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Year-over-year tone shift - average net-tone change across Risk Factors and MD&A vs the prior 10-K. This filing is 0.06pp more bullish than last year's.
Why YoY instead of absolute: the LM lexicon has ~6.6× more negative words than positive (legal/risk-disclosure language is heavy on hedging), so every 10-K reads bearish on raw tone. Year-over-year change strips that bias and surfaces the actual shift in management's framing.
Tone shift by section
The two components the gauge averages: how Risk Factors and MD&A each shifted in net tone versus last year's 10-K. The headline above is their average, so a green needle over a soft section just means the other section carried it.
Risk Factors
+0.01pp
Flat
Net-tone change vs last year's 10-K.
MD&A
+0.10pp
Flat
Net-tone change vs last year's 10-K.
Per-snippet highlights
Sentence-level sentiment highlighting with category and subcategory filters is coming once the snippet-scoring pipeline lands. For now, dig into the actual section text on the Sections tab.
Risk Factors (Item 1A)
3,700 words
ITEM 1A.
Risk Factors.
Our financial and operating results are subject to a number of risk factors, many of which are not within our control. Investors should carefully consider the following discussion of risk factors as well as other information appearing in this report. These factors include the following, which are organized by category:
Regulatory and Legislative Risks
We are subject to federal, state, and local regulations that affect our operations and financial results.
We are subject to safety and financial regulatory oversight from various federal, state, and local regulatory authorities in the eight states that we serve. Therefore, our returns are continuously monitored and are subject to challenge for their reasonableness by the appropriate regulatory authorities or other third-party intervenors. In the normal course of business, as a regulated entity, we often need to place assets in service and establish historical test periods before rate cases that seek to adjust our allowed returns to recover that investment can be filed. Further, the regulatory review process can be lengthy in the context of traditional ratemaking. Because of this process, we could suffer the financial effects of having placed assets in service without the of rate relief, which is commonly referred to as “regulatory .”
Language change vs prior 10-K
MD&A (Item 7) - words with the biggest YoY frequency increase
Regulatory authorities in the states we serve have approved various infrastructure and annual rate adjustment mechanisms to effectively reduce the regulatory lag inherent in the ratemaking process. Regulatory lag could significantly increase if the regulatory authorities modify or terminate these rate mechanisms. The regulatory process also involves the risk that regulatory authorities may (i) review our purchases of natural gas and adjust the amount of our gas costs that we pass through to our customers or (ii) limit or disallow the costs we may have incurred from our cost of service that can be recovered from customers.
We are also subject to laws, regulations, and other legal requirements enacted or adopted by federal, state, and local governmental authorities relating to protection of the environment and health and safety matters, including those that govern discharges of substances into the air and water, the management and disposal of hazardous substances and waste, the clean-up of contaminated sites, groundwater quality and availability, plant and wildlife protection, as well as work practices related to employee health and safety. Environmental legislation also requires that our facilities, sites, and other properties associated with our operations be operated, maintained, abandoned, and reclaimed to the satisfaction of applicable regulatory authorities. Failure to comply with these laws, regulations, permits, and licenses may expose us to fines, penalties, or interruptions in our operations that could be significant to our financial results. In addition, existing environmental regulations may be revised or our operations may become subject to new regulations.
Some of our operations are subject to increased federal regulatory oversight that could affect our operations and financial results.
FERC has regulatory authority over some of our operations, including the use and release of interstate pipeline and storage capacity. FERC has adopted rules designed to prevent market power abuse and market manipulation and to promote compliance with FERC’s other rules, policies, and orders by companies engaged in the sale, purchase, transportation, or storage of natural gas in interstate commerce. These rules carry increased penalties for violations. Although we have taken steps to structure current and future transactions to comply with applicable current FERC regulations, changes in FERC regulations or their
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interpretation by FERC or additional regulations issued by FERC in the future could also adversely affect our business, financial condition, or financial results.
We may experience increased federal, state, and local regulation of the safety of our operations.
The safety and protection of the public, our customers, and our employees is our top priority. We constantly monitor and maintain our pipeline and distribution systems to ensure that natural gas is delivered safely, reliably, and efficiently through our network of more than 81,000 miles of distribution and transmission lines. As in recent years, natural gas distribution and pipeline companies are continuing to encounter increasing federal, state, and local oversight of the safety of their operations. Although we believe these are costs ultimately recoverable through our rates, the costs of complying with new laws and regulations may have at least a short-term adverse impact on our operating costs and financial results.
Operational Risks
We may incur significant costs and liabilities resulting from pipeline integrity and other similar programs and related repairs.
PHMSA requires pipeline operators to develop integrity management programs to comprehensively evaluate certain areas along their pipelines and to take additional measures to protect pipeline segments located in “high consequence areas” where a leak or rupture could potentially do the most harm. As a pipeline operator, the Company is required to:
• perform ongoing assessments of pipeline integrity;
• identify and characterize applicable threats to pipeline segments that could impact a “high consequence area”;
• improve data collection, integration, and analysis;
• repair and remediate the pipeline as necessary; and
• implement preventative and mitigating actions.
The Company incurs significant costs to comply with existing PHMSA and comparable state regulations. Although we believe these costs are ultimately recoverable through our rates, the costs of complying with new laws and regulations may have at least a short-term adverse impact on our operating costs and financial results. For example, the adoption of new regulations requiring more comprehensive or stringent safety standards could require installation of new or modified safety controls, new capital projects, or accelerated maintenance programs, all of which could require a potentially significant increase in operating costs.
Distributing, transporting, and storing natural gas involve risks that may result in accidents and additional operating costs.
Our operations involve a number of hazards and operating risks inherent in storing and transporting natural gas that could affect the public safety and reliability of our distribution system. While Atmos Energy, with the support from each of its regulatory commissions, is accelerating the replacement of pipeline infrastructure, operating issues such as leaks, accidents, equipment problems, and incidents, including explosions and fire, could result in legal liability, repair, and remediation costs, increased operating costs, significant increased capital expenditures, regulatory fines and penalties, and other costs and a loss of customer confidence. We maintain liability and property insurance coverage in place for many of these hazards and risks. However, because some of our transmission pipeline and storage facilities are near or are in populated areas, any loss of human life or adverse financial results resulting from such events could be large. If these events were not fully covered by our general liability and property insurance, which policies are subject to certain limits and deductibles, our operations or financial results could be adversely affected.
If contracted gas supplies, interstate pipeline, and/or storage services are not available or delivered in a timely manner, our ability to meet our customers’ natural gas requirements may be impaired and our financial condition may be adversely affected.
In order to meet our customers’ annual and seasonal natural gas demands, we must obtain a sufficient supply of natural gas, interstate pipeline capacity, and storage capacity. If we are unable to obtain these, either from our suppliers’ inability to deliver the contracted commodity or the inability to secure replacement quantities, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected. If a substantial disruption to or reduction in interstate natural gas pipelines’ transmission and storage capacity occurred due to operational failures or disruptions, legislative or regulatory actions, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, extreme cold weather, terrorist or cyber-attacks, or acts of war, our operations or financial results could be adversely affected.
Our operations are subject to increased competition.
In residential and commercial customer markets, our distribution operations compete with other energy products, such as electricity and propane. Our primary product competition is with electricity for heating, water heating, and cooking. If customer
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growth slows or existing customers choose to conserve their use of gas or choose another energy product, reduced gas purchases and customer billings could adversely impact our business.
In the case of industrial customers, such as manufacturing plants, adverse economic conditions, including higher gas costs, could cause these customers to use alternative sources of energy, such as electricity, or bypass our systems in favor of special competitive contracts with lower per-unit costs. Our pipeline and storage operations historically have faced limited competition from other existing intrastate pipelines and gas marketers seeking to provide or arrange transportation, storage, and other services for customers. The completion of new pipelines in our service area may increase the competition in this segment of our business.
Failure to attract and retain a qualified workforce could adversely affect our results of operations.
The competition for talent has become increasingly intense. If we are unable to recruit and retain an appropriately qualified workforce, the Company could encounter operating challenges primarily due to a loss of institutional knowledge and expertise, errors due to inexperience, or the lengthy time period typically required to adequately train replacement personnel. In addition, higher costs could result from loss of productivity, increased safety compliance issues, or cost of contract labor.
Additionally, our ability to operate is contingent on maintaining a healthy workforce and a safe working environment. As a provider of essential services, we have an obligation to provide natural gas services to customers. Incidents that impact the health and availability of our workforce could threaten the continuity of our business operations.
Natural disasters, adverse weather, terrorist activities, or other significant events could adversely affect our operations or financial results.
Natural disasters and adverse weather are always a threat to our assets and operations. In addition, the threat of terrorist activities could lead to increased economic instability and volatility in the price of natural gas that could affect our operations. Also, companies in our industry may face a heightened risk of exposure to actual acts of terrorism, which could subject our operations to increased risks. As a result, the Company's contractors, suppliers, and other business partners may be unable to fulfill their contractual obligations or the availability of insurance covering such risks may become more limited, which could increase the risk that an event could adversely affect our operations or financial results.
Technology and Cybersecurity Risks
The failure of technology may hinder the Company’s business operations and adversely affect its financial condition and results of operations.
The Company uses Company-owned information technology and technology hosted by third parties to support critical functions including scheduling and dispatching of service technicians, automated meter reading systems, customer care and billing, 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 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 that these efforts would protect against all potential issues related to the loss of any such technologies.
Cyber-attacks or acts of cyber-terrorism could disrupt our business operations and information technology systems or result in the loss or exposure of confidential or sensitive customer, employee or Company information.
Our business operations and information technology systems may be vulnerable to an attack by individuals or organizations intending to disrupt our business operations and information technology systems. Disruption of those systems could adversely impact our ability to safely deliver natural gas to our customers, operate our pipeline and storage systems, or serve our customers timely. Further, any attack on our technology systems that would result in the unauthorized release of confidential or sensitive data could have a material adverse effect on our business reputation, increase our costs, and expose us to material legal claims and liability. The Company has implemented policies, procedures, and controls to identify, protect, detect, and respond to cyberattacks or acts of terrorism. However, these measures may be insufficient or become ineffective, and there are no assurances that cybersecurity breaches or acts of terrorism will not impact our business operations and strategy, results of operations, and financial condition in the future. Even though we have insurance coverage in place for many of these cyber-related risks, if such an attack or act of terrorism were to occur, our operations and financial results could be adversely affected to the extent not fully covered by such insurance coverage.
Compliance with and changes in cybersecurity requirements have a cost and operational impact on our business, and failure to comply with such laws and regulations could adversely impact our reputation, results of operations, financial condition, and/or cash flows.
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As cyber-attacks are becoming more sophisticated, U.S. government warnings have indicated that critical infrastructure assets, including pipeline infrastructure, may be specifically targeted by certain groups. In recent years, the U.S. government has issued directives that require critical pipeline owners to comply with mandatory reporting measures, designate a cybersecurity coordinator, provide vulnerability assessments, and ensure compliance with certain cybersecurity requirements. Such directives or other requirements may require expenditure of significant additional resources to respond to cyber-attacks, to continue to modify or enhance protective measures, or to assess, investigate, and remediate any critical infrastructure security vulnerabilities. Any failure to comply with such government regulations or failure in our cybersecurity protective measures may result in enforcement actions that may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, and financial condition. In addition, there is no certainty that costs incurred related to securing againstthreats will be recovered through rates.
Climate Risks
Adverse weather conditions could affect our operations or financial results.
We have weather-normalized rates for approximately 97 percent of our residential and commercial revenues in our distribution operations, which substantially mitigates the adverse effects of warmer-than-normal weather for meters in those service areas. However, there is no assurance that we will continue to receive such regulatory protection from adverse weather in our rates in the future. The loss of such weather-normalized rates could have an adverse effect on our operations and financial results. In addition, our operating results may continue to vary somewhat with the actual temperatures during the winter heating season. Additionally, sustained cold weather could challenge our ability to adequately meet customer demand in our operations.
Legislation to reduce or eliminate greenhouse gas emissions or fossil fuels could increase our operating costs, adversely affecting our financial results, growth, cash flows, and results of operations.
Six of the eight states in which we operate have passed legislation to prevent local governments from limiting the types of energy available to customers. However, federal, regional, and/or state legislative and/or regulatory initiatives may attempt to control or limit greenhouse gas emissions, such as carbon dioxide and methane, by requiring the adoption of new infrastructure or technology to limit greenhouse gas emissions, limiting our ability to serve new or existing customers, imposing costs or restrictions on end users of natural gas, or assessing additional charges to fund energy efficiency activities. Such laws or regulations could adversely affect our business, results of operations, and cash flows if the costs we incur to comply with these laws or regulations are not recovered or if the cost of providing natural gas services becomes prohibitively expensive, leading to a reduction in the demand for natural gas or fuel-switching to alternate sources of energy.
The operations and financial results of the Company could be adversely impacted as a result of climate change.
Climate change may result in a reduction in the demand for natural gas or cause shifts in the population of our service territories which could adversely impact the economic outlook for our service territories. These occurrences could adversely impact our financial results, growth, cash flows, and results of operations.
It could also result in more frequent and more severe weather events, such as hurricanes and tornadoes, which could increase our costs to repair damaged facilities and restore service to our customers or impact the cost of gas. If we were unable to deliver natural gas to our customers, our financial results would be impacted by lost revenues, and we generally would have to seek approval from regulators to recover restoration costs. To the extent we would be unable to recover those costs, or if higher rates resulting from our recovery of such costs would result in reduced demand for our services, our future business, financial condition, or financial results could be adversely impacted.
Financial, Economic, and Market Risks
Our growth in the future may be limited by the nature of our business, which requires extensive capital spending.
Our operations are capital-intensive. We must make significant capital expenditures on a long-term basis to modernize our distribution and transmission system and to comply with the safety rules and regulations issued by the regulatory authorities responsible for the service areas we operate. In addition, we must continually build new capacity to serve the growing needs of the communities we serve. The magnitude of these expenditures may be affected by a number of factors, including new policy and regulations, and the general state of the economy.
The liquidity required to fund our working capital, capital expenditures, and other cash needs is provided from a combination of internally generated cash flows and external debt and equity financing. The cost and availability of borrowing funds from third party lenders or issuing equity is dependent on the liquidity of the credit markets, interest rates and other market conditions. This in turn may limit the amount of funds we can invest in our infrastructure.
The Company is dependent on continued access to the credit and capital markets to execute our business strategy.
Our long-term debt is currently rated as “investment grade” by Standard & Poor’s Corporation and Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. Similar to most companies, we rely upon access to both short-term and long-term credit and capital markets to
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satisfy our liquidity requirements. If adverse credit conditions were to cause a significant limitation on our access to the private credit and public capital markets, we could see a reduction in our liquidity. A significant reduction in our liquidity could in turn trigger a negative change in our ratings outlook or even a reduction in our credit ratings by one or more of the credit rating agencies. Such a downgrade could further limit our access to private credit and/or public capital markets and increase our costs of borrowing.
While we believe we can meet our capital requirements from our operations and the sources of financing available to us, we can provide no assurance that we will continue to be able to do so in the future. The future effects on our business, liquidity, and financial results of a deterioration of current conditions in the credit and capital markets could be material and adverse to us, both in the ways described above or in other ways that we do not currently anticipate.
We are exposed to market risks that are beyond our control, which could adversely affect our financial results.
We are subject to market risks beyond our control, including (i) commodity price volatility caused by market supply and demand dynamics, counterparty performance, or counterparty creditworthiness and (ii) interest rate risk. We are generally insulated from commodity price risk through our purchased gas cost mechanisms. With respect to interest rate risk, increases in interest rates could adversely affect our future financial results to the extent that we do not recover our actual interest expense in our rates.
The concentration of our operations in the State of Texas exposes our operations and financial results to economic conditions, weather patterns, and regulatory decisions in Texas.
Approximately 75 percent of our consolidated operations are located in the State of Texas. This concentration of our business in Texas means that our operations and financial results may be significantly affected by changes in the Texas economy in general, weather patterns, and regulatory decisions by state and local regulatory authorities in Texas.
A deterioration in economic conditions could adversely affect our customers and negatively impact our financial results.
Any adverse changes in economic conditions in the states in which we operate could adversely affect the financial resources of many domestic households. As a result, our customers could seek to use less gas and it may be more difficult for them to pay their gas bills. This would likely lead to slower collections and higher than normal levels of accounts receivable. This, in turn, could increase our financing requirements. Additionally, should economic conditions deteriorate, our industrial customers could seek alternative energy sources, which could result in lower transportation volumes.
Increased gas costs could adversely impact our customer base and customer collections and increase our level of indebtedness.
Rapid increases in the costs of purchased gas would cause us to experience a significant increase in short-term or long-term debt. We must pay suppliers for gas when it is purchased, which can be significantly in advance of when these costs may be recovered through the collection of monthly customer bills for gas delivered. Increases in purchased gas costs also slow our natural gas distribution collections as customers may delay the payment of their gas bills, leading to higher than normal accounts receivable. This could result in higher short-term debt levels, greater collection efforts, and increased bad debt expense.
Our pension and other postretirement benefit plans are subject to investment and interest rate risk that could negatively impact our financial condition.
We have pension and other postretirement benefit plans that provide benefits to many of our 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. 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 if such costs are not ultimately recoverable.
ITEM 7.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
INTRODUCTION
This section provides management’s discussion of the financial condition, changes in financial condition, and results of operations of Atmos Energy Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries with specific information on results of operations and liquidity and capital resources. It includes management’s interpretation of our financial results, the factors affecting these results, the major factors expected to affect future operating results, and future investment and financing plans. This discussion should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and notes thereto.
Several factors exist that could influence our future financial performance, some of which are described in Item 1A above, “Risk Factors”. They should be considered in connection with evaluating forward-looking statements contained in this report or otherwise made by or on behalf of us since these factors could cause actual results and conditions to differ materially from those set out in such forward-looking statements.
Cautionary Statement for the Purposes of the Safe Harbor under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995
The statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K may contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this Report are forward-looking statements made in good faith by us and are intended to qualify for the safe harbor from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this Report, or any other of our documents or oral presentations, the words “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, “expect”, “forecast”, “goal”, “intend”, “objective”, “plan”, “projection”, “seek”, “strategy”, or similar words are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the statements relating to our strategy, operations, markets, services, rates, recovery of costs, availability of gas supply, and other factors. These risks and uncertainties include the following: federal, state, and local regulatory and political trends and decisions, including the impact of rate proceedings before various state regulatory commissions; increased federal regulatory oversight and potential penalties; possible increased federal, state, and local regulation of the safety of our operations; possible significant costs and liabilities resulting from pipeline integrity and other similar programs and related repairs; the inherent hazards and risks involved in distributing, transporting, and storing natural gas; the availability and accessibility of contracted gas supplies, interstate pipeline, and/or storage services; increased competition from energy suppliers and alternative forms of energy; failure to attract and retain a qualified workforce; natural disasters, adverse weather, terrorist activities, or other events and other risks and uncertainties discussed herein, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond our control; failure of technology that affects the Company's business operations; the threat of cyber-attacks or acts of cyber-terrorism that could disrupt our business operations and information technology systems or result in the loss or exposure of confidential or sensitive customer, employee, or Company information; the impact of new cybersecurity compliance requirements; adverse weather conditions; the impact of legislation to
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reduce or eliminate greenhouse gas emissions or fossil fuels; the impact of climate change; the capital-intensive nature of our business; our ability to continue to access the credit and capital markets to execute our business strategy; market risks beyond our control affecting our risk management activities, including commodity price volatility, counterparty performance or creditworthiness, and interest rate risk; the concentration of our operations in Texas; the impact of adverse economic conditions on our customers; changes in the availability and price of natural gas; and increased costs of providing health care benefits, along with pension and postretirement health care benefits and increased funding requirements. Accordingly, while we believe these forward-looking statements to be reasonable, there can be no assurance that they will approximate actual experience or that the expectations derived from them will be realized. Further, we undertake no obligation to update or revise any of our forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
OVERVIEW
Atmos Energy's vision is to be the safest provider of natural gas services. Our commitment to this vision requires significant levels of capital spending to modernize our natural gas distribution system and operating costs to deliver natural gas safely and reliably and in compliance with the various safety regulations impacting our business. We have the ability to begin recovering a significant portion of our expenditures timely through rate designs and mechanisms that reduce or eliminate regulatory lag and separate the recovery of our approved rate from customer usage patterns. The execution of our capital spending program, the ability to recover these expenditures timely and our ability to access the capital markets to satisfy our financing needs are the primary drivers that affect our financial performance.
We anticipate making significant capital expenditures for the foreseeable future to modernize our distribution and transmission system, to comply with the safety rules and regulations issued by the regulatory authorities responsible for the service areas in which we operate, and to prepare to serve the growing needs of the communities we serve. Between fiscal years 2026 and 2030, we anticipate spending approximately $26 billion, with more than 80 percent dedicated to safety and reliability spending. The magnitude and allocation of these expenditures may be affected by factors such as new policy and regulations, population growth, and increased labor and materials costs. Although we believe these costs are ultimately recoverable through our rates based on the regulatory frameworks currently available to us, full recovery is not assured.
CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Our consolidated financial statements were prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. Preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, and expenses and the related disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities. We base our estimates on historical experience and various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may differ from estimates.
Our significant accounting policies are discussed in Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements. The accounting policies discussed below are both important to the presentation of our financial condition and results of operations and require management to make difficult, subjective, or complex accounting estimates. Accordingly, these critical accounting policies are reviewed periodically by the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors.
Critical
Accounting Policy
Summary of Policy
Factors Influencing Application of the Policy
Regulation
Our distribution and pipeline operations meet the criteria of a cost-based, rate-regulated entity under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. Accordingly, the financial results for these operations reflect the effects of the ratemaking and accounting practices and policies of the various regulatory commissions to which we are subject.
As a result, certain costs that would normally be expensed under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States are permitted to be capitalized or deferred on the balance sheet because it is probable they can be recovered through rates. Further, regulation may impact the period in which revenues or expenses are recognized. The amounts expected to be recovered or recognized are based upon historical experience and our understanding of the regulations.
Discontinuing the application of this method of accounting for regulatory assets and liabilities or changes in the accounting for our various regulatory mechanisms could significantly increase our operating expenses as fewer costs would likely be capitalized or deferred on the balance sheet, which could reduce our net income.
Decisions of regulatory authorities
Issuance of new regulations or regulatory mechanisms
Assessing that the recoverability of deferred costs and utility assets is probable
Continuing to meet the criteria of a cost-based, rate regulated entity for accounting purposes
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Critical
Accounting Policy
Summary of Policy
Factors Influencing Application of the Policy
Pension and other postretirement plans
Pension and other postretirement plan costs and liabilities are determined on an actuarial basis using a September 30 measurement date and are affected by numerous assumptions and estimates including the market value of plan assets, estimates of the expected return on plan assets, assumed discount rates, and current demographic and actuarial mortality data. The assumed discount rate and the expected return are the assumptions that generally have the most significant impact on our pension costs and liabilities. The assumed discount rate, the assumed health care cost trend rate, and assumed rates of retirement generally have the most significant impact on our postretirement plan costs and liabilities.
The discount rate is utilized principally in calculating the actuarial present value of our pension and postretirement obligations and net periodic pension and postretirement benefit plan costs. When establishing our discount rate, we consider high quality corporate bond rates based on bonds available in the marketplace that are suitable for settling the obligations, changes in those rates from the prior year, and the implied discount rate that is derived from matching our projected benefit disbursements with currently available high quality corporate bonds.
The expected long-term rate of return on assets is utilized in calculating the expected return on plan assets component of our annual pension and postretirement plan costs. We estimate the expected return on plan assets by evaluating expected bond returns, equity risk premiums, asset allocations, the effects of active plan management, the impact of periodic plan asset rebalancing, and historical performance. We also consider the guidance from our investment advisors in making a final determination of our expected rate of return on assets. To the extent the actual rate of return on assets realized over the course of a year is greater than or less than the assumed rate, that year’s annual pension or postretirement plan costs are not affected. Rather, this gain or loss reduces or increases future pension or postretirement plan costs over a period of approximately ten to twelve years.
The market-related value of our plan assets represents the fair market value of the plan assets, adjusted to smooth out short-term market fluctuations over a five-year period. The use of this methodology will delay the impact of current market fluctuations on the pension expense for the period.
We estimate the assumed health care cost trend rate used in determining our postretirement net expense based upon our actual health care cost experience, the effects of recently enacted legislation and general economic conditions. Our assumed rate of retirement is estimated based upon our annual review of our participant census information as of the measurement date.
General economic and market conditions
Assumed investment returns by asset class
Assumed future salary increases
Assumed discount rate
Projected timing of future cash disbursements
Health care cost experience trends
Participant demographic information
Actuarial mortality assumptions
Impact of legislation
Impact of regulation
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following table details our consolidated net income by segment during the last three fiscal years:
For the Fiscal Year Ended September 30
(In thousands)
Distribution segment
Pipeline and storage segment
Net income
During fiscal 2025, we recorded net income of $1,198.8 million, or $7.46 per diluted share, compared to net income of $1,042.9 million, or $6.83 per diluted share in the prior year. The year-over-year increase in net income of $155.9 million largely reflects positive rate outcomes driven by safety and reliability spending. Additionally, our fiscal 2025 results were
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favorably impacted by $26.2 million as a result of Texas legislation that became effective during the third quarter of fiscal 2025 related to infrastructure spending. These increases were partially offset by higher bad debt expense, increased employee-related costs, depreciation and property tax expenses, and higher spending on safety and compliance related activities.
During the year ended September 30, 2025, we implemented ratemaking regulatory actions which resulted in an increase in annual operating income of $333.6 million. Excluding the impact of the refund of excess deferred income taxes resulting from previously enacted tax reform legislation, our total fiscal 2025 rate outcomes were $322.8 million. Additionally, we had ratemaking efforts in progress at September 30, 2025, seeking a total increase in annual operating income of $231.1 million.
During fiscal year 2025, we refunded $78.8 million in excess deferred tax liabilities to customers. These refunds also reduced our income tax expense, resulting in an immaterial impact to our fiscal 2025 and 2024 results.
Capital expenditures for fiscal 2025 were $3.6 billion. Approximately 87 percent was invested to improve the safety and reliability of our distribution and transportation systems, with a significant portion of this investment incurred under regulatory mechanisms that reduce regulatory lag to six months or less.
During fiscal 2025, we completed approximately $1.8 billion of long-term debt and equity financing. As of September 30, 2025, our equity capitalization was 60.3 percent. As of September 30, 2025, we had approximately $4.9 billion in total liquidity, consisting of $202.7 million in cash and cash equivalents, $1,558.5 million in funds available through equity forward sales agreements, and $3,094.4 million in undrawn capacity under our credit facilities.
Distribution Segment
The distribution segment is comprised of our regulated natural gas distribution and related sales operations in eight states. The primary factors that impact the results of our distribution operations are our ability to earn our authorized rates of return, competitive factors in the energy industry, and economic conditions in our service areas.
Our ability to earn our authorized rates is based primarily on our ability to improve the rate design in our various ratemaking jurisdictions to minimize regulatory lag and, ultimately, separate the recovery of our approved rates from customer usage patterns. Improving rate design is a long-term process and is further complicated by the fact that we operate in multiple rate jurisdictions. The “Ratemaking Activity” section of this Form 10-K describes our current rate strategy, progress towards implementing that strategy, and recent ratemaking initiatives in more detail. During fiscal 2025, we completed regulatory proceedings in our distribution segment resulting in a $256.4 million increase in annual operating income. Excluding the impact of the refund of excess deferred income taxes resulting from previously enacted tax reform legislation, our total fiscal 2025 annualized rate outcomes in our distribution segment were $245.6 million.
Our distribution operations are also affected by the cost of natural gas. We are generally able to pass the cost of gas through to our customers without markup under purchased gas cost adjustment mechanisms; therefore, increases in the cost of gas are offset by a corresponding increase in revenues. Revenues in our Texas and Mississippi service areas include franchise fees and gross receipts taxes, which are calculated as a percentage of revenue (inclusive of gas costs). Therefore, the amount of these taxes included in revenues is influenced by the cost of gas and the level of gas sales volumes. We record the associated tax expense as a component of taxes, other than income.
The cost of gas typically does not have a direct impact on our operating income because these costs are recovered through our purchased gas cost adjustment mechanisms. However, higher gas costs may adversely impact our accounts receivable collections, resulting in higher bad debt expense. This risk is currently mitigated by rate design that allows us to collect from our customers the gas cost portion of our bad debt expense on approximately 89 percent of our residential and commercial revenues. Additionally, higher gas costs may require us to increase borrowings under our credit facilities, resulting in higher interest expense. Finally, higher gas costs, as well as competitive factors in the industry and general economic conditions may cause customers to conserve or, in the case of industrial consumers, to use alternative energy sources.
Review of Financial and Operating Results
Financial and operational highlights for our distribution segment for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2025, 2024, and 2023 are presented below.
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For the Fiscal Year Ended September 30
(In thousands, unless otherwise noted)
Operating revenues
Purchased gas cost
Operating expenses
Operating income
Other non-operating income
Interest charges
Income before income taxes
Income tax expense
Net income
Consolidated distribution sales volumes — MMcf
Consolidated distribution transportation volumes — MMcf
Total consolidated distribution throughput — MMcf
Consolidated distribution average cost of gas per Mcf sold
Fiscal year ended September 30, 2025 compared with fiscal year ended September 30, 2024
Operating income for our distribution segment increased 12.8 percent. Key drivers for the change in operating income include:
• a $184.1 million increase in rate adjustments, primarily in our Mid-Tex Division.
• a $26.7 million increase related to residential customer growth, primarily in our Mid-Tex Division, and increased industrial load.
• a $46.3 million decrease in refunds of excess deferred taxes to customers, which is substantially offset in income tax expense.
Partially offset by:
• a $78.0 million increase in depreciation expense and property taxes associated with increased capital investments.
• a $32.6 million increase in employee-related costs primarily due to an increase in headcount to support company growth.
• an $18.6 million increase in system monitoring, line locating, and other compliance-related activities.
• a $17.8 million increase in bad debt expense due to a regulatory change in Mississippi in the first quarter of fiscal 2024 which significantly reduced bad debt expense in fiscal 2024, as discussed in Note 6 to the consolidated financial statements.
Additionally, our distribution segment's fiscal 2025 results were favorably impacted by $18.5 million as a result of Texas legislation that became effective during the third quarter of fiscal 2025 related to infrastructure spending.
The fiscal year ended September 30, 2024 compared with fiscal year ended September 30, 2023 for our distribution segment is described in Item 7 "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024.
The following table shows our operating income by distribution division, in order of total rate base, for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2025, 2024, and 2023. The presentation of our distribution operating income is included for financial reporting purposes and may not be appropriate for ratemaking purposes.
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For the Fiscal Year Ended September 30
(In thousands)
Mid-Tex
Kentucky/Mid-States
Louisiana
West Texas
Mississippi
Colorado-Kansas
Other
Total
Pipeline and Storage Segment
Our pipeline and storage segment consists of the pipeline and storage operations of our Atmos Pipeline–Texas Division (APT) and our natural gas transmission operations in Louisiana. APT is one of the largest intrastate pipeline operations in Texas with a heavy concentration in the established natural gas producing areas of central, northern, and eastern Texas, extending into or near the major producing areas of the Barnett Shale, the Texas Gulf Coast, and the Permian Basin of West Texas. APT provides transportation and storage services to our Mid-Tex Division, other third-party local distribution companies, industrial, and electric generation customers, as well as marketers and producers. Over 80 percent of this segment's revenues are derived from these APT services. These revenues are subject to traditional ratemaking governed by the Texas Railroad Commission (RRC). As part of its pipeline operations, APT owns and operates five underground storage facilities in Texas.
Our natural gas transmission operations in Louisiana are comprised of a 21-mile pipeline located in the New Orleans, Louisiana area that is primarily used to aggregate gas supply for our distribution division in Louisiana under a long-term contract and, on a more limited basis, to third parties. The demand fee charged to our Louisiana distribution division for these services is subject to regulatory approval by the Louisiana Public Service Commission. We also manage two asset management plans, which have been approved by applicable state regulatory commissions. Generally, these asset management plans require us to share with our distribution customers a significant portion of the cost savings earned from these arrangements.
Our pipeline and storage segment is impacted by seasonal weather patterns, competitive factors in the energy industry, and economic conditions in our Texas and Louisiana service areas. Natural gas prices do not directly impact the results of this segment as revenues are derived from the transportation and storage of natural gas. However, natural gas prices and demand for natural gas could influence the level of drilling activity in the supply areas that we serve, which may influence the level of throughput we may be able to transport on our pipelines. Further, natural gas price differences between the various hubs that we serve in Texas could influence the volumes of gas transported for shippers through our Texas pipeline system and rates for such transportation.
The results of APT are also significantly impacted by the natural gas requirements of its local distribution company customers. Additionally, its operations may be impacted by the timing of when costs and expenses are incurred and when these costs and expenses are recovered through its tariffs.
APT annually uses GRIP to recover capital costs incurred in the prior calendar year. On February 26, 2025, APT made a GRIP filing that covered changes in net property, plant and equipment investment from January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2024 with a requested increase in operating income of $77.2 million. On June 17, 2025, the Texas Railroad Commission (RRC) approved the Company's GRIP filing.
The demand fee our Louisiana natural gas transmission pipeline charges to our Louisiana distribution division increases five percent annually and has been approved by the Louisiana Public Service Commission until September 30, 2027.
Review of Financial and Operating Results
Financial and operational highlights for our pipeline and storage segment for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2025, 2024, and 2023 are presented below.
Fiscal year ended September 30, 2025 compared with fiscal year ended September 30, 2024
Operating income for our pipeline and storage segment increased 19.1 percent. Key drivers for the change in operating income include:
• an $89.4 million increase primarily due to rate adjustments from the GRIP filings approved in May 2024 and June 2025, the System Safety and Integrity Rider filing approved in November 2024, and the rate case approved in December 2023.
• a $7.7 million increase in APT's through-system activities.
• a $9.1 million decrease in refunds of excess deferred taxes to customers, which is substantially offset in income tax expense.
• a $16.5 million increase due to higher capacity contracted by tariff-based customers due to their increased peak day demand.
Partially offset by:
• a $23.5 million increase in depreciation expense and property taxes associated with increased capital investments.
• an $18.9 million increase in expenses recognized as a result of the System Safety and Integrity Rider filing approved in November 2024, which is offset in operating revenues.
Other non-operating income increased $15.2 million primarily due to higher AFUDC largely as a result of increased capital spending. Additionally, our pipeline and storage segment's fiscal 2025 results were favorably impacted by $7.7 million as a result of Texas legislation that became effective during the third quarter of fiscal 2025 related to infrastructure spending.
The fiscal year ended September 30, 2024 compared with fiscal year ended September 30, 2023 for our pipeline and storage segment is described in Item 7 "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024.
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LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
The liquidity required to fund our working capital, capital expenditures, and other cash needs is provided from a combination of internally generated cash flows and external debt and equity financing. Additionally, we have a $1.5 billion commercial paper program and four committed revolving credit facilities with $3.1 billion in total availability from third-party lenders. The commercial paper program and credit facilities provide cost-effective, short-term financing until it can be replaced with a balance of long-term debt and equity financing that achieves the Company's desired capital structure. Additionally, we have various uncommitted trade credit lines with our gas suppliers that we utilize to purchase natural gas on a monthly basis.
We have a shelf registration statement on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that allows us to issue up to $8.0 billion in common stock and/or debt securities. As of the date of this report, $5.2 billion of securities remained available for issuance under the shelf registration statement, which expires December 3, 2027.
We also have an at-the-market (ATM) equity sales program that allows us to issue and sell shares of our common stock up to an aggregate offering price of $1.7 billion (including shares of common stock that may be sold pursuant to forward sale agreements entered into in connection with the ATM equity sales program), which expires December 3, 2027. As of the date of this report, $828.5 million of equity is available for issuance under this ATM equity sales program. Additionally, as of September 30, 2025, we had $1.6 billion in available proceeds from outstanding forward sale agreements issued under the ATM program.
The liquidity provided by these sources is expected to be sufficient to fund the Company's working capital needs and capital expenditures program. Additionally, we expect to continue to be able to obtain financing upon reasonable terms as necessary.
The following table presents our capitalization as of September 30, 2025 and 2024:
September 30
(In thousands, except percentages)
Short-term debt
Long-term debt (1)
Shareholders’ equity
Total capitalization, including short-term debt
(1) Inclusive of our finance leases, but exclusive of AEK's securitized long-term debt.
Cash Flows
Our internally generated funds may change in the future due to a number of factors, some of which we cannot control. These factors include regulatory changes, the price for our services, the demand for such products and services, margin requirements resulting from significant changes in commodity prices, operational risks, and other factors.
Cash flows from operating, investing, and financing activities for the years ended September 30, 2025, 2024, and 2023 are presented below.
For the Fiscal Year Ended September 30
(In thousands)
Total cash provided by (used in)
Operating activities
Investing activities
Financing activities
Change in cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period
Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents at end of period
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Cash flows for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024 compared with fiscal year ended September 30, 2023 is described in Item 7 "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024.
Cash flows from operating activities
For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2025, cash flow provided by operating activities was $2,049.5 million compared with $1,733.7 million in the prior year. The year-over-year increase in operating cash flow primarily reflects the positive effects of successful rate case outcomes achieved in fiscal 2025 and 2024.
Cash flows from investing activities
Our capital expenditures are primarily used to improve the safety and reliability of our distribution and transmission system through pipeline replacement and system modernization and to enhance and expand our system to meet customer needs. Over the last three fiscal years, approximately 85 percent of our capital spending has been committed to improving the safety and reliability of our system.
For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2025, we had $3.6 billion in capital expenditures compared with $2.9 billion for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024. Capital spending in our distribution segment increased $413.4 million, primarily as a result of increased system modernization and customer growth spending. Capital spending in our pipeline and storage segment increased $210.9 million, primarily due to increased spending for pipeline system safety and reliability in Texas.
Cash flows from financing activities
Our financing activities provided $1,406.8 million of cash for fiscal year 2025 compared with $1,478.6 million of cash provided by financing activities for fiscal year 2024.
During the fiscal year ended September 30, 2025, we received approximately $1.8 billion in net proceeds from the issuance of long-term debt and equity. We completed a public offering of $650 million of 5.00% senior notes due December 2054, and received net proceeds from the offering, after the underwriting discount and offering expenses, of $639.4 million. We also completed a public offering of $500 million of 5.20% senior notes due August 2035, and received net proceeds from the offering, after the underwriting discount and offering expenses, of $493.7 million. Additionally, during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2025, we settled 5,931,289 shares that had been sold on a forward basis for net proceeds of $698.5 million. The net proceeds were used primarily to support capital spending and for other general corporate purposes. We also received $122.9 million from the settlement of forward starting interest rate swaps related to a debt issuance completed in October 2025. Cash dividends increased due to an 8.1 percent increase in our dividend rate and an increase in shares outstanding.
During the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024, we received approximately $2.0 billion in net proceeds from the issuance of long-term debt and equity. We completed a public offering of $500 million of 6.20% senior notes due November 2053 and $400 million of 5.90% senior notes due November 2033, and received net proceeds from the offering, after the underwriting discount and offering expenses, of $889.4 million. We also completed a public offering of $325 million of 5.90% senior notes due November 2033, and received net proceeds from the offering, after the underwriting discount and offering expenses, of $339.0 million. Additionally, during the year ended September 30, 2024, we settled 6,401,469 shares that had been sold on a forward basis for net proceeds of $750.0 million. The net proceeds were used primarily to support capital spending and for other general corporate purposes. We also received $231.1 million from the settlement of forward starting interest rate swaps related to a debt issuance completed in October 2024. Cash dividends increased due to an 8.8 percent increase in our dividend rate and an increase in shares outstanding.
The following table shows the number of shares issued for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2025, 2024, and 2023:
For the Fiscal Year Ended September 30
Shares issued:
Direct Stock Purchase Plan
Retirement Savings Plan and Trust
1998 Long-Term Incentive Plan (LTIP)
Equity Issuance (1)
Total shares issued
(1) Share amounts do not include shares issued under forward sale agreements until the shares have been settled.
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Credit Ratings
Our credit ratings directly affect our ability to obtain short-term and long-term financing, in addition to the cost of such financing. In determining our credit ratings, the rating agencies consider a number of quantitative factors, including but not limited to, debt to total capitalization, operating cash flow relative to outstanding debt, operating cash flow coverage of interest, and operating cash flow less dividends to debt. In addition, the rating agencies consider qualitative factors such as consistency of our earnings over time, the risks associated with our business, and the regulatory structures that govern our rates in the states where we operate.
Our debt is rated by two rating agencies: Standard & Poor’s Corporation (S&P) and Moody’s Investors Service (Moody’s). On April 2, 2025, Moody's reaffirmed its short-term credit ratings, downgraded our long-term credit rating to A2, and placed our ratings under stable outlook. Currently, our outlook and current debt ratings, which are all considered investment grade, are as follows:
Moody’s
Senior unsecured long-term debt
Short-term debt
Outlook
Stable
Stable
A significant degradation in our operating performance or a significant reduction in our liquidity caused by more limited access to the private and public credit markets as a result of deteriorating global or national financial and credit conditions could trigger a negative change in our ratings outlook or even a reduction in our credit ratings by the two credit rating agencies. This would mean more limited access to the private and public credit markets and an increase in the costs of such borrowings.
A credit rating is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold securities. The highest investment grade credit rating is AAA for S&P and Aaa for Moody’s. The lowest investment grade credit rating is BBB- for S&P and Baa3 for Moody’s. Our credit ratings may be revised or withdrawn at any time by the rating agencies, and each rating should be evaluated independently of any other rating. There can be no assurance that a rating will remain in effect for any given period of time or that a rating will not be lowered, or withdrawn entirely, by a rating agency if, in its judgment, circumstances so warrant.
Debt Covenants
We were in compliance with all of our debt covenants as of September 30, 2025. Our debt covenants are described in Note 8 to the consolidated financial statements.
Contractual Obligations and Commercial Commitments
The following table provides information about contractual obligations and commercial commitments at September 30, 2025.
Payments Due by Period
Total
Less than 1
year
1-3 years
3-5 years
More than 5
years
(In thousands)
Contractual Obligations
Long-term debt (1)
Securitized long-term debt
Interest charges (2)
Interest charges on securitized long-term debt
Finance leases (3)
Operating leases (4)
Financial instrument obligations (5)
Pension and postretirement benefit plan contributions (6)
Uncertain tax positions (7)
Total contractual obligations
(1) Long-term debt excludes our finance lease obligations, which are separately reported within this table. See Note 8 to the consolidated financial statements for further details.
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(2) Interest charges were calculated using the coupon rate for each debt issuance through the contractual maturity date.
(3) Finance lease payments shown above include interest totaling $15.8 million. See Note 7 to the consolidated financial statements.
(4) Operating lease payments shown above include interest totaling $68.2 million. S ee Note 7 to the consolidated financial statements.
(5) Represents liabilities for natural gas commodity financial instruments that were valued as of September 30, 2025. The ultimate settlement amounts of these remaining liabilities are unknown because they are subject to continuing market risk until the financial instruments are settled.
(6) Represents expected contributions to our defined benefit and postretirement benefit plans, which are discussed in Note 11 to the consolidated financial statements.
(7) Represents liabilities associated with uncertain tax positions claimed or expected to be claimed on tax returns. The amount does not include interest and penalties that may be applied to these positions. See Note 15 to the consolidated financial statements for further details.
We maintain supply contracts with several vendors that generally cover a period of up to one year. Commitments for estimated base gas volumes are established under these contracts on a monthly basis at contractually negotiated prices. Commitments for incremental daily purchases are made as necessary during the month in accordance with the terms of individual contracts. Our Mid-Tex Division also maintains a limited number of long-term supply contracts to ensure a reliable source of gas for our customers in its service area which obligate it to purchase specified volumes at market and fixed prices. At September 30, 2025, we were committed to purchase 73.4 Bcf within one year and 114.9 Bcf within two to three years under indexed contracts. At September 30, 2025, we were committed to purchase 21.0 Bcf within one year under fixed price contracts with a weighted average price of $2.70 per Mcf.
Risk Management Activities
In our distribution and pipeline and storage segments, we use a combination of physical storage, fixed physical contracts, and fixed financial contracts to reduce our exposure to unusually large winter-period gas price increases. Additionally, we manage interest rate risk by entering into financial instruments to effectively fix the Treasury yield component of the interest cost associated with anticipated financings.
We record our financial instruments as a component of risk management assets and liabilities, which are classified as current or noncurrent based upon the anticipated settlement date of the underlying financial instrument. Substantially all of our financial instruments are valued using external market quotes and indices.
The following table shows the components of the change in fair value of our financial instruments for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2025 (in thousands):
Fair value of contracts at September 30, 2024
Contracts realized/settled
Fair value of new contracts
Other changes in value
Fair value of contracts at September 30, 2025
Netting of cash collateral
Cash collateral and fair value of contracts at September 30, 2025
The fair value of our financial instruments at September 30, 2025, is presented below by time period and fair value source:
Fair Value of Contracts at September 30, 2025
Maturity in years
Source of Fair Value
Less
than 1
Greater
than 5
Total
Fair
Value
(In thousands)
Prices actively quoted
Prices based on models and other valuation methods
Total Fair Value
RECENT ACCOUNTING DEVELOPMENTS
Recent accounting developments and their impact on our financial position, results of operations and cash flows are described in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements.
