Item 1A. Risk Factors
Spire’s, Spire Missouri’s and Spire Alabama’s businesses and financial results are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including those set forth below. The risks described below are those management considers to be material. When considering any investment in these companies’ securities, investors should carefully consider the following information, as well as information contained in the caption “Forward-Looking Statements,” Item 7A, and other documents Spire, Spire Missouri, and Spire Alabama file with the SEC. This list is not exhaustive, and management places no priority or likelihood based on the risk descriptions, order of presentation or grouping.
RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES THAT RELATE TO REGULATORY, LEGISLATIVE AND LITIGATION FACTORS
Regulatory and legislative developments in the energy industry related to climate change or in support of increased energy efficiency may adversely affect operations and financial results.
There have been a number of federal, state and local legislative and regulatory initiatives proposed in recent years in an attempt to control or limit the effects of global warming and overall climate change, including greenhouse gas emissions, such as methane and carbon dioxide. Adoption of this type of legislation by Congress or similar legislation by states or localities, or the adoption of related regulations by federal, state or local governments mandating a substantial reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, restricting the use of fossil fuels, such as natural gas, or restricting the construction of infrastructure could have far-reaching and significant impacts on the energy industry. Such new legislation or regulations could result in increased compliance costs or additional operating restrictions, adversely affect the demand for natural gas and/or midstream services, or impact the prices charged to customers, potentially reducing customer growth opportunities and/or increasing the cost of doing business.
In addition, legislative and regulatory initiatives by the federal, state and local governments addressing greenhouse gas emissions or restricting the use of natural gas could adversely affect customer demand. The promulgation of regulations of the emissions of greenhouse gases and efficiency for residential gas furnaces and other gas appliances or the potential enactment of congressional legislation addressing global warming and climate change may decrease customer usage, encourage fuel switching from gas to other energy forms, and may result in future additional compliance costs that could
10
Table of Contents
impact the Utilities’ financial conditions and results of operations. At this time, we cannot predict the potential impact of such laws or regulations that may be adopted on the Company’s and the Utilities’ future business, financial condition or financial results.
In March 2024, the SEC adopted the final climate disclosure rules to enhance and standardize climate-related disclosures by public companies. These rules were immediately challenged in court and were voluntarily stayed by the SEC in April 2024. In March 2025, the SEC voted to end its defense of the rules, and in September 2025, the Eighth Circuit issued an order holding the case abeyance until the SEC decides to rescind, repeal, revise, or defend the rules. Accordingly, the rules remain stayed. If the rules, or similar rules, become effective in the future, compliance could require significant additional expenditures.
Regulation of the Utilities’ businesses may impact rates they are able to charge, costs, and profitability.
The Utilities are subject to regulation by federal, state and local authorities. At the state level, the Utilities are regulated in Missouri by the MoPSC, in Alabama by the APSC, and in Mississippi by the MSPSC. These state public service commissions regulate many aspects of the Utilities’ distribution operations, including construction and maintenance of facilities, operations, safety, the rates the Utilities may charge customers, the terms of service to their customers, transactions with their affiliates, the rate of return they are allowed to realize, and the accounting treatment for certain aspects of their operations. For further discussion of these accounting matters, see Regulatory Accounting under Critical Accounting Estimates in Item 7.
Accounting for the economics of rate regulation affects multiple financial statement line items (such as property, plant, and equipment; regulatory assets and liabilities; operating revenues; and operating expenses) and affects multiple disclosures in the Company’s financial statements. There is a risk that the state public service commissions will not approve full recovery of the costs of providing utility service or recovery of all amounts invested in the utility business and a reasonable return on that investment. A material disallowance of deferred costs could adversely affect the Utilities’ results of operations.
The MoPSC also approves Spire Missouri’s Infrastructure System Replacement Surcharge ("ISRS"). The ISRS allows Spire Missouri expedited recovery for its investment to upgrade its infrastructure and enhance its safety and reliability without the necessity of a formal rate case. Such investments are subject to review, and there is risk that any material disallowance of costs under ISRS could adversely affect the timing of revenues and cash flows. Without legislative action, the ISRS statute related to gas utilities will expire on August 28, 2029.
The Utilities’ ability to obtain and timely implement rate increases and rate supplements to maintain the current rate of return is subject to regulatory review and approval. There can be no assurance that they will be able to obtain rate increases or rate supplements or continue earning the current authorized rates of return. The Rate Stabilization and Equalization (RSE) mechanism, which requires Spire Alabama and Spire Gulf to file an annual rate review based on the utility’s budget for the upcoming fiscal year, was last renewed in 2022, and absent a Commission order modifying Spire Alabama’s tariff, the existing RSE terms shall continue in effect beyond September 30, 2025. Spire Mississippi is subject to regulation by the MSPSC and utilizes the Rate Stabilization Adjustment ("RSA") Rider. For further details, see Note 15, Regulatory Matters, of the Notes to Financial Statements in Item 8.
The Utilities could incur additional costs if required to adjust to new laws or regulations, revisions to existing laws or regulations or changes in interpretations of existing laws or regulations. In addition, as the regulatory environment for the natural gas industry increases in complexity, the risk of inadvertent noncompliance could also increase. If the Utilities fail to comply with applicable laws and regulations, whether existing or new, they could be subject to fines, penalties, business interruption or other enforcement action by the authorities that regulate the Utilities’ operations.
Federal safety and integrity regulations related to pipeline and storage operators and owners of critical infrastructure may impose significant costs and liabilities on the Company.
The U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration ("PHMSA") requires pipeline and natural gas storage operators to develop integrity management programs to evaluate their pipelines comprehensively and to take additional measures to protect pipeline segments located in areas where a leak or rupture could potentially do the most harm. The Company is required to maintain programs that are intended to assess pipeline integrity. Any repair, remediation, preventative or mitigating actions may require significant capital and operating expenditures. PHMSA constantly updates its regulations to ensure the highest levels of pipeline safety. As the operator of pipelines, Spire is required to:
•
perform ongoing assessments of pipeline integrity;
•
identify and characterize applicable threats to pipelines;
•
improve data collection, integration and analysis;
•
repair and remediate the pipeline as necessary; and
11
Table of Contents
•
implement preventative and mitigating actions.
The PHMSA advisory bulletin to the Protecting Our Infrastructure of Pipelines and Enhancing Safety (PIPES) Act of 2020 was rescinded June 13, 2025. This would have, among other things, required the evaluation of steps taken to prevent and mitigate unintentional and intentional emissions from natural gas releases, e.g. increased the frequency of leak detection surveys, promoted advanced leak detection programs, and required accelerated repair of leaks found. Additionally, it would have required operators to have written O&M plans to address not only public safety, but also the protection of the environment. At this time, it is indeterminable if or when such regulation might go into effect. Nonetheless, the company will continue to implement Advanced Mobile Leak Detection in its service territories over the next three years.
The Transportation Security Administration ("TSA") requires owners and operators of specified pipeline facilities to take action to prevent disruption and degradation to their infrastructure to achieve the following security outcomes:
•
develop network segmentation policies and controls;
•
create access control measures to secure and prevent unauthorized access to critical cyber systems;
•
build continuous monitoring and detection policies and procedures to detect threats and correct anomalies; and
•
reduce the risk of exploitation of unpatched systems in a timely manner using a risk-based methodology.
As such, pipeline owners and operators are required to establish and execute a TSA-approved Cybersecurity Implementation Plan, develop and maintain a Cybersecurity Incident Response Plan, and establish a Cybersecurity Assessment Program. To date, Spire is compliant with these requirements.
Costs to comply with these and other such future safety and integrity regulations are significant. Additionally, should the Company fail to comply with applicable statutes, rules, regulations and orders, it could be subject to significant fines, penalties, business interruption or other enforcement actions.
Environmental laws and regulations may require significant expenditures or increase operating costs.
The Utilities and Midstream companies are subject to federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations affecting many aspects of their present and future operations. These laws and regulations require these businesses to obtain and comply with a wide variety of environmental licenses, permits, inspections, and approvals. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations and failure to obtain any required permits and licenses may result in costs in the form of fines, penalties, business interruptions or other enforcement actions, which may be material. In addition, existing environmental laws and regulations could be revised or reinterpreted and/or new laws and regulations could be adopted or become applicable to these companies or their facilities, thereby impacting the cost of compliance. With the overturning of the 40-year-old “Chevron Doctrine” on June 28, 2024, which had provided for deference to agencies’ interpretation of regulations in litigation against those agencies, there is additional uncertainty going forward regarding current and future regulatory interpretations. The discovery of presently unknown environmental conditions, including former manufactured gas plant sites, and adverse claims under environmental laws and regulations may result in expenditures and liabilities, which could be material. To the extent environmental compliance costs are self-insured, or not fully covered by insurance or recovered in rates from customers, those costs may have an adverse effect on financial condition and results of operations.
The Utilities’ liquidity may be adversely affected by delays in recovery of their costs, due to regulation.
In the normal course of business, there is a lag between when the Utilities incur increases in certain of their costs and the time in which those costs are considered for recovery in the ratemaking process. Cash requirements for increased gas supply costs, operating costs, increased funding levels of defined benefit pension and postretirement costs, capital expenditures, interest expense and other increases in the costs of doing business, including inflation, can require outlays of cash prior to the authorization of increases in rates charged to customers, as approved by the MoPSC, APSC, or MSPSC. Accordingly, the Utilities’ liquidity can be adversely impacted to the extent higher costs are not timely recovered from their customers.
Changes to income tax policy, certain tax elections, tax regulations and future taxable income could adversely impact the Company’s financial condition and results of operations.
The Company has significantly reduced its current federal and state income tax obligations over the past few years through tax planning strategies and application of tax rules, including the use of bonus depreciation deductions for certain property expenditures. As a result, the Company generated large annual taxable losses that have resulted in significant federal and state net operating losses ("NOLs"). The Company plans to utilize these NOLs in the future. The value of these NOLs could be reduced if the Company cannot generate sufficient taxable income to utilize all of the NOLs before they expire, or if changes in income tax policy, lower-than-expected financial performance, or regulatory actions occur.
12
Table of Contents
On July 4, 2025, U.S. tax legislation known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act ("OBBBA") was enacted, which made permanent many provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 and introduced additional changes to U.S. corporate tax rules, some of which become effective in 2026. While OBBBA is not expected to have a material impact to our financial condition or results of operations, future legislative changes, including potential modifications to OBBBA or other tax reforms, could adversely impact the Company. These impacts could include reducing the value of its NOLs and could result in material charges to earnings. Further, the Company’s financial condition and results of operations may be adversely impacted.
The Company may be involved in legal or administrative proceedings before various courts and governmental bodies that could adversely affect its results of operations and financial condition.
The Company may be involved in legal or administrative proceedings before various courts and governmental bodies with respect to general claims, rates, environmental issues, gas cost prudence reviews and other matters. For further details, see Contingencies in Note 16 to the financial statements in Item 8. Adverse decisions regarding these matters, to the extent they require the Company to make payments in excess of amounts provided for in its financial statements, or to the extent they are self-insured or not covered by insurance, could adversely affect the results of operations and financial condition.
Commodity markets and derivative instruments are regulated by federal agencies, and new developments in this area may adversely impact Spire Marketing’s results of operations andfinancial condition.
As a participant in the natural gas market, Spire Marketing is subject to applicable statutes, rules, regulations and orders administered by FERC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission ("CFTC"), including those directed generally to prevent fraud or manipulation involving natural gas transactions (physical or financial transactions). Spire Marketing could be subject to fines, penalties, business interruption or other enforcement actions by the FERC or CFTC, or both, for failure to comply with such rules. New regulatory and legislative actions may adversely impact Spire Marketing’s results of operations and financial condition by potentially reducing customer growth opportunities and/or increasing the costs of doing business.
Spire Marketing uses bilateral contracts and derivative instruments such as futures contracts, options and swaps to hedge or mitigate ongoing commercial risks. Most standardized swaps, under the Dodd-Frank Act and regulations from the CFTC, are required to be cleared through a registered clearing facility and traded on a designated exchange or swap execution facility, subject to certain exceptions. These regulations may also require compliance with certain margin requirements for over-the-counter derivative contracts with certain regulated entities, which could adversely affect liquidity and ability to use derivatives to hedge risks. In addition, the CFTC’s rules require companies, including Spire Marketing, to maintain regulatory records of swap transactions, and to report swaps to centralized swap data repositories, among other compliance obligations.
Although Spire Marketing may qualify for exceptions to certain of these CFTC rules, its derivatives counterparties are likely subject to capital, margin, documentation and business conduct requirements imposed as a result of the Dodd-Frank Act. These obligations may increase transaction costs and may make it more difficult for Spire Marketing to enter into hedging transactions on favorable terms or affect the number and/or creditworthiness of available swap counterparties. In that event, Spire Marketing’s inability to enter into derivatives instruments or other commercial risk hedging transactions on favorable terms, or at all, could increase operating expenses and expose it to unhedged commercial risks, including potential adverse changes in commodity prices.
RISKS THAT RELATE TO OPERATIONAL FACTORS
The Company’s ability to meet its customers’ natural gas requirements may be impaired if contracted gas supplies, interstate pipeline and/or storage services are not available or delivered in a timely manner.
In order to meet their customers’ annual and seasonal natural gas demands, the Utilities must obtain sufficient supplies, interstate pipeline capacity, and storage capacity. If they are unable to obtain these, either from their suppliers’ inability to deliver the contracted commodity or the inability to secure replacement quantities, to the extent not mitigated by tariffs, contractual indemnification or insurance, the Utilities’ financial condition and results of operations may be adversely impacted. If a substantial disruption in interstate natural gas pipelines’ transmission and storage capacity were to occur during periods of heavy demand, the Utilities’ financial results could be adversely impacted.
Spire Marketing’s ability to deliver natural gas to its customers is contingent upon the performance of its suppliers and capability of pipeline and storage operators to fulfill delivery obligations to Spire Marketing under firm contracts. To the extent that it is unable to obtain the necessary supplies, Spire Marketing’s financial position and results of operations may be adversely impacted.
13
Table of Contents
Midstream is dependent upon third-party pipelines and other facilities to provide delivery options to and from its facilities. If any pipeline connection were to become unavailable for volumes of natural gas due to repairs, damage to the facility, lack of capacity or any other reason, the ability to continue receiving or delivering natural gas could be restricted, and to the extent not mitigated by contractual indemnification, insurance or tariffs, would thereby reduce its revenues. Any permanent interruption that causes a material reduction in volumes could result in an impairment loss that could have a material adverse effect on the financial condition and results of operations.
Transporting, distributing, and storing natural gas and propane involves numerous risks that may result in accidents and other operational issues.
Natural gas transportation, distribution and storage activities inherently involve a variety of integrity issues, hazards and operations risks, such as leaks, accidental explosions, blowouts, damage caused by third parties, activities of contractors, and mechanical problems, which could cause substantial financial losses. In addition, these risks could result in serious injury to employees and non-employees, loss of human life, significant damage to property, environmental pollution, impairment of operations, and substantial losses to the Company and its subsidiaries. The location of pipelines and storage facilities near populated areas, including residential areas, commercial business centers, and industrial sites, could increase the level of damages resulting from these risks. Similar risks also exist for Spire Missouri’s propane storage, transmission and minor distribution operations. These activities may subject the Company to litigation or administrative proceedings. Such litigation or proceedings could result in substantial monetary judgments, fines, penalties, business interruption or other enforcement actions against the Company and its subsidiaries or be resolved on unfavorable terms. In accordance with customary industry practices, the Utilities and other Spire businesses maintain insurance against a significant portion, but not all, of these risks and losses. To the extent the occurrence of any of these events is self-insured or not fully covered by insurance, it could adversely affect the financial condition and results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries.
Because of competition, the Company may not be able to retain existing customers or acquire new customers, or may be unsuccessful in retaining or acquiring contractual assets on favorable terms, which could have an adverse impact on its business, results of operationsand financial condition.
The Utilities face the risk that larger commercial or industrial customers may bypass gas distribution services by directly connecting with interstate pipelines or, in the case of Spire Alabama and Spire Gulf, also from municipally or publicly owned gas distributors located adjacent to its service territory. The Utilities cannot provide any assurance that increased competition will not have a material adverse effect on their business, financial condition or results of operations.
The Utilities compete with distributors offering a broad range of services and prices, from full-service distributors to those offering delivery only. The Utilities also compete for retail customers with suppliers of alternative energy products, principally propane and electricity, and to a growing extent, distributed sources of renewable energy. If they are unable to compete effectively, the Utilities may lose existing customers and/or fail to acquire new customers, which in the aggregate could have a material adverse effect on their business, results of operations and financial condition. Along those lines, changes in wholesale natural gas prices compared with prices for electricity, fuel oil, coal, propane, or other energy sources can significantly impact the cost of delivered natural gas, which may affect the Utilities’ retention of natural gas customers and may adversely impact their financial condition and results of operations.
Spire Storage is subject to competition from similar services provided by pipelines and from competing independent storage providers capable of serving its customers. Natural gas storage is a competitive business, with competitors having the ability to expand storage capacity. Increased competition in the natural gas storage business could reduce the demand and drive rates down for the Company’s natural gas storage services. To a lesser extent, competition and the price differences between natural gas hubs can also impact the volumes and rates of our interstate pipelines.
Also, Spire Marketing profitability may be impacted by the effects of the expiration, in the normal course of business, of certain of its natural gas supply, sales, transportation and storage contracts if, because of competition or other reasons, those contracts cannot be replaced and/or renewed with arrangements with similar terms and pricing.
Significantly warmer-than-normal weather conditions and the effects of climate change may affect the Utilities’ sale of heating energy and adversely impact their financial position and results of operations.
The Utilities’ earnings are primarily generated by the sale of heating energy. Spire Missouri and Spire Mississippi each have a Weather Normalization Adjustment rider, Spire Alabama has a Temperature Adjustment Rider, and Spire Gulf has a Weather Impact Normalization Factor. These mechanisms, approved by the respective state regulatory body, provide better assurance of the recovery of fixed costs and margins during winter months despite variations in sales volumes due to the impacts of weather, while the annual rate designs of Alabama and Mississippi help adjust for other factors that affect customer usage. However, significantly warmer-than-normal weather conditions in the Utilities’ service areas and
14
Table of Contents
other factors, such as climate change, alternative energy sources and increased efficiency of gas furnaces and other appliances, may result in reduced profitability and decreased cash flows attributable to lower gas sales. Furthermore, these mechanisms do not fully mitigate the impact of warmer weather and continuation of these adjustment factors is subject to regulatory discretion.
To the extent climate change results in warmer temperatures, financial results could be adversely affected through lower gas volumes and revenues and reduced marketing opportunities. Management believes it is likely that any such resulting impacts would occur over a long period of time and thus would be difficult to quantify with any degree of specificity. Another possible impact of climate change may be more frequent and more severe weather events, such as significant wind or flooding events, which could increase costs to repair damaged facilities and restore service to customers or result in lost revenues if the Company were unable to deliver natural gas to customers. Such weather events could also disrupt our usual gas supplies and make it impossible or extremely costly to find replacement gas for our customers. To the extent such impacts are self-insured, or not covered by insurance or recovered in rates, the foregoing events could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition and results of operations.
The Company’s natural gas storage business includes inherent geologic and operational risks.
Any damage to the Spire Storage facilities or pipelines, or lack of integrity to its storage fields, including damages caused by a blow-out, to the extent such impacts are self-insured or not covered by insurance, could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition and results of operations.
The Company does not own all the land on which its storage facilities were constructed, and it is, therefore, subject to the possibility of more onerous terms or increased costs to retain necessary land use, if and when applicable property rights expire or are renewed. Changes in the terms of such land use could have an adverse impact on the financial condition and results of operations of the Company’s storage business.
Increased dependence on technology may hinder the Company’s business operations and adversely affect their financial condition and results of operations if such technologies fail.
The Company has implemented or acquired a variety of technological tools including both Company-owned information technology and technological services provided by outside parties. These tools and systems support critical functions including the Company’s integrated planning, scheduling and dispatching of field resources, its automated meter reading system, customer care and billing, procurement and accounts payable, operational plant logistics, management reporting, and external financial reporting. The failure of these or other similarly important technologies, or the Company’s inability to have these technologies supported, updated, expanded, or integrated into other technologies, could hinder its business operations and, to the extent such impacts are self-insured or not covered by insurance, could adversely impact its financial condition and results of operations.
Although the Company has, when possible, developed alternative sources of technology and built redundancy into its computer networks and tools, there can be no assurance these efforts to date would protect against all potential issues related to the loss of any such technologies or the Company’s use of such technologies. While the Company assesses the cyber protection of its vendors, the Company’s use of an outside party presents cyber exposure that must also be carefully managed.
A cyberattack may disrupt the Company’s operations or lead to a loss or misuse of confidential and proprietary information or potential liability.
The Company is subject to cybersecurity risks primarily related to breaches of security pertaining to sensitive customer, employee, and vendor information maintained by the Company, its subsidiaries, or its third-party vendors in the normal course of business, as well as breaches in the technology that manages natural gas supply and control operations and other business processes. A loss of confidential or proprietary data or security breaches of technology for operations or business processes could adversely affect the Company’s reputation, diminish customer confidence, disrupt operations, and subject the Company to possible financial liability, any of which could have a material effect on its financial condition and results of operations. Despite Company policy restrictions on artificial intelligence ("AI"), whitelisting of sites, and contractual limitations on vendors’ use of AI, there is also a risk of inadvertent sharing of confidential or proprietary data through the inappropriate use of open AI tools.
The Company acknowledges increased dependence on technology increases its exposure to cyberattack. The Company closely monitors both preventive and detective measures to manage these risks and maintain cyber risk insurance to mitigate a significant portion, but not all, of these risks and losses. To the extent that the occurrence of any of these cyber events is self-insured or not covered by insurance, it could adversely affect the Company’s financial condition and results of operations. In the event of a material cyber event, the Company is required to inform investors and to publicly disclose the nature of such an event to comply with SEC rules and regulations.
15
Table of Contents
The Company’s business activities are concentrated in a few states and regions.
The Utilities provide natural gas distribution services to customers in Alabama, Mississippi, and Missouri. On July 27, 2025 the Company entered into an agreement to purchase the Tennessee natural gas local distribution company business of Piedmont Natural Gas Company, Inc. ("Piedmont Natural Gas") from Duke Energy Corporation ("Duke Energy"). Midstream is focused on the Rocky Mountain/Western and Midcontinent regions. Changes in the regional economies, politics, regulations and weather patterns of these states could negatively impact growth opportunities and the usage patterns and financial condition of customers and could adversely affect earnings, cash flows, and financial position.
RISKS THAT RELATE TO FINANCIAL, ECONOMIC AND MARKET FACTORS
As a holding company, Spire depends on its operating subsidiaries to meet its financial obligations.
Spire is a holding company with no significant assets other than the stock of its operating subsidiaries and cash investments. Spire, and Spire Missouri prior to the holding company’s formation in 2000, has paid common stock dividends continuously since 1946. Spire’s ability to pay dividends to its shareholders is dependent on the ability of its subsidiaries to generate sufficient net income and cash flows to pay upstream dividends and make loans or loan repayments.
A downgrade in Spire’s and/or its subsidiaries’ credit ratings and/or reduced access to credit and capital markets may negatively affect its cost of capital or prevent it from executing operating strategies.
Currently, Spire, Spire Missouri, and Spire Alabama have investment-grade credit ratings. There is no assurance such credit ratings for any of these companies will remain in effect for any given period or such ratings will not be lowered, suspended or withdrawn entirely by the rating agencies, if, in each rating agency’s judgment, circumstances so warrant. Spire has a working capital line of credit to meet its short-term liquidity needs. Spire’s line of credit may be used to meet the liquidity needs of any of its subsidiaries, subject to sublimits. If the rating agencies lowered the credit rating at any of these entities, particularly below investment grade, it might significantly limit that entity’s ability to secure new or additional credit facilities and would increase its costs of borrowing. Spire’s and the Utilities’ ability to borrow under current or new credit facilities and costs of that borrowing have a direct impact on their ability to execute their operating strategies.
Spire Marketing relies on its cash flows, ability to effect net settlements with counterparties, parental guaranties, and access to Spire’s liquidity resources to satisfy its credit and working capital requirements. Spire Marketing’s ability to rely on parental guaranties is dependent upon Spire’s financial condition and credit ratings. If Spire’s credit ratings were lowered, particularly below investment grade, counterparty acceptance of parental guaranties may diminish, resulting in decreased availability of credit. Additionally, under such circumstances, certain counterparties may require Spire Marketing to provide prepayments or cash deposits, amounts of which would be dependent upon natural gas market conditions. Reduced access to credit or increased credit requirements, which may also be caused by factors such as higher overall natural gas prices, may limit Spire Marketing’s ability to enter into certain transactions. In addition, Spire Marketing has concentrations of counterparty credit risk in that a significant portion of its transactions are with (or are associated with) utility companies and their marketing affiliates. The concentration of counterparties has the potential to affect the Company’s overall exposure to credit risk, either positively or negatively, in that customers in this group may be affected similarly by changes in economic, industry, or other conditions. Spire Marketing also has concentrations of credit risk in certain individually significant counterparties. Spire Marketing closely monitors its credit exposure and, although uncollectible amounts have not been significant, increased counterparty defaults are possible and may result in financial losses and/or capital limitations.
Regional supply/demand imbalances, fluctuations in natural gas commodity prices, changes in the terms and rates charged by midstream facilities, and infrastructure projects may adversely impact the future profitability of the Company.
Competition in the marketplace and fluctuations in natural gas commodity prices have a direct impact on Spire Marketing. Changing market conditions and prices, the narrowing of regional and seasonal price differentials and limited future price volatility may adversely impact its sales margins or affect its ability to procure gas supplies and/or to serve certain customers, which may reduce sales profitability and/or increase certain credit requirements caused by reductions in netting capability. Although the FERC regulates the interstate transportation of natural gas and establishes the general terms and conditions under which Spire Marketing may use interstate gas pipeline capacity to purchase and transport natural gas, Spire Marketing must occasionally renegotiate its transportation agreements with a concentrated group of pipeline companies. Renegotiated terms of new agreements or increases in FERC-authorized rates of existing agreements may impact Spire Marketing’s future profitability. Profitability may also be adversely impacted if pipeline capacity or future storage capacity secured is not fully utilized.
16
Table of Contents
Storage businesses are affected by various gas market fundamentals which impact the level of demand for storage services and the rates that can be charged for these services. These market fundamentals include: seasonal price spread; monthly, daily and hourly price volatility; locational basis for pricing points on pipelines connected to a storage facility; seasonal, daily and hourly weather; and operational impacts in supply and market areas served by a storage facility and its connected pipelines. These fundamentals have varying and potentially material adverse impacts on the various services offered by storage facilities and the rates that can be charged for these services in the market. These services include long-term firm storage, short-term park and loan, wheeling, and optimization. Rates below the variable costs to operate a storage facility could result in a decision to not operate all the capacity in the facility or to operate the facility at a loss if required to fulfill firm customer contract obligations. A sustained decline in these rates or a shut-in of all or a portion of one or more facilities’ capacity could have an adverse impact on the Company’s financial condition and results of operations.
Spire Missouri’s and Spire Alabama’s income from off-system sales and capacity release is subject to fluctuations in market conditions and changing supply and demand conditions in areas the Utilities hold pipeline capacity rights. Specific factors impacting the Utilities’ income from off-system sales and capacity release include the availability of attractively priced natural gas supply, availability of pipeline capacity, and market demand. Income from off-system sales and capacity release is shared with customers. Spire Missouri and Spire Alabama are allowed to retain 25% of the net margins achieved as a result of such off-system sales and capacity release. The Utilities’ ability to retain such income in the future is also subject to regulatory discretion.
Rapid significant increases in natural gas prices may adversely affect the Utilities’ liquidity and, in certain circumstances, results of operations.
The tariff rate schedules of Spire Missouri, Spire Gulf and Spire Mississippi contain PGA clauses and Spire Alabama’s tariff rate schedule contains a GSA rider that permit the Utilities to file for rate adjustments to recover the cost of purchased gas. Changes in the cost of purchased gas are flowed through to customers and may affect uncollectible amounts and cash flows and can therefore impact the amount of capital resources.
Currently, Spire Missouri is allowed to adjust the gas cost component of rates up to four times each year while Spire Alabama and Spire Gulf (collectively, the “Alabama Utilities”) and Spire Mississippi may adjust the gas cost component of their rates on a monthly basis. Spire Missouri must make a mandatory gas cost adjustment at the beginning of the winter, in November, and during the next twelve months may make up to three additional discretionary gas cost adjustments, so long as each of these adjustments is separated by at least two months.
The MoPSC typically approves the Spire Missouri PGA changes on an interim basis, subject to refund and the outcome of a subsequent audit and prudence review. Due to such review process, there is a risk of a disallowance of full recovery of these costs. Any material disallowance of purchased gas costs would adversely affect results of operations. The Alabama Utilities’ gas supply charges are submitted for APSC review monthly, regardless of whether there is a request for a change, so prudence review occurs on an ongoing basis. Spire Mississippi’s PGA is adjusted monthly for the most recent charges and is filed at the MSPSC monthly.
Increases in the prices the Utilities charge for gas may also adversely affect revenues because they could lead customers to reduce usage and cause some customers to have trouble paying the resulting higher bills. These higher prices may increase bad debt expenses and ultimately reduce earnings. Rapid increases in the price of purchased gas may result in an increase in short-term debt.
To lower financial exposure to commodity price fluctuations, Spire Missouri enters into contracts to hedge the forward commodity price of its natural gas supplies. As part of this strategy, Spire Missouri may use fixed-price forward physical purchase contracts, swaps, futures, and option contracts. However, Spire Missouri does not hedge the entire exposure of energy assets or positions to market price volatility, and the coverage will vary over time. Any costs, gains, or losses experienced through hedging procedures, including carrying costs, generally flow through the PGA clause, thereby limiting Spire Missouri’s exposure to earnings volatility. However, variations in the timing of collections of such gas costs under the PGA clause and the effect of cash payments for margin deposits associated with Spire Missouri’s use of natural gas derivative instruments may cause short-term cash requirements to vary. These procedures remain subject to prudence review by the MoPSC.
Other than fixed-price forward physical purchase contracts, Spire Alabama, Spire Gulf, and Spire Mississippi currently do not utilize risk mitigation strategies that incorporate commodity hedge instruments, but Spire Alabama has the ability to do so through its GSA.
17
Table of Contents
Risk management policies, including the use of derivative instruments, may not fully protect Spire Marketing’s sales and results of operations from volatility and may result in financial losses.
In the course of its business, Spire Marketing enters into contracts to purchase and sell natural gas at fixed prices and index-based prices. Commodity price risk associated with these contracts has the potential to impact earnings and cash flows. To minimize this risk, Spire Marketing has a risk management policy that provides for daily monitoring of a number of business measures, including fixed price commitments.
Spire Marketing currently manages the commodity price risk associated with fixed-price commitments for the purchase or sale of natural gas by either closely matching the offsetting physical purchase or sale of natural gas at fixed prices or through the use of natural gas futures, options, and swap contracts traded on or cleared through the New York Mercantile Exchange, Inc. and/or the Intercontinental Exchange to lock in margins. These exchange-traded/cleared contracts may be designated as cash flow hedges of forecasted transactions. However, market conditions and regional price changes may cause ineffective portions of matched positions to result in financial losses. Additionally, to the extent that Spire Marketing’s natural gas contracts are classified as trading activities or do not otherwise qualify for the normal purchases or normal sales designation (or the designation is not elected), the contracts are recorded as derivatives at fair value each period. Accordingly, the associated gains and losses are reported directly in earnings and may cause volatility in results of operations. Gains or losses (realized and unrealized) on certain wholesale purchase and sale contracts, consisting of those classified as trading activities, are required to be presented on a net basis (instead of a gross basis) in the statements of consolidated income. Such presentation could result in volatility in the Company’s operating revenues.
Spire’s pension and other postretirement benefit plans are subject to investment and interest rate risk that could negatively impact its financial condition.
Spire and its subsidiaries have pensions and other postretirement benefit plans that provide benefits to many of their employees and retirees. Costs of providing benefits and related funding requirements of these plans are subject to changes in the market value of the assets that fund the plans. The funded status of the plans and the related costs reflected in the Company’s financial statements are affected by various factors, which are subject to an inherent degree of uncertainty, including economic conditions, financial market performance, interest rates, life expectancies and demographics. Recessions and volatility in the domestic and international financial markets have negatively affected the asset values of the Company’s pension plans at various times in the past. Poor investment returns or lower interest rates may necessitate accelerated funding of the plans to meet minimum federal government requirements, which could have an adverse impact on the Company’s financial condition and results of operations. For more information, including regulatory provisions affecting the Utilities’ plans, see Note 13, Pension Plans and Other Postretirement Benefits, of the Notes to Financial Statements in Item 8.
In connection with acquisitions, Spire and Spire Missouri recorded goodwill and long-lived assets that could become impaired and adversely affect its financial condition and results of operations.
Spire and Spire Missouri assess goodwill for impairment annually or more frequently if events or circumstances occur that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of a reporting unit below its carrying value. The Company and Spire Missouri assess their long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or circumstances indicate an asset’s carrying amount may not be recoverable. To the extent the value of goodwill or long-lived assets becomes impaired, the Company and Spire Missouri may be required to incur impairment charges that could have a material impact on their results of operations.
Since interest rates are a key component, among other assumptions, in the models used to estimate the fair values of the Company’s reporting units, rises in interest rates would generally decrease the calculated fair values and future impairments may occur. Due to the subjectivity of the assumptions and estimates underlying the impairment analysis, Spire and Spire Missouri cannot provide assurance that future analyses will not result in impairment. These assumptions and estimates include projected cash flows, current and future rates for contracted capacity, growth rates, weighted average cost of capital and market multiples.
GENERAL RISK FACTORS
Resources expended to pursue or integrate business acquisitions, investments, or other business arrangements may adversely affect Spire’s financial position and results of operations, and the return on such investments may not meet the Company’s expectations.
From time to time, Spire may seek to grow through strategic acquisitions, investments, or other business arrangements. Attractive opportunities may be difficult to complete on economically acceptable terms. Spire may expend considerable resources pursuing acquisitions or investments that, for various reasons, do not move forward. Similarly, investment opportunities may be hindered or halted by regulatory or legal actions. When acquisitions or investments are completed,
18
Table of Contents
these transactions involve a number of risks, including, but not limited to, the assumption of material liabilities, the diversion of management’s attention from daily operations, difficulties in assimilating and retaining employees, challenges in integrating information technology systems, securing adequate capital to support the transaction, the potential impact on credit ratings, and obtaining necessary regulatory approvals. Uncertainties also exist in assessing the value, risks, profitability, and liabilities associated with certain businesses or assets. There is a possibility that anticipated operating and financial efficiencies expected from an acquisition or investment may not materialize. Additionally, there are no assurances that resources expended will achieve their intended results. Failure to successfully complete or integrate an acquisition or investment could adversely affect Spire’s financial condition, results of operations, and the market’s perception of the Company’s ability to execute its strategy. Subsidiaries, including the Utilities, may face similar risks when engaging in these activities.
On July 27, 2025, the Company entered into an agreement to acquire Piedmont Natural Gas local distribution company business in Tennessee from Duke Energy for approximately $2.48 billion, subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions. This transaction involves risks, including the possibility that required approvals may not be obtained or may be delayed, that the transaction may not close on the anticipated timeline or at all, that integration may be more difficult or costly than expected, and that anticipated benefits may not be realized. We may also assume unexpected liabilities and incur significant transaction costs, and the transaction could divert management attention or disrupt ongoing operations.
Unexpected losses may adversely affect Spire’s or its subsidiaries’ financial condition and results of operations.
As with most businesses, there are operations and business risks inherent in the activities of Spire’s subsidiaries or even the activities of its vendors. If, in the normal course of business, Spire or any of its subsidiaries becomes a party to litigation, such litigation could result in substantial monetary judgments, fines, penalties, business interruption or other enforcement actions or be resolved on unfavorable terms. In accordance with customary practice, Spire and its subsidiaries secure strong contractual indemnification requirements where available and maintain insurance against a significant portion of, but not all, risks and losses, though it does reinsure a portion of the risk from certain of Spire’s insurers through its captive insurance company. Spire and its operating companies employ many strategies to gain assurance such risks are appropriately managed, mitigated, or insured, as appropriate. To the extent a loss is self-insured or not fully covered by insurance or other risk mitigation strategies, that loss could adversely affect Spire’s and/or its subsidiaries’ financial condition and results of operations.
Catastrophic events may adversely affect the Company’s facilities and operations.
Catastrophic events such as fires, earthquakes, explosions, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, tropical storms, winter storms, terrorist acts, acts of civil unrest, pandemic illnesses or other similar occurrences could adversely affect the Utilities’ facilities and operations, as well as those of Midstream. Emergency planning and training programs are in place to respond to events that could cause business interruptions; however, unanticipated events or a combination of events, failure in resources needed to respond to events, or slow or inadequate response to events may have an adverse impact. To the extent the impacts of such catastrophic events are not covered by insurance or recovered in rates, this could have a material adverse effect on the Company's financial condition and results of operations.
Workforce risks may affect the Company’s financial results.
The Company and its subsidiaries are subject to various workforce risks, including, but not limited to, the risk that it will be unable to attract and retain qualified personnel; that it will be unable to effectively transfer to new personnel the knowledge and expertise of an aging workforce as those workers retire; and that it will be unable to reach collective bargaining arrangements with the unions that represent certain of its workers, which could result in work stoppages.
The Company may be adversely affected by economic conditions.
Periods of slowed economic activity generally result in decreased energy consumption, particularly by industrial and large commercial companies, a loss of existing customers, and fewer new customers. As a consequence, national or regional recessions or other downturns in economic activity could adversely affect revenues and cash flows or restrict future growth. Economic conditions in the Utilities’ service territories may also adversely impact the Utilities’ ability to collect accounts receivable, resulting in an increase in bad debt expense.
Changes in accounting standards may adversely impact the Company’s financial condition and results of operations.
Spire and its subsidiaries are subject to changes in U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), SEC regulations, and other interpretations of financial reporting requirements for public utilities. The Company and its
19
Table of Contents
subsidiaries have no control over the timing or impact of these changes on their financial condition or results of operations. Potential issues related to rate-regulated accounting, along with other changes under consideration, could be significant.
20
Table of Contents
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
None.
Item 1C. Cybersecurity
Managing risk related to cybersecurity is a top priority for Spire, and the Company remains focused on addressing threats that would jeopardize the confidentiality, integrity and availability of stakeholders’ information or the ability to continue providing safe and reliable service to customers. To date, Spire has not experienced any material cybersecurity breach that impacts the Company’s business strategy, results of operations, or financial condition.
Risk Management
Enterprise risk management ("ERM") at Spire oversees significant risks to the Company’s ability to successfully execute on strategy and achieve corporate objectives. Spire’s ERM is based on a structured, comprehensive process that leverages ISO 31000:2018, adopted and customized to the Company’s needs, utilizing an ongoing process of risk identification, evaluation, treatment, integration and monitoring. ERM helps assess priorities and facilitate decision-making for resource allocation as it relates to risk management. Two risks prioritized by our Enterprise Risk Oversight Committee related to cybersecurity are cyber threats and vendor management. Additionally, the ERM process is structured to integrate with operational levels, where risk is managed, such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology ("NIST") Cybersecurity Framework 2.0 utilized by the Company’s Information Security function for managing cybersecurity.
Governance
Spire’s Board of Directors (“Board”) recognizes the significance of cybersecurity risk and has therefore retained oversight of cybersecurity rather than delegating this risk to a committee of the Board. Every regular meeting of the Board includes a cybersecurity report provided by the Company’s Chief Information Officer and the Chief Information Security Officer. These reports focus on developments within the Company’s cybersecurity program and provide an update on any cybersecurity events or concerns. In 2024, the Board added a new director with expertise in cybersecurity to assist the Board to appropriately oversee the Company’s efforts.
Spire’s cybersecurity program is led by the Chief Information Officer and the Chief Information Security Officer,who together have over 40 years of experience in information technology and cybersecurity, along with a cross-functional team of technology, legal, physical security and risk leaders.Internal Audit provides assurances of risk management activities, including certain third-party cybersecurity activities, such as penetration testing.
Strategy/Approach
Spire’s cybersecurity team developed a five-year strategic roadmap in 2020, which is reviewed and updated annually. A NIST-based maturity assessment is also conducted annually to assess Spire’s current maturity level and is used to establish initiatives to drive capabilities in key focus areas. Such initiatives were updated to align with federal security directives issued in 2021, with a key focus on increasing overall visibility into the environment to better correlate potential security related items; completing segregation and dependency from the enterprise and industrial control systems environments; and establishing defined policies and procedures to enhance overall governance and risk management.
In addition to these strategic efforts, the Company works closely with federal agencies, including the U.S Department of Homeland Security, TSA and the local FBI chapter, and is actively involved in industry information sharing groups.
The Company’s cybersecurity function is staffed with dedicated professionals who continuously monitor risks and evaluate the resiliency and effectiveness of the architecture and defenses within Spire’s systems.The Company also maintains policies, procedures and standards to manage conduct within Spire and to be prepared for new cybersecurity threats and events. The cybersecurity program involves a variety of training and education to increase awareness of cybersecurity threats through mandatory annual security awareness training for all employees, quarterly phishing campaigns, and table-top exercises. The Company also engages third parties to evaluate potential risks through external penetration testing to assess the efficacy of systems.
Spire maintains business continuity plans to guide the Company’s response to a potential cybersecurity event. These plans are regularly reviewed, tested and updated to ensure they meet the evolving needs of the Company in this area. The Company also conducts annual disaster recovery exercises to test the efficacy of core systems in the event of a catastrophic incident.
21
Table of Contents
Item 2. Properties
Spire
Refer to the information below about the principal properties of Spire Missouri and Spire Alabama. The Spire EnergySouth utilities own more than 5,500 miles of pipelines. Other properties of Spire and its subsidiaries do not constitute a significant portion of its properties. For information on leases, see Note 17, Leases, of the Notes to Financial Statements in Item 8.
Spire Missouri
The principal properties of Spire Missouri consist of its gas distribution system, which includes more than 32,000 miles of main and related service lines, odorization and regulation facilities, and customer meters. The mains and service lines are located in municipal streets or alleys, public streets or highways, or on lands of others for which Spire Missouri has obtained the necessary legal rights to place and operate its facilities on such property. Spire Missouri has an underground natural gas storage facility, several operating centers, and other related properties. Substantially all of Spire Missouri’s utility plant is subject to the liens of its mortgage. All the properties of Spire Missouri are held in fee, by easement, or under lease agreements.
Spire Alabama
The properties of Spire Alabama consist primarily of its gas distribution system, which includes more than 24,000 miles of main and related service lines, odorization and regulation facilities, and customer meters. The mains and service lines are located in municipal streets or alleys, public streets or highways, or on lands of others for which Spire Alabama has obtained the necessary legal rights to place and operate its facilities on such property. Spire Alabama also has four LNG facilities, several operating centers, and other related properties. All the properties of Spire Alabama are held in fee, by easement, or under lease agreements.
Item 3. Legal Proceedings
For a description of pending regulatory matters of Spire, see Note 15, Regulatory Matters, of the Notes to Financial Statements in Item 8. For a description of environmental and other legal matters, see Contingencies in Note 16 of the Notes to Financial Statements in Item 8.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Not applicable.
22
Table of Contents
INFORMATION ABOUT OUR EXECUTIVE OFFICERS – Listed below are executive officers as defined by the SEC for Spire as of November 14, 2025, along with their ages (as of September 30, 2025), positions and business experience during the past five years.
Name Age Position with Company (1) Appointed (2)
S. E. Doyle (3) 54 President and Chief Executive Officer April 2025
A. W. Woodard 53 Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer January 2025
Vice President, Treasurer (until April 2025) July 2018
M. J. Aplington 44 Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer January 2025
Vice President, Chief Legal Officer January 2024
General Counsel, Spire Alabama October 2023
General Counsel, Spire Missouri January 2020
T. W. Krick 50 Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer January 2025
Vice President, Controller February 2017
J. B. Hampton 51 Vice President December 2018
President, Spire Alabama December 2018
S. M. Mills 57 Senior Vice President July 2023
President, Spire Missouri July 2023
Vice President and General Manager, Spire Missouri (until July 2023) March 2020
Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer and Corporate Secretary July 2024
Vice President, Corporate Secretary (until July 2024) June 2022
Managing Director, Associate General Counsel (until June 2022) November 2020
Corporate Secretary, Spire Missouri and Spire Alabama January 2022
(1)
The information provided relates to the Company and its principal subsidiaries. Many of the executive officers have served or currently serve as officers or directors for other subsidiaries of the Company.
(2)
Officers are normally reappointed by the respective board of directors in January of each year.
(3)
Prior to joining Spire in 2024, Mr. Doyle served as executive vice president of utility operations at CenterPoint Energy Inc. ("CenterPoint") in Houston, Texas, leading electric and natural gas businesses serving seven million customers across multiple states. Prior to this role, he was CenterPoint's executive vice president of natural gas from April 2019 to January 2022, and he held numerous executive leadership positions of increasing responsibility at CenterPoint in natural gas operations and regulatory and public affairs.
(4)
Mr. Greenley worked for Enbridge Inc. (NYSE: ENB) as Senior Vice President – Commercial Services, Gas Distribution and Storage. Prior to this role, he worked at CenterPoint for over twenty-five years, serving in numerous executive leadership positions, including Senior Vice President - Utility Operations Support, Senior Vice President - Generation Development (Indiana Electric), Senior Vice President - Gas Operations, Natural Gas Distribution, Vice President - Distribution Power Delivery (Houston Electric)
23
Table of Contents
PART II
Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters, and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
Spire
Spire’s common stock trades on The New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") under the symbol “SR”. The number of holders of record as of November 10, 2025 was 2,274.
Dividends are payable on the Company’s common stock at the discretion of its Board. Spire, and Spire Missouri prior to the holding company’s formation in 2000, has paid common stock dividends continuously since 1946, with 2025 marking the 22nd consecutive year of increasing dividends on an annualized basis. Although the Board expects to continue paying dividends on the common stock for the foreseeable future, the declaration of dividends is not guaranteed. The amount of dividends on the common stock, if any, will depend upon the Company’s financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements, and other factors.
Performance Graph
COMPARISON OF FIVE-YEAR CUMULATIVE TOTAL RETURN*
* Cumulative total return is based on a $100 investment on September 30, 2020, assuming reinvestment of dividends.
The S&P 500 Utilities Index is comprised of approximately 30 utilities heavily weighted to large capitalization (median market cap of $31.3 billion) electric utilities. In recent years, stocks of small- and mid-cap electric utilities and gas utility companies (like Spire) in general traded lower relative to the large-cap electric sector.
For disclosures related to securities authorized for issuance under equity compensation plans, see Note 3, Stock-Based Compensation, of the Notes to Financial Statements in Item 8.
24
Table of Contents
During the three months ended September 30, 2025, there were no repurchases of the Company’s common stock.
Spire Missouri
Spire Missouri common stock is owned by its parent, Spire Inc., and is not traded on any stock exchange.
Spire Missouri’s outstanding first mortgage bonds contain restrictions on its ability to pay cash dividends on its common stock, as described in further detail in Note 5, Shareholders’ Equity, of the Notes to Financial Statements in Item 8. As of September 30, 2025 and 2024, the amount under the mortgage’s formula that was available to pay dividends was $1,999.8 million and $1,797.0 million, respectively, so all of Spire Missouri’s retained earnings were free from such restrictions.
Spire Alabama
Spire Alabama common stock is owned by its parent, Spire Inc., and is not traded on any stock exchange.
Item 6. (Reserved)
25
Table of Contents
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
(Dollars in millions, except per share and per unit amounts)
INTRODUCTION
This section analyzes the financial condition and results of operations of Spire, Spire Missouri, and Spire Alabama. Refer to Item 1, Business, for descriptions of the businesses and the Company’s reportable segments. This Item 7 includes management’s discussion and analysis of financial results including changes in earnings and costs from the prior periods, as well as their financial condition and liquidity. Unless otherwise indicated, references to years herein are references to the fiscal years ending September 30 for the Company and its subsidiaries.
Reference is made to “Forward-Looking Statements” and Item 1A, Risk Factors, in Part I, which describe important factors that could cause actual results to differ from expectations and non-historical information contained herein. In addition, the following discussion should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements and accompanying notes thereto of Spire, Spire Missouri and Spire Alabama included in Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.
NON-GAAP MEASURES
Net income, earnings per share and operating income reported by Spire, Spire Missouri and Spire Alabama are determined in accordance with GAAP. Spire, Spire Missouri and Spire Alabama also provide the non-GAAP financial measures of adjusted earnings, adjusted earnings per share and contribution margin. Management and the Board of Directors use non-GAAP financial measures, in addition to GAAP financial measures, to understand and compare operating results across accounting periods, for financial and operational decision making, for planning and forecasting, to determine incentive compensation and to evaluate financial performance. These non-GAAP operating metrics should not be considered as alternatives to, or more meaningful than, the related GAAP measures. Reconciliations of non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures are provided on the following pages.
Adjusted Earnings and Adjusted Earnings Per Share
Adjusted earnings and adjusted earnings per share are non-GAAP measures that exclude from net income, as applicable, the impacts of fair value accounting and timing adjustments associated with energy-related transactions, the impacts of acquisition, divestiture and restructuring activities, and the largely non-cash impacts of impairments and other non-recurring or unusual items such as certain regulatory, legislative or GAAP standard-setting actions. In addition, adjusted earnings per share would exclude the impact, in the fiscal year of issuance, of any shares issued to finance acquisitions that have yet to be included in adjusted earnings.
The fair value and timing adjustments are made in instances where the accounting treatment differs from what management considers the economic substance of the underlying transaction, including the following:
•
Net unrealized gains and losses on energy-related derivatives that are required by GAAP fair value accounting associated with current changes in the fair value of financial and physical transactions prior to their completion and settlement. These unrealized gains and losses result primarily from two sources:
1)
changes in the fair values of physical and/or financial derivatives prior to the period of settlement; and
2)
ineffective portions of accounting hedges, required to be recorded in earnings prior to settlement, due to differences in commodity price changes between the locations of the forecasted physical purchase or sale transactions and the locations of the underlying hedge instruments;
•
Lower of cost or market adjustments to the carrying value of commodity inventories resulting when the net realizable value of the commodity falls below its original cost, to the extent that those commodities are economically hedged; and
•
Realized gains and losses resulting from the settlement of economic hedges prior to the sale of the physical commodity.
These adjustments eliminate the impact of timing differences and the impact of current changes in the fair value of financial and physical transactions prior to their completion and settlement. Unrealized gains or losses are recorded in each period until being replaced with the actual gains or losses realized when the associated physical transactions occur. Management believes that excluding the earnings volatility caused by recognizing changes in fair value prior to settlement and other timing differences associated with related purchase and sale transactions provides a useful representation of the economic effects of only the actual settled transactions and their effects on results of operations. While management uses these non-GAAP measures to evaluate all of its businesses, the net effect of these fair value and timing adjustments on the Utilities’ earnings is minimal because gains or losses on their natural gas derivative instruments are deferred pursuant to state regulation.
26
Table of Contents
Contribution Margin
In addition to operating revenues and operating expenses, management also uses the non-GAAP measure of contribution margin when evaluating results of operations. Contribution margin is defined as operating revenues less natural gas costs and gross receipts tax expense. The Utilities pass to their customers (subject to prudence review by, as applicable, the MoPSC, APSC or MSPSC) increases and decreases in the wholesale cost of natural gas in accordance with their PGA clauses or GSA riders. The volatility of the wholesale natural gas market results in fluctuations from period to period in the recorded levels of, among other items, revenues and natural gas cost expense. Nevertheless, increases and decreases in the cost of gas associated with system gas sales volumes and gross receipts tax expense (which are calculated as a percentage of revenues), with the same amount (excluding immaterial timing differences) included in revenues, have no direct effect on operating income. Therefore, management believes that contribution margin is a useful supplemental measure, along with the remaining operating expenses, for assessing the Company’s and the Utilities’ performance.
PENDING ACQUISITION
On July 27, 2025, Spire entered into an agreement with Piedmont Natural Gas, a wholly-owned Subsidiary of Duke Energy, to acquire its Tennessee natural gas business that serves more than 200,000 customers in the Nashville area (the “Transaction”). The strategic rationale for the Company is described below:
•
We expect the Transaction to allow Spire to significantly expand its regulated utility footprint in high-quality jurisdictions and significantly increase the scale of its regulated business while delivering on Spire’s commitment to growth and creating long-term shareholder value.
•
We expect the Transaction to provide robust growth driven by customer additions and system integrity and reliability investments, aligned with Spire’s investment strategy. These long-term investments are expected to be supported by Tennessee’s constructive regulatory environment support of natural gas.
•
We expect the Transaction to support Spire’s long-term adjusted earnings per share growth expectations and provide meaningful investment opportunities. The acquisition is expected to generate incremental cash flow to support investment in the business, shareholder returns and dividend growth.
The stated purchase price of the Transaction is $2.48 billion subject to adjustment, including adjustments based on net working capital, regulatory assets and liabilities and capital expenditures at closing. The Transaction is supported by a fully committed bridge facility with Bank of Montreal ("BMO") Capital Markets Corp. for the entire purchase price.
We expect permanent financing for the acquisition to be provided through a balanced mix of debt, equity, and hybrid securities. As part of the financing plan, Spire is considering the sale of its natural gas storage facilities, Spire Storage West LLC and Spire Storage Salt Plains LLC, to help fund the acquisition. The sale would be subject to board approval and customary closing conditions, including regulatory approval.
The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of calendar 2026, subject to customary closing conditions, including approval by the Tennessee Public Utility Commission ("TPUC"). On October 31, 2025, FERC approved the transfer of gas supply contracts to Spire. The applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act expired without objection, satisfying one of the key regulatory requirements for the transaction.
EARNINGS
This section contains discussion and analysis of the results for the year ended September 30, 2025 compared to the results for the year ended September 30, 2024. The discussion and analysis of the results for the year ended September 30, 2024 compared to the results of the year ended September 30, 2023 can be found in Part II, Item 7 of Spire Inc.’s fiscal 2024 Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the SEC on November 20, 2024.
The following sections present and discuss the financial metrics in total and by registrant and segment.
27
Table of Contents
Spire
The following tables reconcile the Company’s adjusted earnings to net income.
Per
Gas Gas Consol- Diluted
Utility Marketing Midstream Other idated Share**
Adjustments, pre-tax:
Fair value and timing adjustments — (10.4 ) — — (10.4 ) (0.17 )
Income tax effect of adjustments* — 2.6 — (3.6 ) (1.0 ) (0.02 )
Adjustments, pre-tax:
Fair value and timing adjustments — (12.4 ) — — (12.4 ) (0.22 )
Acquisition and restructuring activities activities 5.0 — 2.3 0.3 7.6 0.14
Income tax effect of adjustments* (1.2 ) 3.1 (0.5 ) (0.1 ) 1.3 0.02
Adjustments, pre-tax:
Fair value and timing adjustments — 11.4 — — 11.4 0.21
Acquisition activities — — 2.5 — 2.5 0.05
Income tax effect of adjustments* — (2.9 ) (0.4 ) — (3.3 ) (0.06 )
*Income tax adjustments include amounts calculated by applying federal, state, and local income tax rates applicable to ordinary income to the amounts of the pre-tax reconciling items.
** Adjusted earnings per share is calculated by replacing consolidated net income with consolidated adjusted earnings in the diluted earnings per share calculation, which includes reductions for cumulative preferred dividends and participating shares.
Reconciliations of contribution margin to the most directly comparable GAAP measure are shown below.
Gas Gas
Utility Marketing Midstream Other Eliminations Consolidated
Less: Gross receipts tax expense (115.5 ) (0.2 ) — — — (115.7 )
28
Table of Contents
Gas Gas
Utility Marketing Midstream Other Eliminations Consolidated
Less: Gross receipts tax expense (128.0 ) (0.2 ) — — — (128.2 )
Gas Gas
Utility Marketing Midstream Other Eliminations Consolidated
Less: Gross receipts tax expense (131.5 ) (0.3 ) — — — (131.8 )
Select changes from the year ended September 30, 2024 to the year ended September 30, 2025 are summarized in the following table and discussed below.
Gas Gas Other, Net of
Changes FY25 from FY24 Utility Marketing Midstream Eliminations Consolidated
Other Income (Expense) (10.8 )
Interest Expense 3.0
Income Tax 1.0
Interest expense reflects the impact of $5.4 in costs associated with the bridge facility backing the Piedmont Tennessee acquisition. Excluding this amount, interest expense declined $2.4 year-over-year. The decrease in interest expense reflects lower effective interest rates partially offset by higher average levels of debt in the current year. Weighted-average short-term interest rates were 4.5% in the current-year period versus 5.7% in the prior-year period, while weighted average interest rate on long-term debt decreased slightly from the prior year.
Other income decreased $10.8 versus the prior-year period, $20.2 excluding the impact of the Postretirement Non-Service Costs Transfer (“NSC Transfer”), which has no impact on net income. The principal drivers of the decline was a one-time $8.2 pre-tax hedging gain recognized in the prior year period, and a decline of gas-carrying cost credits at Spire Missouri of $9.4.
The increase in income taxes primarily reflects the higher current-year pre-tax book income.
29
Table of Contents
Gas Utility
For the twelve months ended September 30, 2025, Gas Utility net income and adjusted earnings were higher than the corresponding prior-year period by $14.4 and $10.6, respectively. Adjusted earnings growth was lower than net income growth primarily due to excluding the $3.8 after-tax charge relating to the customer affordability initiative that was recorded in the prior year. The year-to-date change in net income was driven by growth at both Spire Missouri and Spire Alabama totaling $9.9 and $4.8, respectively.
The decrease in Gas Utility operating revenues for fiscal 2025 was attributable to the following factors:
Spire Missouri and Spire Alabama – Lower PGA/GSA gas cost recoveries $ (285.5 )
Spire Missouri and Spire Alabama – Lower gross receipt taxes (12.4 )
Spire Missouri – Infrastructure System Replacement Surcharge (ISRS) 33.5
Spire Missouri and Spire Alabama– Off-system sales and capacity release 28.4
Spire Alabama – RSE adjustments 5.2
All other factors (5.9 )
Total Variation $ (230.3 )
The primary driver of the current year decrease in revenue was the $285.5 impact of lower gas cost recoveries across all utilities, driven principally by lower PGA rates at Spire Missouri. This was only partly offset by higher current year ISRS billings and higher off-system sales, impacts of Spire Missouri's and Spire Alabama’s volumetric usage, and favorable Spire Alabama RSE adjustments.
The year-over-year increase in Gas Utility contribution margin was attributable to the following factors:
Spire Missouri – ISRS $ 33.5
Spire Alabama – RSE adjustments 5.0
Spire Missouri and Spire Alabama– Off-system sales and capacity release 4.1
Spire Alabama – Volumetric usage including weather mitigation impact (3.0 )
All other factors (2.1 )
Total Variation $ 37.5
Contribution margin increased $37.5 versus the comparable prior-year period. Contribution margin benefited from the $33.5 Spire Missouri ISRS growth, $5.0 of growth from Spire Alabama’s RSE adjustments, and higher off-system sales. These favorable impacts more than offset the $3.0 negative impact of Spire Alabama’s volume usage net of weather mitigation adjustments and lower net other factors.
Reported operation and maintenance (“O&M”) expenses for the twelve months ended September 30, 2025 were $14.3 higher than the twelve months ended September 30, 2024. Removing the impact of the NSC Transfer, O&M expenses were $4.7 higher than the prior-year period. After excluding the $5.0 prior year charge relating to the Company’s customer affordability initiative, O&M expenses were $9.7 higher than the corresponding prior-year period. Higher employee-related costs in the current year, combined with higher field operations costs, were only partly mitigated by lower bad debts expense, and lower support costs.
Taxes, other than income taxes, decreased $8.9, as the $12.5 lower gross receipt taxes resulting from lower revenues more than offset higher property taxes. Depreciation and amortization expenses for the year ended September 30, 2025 were $14.0 higher than the same period in the prior year primarily driven by continued infrastructure capital expenditures across all the Utilities.
Interest expense decreased $10.2, with both Spire Missouri and Spire Alabama benefiting from lower average short-term interest rates in the current year.
The benefit of carrying cost credits at Spire Missouri, included in other income, decreased $9.4 versus the corresponding prior-year period.
Gas Marketing
Including $1.5 (after-tax) unfavorable mark-to-market activity, net income increased $1.0. The $2.5 year-over-year increase in adjusted earnings reflects realized business portfolio optimization opportunities that more than offset lower regional basis differentials, and higher storage and transportation fees in the current year.
30
Table of Contents
Contribution margin increased $1.4 versus the prior-year period, reflecting the $2.0 (pre-tax) unfavorable mark-to-market activity. Excluding this impact, contribution margin increased $3.4, reflecting realized business portfolio optimization opportunities that more than offset lower regional basis differentials, and higher storage and transportation fees in the current year.
O&M expenses were $1.2 higher than prior-year levels, the result of higher spend on outside services and higher employee costs in the current year.
Midstream
Our Midstream segment includes storage and pipeline operations which currently consist of an approximate year-to-date net income mix of 73% and 27%, respectively. Net income and adjusted earnings for the Company’s Midstream segment for the twelve months ended September 30, 2025 versus the comparable prior-year period increased $24.6 and $22.8, respectively. Approximately 96% of the adjusted earnings increase was attributable to our storage operations. The increase was driven by higher storage earnings, reflecting increased asset optimization, additional storage capacity and contract renewals at higher rates, combined with the acquisition of MoGas in the second quarter of the prior year.
Revenues in the current year increased $54.8 versus the prior-year period, reflecting the higher rates and activity with storage. O&M expenses were up $10.6 year-over-year, due primarily to costs associated with the higher storage activity in the current year, combined with non-recurring Spire MoGas acquisition costs of $2.3 in the prior year.
Other
The Company’s other activities generated a $49.7 loss in the twelve months ended September 30, 2025, $19.2 higher than the prior year. The major contributor to this variance was the $14.9 pre-tax ($11.4 after-tax) increase in acquisition and restructuring activities due to our recently announced Piedmont Tennessee acquisition, combined with the $8.2 ($6.3 after-tax) interest rate swap gain in the prior year that did not repeat. The remaining variance was mostly a result of higher interest expense in the current year that was only partly offset by lower corporate expenses.
Spire Missouri
Year Ended September 30,
Operation and maintenance expenses 300.7 287.4
Depreciation and amortization 188.4 174.0
Taxes, other than income taxes 151.1 157.7
Less: Gross receipts tax expense (82.9 ) (93.1 )
Contribution Margin [Non-GAAP] 791.8 758.1
Gross receipts tax expense 82.9 93.1
Revenues for the twelve months ended September 30, 2025 were $193.3 lower than the comparable prior-year period. Lower PGA rates reduced gas cost recoveries by $239.8. This reduced revenue driver also resulted in reduced gross receipts taxes of $10.2. These negative impacts were only partly offset by $33.5 incremental ISRS revenues, $23.2 attributable to higher off-system sales in the current-year, and increased weather-mitigated customer usage versus the prior-year period.
Contribution margin for the twelve months ended September 30, 2025 increased $33.7 from the same period in the prior year, primarily due to the $33.5 incremental ISRS billings and favorable $1.2 off-system sales impact.
Degree days in Spire Missouri’s service areas during the twelve months ended September 30, 2025 were 8.7% warmer than normal (normal currently defined as past 30-year average), though 11.8% colder than the same period last year. Spire Missouri’s total system volume sold and transported were 1,570.0 million centum (Latin for “hundred”) cubic feet (CCF) for the current year, compared with 1,469.2 million CCF for the same period in the prior year. Total off-system volume sold and transported were 77.7 million CCF for the current-year, compared with 38.2 million CCF a year ago.
Reported O&M expenses for the twelve months ended September 30, 2025 increased $13.3 versus the corresponding prior-year period. Removing the NSC Transfer impact, O&M expense increased $1.5. After excluding the $3.6 prior-year charge relating to the Company’s customer affordability initiative, O&M expenses were $5.1 higher than the corresponding
31
Table of Contents
prior year period. Higher field operations and employee-related costs were only partly mitigated by lower bad debt expense costs and lower Administrative and General (“A&G”) and support function costs resulting from customer affordability initiatives implemented last year.
Depreciation and amortization expenses increased $14.4 versus the comparable prior-year period due to ongoing capital investments. Taxes, other than income taxes decreased $6.6, as $10.2 lower pass-through gross receipts taxes more than offset the increase in property tax.
Other income declined by $0.6 versus the prior-year period, $12.4 after excluding the impact of the NSC Transfer. The decrease was primarily driven by the decrease in carrying cost credits of $9.4 and unfavorable mark-to-market unrealized losses on non-qualified benefit trusts.
Interest expense decreased $6.2, primarily reflecting lower average short-term interest rates in the current year that offset the impact of higher average debt levels.
Resulting net income for the twelve months ended September 30, 2025 increased $9.9 versus the twelve months ended September 30, 2024.
Spire Alabama
Year Ended September 30,
Operation and maintenance expenses 137.1 135.6
Depreciation and amortization 71.0 72.8
Taxes, other than income taxes 40.2 42.7
Less: Gross receipts tax expense (27.9 ) (30.1 )
Contribution Margin [Non-GAAP] 362.9 359.3
Gross receipts tax expense 27.9 30.1
Operating revenues for the twelve months ended September 30, 2025 decreased $33.7 from the same period in the prior year. The decrease in operating revenue was principally due to a $45.7 decrease in gas cost recovery, combined with lower gross receipts taxes totaling $2.2. These negative impacts were only partly offset by volumetric usage totaling $5.2, and favorable RSE renewal of $5.2.
Contribution margin was $3.6 higher versus the prior-year period, driven primarily by a net favorable $5.0 RSE update and higher off-system sales, partially offset by net unfavorable volume usage and weather mitigation adjustments of $3.0 and $0.5 lower CCM benefit.
As measured in degree days, temperatures in Spire Alabama’s service area during the twelve months ended September 30, 2025, were 4.2% warmer than normal, but 2.9% colder than a year ago. Spire Alabama’s total system volume sold and transported were 1,080.8 million CCF for the twelve months ended September 30, 2025, compared with 1,036.7 million CCF for the same period in the prior year. Total off-system volume sold and transported were 83.7 million CCF for the current-year period, compared with 90.9 million CCF off-system volume sold and transported in the prior-year period.
Reported O&M expenses for the twelve months ended September 30, 2025 declined $1.5 versus the comparable prior-year period. After excluding the impact of the NSC Transfer and the prior-year restructuring charge of $1.0, O&M expenses in the current year were $4.5 higher than the corresponding prior-year period. Higher payroll costs and bad debt expense were only partially offset by A&G and support function costs resulting from customer affordability initiatives implemented over the last year.
Depreciation and amortization expenses decreased $1.8 versus the comparable prior-year period as changes in rates offset the impact of ongoing capital investments. Taxes, other than income taxes decreased $2.5, driven by lower pass-through gross receipts taxes.
Interest expense for the current-year decreased $3.5 versus the prior year, primarily the result of lower short-term borrowings combined with lower short-term interest rates.
32
Table of Contents
For the twelve months ended September 30, 2025, resulting net income increased $4.8 versus the twelve months ended September 30, 2024.
LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
Recent Cash Flows
Net cash provided by operating activities $ 578.0 $ 912.4 $ 440.2
Net cash used in investing activities (916.4 ) (1,027.2 ) (695.5 )
Net cash provided by operating activities decreased $334.4 from 2024 to 2025 after increasing $472.2 from 2023 to 2024. In addition to the changes in net income between the respective periods (discussed in the “Earnings” section above), the remaining changes were related to regulatory timing and fluctuations in working capital items, as discussed below in the Future Cash Requirements section.
In 2025, the Company’s net cash used in investing activities was $110.8 less than the same period in the prior year due to payments for business acquisitions (net of cash acquired) of $175.9 for MoGas in the prior year. However, total capital expenditures were $61.1 higher than last year, with a $125.7 spending increase in the Utilities driven by infrastructure upgrades, advanced meter installations, and new business offset by a $64.5 spending decrease for Midstream.
In 2024, the Company's net cash used in investing activities was $331.7 more than in 2023, primarily driven by a $198.8 increase in capital expenditures and a $138.9 increase in business acquisitions (MoGas in 2024 relative to Spire Storage Salt Plains in 2024). Capital expenditures increased $102.5 in the Gas Utility segment (primarily due to continued meter and other infrastructure upgrades) and $97.7 in the Midstream segment (primarily due to the ongoing Wyoming storage facility expansion).
In 2025, net cash provided by financing activities increased $220.8 versus the same period in the prior year. For the fiscal year ended fiscal 2025, there was a $478.0 increase of debt, while debt increased $29.9 for 2024. The relative cash inflow of those changes was partially offset by a $210.8 decrease in cash from issuance of common stock and a relative net increase in cash outflow from dividends paid on common stock of $15.1 this year.
Net cash provided by financing activities was down $136.7 in 2024 compared to 2023 as a result of lower net debt issuances and higher dividends, partially offset by higher common stock issuances.
Future Cash Requirements
The Company’s short-term borrowing requirements typically peak during colder months when the Utilities borrow money to cover the lag between when they purchase natural gas and when their customers pay for that gas. Changes in the wholesale cost of natural gas (including cash payments for margin deposits associated with Spire Missouri’s use of natural gas derivative instruments), variations in the timing of collections of gas cost under the Utilities’ PGA clauses and GSA riders, the seasonality of accounts receivable balances, and the utilization of stored gas inventories cause short-term cash requirements to vary during the year and from year to year, and may cause significant variations in the Company’s cash provided by or used in operating activities.
Spire’s material cash requirements as of September 30, 2025, are related to the proposed acquisition of the Tennessee natural gas business from Piedmont Natural Gas, capital expenditures, principal and interest payments on long-term debt, natural gas purchase obligations, and common and preferred stock dividends.
The pending acquisition will require financing of $2.48 billion, expected to be funded through a balanced mix of debt, equity and hybrid securities. In connection with the financing plan, Spire is considering selling its natural gas storage facilities, Spire Storage West LLC and Spire Storage Salt Plains LLC, to help fund the acquisition. The sale is subject to board approval.
Total Company capital expenditures are planned to be $809 for fiscal 2026, though Spire had purchase commitments for only a fraction of these as of September 30, 2025.
As detailed in Note 6, Long-Term Debt, of the Notes to Financial Statements in Item 8, $487.5 of the total $3,879.1 principal amount is due in fiscal 2026. Using each long-term debt instrument’s stated maturity and fixed rates or variable rates as of September 30, 2025, interest payments are projected to total $1,731.7, of which $161.6 is due in fiscal 2026.
33
Table of Contents
Spire’s natural gas purchase obligations totaled $1,762.8, including $526.0 for fiscal 2026, representing the minimum payments required under existing natural gas transportation and storage contracts and natural gas supply agreements. The amounts reflect fixed obligations as well as obligations to purchase natural gas at future market prices, calculated using forward market prices as of September 30, 2025. Each of the Utilities generally recovers costs related to its purchases, transportation and storage of natural gas through the operation of its PGA clause or GSA rider, subject to prudence review by the appropriate regional public service commission. Additional contractual commitments are generally entered into prior to or during the heating season.
Spire dividends declared and payable as of September 30, 2025, totaled $51.1, while annualized dividends based on the shares outstanding and regular quarterly amounts declared on November 13, 2025 are estimated at $209.6.
Source of Funds
The Utilities rely on short-term credit and long-term capital markets, as well as cash flows from operations, to satisfy their seasonal cash requirements and fund their capital expenditures. The Utilities access the commercial paper market through a program administered by the holding company, which then loans borrowed funds to the Utilities. The Utilities directly access the long-term bond market. In addition to its own operating cash flows, Spire Marketing relies on Spire’s parental guaranties to secure its purchase and sales obligations of natural gas, and it also has access to Spire’s liquidity resources.
It is management’s view that the Company, Spire Missouri and Spire Alabama have adequate access to credit and capital markets and will have sufficient liquidity and capital resources, both internal and external, to meet anticipated requirements. Spire Missouri’s and Spire Alabama’s access to capital markets, including the commercial paper market, and their respective financing costs, may depend not only on current conditions in the credit and capital markets but also on the credit rating of the entity that is accessing the capital markets. Their debt is rated by two rating agencies: Standard & Poor’s Corporation (“S&P”) and Moody’s Investors Service (“Moody’s”). The debt ratings of the Company, Spire Missouri and Spire Alabama (shown in the following table) remain at investment grade with a stable outlook for Moody’s. S&P ratings also remain at investment grade with a negative outlook.
S&P Moody’s
Spire Inc. senior unsecured long-term debt BBB Baa2
Spire Inc. preferred stock BBB- Ba1
Spire Inc. short-term debt A-2 P-2
Spire Missouri senior secured long-term debt A A1
Spire Alabama senior unsecured long-term debt BBB+ A2
Management focuses on maintaining a strong balance sheet and believes the Company, Spire Missouri and Spire Alabama have adequate access to credit and capital markets and will have sufficient liquidity and capital resources, both internal and external, to meet anticipated requirements.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
Bank deposits were used to support working capital needs of the business. Spire had no temporary cash investments as of September 30, 2025 or 2024.
Short-term Debt
The Company’s short-term cash requirements can be met through the sale of up to $1,500.0 of commercial paper or through the use of Spire's $1,500.0 revolving credit facility. For information about these resources, see Note 7, Notes Payable and Credit Agreements, of the Notes to Financial Statements in Item 8 and “Interest Rate Risk” under “Market Risk” below.
In addition to the commercial paper program and revolving credit facility, the Company has access to a fully committed bridge financing facility in connection with the pending acquisition of Piedmont Natural Gas local distribution company business in Tennessee from Duke Energy. The facility provides up to $2.48 billion in short-term financing, including a $1.88 billion bridge term loan and a $600 million delayed draw term loan. For information about these resources, see Note 18, Business Combinations.
Long-term Debt and Equity
Factoring in the current portion of long-term debt, the Company’s long-term consolidated capitalization consisted of 47% equity at September 30, 2025 and 46% equity at September 30, 2024. At September 30, 2025, Spire had outstanding principal of long-term debt totaling $3,879.1, of which $1,968.0 was issued by Spire Missouri, $715.0 was issued by Spire Alabama, and $1,196.1 was issued by Spire and other subsidiaries.
34
Table of Contents
On October 23, 2025, Spire Missouri issued an aggregate principal amount of $200.0 of First Mortgage Bonds. The first tranche consisted of an aggregate principal amount of $150.0, bearing interest at 4.60% per annum and maturing on September 15, 2030. The second tranche consisted of an aggregate principal amount of $50.0, bears interest at 4.65% per annum and maturing on January 15, 2031. Interest is payable semi-annually on March 15 and September 15 of each year. The bonds are senior secured indebtedness of Spire Missouri and rank equally with all other existing and future senior secured indebtedness issued by Spire Missouri under its Mortgage and Deed of Trust. The bonds are secured by a first mortgage lien on substantially all the real properties of Spire Missouri, subject to limited exceptions. Spire Missouri used the proceeds for general corporate purposes.
Effective October 27, 2024, Spire Missouri was authorized by the MoPSC to issue conventional term loans, first mortgage bonds, unsecured debt, preferred stock and common stock in an aggregate amount not to exceed $850.0 any time from that date through December 31, 2027. Under this authorization, through October 23, 2025, Spire Missouri has issued $74.4 of common stock and $350 of first mortgage bonds. Approximately $426.0 remains available for issuance under this authorization. Spire Alabama has no standing authority to issue long-term debt and must petition the APSC for each planned issuance.
In February 2021, Spire issued 3.5 million equity units, initially in the form of Corporate Units. Each Corporate Unit was comprised of (i) a purchase contract for a certain number of shares of the Company's common stock and (ii) an interest in the Company's 2021 Series A 0.75% Remarketable Senior Notes due 2026 with an aggregate principal amount of $175.0. In February 2024, Spire successfully remarketed those notes on behalf of the selling securityholders. As a result, the interest rate on that original $175.0 obligation was reset to 5.300%. Also in February 2024, Spire sold an additional $175.0 aggregate principal amount of the 5.300% Senior Notes due March 1, 2026, with interest payable semiannually, and Spire received net proceeds of $173.5 from this offering. The Corporate Unit holders purchased an aggregate of 2,745,733 shares of common stock (net of fractional shares) for $175.0, settled on March 5, 2024.
Under Spire’s “at-the-market” (ATM) equity distribution agreement and as authorized by its board of directors, the Company may offer and sell, from time to time, shares of its common stock (including shares of common stock that may be sold pursuant to forward sale agreements entered into in connection with the ATM equity distribution agreement). Settled sales under this ATM program are included in “Common stock issued” in the Consolidated Statements of Shareholders’ Equity. In the second and third quarters of fiscal 2024, Spire executed forward sale agreements for a total of 542,515 shares of its common stock, which were settled in December 2024, generating $32.4 of net proceeds. In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024, Spire executed forward sale agreements for 663,619 shares of its common stock, which were settled in March 2025, generating proceeds of $42.4. As of September 30, 2025, there were no outstanding forward sales agreements. As of September 30, 2025, under the ATM program, Spire may sell additional shares with an aggregate offering price of up to $123.6 through January 2027. The Company suspended activity under the ATM program beginning August 7, 2025, and such suspension will remain in effect until two business days after the Company files its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2025.
For more information about equity, including the ATM program and the equity units, see Note 5 of the Notes to Financial Statements in Item 8. For more information about long-term debt, see Note 6 of the Notes to Financial Statements in Item 8 and “Interest Rate Risk” under “Market Risk” later in this Item 7.
ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS
The Utilities and other Spire subsidiaries own and operate natural gas distribution, transmission and storage facilities, the operations of which are subject to various environmental laws, regulations and interpretations. While environmental issues resulting from such operations arise in the ordinary course of business, such issues have not materially affected the Company’s, Spire Missouri’s or Spire Alabama’s financial position and results of operations. As environmental laws, regulations and their interpretations change, however, the Company and the Utilities may be required to incur additional costs. For information relative to environmental matters, see Contingencies in Note 16 of the Notes to Financial Statements in Item 8.
REGULATORY MATTERS
For discussions of regulatory matters for Spire, Spire Missouri, and Spire Alabama, see Note 15, Regulatory Matters, of the Notes to Financial Statements in Item 8.
ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS
The Company, Spire Missouri and Spire Alabama are evaluating the impact of recently issued accounting standards on their respective consolidated financial statements.
35
Table of Contents
CRITICAL ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES
Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and capital resources are based upon our financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with GAAP, which requires that we make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. We evaluate our estimates on an ongoing basis. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates. We believe the following represent the more significant items requiring the use of judgment and estimates in preparing our financial statements:
Regulatory Accounting – The Utilities account for their regulated operations in accordance with FASB Accounting Standards Codification Topic 980, Regulated Operations. The provisions of this accounting guidance require, among other things, that financial statements of a rate-regulated enterprise reflect the actions of regulators, where appropriate. These actions may result in the recognition of revenues and expenses in time periods that are different than non-rate-regulated enterprises. When this occurs, costs are deferred as assets in the balance sheet (regulatory assets) and recorded as expenses when those amounts are reflected in rates. Also, regulators can impose liabilities upon a regulated company for amounts previously collected from customers and for recovery of costs that are expected to be incurred in the future (regulatory liabilities). Management believes that the current regulatory environment supports the continued use of these regulatory accounting principles and that all regulatory assets and regulatory liabilities are recoverable or refundable through the regulatory process. For Spire Missouri and Spire Alabama, management believes the following represent the more significant items recorded through the application of this accounting guidance:
PGA Clause – Spire Missouri’s PGA clauses allows it to flow through to customers, subject to a prudence review by the MoPSC, the cost of purchased gas supplies, including the costs, cost reductions and related carrying costs associated with the use of natural gas derivative instruments to hedge the purchase price of natural gas. The difference between actual costs incurred and costs recovered through the application of the PGA clauses are recorded as regulatory assets and regulatory liabilities that are recovered or refunded in a subsequent period. The PGA clauses also permit the application of carrying costs to all over- or under-recoveries of gas costs, including costs and cost reductions associated with the use of derivative instruments, and also provide for a portion of income from off-system sales and capacity release revenues to be flowed through to customers.
GSA Rider –Spire Alabama’s rate schedules for natural gas distribution charges contain a GSA rider, established in 1993, which permits the pass-through to customers of changes in the cost of gas supply. Spire Alabama’s tariff provides a temperature adjustment mechanism, also included in the GSA, that is designed to moderate the impact of departures from normal temperatures on Spire Alabama’s earnings. The temperature adjustment applies primarily to residential, small commercial and small industrial customers. Other non-temperature weather related conditions that may affect customer usage are not included in the temperature adjustment. In prior years, Spire Alabama entered into cash flow derivative commodity instruments to hedge its exposure to price fluctuations on its gas supply. Spire Alabama recognizes all derivatives at fair value as either assets or liabilities on the balance sheet. Any realized gains or losses are passed through to customers using the mechanisms of the GSA rider in accordance with Spire Alabama’s APSC approved tariff and are recognized as a regulatory asset or regulatory liability. All derivative commodity instruments in a gain position are valued on a discounted basis incorporating an estimate of performance risk specific to each related counterparty. Derivative commodity instruments in a loss position are valued on a discounted basis incorporating an estimate of performance risk specific to Spire Alabama. Spire Alabama currently has no active gas supply derivative positions.
ISRS – The ISRS allows Spire Missouri expedited recovery for its investment to upgrade its infrastructure and enhance its safety and reliability without the necessity of a formal rate case. Spire Missouri records ISRS revenues as authorized by the MoPSC and estimates the probability and amount of any refunds based on commission precedent, current legal rulings, the opinion of legal counsel, and other considerations.
For more information, see Note 15, Regulatory Matters, of the Notes to Financial Statements in Item 8.
Employee Benefits and Postretirement Obligations – Pension and postretirement obligations are calculated by actuarial consultants that utilize several statistical factors and other assumptions provided by management related to future events, such as discount rates, returns on plan assets, compensation increases, medical cost trends, and mortality rates. For the Utilities, the amount of expense recognized and the amounts reflected in other comprehensive income are dependent upon the regulatory treatment provided for such costs, as discussed further below.
The amount of net periodic pension and other postretirement benefit costs recognized in the financial statements related to the Utilities’ qualified pension plans and other postretirement benefit plans is based upon allowances, as approved by the MoPSC (for Spire Missouri) and as approved by the APSC (for Spire Alabama). The allowances have been established
36
Table of Contents
in the rate-making process for the recovery of these costs from customers. The differences between these amounts and actual pension and other postretirement benefit costs incurred for financial reporting purposes are deferred as regulatory assets or regulatory liabilities. GAAP also requires that changes that affect the funded status of pension and other postretirement benefit plans, but that are not yet required to be recognized as components of pension and other postretirement benefit costs, be reflected in other comprehensive income. For the Utilities’ qualified pension plans and other postretirement benefit plans, amounts that would otherwise be reflected in other comprehensive income are deferred with entries to regulatory assets or regulatory liabilities.
For more information, see Note 13, Pension Plans and Other Postretirement Benefits, of the Notes to Financial Statements in Item 8.
The tables below reflect the sensitivity of Spire’s plans to potential changes in key assumptions:
Pension Plan Benefits: Estimated Increase/
(Decrease) to Estimated Increase/
Increase/ Projected (Decrease) to Annual
Actuarial Assumptions (Decrease) Benefit Obligation Net Pension Cost*
Expected Return on Plan Assets 0.25 % — (1.0 )
Rate of Future Compensation Increase 0.25 % 0.6 0.1
Postretirement Benefits: Estimated Increase/
(Decrease) to Estimated Increase/
Projected (Decrease) to Annual
Increase/ Postretirement Net Postretirement
Actuarial Assumptions (Decrease) Benefit Obligation Benefit Cost*
Expected Return on Plan Assets 0.25 % — (0.8 )
* Excludes the impact of regulatory deferral mechanism. See Note 13, Pension Plans and Other Postretirement Benefits, of the Notes to Financial Statements in Item 8 for information regarding the regulatory treatment of these costs.
Income Taxes – Income tax calculations require estimates due to book-tax differences, estimates with respect to regulatory treatment of certain items, and uncertainty in the interpretation of tax laws and regulations. Critical assumptions and judgments also include projections of future taxable income to determine the ability to utilize net operating losses and credit carryforwards prior to their expiration. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. Management regularly assesses financial statement tax provisions to identify any change in regulatory treatment or tax related estimates and assumptions that could have a material impact on cash flows, financial position and/or results of operations. For more information, see Note 12, Income Taxes, of the Notes to Financial Statements in Item 8.
For further discussion of significant accounting policies, see Note 1, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, of the Notes to Financial Statements in Item 8.
MARKET RISK
Commodity Price Risk
Gas Utility
37
Table of Contents
The Utilities’ commodity price risk, which arises from market fluctuations in the price of natural gas, is primarily managed through the operation of Spire Missouri’s PGA clauses and Spire Alabama’s GSA rider. The PGA clauses and GSA rider allows the Utilities to flow through to customers, subject to prudence review by the MoPSC and APSC, the cost of purchased gas supplies. Spire Missouri is allowed the flexibility to make up to three discretionary PGA changes during each year, in addition to its mandatory November PGA change, so long as such changes are separated by at least two months. Spire Missouri is able to mitigate, to some extent, changes in commodity prices through the use of physical storage supplies and regional supply diversity. Spire Alabama is allowed to make monthly changes to the GSA rate, but increases cannot exceed a 5% increase over the prior effective residential billing rate. The Utilities also have risk management policies that allow for the purchase of natural gas derivative instruments with the goal of managing its price risk associated with purchasing natural gas on behalf of its customers. These policies prohibit speculation. As of September 30, 2025, Spire Missouri had active natural gas derivative positions, but Spire Alabama did not. Costs and cost reduction, including carrying costs, associated with the use of natural gas derivative instruments are allowed to be passed on to customers through the operation of the PGA clauses or GSA rider. Accordingly, the Utilities do not expect any adverse earnings impact as a result of the use of these derivative instruments. However, the timing of recovery for cash payments related to margin requirements may cause short-term cash requirements to vary. For more information about the Utilities’ natural gas derivative instruments, see Note 10, Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities, of the Notes to Financial Statements in Item 8.
Gas Marketing
In the course of its business, Spire’s non-regulated gas marketing subsidiary, Spire Marketing, enters into contracts to purchase and sell natural gas at fixed prices and natural gas index-based prices. Commodity price risk associated with these contracts has the potential to impact earnings and cash flows. To minimize this risk, Spire Marketing has a risk management policy that provides for daily monitoring of a number of business measures, including fixed price commitments. In accordance with the risk management policy, Spire Marketing manages the price risk associated with its fixed price commitments. This risk is currently managed either by closely matching the offsetting physical purchase or sale of natural gas at fixed-prices or through the use of natural gas futures, options and swap contracts traded on or cleared through the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) and Intercontinental Exchange ("ICE") to lock in margins. At September 30, 2025 and 2024, Spire Marketing’s unmatched fixed-price positions were not material to Spire’s financial position or results of operations.
As mentioned above, Spire Marketing uses natural gas futures, options and swap contracts traded on or cleared through the NYMEX and ICE to manage the commodity price risk associated with its fixed-price natural gas purchase and sale commitments. These derivative instruments may be designated as cash flow hedges of forecasted purchases or sales. Such accounting treatment, if elected, generally permits a substantial portion of the gain or loss to be deferred from recognition in earnings until the period that the associated forecasted purchase or sale is recognized in earnings. To the extent a hedge is effective, gains or losses on the derivatives will be offset by changes in the value of the hedged forecasted transactions. At September 30, 2025 and 2024, Spire Marketing had no designated cash flow hedges. Information about the fair values of Spire Marketing’s exchange-traded/cleared natural gas derivative instruments is presented below:
Derivative Derivatives
Fair Cash and Cash
Values Margin Margin
Net balance of derivative assets at September 30, 2024 $ (10.8 ) $ 13.5 $ 2.7
Changes in fair value 3.1 — 3.1
Settlements/purchases - net (0.1 ) — (0.1 )
Changes in cash margin — (3.1 ) (3.1 )
Net balance of derivative assets at September 30, 2025 $ (7.8 ) $ 10.4 $ 2.6
Fair values of basis swaps - net (1.2 ) (0.6 ) (0.5 ) (0.1 )
Fair values of puts and calls - net (3.0 ) (1.0 ) (2.0 ) —
Position volumes [millions of MMBtu, long or (short)]:
Net futures/swap/option positions 10.9 5.0 5.2 0.7
Net puts and calls positions (9.1 ) (5.6 ) (3.5 ) —
Certain of Spire Marketing’s physical natural gas derivative contracts are designated as normal purchases or normal sales, as permitted by GAAP. This election permits the Company to account for the contract in the period the natural gas is
38
Table of Contents
delivered. Contracts not designated as normal purchases or normal sales, including those designated as trading activities, are accounted for as derivatives with changes in fair value recognized in earnings in the periods prior to settlement.
Below is a reconciliation of the beginning and ending balances for physical natural gas contracts accounted for as derivatives, none of which will settle beyond fiscal 2026:
Net balance of derivative liabilities at September 30, 2024 $ 21.5
Changes in fair value (15.8 )
Settlements 22.4
Net balance of derivative liabilities at September 30, 2025 $ 28.1
For further details related to Spire Marketing’s derivatives and hedging activities, see Note 10, Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities, of the Notes to Financial Statements in Item 8.
Counterparty Credit Risk
Spire Marketing has concentrations of counterparty credit risk in that a significant portion of its transactions are with energy producers, utility companies and pipelines. These concentrations of counterparties have the potential to affect the Company’s overall exposure to credit risk, either positively or negatively, in that each of these three groups may be affected similarly by changes in economic, industry or other conditions. Spire Marketing also has concentrations of credit risk with certain individually significant counterparties. To the extent possible, Spire Marketing enters into netting arrangements with its counterparties to mitigate exposure to credit risk. It is also exposed to credit risk associated with its derivative contracts designated as normal purchases and normal sales. Spire Marketing closely monitors its credit exposure and, although uncollectible amounts have not been significant, increased counterparty defaults are possible and may result in financial losses and/or capital limitations. For more information on these and other concentrations of credit risk, including how Spire Marketing manages these risks, see Note 11, Concentrations of Credit Risk, of the Notes to Financial Statements in Item 8.
Interest Rate Risk
The Company is subject to interest rate risk associated with its short-term debt issuances. Based on average short-term borrowings during fiscal 2025, an increase of 100 basis points in the underlying average interest rate for short-term debt would have caused an increase in interest expense (and a decrease in pre-tax earnings and cash flows) of approximately $10.9 on an annual basis. Portions of such an increase may be offset through the Utilities’ application of PGA and GSA carrying costs. At September 30, 2025, Spire had outstanding principal of long-term debt totaling $3,879.1, of which $1,968.0 was issued by Spire Missouri, $715.0 was issued by Spire Alabama, and $1,196.1 was issued by Spire and other subsidiaries. While the long-term debt issues are fixed-rate, they are subject to changes in fair value as market interest rates change. However, increases or decreases in fair value would impact earnings and cash flows only if the Company were to reacquire any of these issues in the open market prior to maturity. Under GAAP applicable to the Utilities’ regulated operations, losses or gains on early redemptions of long-term debt would typically be deferred as regulatory assets or regulatory liabilities and amortized over a future period.
Refer to Note 10, Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities, of the Notes to Financial Statements in Item 8 for details on the Company’s interest rate swap transactions.
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
For this discussion, see “Market Risk” in Item 7, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
39
Table of Contents
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
Page
Reports of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB ID 34) 41
Financial Statements (for years ended September 30, 2025, 2024, and 2023):
Spire Inc.
Consolidated Statements of Income 48
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income 49
Consolidated Balance Sheets 50
Consolidated Statements of Shareholders’ Equity 52
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows 53
Spire Missouri Inc.
Statements of Comprehensive Income 54
Balance Sheets 55
Statements of Shareholder’s Equity 57
Statements of Cash Flows 58
Spire Alabama Inc.
Statements of Income 59
Balance Sheets 60
Statements of Shareholder’s Equity 62
Statements of Cash Flows 63
Notes to Financial Statements
Note 1. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies 64
Note 2. Revenue 69
Note 3. Stock-Based Compensation 71
Note 4. Earnings Per Common Share 74
Note 5. Shareholders’ Equity 74
Note 6. Long-Term Debt 77
Note 7. Notes Payable and Credit Agreements 79
Note 8. Fair Value of Financial Instruments 80
Note 9. Fair Value Measurements 80
Note 10. Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities 82
Note 11. Concentrations of Credit Risk 87
Note 12. Income Taxes 87
Note 13. Pension Plans and Other Postretirement Benefits 89
Note 14. Segment Information 97
Note 15. Regulatory Matters 100
Note 16. Commitments and Contingencies 103
Note 18. Business Combinations 107
40
Table of Contents
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the shareholders and the Board of Directors of Spire Inc.
Opinion on Internal Control over Financial Reporting
We have audited the internal control over financial reporting of Spire Inc. and subsidiaries (the "Company") as of September 30, 2025, based on criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). In our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of September 30, 2025, based on criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013) issued by COSO.
We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended September 30, 2025, of the Company and our report dated November 14, 2025, expressed an unqualified opinion on those financial statements.
Basis for Opinion
The Company's management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying Management Reports on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company's internal control over financial reporting based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk, and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Definition and Limitations of Internal Control over Financial Reporting
A company's internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company's internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company's assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
/s/ Deloitte & Touche LLP
St. Louis, Missouri
November 14, 2025
41
Table of Contents
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the shareholders and the Board of Directors of Spire Inc.
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Spire Inc. and subsidiaries (the "Company") as of September 30, 2025 and 2024, the related consolidated statements of income, comprehensive income, shareholders' equity, and cash flows, for each of the three years in the period ended September 30, 2025, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the "financial statements"). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of September 30, 2025 and 2024, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended September 30, 2025, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of September 30, 2025, based on criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission and our report dated November 14, 2025, expressed an unqualified opinion on the Company's internal control over financial reporting.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company's financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Critical Audit Matter
The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current-period audit of the financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing separate opinions on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.
Regulatory Matters – Impact of Rate Regulation on the Financial Statements – Refer to Note 15 to the financial statements
Critical Audit Matter Description
The Company accounts for their regulated operations in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic 980, Regulated Operations. The provisions of this accounting guidance require, among other things, that financial statements of a rate-regulated enterprise reflect the actions of regulators, where appropriate. These actions may result in the recognition of revenues and expenses in time periods that are different than non-rate-regulated enterprises. When this occurs, costs are deferred as assets in the balance sheet (regulatory assets) and recorded as expenses when those amounts are reflected in rates. Also, regulators can impose liabilities upon a regulated company for amounts previously collected from customers and for recovery of costs that are expected to be incurred in the future (regulatory liabilities).
The Company is subject to rate regulation by the Missouri and Alabama Public Service Commissions (the “Commissions”), which have jurisdiction with respect to the rates of natural gas companies within their respective geographies. The
42
Table of Contents
Company has stated that all regulatory assets and regulatory liabilities are recoverable or refundable through the regulatory process.
Accounting for the economics of rate regulation affects multiple financial statement line items, including property, plant, and equipment; regulatory assets and liabilities; operating revenues; and depreciation expense, and affects multiple disclosures in the Company’s financial statements. There is a risk that the Commissions will not approve full recovery of the costs of providing utility service or recovery of all amounts invested in the utility business and a reasonable return on that investment. As a result, we identified the impact of rate regulation as a critical audit matter due to the high degree of subjectivity involved in assessing the impact of current and future regulatory orders on events that have occurred as of September 30, 2025, and the judgments made by management to support its assertions about impacted account balances and disclosures. Management judgments included assessing the likelihood of (1) recovery in future rates of incurred costs or (2) refunds to customers or future reduction in rates. Given that management’s accounting judgments are based on assumptions about the outcome of future decisions by the Commissions, auditing these rate-impacted account balances and disclosures, and the related judgments, requires specialized knowledge of accounting for rate regulation due to the inherent complexities associated with the specialized rules related to accounting for the effects of cost-based regulation.
How the Critical Audit Matter Was Addressed in the Audit
Our audit procedures related to the impact of rate regulation include the following, among others:
• We tested the effectiveness of management’s controls over evaluating the likelihood of (1) the recovery in future rates of costs incurred as property, plant, and equipment or deferred as regulatory assets, and (2) a refund or a future reduction in rates that should be reported as regulatory liabilities. We tested the effectiveness of management’s controls over the initial recognition of amounts as property, plant, and equipment; regulatory assets or liabilities; and the monitoring and evaluation of regulatory developments that may affect the likelihood of recovering costs in future rates or of a future reduction in rates.
• We evaluated the Company’s disclosures related to the impacts of rate regulation, including the balances recorded and regulatory developments, in the financial statements.
• We read relevant regulatory orders issued by the Commissions for the Company in Missouri and Alabama; regulatory statutes, interpretations, procedural memorandums, and filings made by interveners; and other publicly available information to assess the likelihood of recovery in future rates or of a future reduction in rates based on precedents of the Commissions’ treatment of similar costs under similar circumstances.
• We obtained management’s analysis of the regulatory orders that support the probability of recovery, refund, and/or future reduction in rates for regulatory assets and liabilities and evaluated the basis of management’s assertion that amounts are probable of recovery, refund, or a future reduction in rates.
/s/ Deloitte & Touche LLP
St. Louis, Missouri
November 14, 2025
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 1953.
43
Table of Contents
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the shareholder and the Board of Directors of Spire Missouri Inc.
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying balance sheets of Spire Missouri Inc. (a wholly owned subsidiary of Spire Inc.) (the "Company") as of September 30, 2025 and 2024, the related statements of comprehensive income, shareholders' equity, and cash flows, for each of the three years in the period ended September 30, 2025, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the "financial statements"). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of September 30, 2025 and 2024, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended September 30, 2025, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company's financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Critical Audit Matter
The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current-period audit of the financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing separate opinions on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.
Regulatory Matters – Impact of Rate Regulation on the Financial Statements – Refer to Note 15 to the financial statements
Critical Audit Matter Description
The Company accounts for their regulated operations in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic 980, Regulated Operations. The provisions of this accounting guidance require, among other things, that financial statements of a rate-regulated enterprise reflect the actions of regulators, where appropriate. These actions may result in the recognition of revenues and expenses in time periods that are different than non-rate-regulated enterprises. When this occurs, costs are deferred as assets in the balance sheet (regulatory assets) and recorded as expenses when those amounts are reflected in rates. Also, regulators can impose liabilities upon a regulated company for amounts previously collected from customers and for recovery of costs that are expected to be incurred in the future (regulatory liabilities).
The Company is subject to rate regulation by the Missouri Public Service Commission (the “Commission”), which has jurisdiction with respect to the rates of natural gas companies within Missouri’s geography. The Company has stated that all regulatory assets and regulatory liabilities are recoverable or refundable through the regulatory process.
44
Table of Contents
Accounting for the economics of rate regulation affects multiple financial statement line items, including property, plant, and equipment; regulatory assets and liabilities; operating revenues; and depreciation expense, and affects multiple disclosures in the Company’s financial statements. There is a risk that the Commission will not approve full recovery of the costs of providing utility service or recovery of all amounts invested in the utility business and a reasonable return on that investment. As a result, we identified the impact of rate regulation as a critical audit matter due to the high degree of subjectivity involved in assessing the impact of current and future regulatory orders on events that have occurred as of September 30, 2025, and the judgments made by management to support their assertions about impacted account balances and disclosures. Management judgments included assessing the likelihood of (1) recovery in future rates of incurred costs or (2) refunds to customers or future reduction in rates. Given that management’s accounting judgments are based on assumptions about the outcome of future decisions by the Commission, auditing these rate-impacted account balances and disclosures, and the related judgments, requires specialized knowledge of accounting for rate regulation due to the inherent complexities associated with the specialized rules related to accounting for the effects of cost-based regulation.
How the Critical Audit Matter Was Addressed in the Audit
Our audit procedures related to the impact of rate regulation include the following, among others:
•