Core Viewpoint - Spire Inc. is benefiting from systematic capital investments aimed at strengthening infrastructure and improving service reliability, alongside an expanding natural gas customer base [1] Group 1: Positive Factors - Spire's capital expenditures for fiscal 2025 are projected to be $840 million, an increase from the previous guidance of $790 million, with notable increases in Spire Missouri and Midstream for storage expansion projects [2] - The company has invested nearly $103 million in advanced meter installations, with over 350,000 advanced meters installed in fiscal 2024, benefiting a total of 850,000 customers [3] - Spire is expanding its customer base through acquisitions, such as MoGas and Omega pipeline systems, which added approximately 263 miles of interstate natural gas pipelines to its network, enhancing service in St. Louis, MO [4] Group 2: Challenges - As a holding company with no significant assets, Spire relies on its operating units to meet financial obligations, making it vulnerable if subsidiaries fail to generate sufficient net income and cash flows [5] - The company's financial performance could be adversely affected by disruptions in the transmission and storage capacity of interstate natural gas pipelines during peak demand periods [5] Group 3: Stock Performance - Over the past six months, Spire's shares have increased by 12.7%, outperforming the industry's growth of 3.1% [6] Group 4: Industry Comparisons - Other stocks in the industry with better rankings include UGI Corporation (Zacks Rank 1), Atmos Energy (Zacks Rank 2), and ONE Gas (Zacks Rank 2), with UGI's long-term earnings growth rate at 5.2% and a projected 2.3% year-over-year EPS improvement for fiscal 2025 [8] - Atmos Energy has a long-term earnings growth rate of 7.19% with a projected 6% year-over-year EPS improvement for fiscal 2025, while ONE Gas has a long-term growth rate of 5.56% and a projected 9.7% year-over-year EPS improvement [9]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Consolidated revenue increased by 14.3% or $17.1 million to $136.8 million, driven by strong performance in Genie Retail Energy [10] - Consolidated gross profit rose by 10.6% to $37.4 million, while gross margin decreased by 90 basis points to 27.3% [11][12] - Consolidated net income attributable to stockholders increased by $10.6 million or $0.40 per share from $8.1 million or $0.30 per share a year earlier [13] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Genie Retail Energy (GRE) revenue jumped 17.8% to $132.5 million, primarily due to investments made to grow the customer base [10] - Electricity revenue climbed 16.4% to $104.1 million, contributing 78.6% of GRE's revenues, with kilowatt hours sold increasing by 23.5% [10] - Revenue from natural gas sales increased by 26.8% to $28.4 million, reflecting increases in both terms sold and revenues per term sold [11] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Customer churn in the first quarter was 5.5%, unchanged from the year-ago quarter, indicating effective customer retention efforts [5] - The company ended the quarter with approximately 413,000 meters served, comprising 402,000 Residential Customer Equivalents (RCEs) [4] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is expanding its customer base and has begun marketing in California, with plans to offer gas in Kentucky in the second quarter [5] - The community solar project in Lansing, New York, is on track for completion in the third quarter and is expected to be EBITDA accretive immediately upon going online [6] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management highlighted strong operational and financial results, indicating a return to normalized results for the retail energy business [3] - The company confirmed its full-year adjusted EBITDA guidance of $40 million to $50 million, suggesting confidence in future performance [14] Other Important Information - The company returned $3.9 million to stockholders through dividends and share repurchases during the first quarter [7] - Cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities totaled $210.2 million as of March 31, 2025, an increase of $9.2 million in the quarter [13] Q&A Session Summary - There were no questions during the Q&A session, leading to the conclusion of the conference call [16]