again in the future, become subject to such stockholder activity and demands. Such activities could interfere with its ability to execute its business plans, affect the allocation of capital, be costly and time-consuming, disrupt operations, and divert the attention of management, any of which could have an adverse effect on the Company’s business or stock price.

Other Risks

The Company's businesses are seasonal and subject to weather conditions that could adversely affect the Company's operations, revenues, and cash flows.

The Company's results of operations could be affected by changes in the weather. Weather conditions influence the demand for electricity and natural gas and affect the price of energy commodities. Utility operations have historically generated lower revenues when weather conditions are cooler than normal in the summer and warmer than normal in the winter, particularly in jurisdictions that do not have weather normalization mechanisms in place. Where weather normalization mechanisms are in place, there is no assurance the Company will continue to receive such regulatory protection from adverse weather in future rates.

Adverse weather conditions, which have occurred and may reoccur, such as heavy or sustained rainfall or snowfall, droughts, storms, wind and colder weather may affect ongoing operation and maintenance and construction activities for the electric and natural gas transmission and distribution businesses. In addition, severe weather can be destructive, causing outages and property damage, which could require additional remediation costs. As a result, unusual or adverse weather conditions could negatively affect the Company's results of operations, financial position and cash flows.

Competition exists in all of the Company's businesses.

The Company's businesses are subject to competition. The electric utility and natural gas businesses experience competitive pressures as a result of consumer demands, technological advances, and other factors. The pipeline business competes with several pipelines for access to natural gas supplies and for transportation and storage business. New acquisition opportunities are subject to competitive bidding environments which impact prices the Company must pay to successfully acquire new properties and acquisition opportunities to grow its business. The Company's failure to effectively compete could negatively affect the Company's results of operations, financial position and cash flows.

The Company's operations may be negatively affected if it is unable to obtain, develop, and retain key personnel and skilled labor forces.

The Company must attract, develop and retain executive officers and other professional, technical and skilled labor forces with the skills and experience necessary to successfully manage, operate and grow the Company's businesses.

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Due to the changing workforce dynamics and an insufficient number of qualified applicants to replace skilled employees as they retire and remote work opportunities, among other things, competition for these employees is high. In some cases competition for these employees is on a regional or national basis. At times of low unemployment, it can be difficult for the Company to attract and retain qualified and affordable personnel. A shortage in the supply of personnel creates competitive hiring markets, increased labor expenses, decreased productivity and potentially lost business opportunities to support the Company's operating and growth strategies. The Company is subject to risks associated with labor disputes or prolonged negotiation processes, which could disrupt operations and increase costs. Additionally, if the Company is unable to hire employees with the requisite skills, the Company may be forced to incur significant training expenses. As a result, the Company's ability to maintain productivity, relationships with customers, competitive costs, and quality services is limited by the ability to employ, retain and train the necessary personnel and could negatively affect the Company's results of operations, financial position and cash flows.

Costs related to obligations under a MEPP could have a material negative effect on the Company's results of operations and cash flows.

An operating subsidiary of the Company participates in a MEPP for employees represented by a union. The Company is required to make contributions to this plan in amounts established under the collective bargaining agreement between the operating subsidiary and the union. The Company may be obligated to increase its contribution to the plan if it becomes underfunded and is classified as being in endangered, seriously endangered or critical status as defined by the Pension Protection Act of 2006, or if other participating employers withdraw from the plan and are unable to contribute sufficient amounts. The amount and timing of any increase in the Company's required contributions may depend upon one or more factors, including the outcome of collective bargaining; actions taken by the trustee; actions taken by the plan's other participating employers; the industry; future determinations of plan status; and laws and regulations. The Company could experience increased operating expenses as a result of required contributions to the MEPP, which could have an adverse effect on the Company's results of operations, financial position or cash flows. In addition, pursuant to ERISA, as amended by MPPAA, the Company could incur a partial or complete withdrawal liability upon withdrawing from the plan, exiting a market in which it does business with a union workforce or upon termination of a plan. The Company could also incur an additional withdrawal liability if its withdrawal from the plan is determined by that plan to be part of a mass withdrawal.

Technology disruptions or cyberattacks could adversely impact the Company's operations.

The Company uses technology in substantially all aspects of its business operations and requires uninterrupted operation of information technology and operation technology systems, including disaster recovery and backup systems and network infrastructure. These systems may be vulnerable to physical and cybersecurity failures or unauthorized access, due to hacking, human error, theft, sabotage, malicious software, ransomware, third-party compromise, acts of terrorism, acts of war, acts of nature or other causes. Emerging artificial intelligence driven threats, such as biased outputs, artificial intelligence assisted phishing, deepfakes, and malicious use of generative artificial intelligence could further increase cybersecurity and operational risk.

Should a compromise or system failure occur, interdependencies to technology may disrupt the Company's ability to fulfill critical business functions. This may include interruption of electric generation, transmission and distribution facilities, natural gas storage and pipeline facilities, any of which could adversely affect the Company's reputation, business, cash flows and results of operations or subject the Company to legal or regulatory liabilities and increased costs. Litigation expenses and damages for such an event can be significant. Additionally, the Company's electric generation and transmission systems and natural gas pipelines are part of interconnected systems with other operators’ facilities; therefore, a cyber-related disruption in another operator’s system could negatively impact the Company's business.

The Company’s accounting systems and its ability to collect information and invoice customers for services could be disrupted. If the Company’s operations are disrupted, it could result in decreased revenues and remediation costs that could adversely affect the Company's results of operations and cash flows.

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The Company is subject to cybersecurity and privacy laws, regulations and security directives of many government agencies, including TSA, FERC, NERC, and state regulatory bodies. NERC issues comprehensive regulations and standards surrounding the security of bulk power systems and continually updates these requirements, as well as establishing new requirements with which the utility industry must comply. TSA cybersecurity directives for pipeline operators introduces heightened compliance obligations. As these regulations evolve, the Company may experience increased compliance costs and may be at higher risk for violating these standards. Experiencing a cybersecurity incident could cause the Company to be non-compliant with applicable laws and regulations, causing the Company to incur costs related to legal claims, proceedings and regulatory fines or penalties. Additionally, costs incurred to comply with cybersecurity directives or to remediate a cybersecurity incident may not be fully recoverable through customer rates. The SEC has adopted rules that require the Company to provide disclosures around cybersecurity risk management, strategy, and governance, as well as disclose the occurrence of material cybersecurity incidents. These rules may also require the Company to report a cybersecurity incident before the Company has been able to fully assess its impact or remediate the underlying issue. Efforts to comply with such reporting requirements could divert management's attention from the Company's incident response and could potentially reveal system vulnerabilities to threat actors. Failure to timely report incidents under these or other similar rules could also result in monetary fines, sanctions or subject the Company to other forms of liability. This regulatory environment is increasingly challenging and may present material obligations and risks to the Company's business, including significantly expanded compliance burdens, costs, and enforcement risks.

The Company, through the ordinary course of business, requires access to sensitive customer, supplier, employee and Company data. A breach of the Company's systems could compromise sensitive data and could go unnoticed for some time. Such an event could result in negative publicity and reputational harm, remediation costs, legal claims and fines that could have an adverse effect on the Company's financial results. Third-party service providers that perform critical business functions for the Company or have access to sensitive information within the Company also may be vulnerable to security breaches and information technology risks that could adversely affect the Company.

The Company’s information systems experience ongoing and often sophisticated cyberattacks by a variety of sources with the apparent aim to breach the Company's cyber-defenses. The Company may face increased cyber risk due to the increased use of employee-owned devices, and work from home arrangements. Such incidents could have a material adverse effect in the future as cyberattacks continue to increase in frequency and sophistication. The Company is continuously reevaluating the need to upgrade and/or replace systems and network infrastructure. These upgrades and/or replacements could adversely impact operations by imposing substantial capital expenditures, creating delays or outages, or experiencing difficulties transitioning to new systems. System disruptions, if not anticipated and appropriately mitigated, could adversely affect the Company.

Artificial intelligence presents challenges that can impact the Company's business by posing security risks to confidential or proprietary information and personal data.

The use of artificial intelligence, combined with an uncertain regulatory environment, may result in reputational harm, liability, or other adverse consequences to business operations. The Company has, and may again in the future, adopt and integrate certain artificial intelligence tools into its systems for specific use cases. The Company’s vendors and third-party partners may incorporate artificial intelligence tools into their offerings with or without disclosing this use to the Company. The providers of these artificial intelligence tools may not meet existing or rapidly evolving regulatory or industry standards concerning privacy and data protection, which may result in a loss of intellectual property or confidential information and/or cause harm to the Company’s reputation and the public perception of the effectiveness of its security measures. Further, bad actors around the world use increasingly sophisticated methods, including artificial intelligence, to engage in illegal activities involving the theft and misuse of personal information, confidential information, and intellectual property. Any of these outcomes could damage the Company’s reputation, result in the loss of valuable property and information and adversely impact its business.

Pandemics may have a negative impact on the Company's business operations, revenues, results of operations, liquidity, and cash flows.

Pandemics have disrupted national, state and local economies in the past and may again in the future. To the extent pandemics adversely impact the Company's businesses, operations, revenues, liquidity or cash flows, they could also have a heightened effect of other risks. The degree to which pandemics impact the Company depends on, among other things, federal, state and local mandates, actions taken by governmental authorities, availability, timing and effectiveness of vaccines being administered, and the pace and extent to which the economy recovers and operates under normal market conditions.

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Separation Risks

If the completed separations of Knife River or Everus, together with certain related transactions, were to fail to qualify as transactions that are generally tax-free for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the Company and its stockholders could be subject to significant tax liabilities.

The Company completed the separations of Knife River and Everus on May 31, 2023, and October 31, 2024, respectively. In connection with the completed separations, the Company received private letter rulings from the IRS and opinion(s) of outside counsel regarding the qualification of certain elements of the separations and distributions under Section 355(a) of the Code. Notwithstanding prior receipt of IRS private letter rulings and opinion(s) of tax advisors, the IRS could determine that the completed distributions and/or certain related transactions should be treated as taxable transactions for U.S. federal income tax purposes if it determines that any of the representations, assumptions, or undertakings upon which the IRS private letter rulings or the opinion(s) of tax advisors were based are false or have been violated. In addition, neither the IRS private letter rulings nor opinion(s) of tax advisors will address all of the issues that are relevant to determining whether the distributions, together with certain related transactions, qualifies as transactions that are generally tax-free for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Further, opinion(s) of tax advisors represent the judgment of such tax advisors and are not binding on the IRS or any court, and the IRS or a court may disagree with the conclusions in the opinion(s) of tax advisors. Accordingly, notwithstanding receipt by the Company of the IRS private letter rulings and the opinion(s) of tax advisors, there can be no assurance that the IRS will not assert that the distributions and/or certain related transactions do not qualify for tax-free treatment for U.S. federal income tax purposes or that a court would not sustain such a challenge. In the event the IRS were to prevail in such challenge, the Company and its stockholders could be subject to significant U.S. federal income tax liability.

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments

The Company has no unresolved comments with the SEC.

Item 1C. Cybersecurity

Risk Management and Strategy

Overall Risk Management

The Company has implemented a cyber risk management program to help ensure that the Company's electronic information and information systems are protected from various threats. The cyber risk management program is maintained as part of the Company's overall governance, ERM program and compliance program. The Company's information systems experience ongoing and often sophisticated cyberattacks by a variety of sources with the apparent aim to breach the Company's cyber-defenses. The Company has and may continue to face increased cyber risk due to the increased use of employee-owned devices and work from home arrangements. The Company is continuously reevaluating the need to upgrade and/or replace systems and network infrastructure. These upgrades and/or replacements could adversely impact operations by imposing substantial capital expenditures, creating delays or outages, or experiencing difficulties transitioning to new systems. System disruptions, if not anticipated and appropriately mitigated, could adversely affect the Company. The Company continually assesses risks from cybersecurity threats and adapts and enhances its controls accordingly.

Risks from Cybersecurity Threats

Any risks from previous cybersecurity threats, including as a result of any previous cybersecurity incidents, have not materially affected or are reasonably likely to materially affect the Company's business, financial condition, or results of operations. Such risks and incidents could have a material adverse effect in the future as cyberattacks continue to increase in frequency and sophistication. The Company also has cyber event related insurance.

Employee Cybersecurity Training

The Company provides ongoing cybersecurity training and compliance programs to facilitate education for employees who may have access to the Company's data and critical systems. Employee phishing tests are conducted on a monthly basis.

Engage Third-parties on Risk Management

Periodic external reviews, including penetration tests and security framework assessments, are conducted by auditors, external assessors, and/or consultants to assess and ensure compliance with the Company’s information security programs and practices. Internal and external auditors assess the Company’s information technology general controls on an annual basis.

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Oversee Third-party Risk

The Company has implemented a third-party management risk program to help monitor and reduce risks associated with the Company's vendors, which includes processes such as completing due diligence on third party service providers before engaging with them for their services; assessing the third party’s cybersecurity posture by reviewing audit reports of the third party, completing cyber questionnaires, and reviewing applicable certification; including cybersecurity contractual language in contracts to limit risk; and monitoring and reassessing third party’s to ensure ongoing compliance with their cybersecurity obligations.

Physical Security

The Company safeguards assets through a standard physical security design process, including access controls, surveillance and monitoring, perimeter security controls, data center security, and incident response and reporting controls.

Operational Technology

The Company has operation technology, consisting of the hardware and software that monitors and controls devices, processes, and infrastructure related to the Company's operational assets. Security protocols for the Company's operational technology follow applicable NERC, FERC and TSA regulations and security directives.

Other Risk Factors

Notwithstanding the breadth of the Company's information security program, the Company may be unsuccessful in preventing or mitigating a cybersecurity event that could have a material adverse impact. See Item 1A – Risk Factors – Other Risks – Technology disruptions or cyberattacks could adversely impact the Company's operations.

Governance

Board of Directors Oversight

The Company's board of directors, as a whole and through its committees, has responsibility for oversight of risk management. In its risk oversight role, the board of directors has the responsibility to satisfy itself that the risk management processes designed and implemented by management are adequate for identifying, assessing, and managing risk. The audit committee of the board of directors of the Company is responsible for oversight of risks from cybersecurity threats.

Management's Role Managing Risk

The Company's CIO plays a large role in informing the audit committee of the board of directors on cybersecurity risks. The audit committee of the board of directors receives presentations and reports from the CIO on cybersecurity related issues which include information security, technology risks and risk mitigation programs regularly at the quarterly board meetings. In addition to scheduled meetings, the CIO and audit committee of the board of directors maintain an ongoing dialogue regarding emerging or potential cybersecurity risks.

Cybersecurity Incident Response

The Company has an incident response plan to identify, protect, detect, respond to, and recover from cybersecurity threats and incidents that is also tested on an annual basis. The incident response plan is updated based on results of the test or as new cyber related developments occur. The CIO, executive leadership which includes the chief executive officer, chief financial officer, chief accounting officer, chief legal officer, and SEC financial reporting department employees, and the board of directors are notified of any material cybersecurity incidents through a defined escalation process. The defined escalation process is a risk-based process that specifies who is to be contacted and when at each risk level.

Monitor, Manage, and Safeguard Against Cybersecurity Incidents and Risks

The Company's CIO, along with its director of cybersecurity and a designated security team of professionals, are responsible for assessing and managing risks as well as developing and implementing policies, procedures, and practices based on the range of threats faced by the Company. There are processes around access management, data security, encryption, asset management, secure system development, security operations, network and device security to provide safeguards from a cybersecurity incident along with continual monitoring of various threat intelligence feeds.

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Cyber Risk Management Personnel

The Company's director of cybersecurity reports to the CIO and the CIO reports directly to the Company's chief executive officer. The Company's CIO holds both a bachelor's and master's degree in business administration with over 25 years of information technology experience in the energy and utilities business. The director of cybersecurity has a bachelor’s degree in computer information systems, over 25 years of information security experience, and holds certified information systems security professional and certified risk and information systems control certifications. The other members of information technology director level leadership also responsible for managing cybersecurity risks have degrees including Bachelor of Computer Information Systems, information systems management, electronics, electrical engineering, business administration, and accounting, along with certified information systems auditor certification and a cybersecurity fundamentals certificate.

Cyber Risk Oversight Committee

Additionally, in 2014 the board of directors established CyROC to provide executive management and the audit committee of the board of directors with analyses, appraisals, recommendations and pertinent information concerning cyber defense of the Company's electronic information, information technology and operation technology systems. The CyROC is responsible for guiding the Company's comprehensive cybersecurity policies and oversight of cybersecurity risks. The CyROC is chaired by the Company's CIO and is comprised of members such as the chief financial officer, information technology leaders, internal auditors, and other leaders from across the Company.

Item 2. Properties

The Company’s material properties include electric generating facilities, electric transmission and distribution lines, natural gas transmission and distribution lines, natural gas storage lines and underground natural gas storage fields, which are described in Item 1 - Business under Electric, Natural Gas Distribution and Pipeline.

Item 3. Legal Proceedings

SEC regulations require the Company to disclose certain information about proceedings arising under federal, state or local environmental provisions if the Company reasonably believes that such proceedings may result in monetary sanctions above a stated threshold. Pursuant to SEC regulations, the Company has adopted a threshold of $1.0 million for purposes of determining whether disclosure of any such proceedings is required.

For information regarding legal proceedings required by this item, see Item 8 - Note 17, which is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures

Not applicable.

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The Company's common stock is listed on the NYSE under the symbol "MDU."

As of February 13, 2026, the Company's common stock was held by approximately 8,200 stockholders of record.

As a pure-play regulated energy delivery business, the Company's board of directors established a long-term dividend payout ratio target of 60 percent to 70 percent of regulated energy delivery earnings. The Company has an 88-year history of uninterrupted dividend payments to stockholders and remains committed to paying a competitive dividend. The Company depends on earnings and dividends from its subsidiaries to pay dividends on common stock. The declaration and payment of dividends is at the sole discretion of the board of directors, subject to limitations imposed by agreements governing the Company's indebtedness, federal and state laws, and applicable regulatory limitations. For more information on factors that may limit the Company's ability to pay dividends, see Item 8 - Note 11.

The following table includes information with respect to the Company's purchase of equity securities:

ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

October 1 through October 31, 2025 — — — —

December 1 through December 31, 2025 — — — —

(1) Represents MDU original issue shares of common stock in connection with annual stock grants made to the Company's non-employee directors.

(2) Not applicable. The Company does not currently have in place any publicly announced plans or programs to repurchase equity securities.

Item 6.

Reserved.

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The Company generates, transmits and distributes electricity and provides natural gas distribution, transportation and storage services. Through a strategy focusing on its "CORE," the Company strives to deliver superior value and achieve industry-leading performance as a pure-play regulated energy delivery company, while pursuing organic growth opportunities. The Company's "CORE" strategy prioritizes customers and communities, operational excellence, returns focused initiatives and an employee driven culture.

Strategic InitiativesOn May 31, 2023, the Company completed the separation of Knife River, its construction materials and contracting business, resulting in Knife River becoming an independent, publicly-traded company. The Company's board of directors approved the distribution of approximately 90 percent of the issued and outstanding shares of Knife River to the Company's stockholders. Stockholders of the Company received one share of Knife River common stock for every four shares of the Company's common stock held on May 22, 2023, the record date for the distribution. The Company retained approximately 10 percent or 5.7 million shares of Knife River common stock immediately following the separation, which were disposed of in a tax-free exchange in November 2023. The separation of Knife River was a tax-free spinoff transaction to the Company's stockholders for U.S. federal income tax purposes, except for cash received in lieu of fractional shares.

On October 31, 2024, the Company completed the separation of Everus, its construction services business, resulting in Everus becoming an independent, publicly-traded company. The Company's board of directors approved the distribution of all the outstanding shares of Everus common stock to the Company's stockholders. Stockholders of the Company received one share of Everus common stock for every four shares of the Company's common stock held as of the close of business on October 21, 2024, the record date for the distribution. The separation of Everus was a tax-free spinoff transaction to the Company's stockholders for U.S. federal income tax purposes, except for cash received in lieu of fractional shares.

The Company incurred costs in connection with the strategic initiatives in 2023, 2024 and 2025, as noted in the Business Segment Financial and Operating Data section.

One Big Beautiful Bill ActOn July 4, 2025, the reconciliation bill was enacted into law, extending key provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act while scaling back clean energy tax incentives of the IRA. Changes in tax laws may affect recorded deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities or the Company's effective tax rates in the future. The Company has evaluated new legislation, and it does not expect a material impact to the consolidated financial statements or ongoing tax rate as a result of this legislation.

Market TrendsThe Company continues to manage the inflationary pressures experienced throughout the United States, including the impact that inflation, interest rates, changes in tariffs, commodity price volatility and supply chain disruptions may have on its business and customers and proactively looks for ways to lessen the impact to its business. The Company has observed supply chain improvements in lead times for certain commodities. The Company has experienced impacts related to the changes in tariffs and continues to navigate the current environment and monitor the future for impacts that could occur. For more information on possible impacts to the Company's businesses, see the Outlook for each segment below and Item 1A - Risk Factors.

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Consolidated Earnings Overview

The following table summarizes the contribution to the consolidated income by each of the Company's business segments.

(In millions, except per share amounts)

Discontinued operations, net of tax (1.0) 100.0 84.6

Earnings per share - basic:

Income from continuing operations $ .94 $ .89 $ 1.62

Discontinued operations, net of tax (.01) .49 .42

Earnings per share - basic $ .93 $ 1.38 $ 2.04

Earnings per share - diluted:

Income from continuing operations $ .93 $ .88 $ 1.62

Discontinued operations, net of tax — .49 .41

Earnings per share - diluted $ .93 $ 1.37 $ 2.03

The Company completed the separations of Knife River on May 31, 2023, its former construction materials and contracting segment, and of Everus on October 31, 2024, its former construction services segment, into new independent publicly-traded companies. As a result of these separations, the historical results of operations for Knife River and Everus are shown in discontinued operations, net of tax, except for allocated general corporate overhead costs of the Company, which did not meet the criteria for discontinued operations and are reflected in Other. Also included in discontinued operations are certain strategic initiative costs associated with the separations of Knife River and Everus. Other includes activity for Everus for ten months in 2024 compared to the full year in 2023 and Knife River activity for five months in 2023.

Results of Operations The Company's discussion and analysis for the year ended December 31, 2025 compared to 2024 is included herein. For discussion and analysis for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to 2023 refer to Part II, Item 7. "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in the Company's report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, filed with the SEC on February 20, 2025.

2025 compared to 2024 The Company's consolidated earnings decreased $90.7 million primarily due to the absence of income from discontinued operations in 2025, partially offset by increased earnings at the natural gas distribution business.

•Earnings at the electric business were impacted by higher operation and maintenance expense, primarily increased payroll-related costs, contract services related to Coyote Station planned outage-related costs, software expense, which include certain costs associated with services provided under the Transition Services Agreement with Everus that are recovered in other income, and insurance expense. Partially offsetting the increased operation and maintenance expense were higher retail sales revenue and retail sales volumes, partially driven by a data center near Ellendale, North Dakota.

•Increased earnings at the natural gas distribution business was largely the result of higher retail sales revenue, driven largely by rate relief in Washington, Montana, South Dakota and Wyoming. The increase was partially offset by higher operation and maintenance expense, primarily higher insurance expense, payroll-related costs, and software expense, which include certain costs associated with services provided under the Transition Services Agreement with Everus that are recovered in other income.

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•The pipeline's slight earnings increase was driven by growth projects placed in service throughout 2024 and in late 2025 and customer demand for short-term firm natural gas transportation contracts. Higher use of the company's interruptible natural gas transportation services further drove the increase. The increase was partially offset by higher operation and maintenance expense primarily attributable to payroll-related costs. The increase was further offset by the absence of $1.5 million, net of tax proceeds received in 2024 from a customer settlement as well as the absence of a benefit from an adjustment related to the Company's effective state income tax rate change. The business also incurred higher depreciation expense due to growth projects placed in service, as previously discussed, and higher property taxes in Montana.

•Other was impacted by the absence of the income from discontinued operations in 2025. Partially offsetting the decrease was lower operation and maintenance expense, largely a result of corporate overhead costs classified as continuing operations allocated to the construction services business in 2024, which are not included in Other in 2025.

A discussion of key financial data from the Company's business segments follows.

Business Segment Financial and Operating Data

The following are key financial and operating data for each of the Company's business segments. Highlights of key growth strategies, projections and certain assumptions for the Company and its subsidiaries, and other matters concerning the Company's business segments are included below. Many of these highlighted points are "forward-looking statements." For more information, see Part I - Forward-Looking Statements. There is no assurance that the Company's projections, including estimates for growth and changes in earnings, will in fact be achieved. Please refer to assumptions contained in this section, as well as the various important factors listed in Item 1A - Risk Factors. Changes in such assumptions and factors could cause actual future results to differ materially from the Company's projections.

For information pertinent to various commitments and contingencies, see Item 8 - Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. For a summary of the Company's business segments, see Item 8 - Note 14.

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Electric and Natural Gas Distribution

Strategy and challenges The electric and natural gas distribution segments provide electric and natural gas distribution services to customers, as discussed in Item 1 - Business. Both segments strive to be top performing utilities and provide safe, reliable, competitively priced and environmentally responsible energy services to customers. The segments are focused on cultivating organic growth while managing operating costs and monitoring opportunities for these segments to retain, grow and expand their customer base through extensions of existing operations, including building and upgrading electric generation, transmission and distribution, and natural gas systems. The continued efforts to create operational improvements and efficiencies across both segments promotes the Company's business integration strategy. The primary factors that impact the results of these segments are the ability to earn authorized rates of return; weather; climate change laws, regulations and initiatives; competitive factors in the energy industry; population growth; and economic conditions in the segments' service areas.

The electric and natural gas distribution segments are subject to extensive regulation in the jurisdictions where they conduct operations with respect to costs, timely recovery of investments and permitted returns on investment. The Company is focused on modernizing utility infrastructure to meet the varied energy needs of both its customers and communities while working to deliver safe, reliable, affordable and environmentally responsible energy. The segments continue to invest in facility upgrades to be in compliance with existing and known future regulations. To assist in the reduction of regulatory lag in obtaining revenue increases to align with increased investments, tracking mechanisms have been implemented in certain jurisdictions. The Company also seeks rate adjustments for operating costs and capital investments, as well as reasonable returns on investments not covered by tracking mechanisms. For more information on the Company's tracking mechanisms and recent rate cases, see Item 1 - Business and Item 8 - Note 6.

These segments are also subject to extensive regulation related to certain operational and environmental compliance, cybersecurity, permit terms and system integrity. Both segments are faced with the ongoing need to actively evaluate cybersecurity processes and procedures related to its transmission and distribution systems for opportunities to further strengthen its cybersecurity protections. There have been cyber and physical attacks within the energy industry on infrastructure, such as substations, and the Company continues to evaluate the safeguards implemented to protect its electric and natural gas utility systems. Implementation of enhancements and additional requirements to protect the Company's infrastructure is ongoing.

To date, many states have enacted, and others are considering, mandatory energy standards requiring utilities to meet certain thresholds of renewable and/or carbon-free energy supply. Over the long-term, the Company expects overall electric demand to be positively impacted by increased electrification trends as a means to address economy-wide carbon emission concerns, large data center growth and changing customer conservation patterns. MISO and NERC announced concerns with reliability of the electric grid due to rapid expansion of renewables and retirement of baseload resources such as coal and the uncertainty of adequate energy production during certain periods of time, while load growth has increased faster than expected due to growth in the data center industry. Montana-Dakota filed its 2024 IRP with the NDPSC in July 2024. With MISO's filed changes in resources adequacy at FERC and the adoption of direct loss of load accreditation for generation resources around riskiest hours on the system versus peak load hours, Montana-Dakota identified the need to add additional capacity resources to its system by 2028 versus 2034 as identified in its previous IRP. The Company previously executed a PPA for 150 MW of output from Badger Wind Farm, which included the option to purchase a 49 percent ownership interest. With the closing now complete, the PPA has been reduced to 27.5 MW. The ownership stake in Badger Wind Farm reduced the Company's capacity and energy purchase requirements as identified in the 2024 IRP. The Company will continue to monitor the progress of these changes, including the impacts associated with the implementation of MISO's direct loss of load accreditation in 2028, and assess the potential impacts they may have on its stakeholders, business processes, results of operations, cash flows and disclosures.

Revenues are impacted by both customer growth and usage, the latter of which is primarily impacted by weather, as well as impacts associated with commercial and industrial slow-downs, including economic recessions, and energy efficiencies. Very cold winters increase demand for natural gas and to a lesser extent, electricity, while warmer than normal summers increase demand for electricity, especially among residential and commercial customers. Average consumption among both electric and natural gas customers has tended to decline as more efficient appliances and furnaces are installed, and as the Company has implemented conservation programs. Natural gas weather normalization and decoupling mechanisms in certain jurisdictions have been implemented to largely mitigate the effect that would otherwise be caused by variations in volumes sold to these customers due to weather and changing consumption patterns on the Company's distribution margins, as further discussed in Item 1 - Business.

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In the second half of 2023, electric fuel and purchased power prices increased across Montana-Dakota's integrated system and remained elevated through January 2024. This was caused by transmission congestion in northwest North Dakota due to delays in additional SPP transmission line build-out, as well as additional load growth in the Bakken region. To assist in the recovery of the higher electric fuel and purchased power costs, Montana-Dakota filed waiver requests with the NDPSC and SDPUC, deferring the increased costs to the annual fuel clause adjustment. In Montana, the waiver request is filed monthly and was unopposed by the MTPSC. Effective April 1, 2024, as approved by the NDPSC, Montana-Dakota started recovery in North Dakota of these increased costs over a period of two years rather than one year. In South Dakota and Montana, Montana-Dakota recovered these costs over a one-year period effective July 1, 2024. In July 2025, the NDPSC approved Montana-Dakota's request to defer external legal expenses related to this congestion litigation and record those deferred expenses into a regulatory asset. Montana-Dakota and MISO each filed a petition for review of the FERC decision with the Eighth Circuit with a decision expected in the first half of 2026.

The Company continues to proactively monitor and work with its manufacturers to reduce the effects of increased pricing and lead times on delivery of certain raw materials and equipment used in electric generation, transmission and distribution system and natural gas pipeline projects. Long lead times are attributable to increased demand for steel products from pipeline companies as they continue pipeline system safety and integrity replacement projects driven by PHMSA regulations, as well as delays in the manufacturing and shipping of electrical equipment and increased demand for electrical equipment due to regulatory activity and grid expansion. The Company has been able to minimize the effects by working closely with suppliers or obtaining additional suppliers, as well as modifying project plans to accommodate extended lead times and increased costs. The Company expects these delays to continue. Inflationary pressures have moderated but costs for goods and services remain high. The Company also continues to monitor the impact tariffs will have on its costs. Tariff increases on raw materials could negatively affect the Company's construction projects and maintenance work. For additional discussion regarding risks and uncertainties, see Item 1A - Risk Factors.

The ability to grow through acquisitions is subject to significant competition and acquisition premiums. In addition, the ability of the segments to grow their service territory and customer base is affected by regulatory constraints, the economic environment of the markets served, population changes and competition from other energy providers and fuel. The construction of new electric generating facilities, transmission lines and other service facilities is subject to higher costs and long lead times for equipment, extensive permitting procedures, and federal and state legislative and regulatory initiatives, which may necessitate increases in electric energy prices. As the industry continues to expand the use of renewable energy sources, the need for additional transmission infrastructure is growing. As part of MISO's long range transmission plan, in August 2022, the Company announced its intent to develop, construct and co-own JETx with Otter Tail Power Company in central North Dakota. In October 2023, the FERC issued an order approving the Company's request for CWIP Incentive Rate and Abandoned Plant Incentive treatment on this project. Montana-Dakota and Otter Tail Power Company received approval of a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity from the NDPSC in November 2024 on this project. The route permit for the JETx line was filed with the NDPSC in August 2025. JETx is expected to be placed in service at the end of 2028.

42 MDU Resources Group, Inc. Form 10-K

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Earnings overview - The following information summarizes the performance of the electric segment.

(In millions)

Operating expenses:

Operating statistics

Revenues (millions)

Retail sales:

Volumes (million kWh)

Retail sales:

Average cost of electric fuel and purchased power per kWh $ .026 $ .025 $ .024

Cooling degree days (% warmer (colder) than prior year)1

Montana (5.4) % (0.7) % (1.0) %

North Dakota (6.9) % (2.2) % (5.4) %

1Cooling degree days are a measure of the energy demand for cooling.

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2025 compared to 2024 Electric earnings decreased $9.9 million as a result of:

•Revenue increased $23.8 million.

◦Largely attributable to:

▪Higher fuel and purchased power costs of $17.8 million recovered in customer rates and offset in expense, as described below.

▪Higher net transmission revenue of $3.5 million, including data center revenue.

▪Higher retail sales volumes of $1.2 million, driven primarily by higher residential volumes, largely due to colder weather in the first quarter of the year, and higher commercial volumes from the data center as further discussed in the Outlook section.

◦Partially offset by lower renewable tracker revenues, partially associated with higher production tax credits offset in income tax benefit, as described below.

•Electric fuel and purchased power increased $17.8 million, largely the result of higher retail sales volumes and higher commodity prices.

•Operation and maintenance increased $16.3 million.

◦Largely the result of:

▪Higher payroll-related costs of $5.7 million.

▪Higher contract services related to Coyote generating station planned outage-related costs of $3.5 million.

▪Increased software expense of $3.2 million.

▪Higher insurance expense.

◦Also reflected are higher costs associated with services provided to Everus as part of the transition services agreement, offset in other income, as described below. The transition services are expected to be complete as of March 2026.

•Depreciation and amortization increased $3.1 million, largely due to increased property, plant and equipment balances, as a result of transmission projects placed in service to improve reliability and update aging infrastructure.

•Taxes, other than income increased $1.2 million, largely as a result of higher property tax, primarily in Montana.

•Other income decreased $800,000, primarily due to lower interest income related to a data center project and lower regulatory deferral balances, partially offset by higher transition services agreement income, as described above.

•Interest expense increased $1.7 million, largely the result of lower AFUDC due to lower interest rates and average CWIP balances.

•Income tax benefit increased $7.2 million, largely due to lower income before income taxes, and higher production tax credits of $2.5 million driven by higher wind production and wind farm repowers.

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Earnings overview - The following information summarizes the performance of the natural gas distribution segment.

(In millions)

Operating expenses:

Operating statistics

Revenues (millions)

Retail sales:

Volumes (MMdk)

Retail sales:

Transportation sales:

Average cost of natural gas per dk $ 6.21 $ 5.85 $ 6.57

Heating degree days (% colder (warmer) than prior year)1

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2025 compared to 2024: Natural gas distribution earnings increased $9.2 million as a result of:

•Revenue increased $82.4 million.

◦Primarily due to:

▪Higher purchased natural gas sold of $47.0 million, including net environmental compliance costs, recovered in customer rates and offset in expense, as described below.

▪Rate relief of $25.2 million, primarily in Washington, Montana, South Dakota and Wyoming.

▪Higher revenue-based taxes of $3.6 million, recovered in rates and offset in expense, as described below.

▪Higher conservation revenues of $3.5 million, offset in expense, as described below.

▪Higher basic service charges of $2.1 million due to customer growth.

▪Higher retail sales volumes of $2.0 million, which includes weather normalization and decoupling mechanism in certain jurisdictions, and higher volumes to commercial customer classes. This increase was largely offset by lower volumes to residential customer classes, largely due to warmer weather in certain jurisdictions.

•Purchased natural gas sold increased $47.0 million, primarily due to higher net environmental compliance costs of $38.1 million, commodity costs of $4.9 million and volumes of natural gas purchased of $4.0 million.

•Operation and maintenance increased $10.0 million.

◦ Largely due to:

▪Higher conservation-related costs, recovered in rates, as discussed above.

▪Higher costs associated with MAOP projects of $1.7 million.

▪Higher insurance expense.

▪Higher payroll-related costs of $1.5 million.

▪Higher software related expenses of $1.3 million.

◦Also reflected are higher costs associated with services provided to Everus as part of the transition services agreement, offset in other income, as described below. The transition services are expected to be complete as of March 2026.

•Depreciation and amortization increased $3.0 million, of which $6.6 million resulted from increased property, plant and equipment balances related to growth and replacement projects placed in service, partially offset by lower depreciation rates implemented from rate cases in Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming, Washington and Oregon of $2.9 million, and lower regulatory amortizations.

•Taxes, other than income increased $5.5 million, due to higher revenue-based taxes, as described above, and higher property taxes, largely in Montana and Washington.

•Other income decreased $9.7 million.

◦Primarily due to:

▪Lower interest on regulatory deferral balances, primarily lower purchased gas cost deferral balances.

▪The absence of $2.2 million of interest income associated with prior year renewable natural gas projects.

▪Higher pension expense of $1.4 million.

▪Lower returns of $500,000 on the Company's nonqualified benefit plans.

◦Offset in part by higher transition services agreement income, as described above.

•Interest expense decreased $3.6 million, largely due to lower long-term debt balances.

•Income tax expense increased $1.6 million, largely the result of higher income before income taxes, partially offset by lower permanent tax adjustments.

46 MDU Resources Group, Inc. Form 10-K

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Outlook In 2025, the utility business experienced rate base growth of 16.0 percent, which includes the purchase of its ownership stake in Badger Wind Farm. These segments grew rate base by 8.7 percent annually over the last five years on a compound basis and expects to invest approximately $2.5 billion of capital expenditures over the next five years. Operations are spread across eight states where the Company expects customer growth to be higher than the national average. In 2025 and 2024, these segments experienced retail customer growth of approximately 1.5 percent and 1.4 percent, respectively, and the Company expects customer growth to continue to average 1 percent to 2 percent per year. This customer growth, along with system upgrades and replacements needed to supply safe and reliable service, will require investments in new and replacement electric and natural gas systems.

These segments are exposed to energy price volatility and may be impacted by changes in oil and natural gas exploration and production activity. Rate schedules in the jurisdictions in which the Company's natural gas distribution segment operates contain clauses that permit the Company to file for rate adjustments for changes in the cost of purchased natural gas. Although changes in the price of natural gas are passed through to customers and have minimal impact on the Company's earnings, the natural gas distribution segment's customers may benefit through the Company's utilization of storage and fixed price contracts to help manage price volatility.

The EPA's GHG and mercury emissions standards finalized in May 2024 would have required additional pollution controls for Coyote Station to operate beyond 2031 and 2027, respectively. In April 2025, the EPA granted a two year extension for Coyote Station to add pollution controls to comply with the mercury emissions standard. In June 2025, the EPA proposed rules to repeal both the mercury emissions standard and the electric generation GHG emissions standard. If the rules go into effect, it could require owners of Coyote station to incur significant new costs. These costs could, dependent on determination by state regulatory commissions on approval to recover such costs from customers, negatively impact the Company's results of operations, financial position and cash flows. In December 2024, the EPA issued a final decision on the NDDEQ's Regional Haze state implementation plan, maintaining the proposed disapproval of the state's conclusion that no additional controls are warranted during this implementation period. The EPA did not issue a federal implementation plan in place of the state plan and would have two years from the state plan disapproval to either propose a federal plan or approve a new state plan. Coyote Station co-owners filed a petition for review with the Eighth Circuit in January 2025, challenging EPA's NDDEQ state plan disapproval, and in February 2025, filed a petition for reconsideration with the EPA, which was granted in April 2025. In June 2025, the Eighth Circuit granted a request by the EPA to continue to hold the petition of review proceeding in abeyance so that the EPA could review the previous administration's findings and actions. In March 2025, the EPA announced the agency is restructuring the regulations for implementing the Regional Haze Program. Further, in October 2025, the EPA released an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking seeking input on restructuring the program with the intent to streamline regulatory requirements for states' visibility improvement obligations. The Company is one of four owners of Coyote Station and cannot make a unilateral decision on the plant's future; therefore, the Company could be negatively impacted by decisions of the other owners. The joint owners continue to collaborate in analyzing data and weighing decisions that impact the plant and its employees as well as each company's customers and communities served.

In December 2025, the Company completed the acquisition of a 49 percent ownership interest in Badger Wind Farm and placed the asset in service. The completed transaction secures 122.5 MW of the project's total 250 MW generation capacity for the Company and follows the NDPSC's Advance Determination of Prudence and Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity approvals, confirming the project is a prudent, cost-effective investment for customers. The Company previously executed a PPA for 150 MW of output from the project, which included the option to purchase the 49 percent ownership interest. With the closing now complete, the PPA has been reduced to 27.5 MW.

In March 2023, the Company began to provide power for Applied Digital's data center near Ellendale, North Dakota. At full capacity, the data center requires 180 MW of electricity, which is the equivalent of about 21 percent of the Company's generation portfolio. Applied Digital's load is purchased from the MISO market and does not impact other customers' power supply. An electric service agreement to serve an additional 350 MW data center load with Applied Digital in the Company's service territory was approved by the NDPSC. 100 MW of the additional data center load is expected to be fully online in the second quarter of 2026.

In August 2024, the Company filed a request with the SDPUC seeking approval on an electric service agreement to provide up to 50 MW of electricity to a data center near Leola, South Dakota. Construction of the data center and approval of the electric service agreement which had been pending development of new local siting requirements for data center loads by McPherson County in South Dakota, were effective August 5, 2025. Approval of the electric service agreement with the SDPUC is still pending filing an updated conditional use permit for the data center siting with McPherson County.

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The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, commonly known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, was enacted in the fourth quarter of 2021 designating funds for investments such as upgrades to electric and grid infrastructure, transportation systems, and electric vehicle infrastructure. In July 2025, the North Dakota Industrial Commission awarded the Company a grant award under the Grid Resilience and Innovative Partnerships Program, which is part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The funds from the award will be used by the Company to build a 46 kV transmission line that will connect the Merricourt Transmission Substation to a 46 kV line near Fredonia, North Dakota. In addition, the IRA provided new funding for clean energy programs. The Company continues to pursue various opportunities under the Grid Resilience and Innovative Partnerships Program, and is also pursuing a biogas property at the Knott Landfill site in Bend, Oregon which may qualify for an investment tax credit and clean fuel production credits as part of the IRA. As discussed previously, the Company has evaluated the OBBBA and does not expect a material impact as a result of this legislation.

Legislation and rulemaking The Company continues to monitor legislation and rulemaking related to clean energy standards that may impact its segments. Below are some of the specific legislative actions the Company is monitoring.

•In May 2024, the EPA published four final rules, three of which will impose stricter standards on GHG emissions from existing coal-fired and new natural gas-fired generation units, require a further reduction of mercury emissions from coal-fired generation units, and impose additional regulations around the storage and management of coal ash. In March 2025, the EPA announced reconsideration of the Electric Generation and Greenhouse Gas Rule, Mercury and Air Toxics Standards Rule, and Effluent Limitations Guidelines Rule. Comments on certain of these proposed rules were due in August 2025. If the rules were to remain as originally proposed and if the costs to comply with these rules are not fully recoverable from customers, they could have a material adverse effect on the Company's results of operations and cash flows.

•In February 2026, the EPA published a final rule that rescinded the 2009 Endangerment Finding and related standards for motor vehicle GHG emissions under the Clean Air Act. The final rule does not directly address or repeal GHG regulations for power plants and other non-motor vehicle sources. The Company is currently evaluating this rulemaking.

•In July 2024, the ODEQ published its proposed rules to create a new Climate Protection Program. The Oregon Environmental Quality Commission adopted the rules in November 2024. The Company intends to meet its obligations first through no-cost emissions allowances and will fill remaining compliance obligations by investing in additional customer conservation and energy efficiency programs, purchasing community climate investment credits, and acquiring environmental attributes from low-carbon fuel projects such as RNG. Compliance costs for these regulations are being recovered through customer rates. Due to the timing of regulatory recovery, future compliance obligation purchases could impact the Company's operating cash flow.

•In Washington, the Climate Commitment Act was adopted by the Washington Legislature in 2021 and became effective in 2023. The Climate Commitment Act establishes a cap-and-invest program designed to reduce GHG emissions over time, while using auctioned allowances to fund state energy and environmental policy goals. The Company intends to meet its compliance obligations through a combination of energy efficiency measures, no-cost allowances, purchased allowances, and carbon offsets. Compliance costs for these regulations are being recovered through customer rates. Due to the timing of regulatory recovery, the purchase of allowances could impact the Company's operating cash flow.

•The Washington SBCC in 2023 adopted residential and commercial building code amendments that will significantly limit the use of natural gas for space and water heating in new and retrofitted commercial and residential buildings. In May 2024, the Company filed a joint complaint seeking declaratory and injunctive relief under federal law against the Washington SBCC's adoption of the amended Washington State Energy Code. This complaint was dismissed by the federal district court. Petitioners have appealed this decision to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The Company's opening brief was filed in July 2025. Oral argument before a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit was held on February 10, 2026.

Initiative Measure No. 2066, which was approved by voters, does not allow the Washington State Energy Code to "in any way prohibit, penalize, or discourage the use of gas for any form of heating, or for uses related to any appliance or equipment, in any building." In May 2025, the King County Superior Court filed an order ruling Initiative Measure No. 2066 unconstitutional. Following the ruling, the Building Industry Association of Washington filed a notice of appeal with the King County Superior Court. The King County Superior Court’s order invalidating Initiative Measure No. 2066 is now pending review by the Washington State Supreme Court. The Court heard oral arguments in the case in January 2026.

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•In March 2024, the SEC issued Final Rule 33-11275 - The Enhancement and Standardization of Climate-Related Disclosures for Investors. In April 2024, the SEC announced that it would voluntarily stay its final climate disclosure rules pending judicial review. In March 2025, the SEC withdrew its defense of the rules. In July 2025, the SEC asked the Eighth Circuit to issue a ruling on the abandoned climate regulations. In September 2025, the Eighth Circuit stated it was pausing its consideration of legal challenges against this rule, pending further action by the SEC.

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Pipeline

Strategy and challenges The pipeline segment provides natural gas transportation, underground storage and energy-related services, including cathodic protection, as discussed in Item 1 - Business. The segment focuses on utilizing its extensive expertise in the design, construction and operation of energy infrastructure and related services to increase market share and profitability through optimization of existing operations, organic growth and investments in energy-related assets within or in close proximity to its current operating areas. The segment focuses on the continual safety and reliability of its systems, which entails building, operating and maintaining safe natural gas pipelines and facilities. The segment continues to evaluate growth opportunities including the expansion of natural gas facilities; incremental pipeline projects; and expansion of energy-related services leveraging on its core competencies. In support of this strategy, the Company completed the following growth projects in 2024 and 2025:

•In March 2024, the 2023 Line Section 27 Expansion project was placed in service and increased system capacity by 175 MMcf of natural gas per day.

•In July 2024, the Line Section 28 Expansion project was placed in service and increased system capacity by 137 MMcf of natural gas per day.

•In November 2024, the Company closed on the purchase of a 28-mile natural gas pipeline lateral in northwestern North Dakota.

•In December 2024, the Wahpeton Expansion project was placed in service and increased system capacity by approximately 20 MMcf of natural gas per day.

•In November 2025, the Minot Expansion Project was placed in service and increased system capacity by 7 MMcf of natural gas per day.

The segment is exposed to natural gas and oil price volatility including fluctuations in basis differentials. Legislative and regulatory initiatives on increased pipeline safety regulations and environmental matters such as the reduction of methane emissions could also impact the price and demand for natural gas.

The pipeline segment is subject to extensive regulation related to certain operational and environmental compliance, cybersecurity, permit terms and system integrity. The Company continues to actively evaluate cybersecurity processes and procedures, including changes in the industry's cybersecurity regulations, for opportunities to further strengthen its cybersecurity protections. Implementation of enhancements and additional requirements is ongoing. The segment reviews and secures existing permits and easements, as well as new permits and easements as necessary, to meet current demand and future growth opportunities on an ongoing basis.

Tariff increases on raw materials could negatively affect the Company's construction projects and maintenance work. The Company continues to monitor the impact tariffs will have on its costs. The Company continues to actively manage the national supply chain challenges by working with its manufacturers and suppliers to help mitigate some of these risks on its business. The segment regularly experiences extended lead times on raw materials that are critical to the segment's construction and maintenance work which could delay maintenance work and construction projects potentially causing lost revenues and/or increased costs. The Company is partially mitigating these challenges by planning for extended lead times further in advance. The Company expects these delays to continue. Inflationary pressures have moderated, but costs for raw material and contract services remain high. For additional discussion regarding risks and uncertainties, see Item 1A - Risk Factors.

The segment focuses on the recruitment and retention of a skilled workforce to remain competitive and provide services to its customers. The industry in which it operates relies on a skilled workforce to construct energy infrastructure and operate existing infrastructure in a safe manner. A shortage of skilled personnel can create a competitive labor market which could increase costs incurred by the segment. Competition from other pipeline companies can also have a negative impact on the segment.

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Earnings overview - The following information summarizes the performance of the pipeline segment.

(In millions)

Operating expenses:

Discontinued operations, net of tax* — — (.5) — % (100.0) %

Operating statistics

Customer natural gas storage balance (MMdk):

Net injection (withdrawal) (6.5) 6.4 16.5

2025 compared to 2024 Pipeline earnings increased $200,000 as a result of:

•Revenues increased $17.4 million.

◦Increased demand revenue, largely due to:

▪Growth projects placed in service throughout 2024 and in late 2025 of $11.1 million.

▪Increased usage of short-term firm natural gas transportation contracts of $5.7 million.

▪Partially offset by the expiration of certain contracts.

◦Higher interruptible transportation revenue of $1.3 million.

◦Higher non-regulated project revenue of $800,000.

•Operation and maintenance increased $6.1 million.

◦Primarily due to:

▪Higher payroll-related costs of $2.3 million.

▪Higher non-regulated project costs, associated with increased non-regulated project revenue as previously discussed.

▪Also reflected are higher costs associated with services provided to Everus as part of transition services agreement, offset in other income, as described below. The transition services are expected to be complete as of March 2026.

▪Higher contract services of $600,000, auto of $500,000 and insurance costs of $400,000.

•Depreciation and amortization increased $2.7 million due to higher property, plant and equipment balances associated with growth projects placed in-service, as previously discussed, partially offset by fully depreciated assets.

•Taxes, other than income increased $2.0 million, largely resulting from higher property taxes in Montana.

•Other income decreased $2.8 million.

◦Primarily due to:

▪The absence of proceeds received in 2024 from a customer settlement of $2.0 million.

▪Lower AFUDC for the construction of the company's growth projects.

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◦Partially offset by higher transition services agreement income, as described above.

•Interest expense increased $1.2 million, resulting from higher debt balances to fund capital expenditures, as previously discussed, and lower AFUDC, as previously discussed.

•Income tax expense increased $2.4 million, largely due to the absence of a benefit from an adjustment related to the Company's effective state income tax rate change.

Outlook The Company has continued to experience the effect of associated natural gas production in the Bakken, which has provided opportunities for organic growth projects and increased transportation demand. The completion of organic growth projects has contributed to higher volumes of natural gas the Company transports through its system. Bakken natural gas production is currently at or near record levels and the outlook remains positive with continued growth expected due to increasing gas to oil ratios which may moderate recent decreases in drilling activity.

Increases in national and global natural gas supply have moderated pressure on natural gas prices and price volatility. While the Company believes there will continue to be varying pressures on natural gas production levels and prices, the long-term outlook for natural gas prices continues to provide growth opportunity for industrial supply and demand related projects and seasonal pricing differentials provide opportunities for natural gas storage services.

The Company continues to monitor, evaluate and implement additional GHG emissions reduction strategies, including increased monitoring frequency and emission source control technologies to minimize potential risk.

GHG emissions regulations continue to evolve due to congressional actions and agency reconsideration. Methane Waste Emissions Charge regulations finalized in 2024 were eliminated by a resolution of disapproval passed by Congress and signed by the President in March 2025. The OBBBA postponed the Waste Emissions Charge provisions in the Clean Air Act to 2034. The EPA has issued several actions since the EPA Administrator's announcement regarding 31 historic actions to advance the President's "Power the Great American Comeback", which include extending deadlines for certain oil and gas new source performance standards and a proposal to reconsider the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program. The Company continues to comply with rules as they remain in effect, and to monitor and assess these rulemaking changes and the potential impacts they may have on its business processes, current and future projects, results of operations and disclosures.

The Company continues to focus on improving existing operations and growth opportunities through organic projects in all areas in which it operates, which includes additional projects supporting the needs of local distribution companies, Bakken area producers, electric generation customers and industrial customers in various stages of development, including:

•Line Section 32 Expansion Project which will provide natural gas transportation service to a new electric generation facility in northwest North Dakota. The project consists of approximately 20 miles of pipe and ancillary facilities and is designed to increase natural gas transportation capacity by 190 MMcf per day, which is supported by a long-term customer agreement. The Company continues to make progress on required surveys and anticipates filing its FERC application in March 2026. The project is dependent on regulatory approvals and is targeted to be in service in late 2028.

•Potential Bakken East Pipeline Project, which could consist of 350 miles of pipeline construction from western North Dakota to the eastern part of the state, plus additional pipeline laterals. The Company continues actively marketing the project and began a binding open season on February 2, 2026, which will conclude on March 13, 2026. The results of the open season will be evaluated to determine the final design, timeline and project cost. In 2025, the Company began working with landowners to conduct environmental and civil surveys along the potential route and plans to continue survey work in the spring of 2026 when weather conditions allow. In August 2025, the North Dakota Industrial Commission selected the project for firm capacity commitments of up to $50 million annually for 10 years.

•Potential Minot Industrial Pipeline Project, which could consist of an approximately 90-mile pipeline from Tioga, North Dakota to Minot, North Dakota and ancillary facilities. The Company has signed an agreement to support the early stage development of the project through the second quarter of 2026. The project would provide incremental natural gas transportation capacity for anticipated industrial demand.

See Capital Expenditures within this section for information on the expenditures related to these growth projects.

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Other

(In millions)

Operating revenues $ .7 $ .2 $ .2 250.0 % — %

Operating expenses:

Depreciation and amortization — 2.2 4.1 (100.0) % (46.3) %

Taxes, other than income — .4 .4 (100.0) % — %

The Company completed the separations of Knife River, its former construction materials and contracting segment, on May 31, 2023 and Everus, its former construction services segment, on October 31, 2024, into new independent publicly-traded companies. As a result of these separations, the historical results of operations for Knife River and Everus are shown in discontinued operations, net of tax, except for allocated general corporate overhead costs of the Company, which did not meet the criteria for discontinued operations and are reflected in Other. Also included in discontinued operations are certain strategic initiative costs associated with the separations of Knife River and Everus. Other includes activity for Everus for ten months in 2024 compared to the full year in 2023 and Knife River activity for five months in 2023, as well as corporate overhead costs paid by Everus and Knife River for those respective periods which were allocated to the Company's remaining segments in 2025.

Also included in Other is insurance activity at the Company's captive insurer and general and administrative costs and interest expense previously allocated to the exploration and production and refining businesses that did not meet the criteria for discontinued operations.

For the full year, Other reported net income of $1.2 million compared to net income of $91.4 million for 2024. The decrease was primarily due to the absence of the income from discontinued operations in 2025. Partially offsetting the decrease was lower operation and maintenance expense, largely a result of corporate overhead costs classified as continuing operations allocated to the construction services business in 2024, which were allocated to the Company's remaining segments in 2025.

Intersegment Transactions

Amounts presented in the preceding tables will not agree with the Consolidated Statements of Income due to the Company's elimination of intersegment transactions. The amounts related to these items were as follows:

(In millions)

Intersegment transactions:

Operation and maintenance $ 1.8 $ 0.7 $ 1.0

Purchased natural gas sold $ 74.8 $ 68.9 $ 62.1

For more information on intersegment eliminations, see Item 8 - Note 14.

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Liquidity and Capital Commitments

At December 31, 2025, the Company had cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash of $28.2 million and available borrowing capacity of $418.1 million under the outstanding credit facilities of the Company and its subsidiaries. The Company expects to meet its obligations for debt maturing within one year and its other operating and capital requirements from various sources, including internally generated funds; credit facilities and commercial paper of the Company and its subsidiaries, as described in Capital resources; and issuance of debt securities and equity securities using the Company's FSA and ATM program as needed.

Cash flows

(In millions)

Net cash provided by (used in)

Decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash (38.7) (10.1) (3.5)

Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash -- beginning of year 66.9 77.0 80.5

Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash -- end of year $ 28.2 $ 66.9 $ 77.0

Operating activities

(In millions)

Changes in current assets and current liabilities, net of acquisitions:

Pension and postretirement benefit plan contributions (3.1) (3.0) (7.6) (.1) 4.6

The changes in cash flows from operating activities generally follow the results of operations as discussed in Business Segment Financial and Operating Data and are affected by changes in working capital.

The decrease in cash flows provided by operating activities in 2025 from 2024 was largely driven by the absence of cash provided by discontinued operations in 2024, as well as the absence of certain fuel cost recoveries in 2025 and increases in certain regulatory cost deferrals. Partially offsetting the decrease was higher collection of accounts receivable associated with higher gas costs in December 2024, lower cash used for payment of other current liabilities, including compliance costs, accrued compensation, data center customer deposits, and net environmental compliance costs, all at the natural gas distribution business.

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Investing activities

(In millions)

Net proceeds from sale or disposition of property — 0.7 0.2 (.7) .5

Cost of removal, net of salvage value (11.3) (5.5) 1.2 (5.8) (6.7)

Net cash used in discontinued operations — (28.9) (75.6) 28.9 46.7

The increase in cash used in investing activities in 2025 from 2024 was primarily due to higher capital expenditures at the electric business, largely related to the Badger Wind Farm, partially offset by lower capital expenditures at the pipeline business due to the absence of the 2024 Wahpeton Expansion project. Partially offsetting this was the absence of cash used in discontinued operations with the spinoff of Everus.

Financing activities

(In millions)

Issuance of short-term borrowings $ — $ — $ 810.0 $ — $ (810.0)

Debt issuance costs (4.3) (2.5) (2.5) (1.8) —

Costs of issuance of common stock (.1) (.1) — — (.1)

Repurchase of common stock — — (4.8) — 4.8

Tax withholding on stock-based compensation (4.5) (2.6) (3.1) (1.9) .5

The increase in cash provided by financing activities in 2025 from 2024 was primarily due higher long-term debt issuance proceeds used to finance capital expenditure projects, primarily at the electric business. Also contributing was the absence of 2024 short-term borrowing repayment at the natural gas distribution business. Partially offsetting these items was the absence of cash provided by discontinued operations in 2024.

Defined benefit pension plans

The Company has noncontributory qualified defined benefit pension plans for certain employees. Plan assets consist of investments in equity and fixed-income securities. Various actuarial assumptions are used in calculating the benefit expense (income) and liability (asset) related to the pension plans. Actuarial assumptions include assumptions about the discount rate and expected return on plan assets. For 2025, the Company assumed a long-term rate of return on its qualified defined pension plan assets of 6.5 percent. Differences between actuarial assumptions and actual plan results are deferred and amortized into expense when the accumulated differences exceed 10 percent of the greater of the projected benefit obligation or the market-related value of plan assets. Therefore, this change in asset values will be reflected in future expenses of the plans beginning in 2026. The funded status of the plans improved $6.3 million from prior year, primarily due to increase in plan assets, as discussed previously.

At December 31, 2025, the pension plans' projected benefit obligations exceeded these plans' assets by approximately $18.5 million. Pretax pension expense reflected in the Consolidated Statements of Income for the years ended

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December 31, 2025 and 2024, was $3.4 million and $835,000, respectively. Pretax pension income reflected in the Consolidated Statements of Income for the year ended December 31, 2023 was $580,000. The Company's pension expense is currently projected to be approximately $4.7 million in 2026. Funding for the pension plans is actuarially determined. The Company expects to contribute the minimum funding requirement of $3.8 million in 2026. For the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, the Company contributed the minimum funding requirement of $3.4 million and $2.9 million, respectively. There were no minimum required contributions for the year ended December 31, 2023, due to an additional contribution of $20.0 million in 2019, which created prefunding credits that were used in future periods. For more information on the Company's pension plans, see Item 8 - Note 15.

Capital expenditures

The Company's capital expenditures, excluding discontinued operations, for 2023 through 2025 and as anticipated for 2026 through 2028 are summarized in the following table.

Actual (b) Estimated

(In millions)

Capital expenditures:

(a)Capital expenditures for 2023 are reported as gross capital expenditures. Capital expenditures for 2024 and 2025 as well as estimated expenditures for 2026 through 2028 are reported on a net basis.

(b)Capital expenditures for 2023, 2024 and 2025 include noncash transactions such as capital expenditure-related accounts payable and AFUDC totaling $(13.6) million, $7.1 million, and $(10.8) million, respectively.

(c)2025 capital expenditures were funded by cash provided from operating activities, long-term debt issuances and borrowings under credit facilities and issuance of commercial paper of the Company and its subsidiaries.

(d)The Company completed the final $264.6 million payment for a 49 percent ownership interest in Badger Wind Farm, which was acquired and placed in service on December 31, 2025. This amount was previously included in 2026 estimates.

(e)Excludes Other category.

Planned utility investments in the Company's estimated capital expenditures for 2026 through 2028 include system upgrades, substation improvements and generation projects, construction of JETx, system replacements, expansion and modernization projects to meet demand from a growing customer base, including new service extensions and capacity expansion to accommodate economic and population growth across the Company's eight-state territory. The pipeline business will continue to evaluate customer-driven projects, including expansion projects, to serve power generation and industrial demand in the region. In addition, the pipeline will focus on system maintenance and expanding capacity where market conditions support additional investment. A number of projects are included in the planned investments as the Company continues to invest in safe, reliable and environmentally-responsible energy delivery infrastructure across its regulated businesses. For more information on the Company's growth projects, see Business Segment Financial and Operating Data.

The Company continues to evaluate potential future acquisitions and other growth opportunities that would be incremental to the outlined capital program; however, they are dependent upon the availability of economic opportunities and, as a result, capital expenditures may vary significantly from the estimates in the preceding table. The Company continuously monitors its capital expenditures for project delays and changes in economic viability and adjusts as necessary. It is anticipated that all of the funds required for capital expenditures for the years 2026 through 2028 will be funded by various sources, including equity issuance, debt financing and internally generated funds.

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Capital resources

The Company requires significant cash to support and grow its businesses. The primary sources of cash other than cash generated from operating activities are cash from revolving credit facilities, the issuance of long-term debt and the sale of equity securities.

Debt resources Certain debt instruments of the Company and its subsidiaries contain restrictive and financial covenants and cross-default provisions. In order to borrow under the respective debt agreements, the Company and its subsidiaries must be in compliance with the applicable covenants and certain other conditions. Intermountain was not in compliance with its minimum interest coverage ratio for the period ended September 30, 2025, which constituted an event of default under the terms of the Intermountain NPAs. In addition, the event of default under the terms of the Intermountain NPAs constituted a cross-default under the terms of certain NPAs of MDU Energy Capital and revolving credit agreements held by the Company and Intermountain. Subsequent to September 30, 2025, Intermountain and MDU Energy Capital obtained waivers for this non-compliance from the holders of a majority of their respective outstanding notes, and Intermountain and the Company obtained waivers from the lenders of the revolving credit agreements, which collectively cured the impact of any events of default. The Company and its subsidiaries were in compliance with applicable covenants at December 31, 2025. In the event the Company or its subsidiaries do not comply with the applicable covenants and other conditions, alternative sources of funding may need to be pursued. As of December 31, 2025, the Company had investment grade credit ratings at all entities issuing debt which carried public ratings. For more information on the covenants, certain other conditions and cross-default provisions, outstanding revolving credit facilities, and new long-term debt issuances, see Item 8 - Note 9.

Equity offerings In August 2025, the Company entered into an EDA pursuant to which it may issue, offer, and sell, from time to time, up to an aggregate gross sales price of $400.0 million of shares of its common stock through an ATM offering program, which includes the ability to enter into FSAs. Since the establishment of the ATM offering program, the Company did not issue common stock pursuant to the EDA nor enter into any FSAs related to the EDA.

On December 5, 2025, the Company completed a follow-on public offering of 10,152,284 of shares of the Company's common stock at a public offering price of $19.70 per share. In addition, on December 23, 2025, the underwriters exercised their option to purchase 1,522,842 additional shares of the Company's common stock. Pursuant to the FSAs entered into in connection with the offering, the Company has discretion to settle the FSAs on one or more settlement dates prior to December 6, 2027, subject to certain price adjustments as set forth in the FSAs as well as adjustments for transaction and other associated fees. The FSAs will be physically settled with shares of common stock issued by the Company, unless the Company elects to settle the FSAs in net cash or net shares, subject to certain conditions. If the Company elects to physically settle the FSAs, the Company will physically issue shares of common stock to the banking counterparties at the then-applicable forward sale price and receive proceeds at that time.

Actual cash proceeds, if any, for settlement of FSAs will depend on the method and timing the Company elects for settlement. Prior to settlement, the potentially issuable shares pursuant to the FSAs will be reflected in the Company's diluted earnings per share calculation using the treasury stock method. For more detailed information about the Company's equity transactions, see Item 8 - Note 11.

Dividend restrictions

For information on the Company's dividends and dividend restrictions, see Item 8 - Note 11.

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Material cash requirements

For more information on the Company's contractual obligations on long-term debt, operating leases and purchase commitments, see Item 8 - Notes 9 and 17. At December 31, 2025, the Company's material cash requirements under these obligations were as follows:

Less than 1 year 1-3 years 3-5 years More than 5 years Total

(In millions)

* Unamortized debt issuance costs and discount are excluded from the table.

** Represents the estimated interest payments associated with the Company's long-term debt outstanding at December 31, 2025, assuming current interest rates and consistent amounts outstanding until their respective maturity dates over the periods indicated in the table above.

Material short-term cash requirements of the Company include repayment of outstanding borrowings and interest payments on those agreements, payments on operating lease agreements, payment of obligations on purchase commitments and asset retirement obligations. At December 31, 2025, the current portion of asset retirement obligations was $329,000 and was included in Other accrued liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets.

Material long-term cash requirements of the Company include repayment of outstanding borrowings and interest payments on those agreements, payments on operating lease agreements, payment of obligations on purchase commitments and asset retirement obligations. At December 31, 2025, the Company had total liabilities of $431.9 million related to asset retirement obligations that are excluded from the table above. Due to the nature of these obligations, the Company cannot determine precisely when the payments will be made to settle these obligations. For more information, see Item 8 - Note 10.

Not reflected in the previous table are $1.5 million in uncertain tax positions at December 31, 2025.

The Company's minimum funding requirements for its defined benefit pension plans for 2026, which are not reflected in the previous table, is $3.8 million. For information on potential contributions above the funding minimum requirements, see item 8 - Note 15.

The Company's MEPP contributions are based on union employee payroll, which cannot be determined in advance for future periods. The Company may also be required to make additional contributions to its MEPP as a result of its funded status. For more information, see Item 1A - Risk Factors and Item 8 - Note 15.

New Accounting Standards

For information regarding new accounting standards, see Item 8 - Note 2, which is incorporated herein by reference.

Critical Accounting Estimates

The Company has prepared its financial statements in conformity with GAAP. The preparation of its financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities, at the date of the financial statements, as well as the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Management reviews these estimates and assumptions based on historical experience, changes in business conditions and other relevant factors believed to be reasonable under the circumstances.

Critical accounting estimates are defined as estimates that require management to make assumptions about matters that are uncertain at the time the estimate was made and changes in the estimates could have a material impact on the Company's financial position or results of operations. The Company's critical accounting estimates are subject to judgments and uncertainties that affect the application of its significant accounting policies discussed in Item 8 - Note 2. As additional information becomes available, or actual amounts are determinable, the recorded estimates are revised.

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Consequently, the Company's financial position or results of operations may be materially different when reported under different conditions or when using different assumptions in the application of the following critical accounting estimates.

Goodwill

The Company performs its goodwill impairment testing annually in the fourth quarter. In addition, the test is performed on an interim basis whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of goodwill may not be recoverable. Examples of such events or circumstances may include a significant adverse change in business climate, weakness in an industry in which the Company's reporting units operate or recent significant cash or operating losses with expectations that those losses will continue.

The Company has determined that the reporting units for its goodwill impairment test are its operating segments, or components of an operating segment, that constitute a business for which discrete financial information is available and for which segment management regularly reviews the operating results. As of December 31, 2025, the only operating segment with goodwill was the natural gas distribution segment. For more information on the Company's operating segments, see Item 8 - Note 14.

Goodwill impairment, if any, is measured by comparing the fair value of each reporting unit to its carrying value. If the fair value of a reporting unit exceeds its carrying value, the goodwill of the reporting unit is not impaired. If the carrying value of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, the Company must record an impairment loss for the amount that the carrying value of the reporting unit, including goodwill, exceeds the fair value of the reporting unit. For the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024, and 2023, there were no impairment losses recorded.

At October 31, 2025, the Company's annual impairment testing indicated there was no impairment at its natural gas distribution reporting unit. The estimated fair value of the natural gas distribution reporting unit substantially exceeded its carrying value ("cushion"), which includes $345.7 million of goodwill, by approximately 41 percent. The increase in the natural gas distribution reporting unit's cushion from the prior year was primarily driven by improved valuation results under the market approach, reflecting higher industry multiples, as well as an increase in the income approach valuation due to additional rate relief in 2025 compared to 2024.

Determining the fair value of a reporting unit requires judgment and the use of significant estimates which include assumptions about the Company's future revenue, profitability and cash flows, long-term growth rates, amount and timing of estimated capital expenditures, inflation rates, risk adjusted cost of capital, operational plans, and current and future economic conditions, among others. The fair value of each reporting unit is determined using a weighted combination of income and market approaches. The Company believes that the estimates and assumptions used in its impairment assessments are reasonable and based on available market information.

The Company uses a discounted cash flow methodology for its income approach. Under the income approach, the discounted cash flow model determines fair value based on the present value of projected cash flows over a specified period and a residual value related to future cash flows beyond the projection period. Both values are discounted using a rate which reflects the best estimate of the risk adjusted cost of capital at each reporting unit. The risk adjusted cost of capital was 5.8 percent, 5.9 percent and 6.7 percent for 2025, 2024, and 2023, respectively.

Under the market approach, the Company estimates fair value using various multiples derived from enterprise value to EBITDA for comparative peer companies. These multiples are applied to operating data to arrive at an indication of fair value. In addition, the Company also uses a rate base multiple, based on recent comparable industry transactions. With the exception of the rate base trading multiple, the Company adds a reasonable control premium when calculating the fair value utilizing the peer multiples, which is estimated as the premium that would be received in a sale in an orderly transaction between market participants. The Company used a 20 percent control premium in 2025, 2024, and 2023.