Core Viewpoint - Spire, Inc. (SR) is making strategic investments to enhance operational reliability and customer service, leveraging new technologies to improve service quality and reduce costs, making it a strong investment case in the Zacks Utility-Gas distribution industry [1] Growth Outlook - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2026 earnings per share (EPS) is projected to increase by 14.64% year over year to $5.09 [2] - Fiscal 2026 revenue is estimated at $2.52 billion, indicating a year-over-year growth of 1.85% [2] - Long-term EPS growth is projected to improve by 5-7% annually, with a three to five-year earnings growth rate forecasted at 7.77% [2] Return to Shareholders - Spire has been consistently increasing shareholder value through dividends, currently paying a quarterly dividend of 82.5 cents per share, leading to an annualized dividend of $3.30 [3] - The current dividend yield stands at 3.61%, significantly higher than the Zacks S&P 500 composite average of 1.1% [3] Investments Focus - Spire plans a 10-year capital investment of $11.2 billion, with 70% allocated to safety and operational reliability improvements, 19% for customer expansion, and 11% for other essential activities [4] - These investments aim to enhance service efficiency and meet the rising demand from an expanding customer base [4] Debt Structure - Spire's total debt to capital ratio is 53.23%, which is better than the sector average of 60.90%, indicating lower debt usage compared to peers [5] - The times interest earned (TIE) ratio at the end of fiscal 2025 was 2.6, suggesting the company can meet its interest payment obligations comfortably [5] Stock Price Performance - Over the past year, Spire's shares have increased by 27.6%, outperforming the industry's growth of 8.3% [6]