Spire(SR) - 2025 Q3 - Earnings Call Transcript

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company reported adjusted earnings of $0.01 per share, a significant improvement from a loss of $0.14 per share a year ago, reflecting growth across all business segments [7][18] - Year-to-date capital expenditures totaled $700 million, with a nearly 20% increase in utility CapEx year over year [20] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - The Gas Utilities segment had an adjusted loss of $10 million, which was $1 million better than the prior year, driven by higher contribution margin at Spire Missouri [18] - Earnings in the Gas Marketing segment increased by over $4 million, indicating strong performance [18] - The midstream segment saw strong earnings growth, attributed to additional capacity and asset optimization at Spire Storage [18] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company is focused on a long-term EPS growth target of 5% to 7%, supported by a ten-year $7.4 billion capital investment plan [11][22] - The company expects to deliver within its fiscal 2025 earnings guidance of $4.4 to $4.6 per share [11][22] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company announced the acquisition of the Piedmont Natural Gas Tennessee business, which is expected to enhance its scale and expand its regulated utility footprint [12][13] - The acquisition is projected to add $900 million to the five-year capital plan, focusing on system modernization and infrastructure resilience [13] - The company aims to maintain a strong balance sheet while supporting long-term adjusted EPS growth and dividend growth [13][26] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in achieving strong operational performance and financial discipline, emphasizing the importance of regulatory transparency and customer affordability [25][28] - The company is actively pursuing regulatory approvals for the acquisition and advancing integration planning [28] Other Important Information - A unanimous stipulation and agreement has been filed for an annual revenue increase of $210 million, pending approval by the Missouri Public Service Commission [9][15] - The company is committed to maintaining a strong focus on customer affordability through disciplined cost management [25] Q&A Session Summary Question: Is the FFO to debt target of 15% to 16% still applicable? - Management confirmed that these targets remain the right framework, although progress may be slower during the acquisition transition [31][32] Question: How much of the midstream results is attributable to storage expansion? - Management indicated that about 90% of the increase in midstream results was due to storage, with a 75% to 25% split on net income basis [35][36] Question: Does the long-term 5% to 7% growth rate include impacts from the Missouri rate case settlement? - Management clarified that the growth rate is based on capital deployment and does not directly include the impacts of the rate case [51][52] Question: How does the company see O&M expenses evolving? - Management stated the target is to keep O&M expenses at or below the rate of inflation, with current year-to-date O&M run rate being less than 1% higher than the prior year [55]