Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations .
Overview
Resources is an energy services company primarily engaged in the regulated sale and distribution of natural gas to approximately 62,500 residential, commercial and industrial customers in Roanoke, Virginia, and the surrounding localities, through its Roanoke Gas subsidiary. Midstream, a wholly owned subsidiary of Resources, is a less than 1% investor in the MVP, Southgate and Boost. More information regarding the investment in MVP is provided below and under the Equity Investment in Mountain Valley Pipeline section.
The utility operations of Roanoke Gas are regulated by the SCC, which oversees the terms, conditions and rates charged to customers for natural gas service, safety standards, extension of service and depreciation. Nearly all of the Company’s revenues are derived from the sale and delivery of natural gas to Roanoke Gas customers based on rates and fees authorized by the SCC. These rates are designed to provide the Company with the opportunity to recover its gas and non-gas expenses and to earn a reasonable rate of return for shareholders based on normal weather. These rates are determined based on various rate applications filed with the SCC. Generally, investments related to extending service to new customers are recovered through the additional revenues generated by the non-gas base rates in place at that time. The investment in replacing and upgrading existing infrastructure, as well as recovering increases in non-gas expenses due to inflationary pressures, regulatory requirements or operation needs, are generally not recoverable until a formal rate application is filed to include additional investment and higher costs, and new non-gas base rates are approved.
The Company is also subject to regulation from the Department of Transportation in regard to the construction, operation, maintenance, safety and integrity of its transmission and distribution pipelines, as well as the FERC, which regulates the prices for the transportation and delivery of natural gas to the Company's distribution system and underground storage services. In addition, Roanoke Gas is subject to other regulations which are not necessarily industry specific.
On February 2, 2024, primarily in response to continued inflationary pressures, Roanoke Gas filed for a non-gas base rate increase of $4.33 million. The filing also reflected an increase in the Company's authorized return on equity from 9.44% to 10.35%. The new interim non-gas base rates went into effect for customer billings on or after July 1, 2024, subject to refund. On October 16, 2024, the Company reached a settlement with the SCC staff on all outstanding issues in the case. Under the terms of the settlement, the Company agreed to an annual incremental revenue requirement increase of $4.08 million based on a return on equity of 9.90%. On April 10, 2025, the SCC issued a final order approving the settlement in its entirety. The order also directed Roanoke Gas to refund the excess revenues collected during the time the interim rates were in effect with interest. The refunds to customers, which had previously been accrued as a regulatory liability, were made to customers in May 2025.
As the Company’s business is seasonal in nature, volatility in winter weather and the commodity price of natural gas can impact the effectiveness of the Company’s rates in recovering its costs and providing a reasonable return for its shareholders. In order to mitigate the effect of weather variations and other factors not provided for in the Company's base rates, Roanoke Gas has certain approved rate mechanisms in place that help provide stability to customer bills and earnings, adjust for volatility in the price of natural gas and provide a return on qualified infrastructure investment. These mechanisms include the SAVE Rider, WNA, ICC, RNG Rider and PGA.
The SAVE Plan and Rider provides the Company with a mechanism through which it recovers costs related to SAVE qualified infrastructure investments on a prospective basis, until such time a formal rate application is filed incorporating these investments in non-gas base rates. Roanoke Gas filed and received approval from the SCC for an updated annual SAVE Rider rate which became effective October 1, 2024. As a result of the updated SAVE Rider, SAVE Plan revenues increased to approximately $1,588,000 in fiscal 2025 from approximately $461,000 in fiscal 2024. Roanoke Gas filed and received approval from the SCC for an updated annual SAVE Rider rate to become effective October 1, 2025 that will result in approximately $2,610,000 of SAVE-related revenues during fiscal 2026. See Note 4 of the consolidated financial statements for additional information regarding the SAVE Plan and Rider.
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The WNA mechanism reduces the volatility in earnings due to the variability in temperatures during the heating season. The WNA is based on the most recent 30-year temperature average and provides the Company with a level of earnings protection when weather is warmer than normal and provides its customers with a level of price protection when the weather is colder than normal. The WNA allows the Company to recover from customers the lost margin, excluding gas costs, from the impact of warmer-than-normal weather and correspondingly requires the Company to refund to customers the excess margin earned for colder-than-normal weather. The WNA mechanism used by the Company is based on a linear regression model that determines the value of a single heating degree day and thereby estimates the revenue adjustment based on weather variance from normal. Any billings or refunds related to the WNA are completed following each WNA year, which extends for the 12-month period from April to March. The Company recorded approximately $1,056,000 and $3,761,000 in additional revenues under the WNA for weather that was approximately 4% and 20% warmer than normal for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2025 and 2024, respectively. The number of heating degree days used to determine normal can change annually as a new year is added to the 30-year period and the oldest year is removed. As a result of adding warmer than normal years to replace colder years, the number of heating degree days that defines normal has trended downward over the last several years.
The Company also has an approved rate structure that mitigates the impact of financing costs of its natural gas inventory. Under this rate structure, Roanoke Gas recognizes revenue by applying the ICC factor, based on the Company’s weighted-average cost of capital, including interest rates on short-term and long-term debt, and the Company’s authorized return on equity, to the average cost of natural gas inventory during the period. Total ICC revenues decreased from approximately $728,000 in fiscal 2024 to $587,000 in fiscal 2025 due to lower natural gas commodity prices during the 2024 summer storage injection season resulting in a lower average cost of natural gas in storage. The average price of gas in storage during fiscal 2025 declined by 12% compared to fiscal 2024, while the average price of gas in storage at September 30, 2025 increased by 5% compared to the same period last year. If natural gas prices remain at or higher than the prior year, the average dollar balance of gas in storage may increase based on current storage levels and due to an increased ICC factor from the prior year may lead to higher ICC revenues in fiscal 2026.
In March 2023, Roanoke Gas began the operation of the RNG facility to produce commercial quality biogas for delivery into its distribution system through a cooperative agreement with the Western Virginia Water Authority. With SCC approval, Roanoke Gas is allowed to recover the costs associated with the investment in RNG facilities and related operating costs through an RNG Rider added to customer bills. The customer benefits from this program through the monetization of environmental credits generated through RNG production, which are returned to customers through the RNG Rider. Total RNG revenue increased from approximately $1,629,000 in fiscal 2024 to $1,760,000 in fiscal 2025. See Note 4 of the consolidated financial statements for more information on RNG.
The cost of natural gas is a pass-through cost and is independent of the Company's non-gas rates. Accordingly, the Company's approved billing rates include a component designed to allow for the recovery of the cost of natural gas used by its customers. This rate component, referred to as the PGA, allows the Company to pass along to its customers increases and decreases in natural gas costs through a quarterly filing (or more frequent if necessary) with the SCC. Once SCC approval is received, the Company adjusts the gas cost component of its rates. As actual costs and usage will differ from the projections used in establishing the PGA rate, the Company will either over-recover or under-recover its actual gas costs during the period. The difference between actual costs incurred and costs recovered through the application of the PGA is recorded as a regulatory asset or liability. At the end of the annual deferral period, the balance is amortized over an ensuing 12-month period as amounts are reflected in customer billings.
Inflation and Rising Prices
Natural gas commodity, delivery and storage capacity costs constitute the single largest expense of the Company, representing 55% of fiscal 2025 total operating expenses. After peaking in December 2022, natural gas commodity prices decreased significantly for the remainder of fiscal 2023 and through fiscal 2025. The decline in prices was primarily due to improved supply availability resulting from a warm winter season. Roanoke Gas recovers natural gas costs through the PGA mechanism as noted above; however, in times where commodity prices rapidly increase, the timing of recovery may lag. Increasing natural gas prices, especially in relation to other energy options, may lead to reductions in energy consumption through customer conservation or fuel switching. In addition, there is potential for higher bad debts related to customers' inability to pay higher natural gas bills.
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The Company continues to experience inflation over the 2% level targeted by the Federal Reserve. Inflation levels in health care spending, certain types of insurance, contracted services and IT service costs, as well as other items, continue to put upward pressure on the Company's expenses. The Company recovers non-gas related costs through the non-gas portion of its tariff rates, which are adjusted through a non-gas base rate application. Unlike the rate adjustments for the gas portion of rates which are done administratively, the non-gas base rate application process can result in an inherent lag in non-gas expense recovery. Therefore, authorized non-gas base rates may not keep pace with rising costs during inflationary periods. Management regularly evaluates the Company's operations, economic conditions and other factors to assess the need to apply for a non-gas base rate adjustment. Accordingly, on December 2, 2025, the Company filed a non-gas base rate application with the SCC to increase revenues by $4.3 million annually.
Results of Operations
The analysis on the results of operations is based on the consolidated operations of the Company, which are primarily associated with the utility segment. Additional segment analysis is provided when Midstream's investment in affiliates represents a significant component of the comparison. Net income increased by $1,519,074 from the prior year primarily due to the implementation of higher non-gas base rates and record natural gas deliveries, as well as lower post-retirement benefit costs, partially offset by lower WNA revenues and lower equity earnings from the MVP as the project transitioned from construction into service.
The Company's operating revenues are affected by the cost of natural gas, as reflected in the consolidated statement of income under the line item cost of gas - utility. The cost of natural gas, which includes commodity price, transportation, storage, injection and withdrawal fees, with any increase or decrease offset by a correlating change in revenue through the PGA, is passed through to customers at cost. Accordingly, management believes that gross utility margin , a non-GAAP financial measure defined as utility revenues less cost of gas, is a useful and relevant measure to analyze financial performance. The term gross utility margin is not intended to represent or replace gross margin, t he most comparable GAAP financial measure, as an indicator of operating performance and is not necessarily comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies. A reconciliation between gross utility margin and gross margin is presented under the Gross Utility Margin section below.
The following results of operations analyses will reference gross utility margin.
Fiscal Year 2025 Compared with Fiscal Year 2024
The tables below reflect operating revenues, volume activity and heating degree days.
Operating Revenues
Year Ended September 30,
Increase / (Decrease)
Percentage
Gas utility
Non utility
Total operating revenues
Delivered Volumes
Year Ended September 30,
Increase
Percentage
Regulated natural gas (DTH):
Residential and commercial
Transportation and interruptible
Total delivered volumes
HDD
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Total gas utility operating revenues for the year ended September 30, 2025 increased by 13% from the year ended September 30, 2024 primarily due to the implementation of a non-gas base rate increase, along with higher delivered volumes, gas costs and SAVE revenues, partially offset by a decrease in WNA revenue. The non-gas base rate increase implemented in July 2024 was the main contributing factor to an approximate $5.6 million increase in non-gas volumetric revenues. In addition, total heating degree days increased by 18% from the prior fiscal year, resulting in a 9% increase in the weather-sensitive residential and commercial volumes, while transportation and interruptible volumes increased 24%, primarily driven by business activity of a single, multi-fuel customer during the period. Total gas costs also increased over the prior year primarily due to pipeline capacity charges increasing over $4.0 million as a result of higher rates and MVP capacity. SAVE Plan revenues increased as Roanoke Gas continues to invest in qualified SAVE infrastructure projects, resulting in approximately $1,127,000 more revenue compared to the same period in the prior year. WNA revenues declined approximately $2.7 million from the prior fiscal year as weather was only 4% warmer than normal during the current year compared to 20% warmer than normal during the prior year.
Gross Utility Margin
Year Ended September 30,
Increase
Percentage
Gas utility revenues
Cost of gas - utility
Gross utility margin
Gross utility margin increased over the prior fiscal year primarily as a result of the implementation of new non-gas base rates and increases in SAVE revenues, slightly offset by the reduction in ICC revenues. The volumetric margin, net of the WNA, increased by approximately $2.8 million primarily due to the new non-gas base rates and increases in transportation and interruptible volumes. As previously discussed, the SAVE Plan contributed an additional $1,127,000 to margin, while ICC revenues decreased by approximately $141,000 due to lower cost and volumes of gas in storage.
The changes in the components of the gross utility margin are summarized below:
Years Ended September 30,
Increase
(Decrease)
Customer base charge
SAVE Plan
Volumetric
WNA
ICC
RNG
Other revenues
Total
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Reconciliation between gross utility margin and gross margin is presented below:
Gas Utility
Investment in Affiliates
Consolidated Total
For the Year Ended September 30, 2025:
Operating revenues
Gas utility
Non utility
Total operating revenues
Cost of sales
Cost of gas - utility
Cost of sales - non utility
Depreciation and amortization
Operations and maintenance
Total cost of sales
Gross margin (GAAP)
Corporate and other, net
Depreciation and amortization
Operations and maintenance
Gross utility margin (Non-GAAP)
Gas Utility
Investment in Affiliates
Consolidated Total
For the Year Ended September 30, 2024:
Operating revenues
Gas utility
Non utility
Total operating revenues
Cost of sales
Cost of gas - utility
Cost of sales - non utility
Depreciation and amortization
Operations and maintenance
Corporate and other
Total operations and maintenance
Total cost of sales
Gross margin (GAAP)
Corporate and other, net
Depreciation and amortization
Operations and maintenance
Gross utility margin (Non-GAAP)
Operations and Maintenance Expense - Operations and maintenance expense increased by $1,556,674, or 8%, over the prior year primarily due to inflationary effects on personnel costs and contracted services, RNG-related costs and bad debt expense. Personnel costs and contracted services increased by approximately $969,000 due to increased staffing and the inflationary impact on salaries and benefits. RNG expenses increased approximately $231,000 primarily due to increases in electric and telemetering charges. Bad debt expense increased by approximately $170,000 due to higher bills from colder weather and more inactive accounts resulting from non-pay customer turnoffs. Increased corporate insurance premiums accounted for much of the remaining increase.
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Taxes Other Than Income Taxes - Taxes other than income taxes increased by $239,135, or 9%, primarily due to higher property tax rates and growth in utility property, as well as increases in payroll taxes related to increased staffing and compensation.
Depreciation and Amortization - Depreciation and amortization expense increased by $952,547, or 9%, corresponding to a similar increase in net additions to depreciable utility property. Increases in fixed assets with shorter useful lives during the current fiscal year resulted in depreciation expense increasing slightly more than the 6% increase in utility property.
Equity in Earnings of Unconsolidated Affiliate - The equity in earnings of the MVP investment decreased by $617,239, or 16%. With the MVP in service, the Company now recognizes its share of operational earnings from the MVP, favorably adjusted for the amortization of a basis difference that arose when the Company recorded an other-than-temporary impairment of its investment in 2022. These in-service earnings did not fully replace the amount of AFUDC recognized while construction activities were ongoing during the first eight months of fiscal 2024. See Note 5 of the consolidated financial statements for additional information related to the MVP.
Other Income, Net - Other income increased by $1,204,122, primarily due to an approximate $1,129,000 decrease in postretirement benefit plan costs as a result of actuarial changes, coupled with an increase of approximately $237,000 in revenue sharing related to the asset management agreements, which are described in more detail in Note 14 of the consolidated financial statements.
Interest Expense - Total interest expense remained relatively flat over the prior year, increasing slightly by $38,626, or 1%, primarily due to higher borrowing levels. Total average debt outstanding during fiscal 2025 increased by 2% from fiscal 2024. Roanoke Gas' total average debt outstanding increased by approximately $1,346,000 associated with net borrowings under the Company's line-of-credit, while Midstream's total average debt outstanding increased by approximately $1,441,000 during the year. There were minimal fluctuations in the weighted-average interest rates between the periods. See Note 6 and 7 of the consolidated financial statements for more information on the Company's debt.
Income Taxes - Income tax expense increased by $394,924, or 11%, corresponding to an increase in pre-tax income. The effective tax rate was 23.6% and 23.9% for fiscal 2025 and 2024, respectively. The effective tax rate is below the combined statutory state and federal rate due to the amortization of excess deferred taxes and tax credits. See Note 9 of the consolidated financial statements for the impact of tax credits on the effective tax rate.
Earnings Per Share and Dividends - Basic and diluted earnings per share were $1.29 in fiscal 2025 compared to $1.16 per share in fiscal 2024. Dividends declared per share of common stock were $0.83 in fiscal 2025 compared to $0.80 in fiscal 2024.
Capital Resources and Liquidity
Due to the capital intensive nature of the utility business, as well as the impact of weather variability, the Company’s primary capital needs are the funding of its capital projects, the seasonal funding of its natural gas inventories and accounts receivables, debt service and payment of dividends to shareholders. The Company anticipates funding these items through its operating cash flows, credit availability under short-term and long-term debt agreements and proceeds from the sale of its common stock.
Cash and cash equivalents increased by approximately $1,426,000 in fiscal 2025 compared to a decrease of approximately $618,000 in fiscal 2024. The following table summarizes the categories of sources and uses of cash:
Cash Flow Summary
Years Ended September 30,
Net cash provided by operating activities
Net cash used in investing activities
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
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Cash Flows Provided by Operating Activities:
The seasonal nature of the natural gas distribution business causes operating cash flows to fluctuate significantly during the year, as well as from year to year. Factors, including weather, energy prices, natural gas storage levels and customer collections, all contribute to working capital levels and related cash flows. Generally, operating cash flows are positive during the second and third fiscal quarters as a combination of earnings, declining storage gas levels and collections on customer accounts all contribute to higher cash levels. During the first and fourth fiscal quarters, operating cash flows generally decrease due to the combination of increasing natural gas storage levels and rising customer receivable balances.
Cash flows from operating activities increased by $11.5 million from the prior year. The increase in operating cash flows is primarily due to net income increasing approximately $1,519,000, along with the cash distributions received from the LLC, direct impacts from weather and increased pipeline and storage capacity charges. During fiscal 2025, the Company received approximately $3,645,000 in quarterly cash distributions from the LLC, which has been accounted for as a return on its invested capital. The timing of collections related to gas costs, RNG and WNA resulted in approximately $5,011,000 in additional operating cash. Colder weather and increased gas costs compared to the prior year resulted in higher accounts receivable and accounts payable balances. Pipeline and storage capacity charges during fiscal 2025 increased over $3,400,000 from the prior year. Additionally, total commodity costs increased from $3.44 per DTH in fiscal 2024 to $3.64 per DTH in fiscal 2025.
Cash Flows Used in Investing Activities:
Investing activities primarily consist of expenditures related to Roanoke Gas' utility property, which includes replacing aging natural gas pipe with new plastic or coated steel pipe, improvements to the LNG plant and gas distribution system facilities and expansion of its natural gas system to meet the demands of customer growth. New customer demand for natural gas continues to be steady and therefore extending the natural gas distribution system within its service territory is also a priority. Roanoke Gas' expenditures were approximately $20.7 million and $22.1 million in fiscal 2025 and 2024, respectively. The $1.4 million decrease in expenditures is primarily due to higher prior-year investment for the MVP gate stations, which were placed into service in fiscal 2024. Roanoke Gas renewed 4.2 miles of main and 311 service lines and 5.4 miles of main and 412 service lines in fiscal years 2025 and 2024, respectively. Under the SCC approved SAVE Plan and Rider, the Company is continuing its focus on SAVE infrastructure replacement projects, including the replacement of pre-1973 first generation plastic pipe. Roanoke Gas’ capital expenditures included costs to extend natural gas distribution mains and services to 594 new customers in fiscal 2025, compared to 521 new customers in fiscal 2024.
Capital expenditures are expected to be approximately $22 million annually over the next few years as Roanoke Gas continues to focus on its SAVE Plan, as well as system improvements and customer growth. The Company expects to utilize its operating cash flows and credit facilities, as well as to consider additional long-term debt and equity capital, to meet the funding requirements of these planned expenditures.
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Investing cash flows also reflects the fiscal 2025 funding of approximately $76,000 for Midstream's participation in the LLC, up from approximately $18,000 in fiscal 2024. Now that the MVP is in service, Midstream will be required to make periodic capital investment related to ongoing MVP operations requirements and system improvements. Midstream has and will continue to make capital investments in Southgate and Boost. The targeted timing for completion of the Southgate project is 2028 and the Boost project is 2029.
Cash Flows Provided by Financing Activities:
Financing activities generally consist of borrowings and repayments under credit agreements, issuance of common stock and the payment of dividends. Net cash flows used in financing activities were approximately $6.8 million in fiscal 2025, compared to $4.0 million in net cash flows provided by financing activities in fiscal 2024. The $10.8 million decrease in financing cash flows is primarily attributable to net borrowings of approximately $751,000 under Roanoke Gas' line-of-credit during fiscal 2025 compared to net borrowings of $6.8 million in the same period last year. In addition, during fiscal 2025, Resources issued a total of 88,409 shares of common stock, primarily from DRIP activity, resulting in net proceeds of approximately $1.8 million. No shares were issued through the ATM program during fiscal 2025. During fiscal 2024, the Company realized $4.7 million from the issuance of 234,645 shares through the ATM program and DRIP activity. Cash outflows for dividend payments were $8.5 million as the annualized dividend rate increased from $0.80 to $0.83 per share and total outstanding shares increased as a result of the stock issuance activity. The Company’s consolidated capitalization was 43.7% equity and 56.3% long-term debt at September 30, 2025, exclusive of unamortized debt expense. This compares to 44.1% equity and 55.9% long-term debt at September 30, 2024.
Current interest rate trends may result in lower interest costs associated with the Company's variable rate debt in 2026.
Management regularly evaluates the Company’s liquidity through a review of its available financing resources and its cash flows. Resources maintains the ability to raise equity capital through its ATM program, private placement or other public offerings. Roanoke Gas has a term note in the principal amount of $15 million coming due in August 2026. Management believes Roanoke Gas has access to sufficient financing resources to meet its cash requirements for the next year, including cash from operations and the line of credit. Roanoke Gas may also adjust capital spending as necessary, if such a need would arise.
With the MVP now in service, Midstream's future cash requirements will relate to regular monthly operating expenses, debt service and capital contributions. The Company received four quarterly cash distributions from MVP in fiscal 2025 totaling approximately $3.6 million, and should receive similar quarterly distributions going forward. On September 5, 2025, Midstream established a new $53.6 million term note with two banks, which refinanced and replaced all of Midstream's outstanding debt. This term note matures on September 5, 2032. Also on September 5, 2025, Midstream entered into a new Loan Agreement for the MVP Southgate extension and MVP Boost expansion that can be drawn to principal amounts of $1.85 million and $3.65 million, respectively. These loans mature on September 5, 2030, at which time the outstanding principal balance on each note is due. With the establishment of the new term note, Midstream's total debt principal payments over the succeeding 12 months is $2,846,018. Management believes that it will be able to meet Midstream's cash requirements over the ensuing 12-month period with availability on the Southgate and Boost Loan Agreements and its quarterly cash distributions from MVP.
Notes 6 and 7 of the consolidated financial statements provide details on the Company's line-of-credit and borrowing activities.
ATM Program
The Company opted to not utilize the ATM program for the year ended September 30, 2025, although it remains in place. Resources issued 129,164 shares of common stock for $2,635,200, net of $67,569 in fees, under the ATM program for the year ended September 30, 2024.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
The Company has no off-balance sheet arrangements as defined in Regulation S-K, Item 303(a)(4)(ii).
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Equity Investment in Mountain Valley Pipeline
The Company owns a less than 1% interest in the LLC that owns and operates the MVP, as defined in its operating agreement. The Company accounts for its interest in the LLC under the equity method of accounting given the LLC maintains specific ownership accounts for each investor, and also considering the Company's rights under the LLC management agreement and the Company's involvement as a stakeholder of the MVP. The Company has been using the equity method since the inception of its investment in fiscal 2016.
From inception through May 2024, earnings from the LLC were primarily attributable to AFUDC income. With the MVP in operation, the Company recognizes its share of earnings from the LLC, favorably adjusted for a basis difference between the Company's proportional share of assets and its carrying value that arose when the Company recorded an other-than-temporary impairment of its investment in 2022. This basis difference amortization is a favorable non-cash adjustment over the operational life of the MVP, or 40 years. During fiscal 2025 and 2024, the Company recorded equity in earnings of consolidated affiliates of approximately $3.2 million and $3.9 million, respectively, with the 2024 amounts being primarily derived from AFUDC. The LLC began to return excess cash in fiscal 2025. Midstream received quarterly cash distributions of its share from the LLC totaling approximately $3.6 million during fiscal 2025, which was a return on its invested capital. Future quarterly distributions are expected to be of a similar magnitude. The Company is using this cash to pay interest and other expenditures related to Midstream. The Company refinanced all of the debt supporting its investment in the MVP in September 2025, as described in the liquidity section above.
Regulatory
See Note 4 of the consolidated financial statements for discussion on Regulatory matters.
Critical Accounting Estimates
The consolidated financial statements of Resources are prepared in accordance with GAAP. The amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses reported in the Company’s financial statements are affected by accounting policies, estimates and assumptions that are necessary to comply with generally accepted accounting principles. Estimates used in the financial statements are derived from prior experience, statistical analysis and management and professional judgments. Actual results may differ significantly from these estimates and assumptions.
The Company considers an estimate to be critical if it is material to the financial statements and requires assumptions to be made that were uncertain at the time the estimate was made and changes in the estimate are reasonably likely to occur from period to period. The Company considers the following accounting policies and estimates to be critical.
Regulatory accounting - The Company’s regulated operations follow the accounting and reporting requirements of ASC 980, Regulated Operations . The economic effects of regulation can result in a regulated company deferring costs that have been or are expected to be recovered from customers in a period different from the period in which the costs would be charged to expense by an unregulated enterprise. When this occurs, costs are deferred as regulatory assets on the consolidated balance sheet and recorded as expenses in the consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income when such amounts are reflected in rates. Additionally, regulators can impose regulatory liabilities upon a regulated company for amounts previously collected from customers and for current collection in rates of costs that are expected to be incurred in the future.
If, for any reason, the Company ceases to meet the criteria for application of regulatory accounting treatment for all or part of its operations, the Company would remove the applicable regulatory assets or liabilities from the consolidated balance sheet and include them in the consolidated statements of income and comprehensive income for the period in which the discontinuance occurred.
Unbilled revenue recognition - The Company bills its regulated natural gas customers on a monthly cycle. The billing cycle for most customers does not coincide with the accounting periods used for financial reporting. The Company accrues revenue for estimated natural gas delivered to customers but not yet billed during the accounting period. The following month, the unbilled estimate is reversed, the actual usage is billed and a new unbilled estimate is calculated. The consolidated financial statements include unbilled revenue of $1,373,512 and $1,294,798 as of September 30, 2025 and 2024, respectively. Because the process is performed monthly, the Company routinely ensures its methodology continues to provide a reasonable estimate.
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Pension and Postretirement Benefits - The Company offers a pension plan and a postretirement plan to eligible employees. The expenses and liabilities associated with these plans, as disclosed in Note 12 of the consolidated financial statements, are based on numerous assumptions and factors, including provisions of the plans, employee demographics, contributions made to the plan, return on plan assets and various actuarial calculations, assumptions and accounting requirements. Demographic assumptions include projections of future mortality rates, pay increases and retirement patterns, as well as projected health care costs. In regard to the pension plan, specific factors include assumptions regarding the discount rate used in determining future benefit obligations, expected long-term rate of return on plan assets, compensation increases and life expectancies. Similarly, the postretirement medical plan also requires the estimation of many of the same factors as the pension plan in addition to assumptions regarding the rate of medical inflation and Medicare availability. Actual results may differ materially from the results expected from the actuarial assumptions due to changing economic conditions, differences in actual returns on plan assets, different rates of medical inflation, volatility in interest rates and changes in life expectancy. Such differences may result in a material impact on the amount of expense recorded in future periods or the value of the obligations on the consolidated balance sheet.
In selecting the discount rate to be used in determining the benefit liability, the Company utilized t he FTSE Pension Discount Curve, which incorporates the rates of return on high-quality, fixed-income investments that corresponded to the length and timing of benefit streams expected under both the pension plan and postretirement plan. The Company used a discount rate of 5.29% and 5.16% for valuing its pension plan liability and postretirement plan liability, respectively, at September 30, 2025. These discount rates represent an increase from the 4.83% rate used for valuing the corresponding liabilities for both the pension plan and postretirement plan at September 30, 2024. The increase in discount rates corresponds to the market reactions to the continuing inflationary pressures on the financial markets and economy . The yield on the 30-year Treasury increased from 4.14% at September 30, 2024 to 4.73% at September 30, 2025. Corporate bond rates experienced a smaller increase as credit spreads have narrowed. The rise in the discount rates was the primary factor in the reduction of the benefit obligations for both the pension and the postretirement plan. Mortality assumptions were based on the PRI-2012 Mortality Table with improvements projected generational using Projection Scale MP-2021 for the curr ent year valuation.
The Company has focused on minimizing the financial risk associated with these plans. With the soft freezes of both the pension and postretirement plans, future liability growth associated with participant service and compensation has been limited. Since January 2017, when the pension plan froze access to new employees, the target asset allocation has transitioned from 60% equity and 40% fixed income to 25% equity and 75% fixed. During the same period, the fixed income portion of the plan was transitioned to an LDI approach, with the fixed income assets invested in securities with a duration that corresponds to the duration of the corresponding liability. This synchronization of the pension assets with the pension liabilities has reduced volatility in the funded status of the plan. This is evidenced by the relative stability of the funded status of the pension plan at September 30, 2025 and 2024 with a funded ratio o f 103% and 104 %, respectively. The 25% allocation to equity investments provides asset growth potential to offset increases in the pension liability related to those employees continuing to accrue benefits. Management will continue to evaluate the investment allocation as the liabilities mature and make adjustments as necessary.
The Company has initiated a transition of the postretirement plan assets from a 50% equity and 50% fixed income allocation to a 30% equity and 70% fixed income allocation. This revision to the investment targets is in response to a greater proportion of participants that have transitioned to retirement. Similar to the pension plan, the revision to the asset allocation will seek to reduce the volatility in funded status while still providing the opportunity for asset growth through the equity portion of the portfolio. The funded status for the postretirement plan was 147% and 139% as of September 30, 2025 and 2024, respecti vely. The improvement in the funded status was due to stronger-than-expected market performance only partially offset by higher liabilities as the Company is effectively matching durations within the portfolio. M anagement will continue to monitor and evaluate the asset allocation and adjust as warranted.
A summary of the funded status of both the pension and postretirement plans is provided below:
Funded status - September 30, 2025
Pension
Postretirement
Total
Benefit obligation
Fair value of assets
Funded status
Funded status - September 30, 2024
Pension
Postretirement
Total
Benefit obligation
Fair value of assets
Funded status
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The Company annually evaluates the long-term rate of return on its targeted investment allocation model, as well as the overall asset allocation of its benefit plans, and reviews both plans' potential long-term rate of return assumptions with its investment advisors to determine the rates used in each plan's actuarial calculations. The long-term rates of return increased slightly from 4.95% in fiscal 2024 to 5.75% for fiscal 2025 for both the pension plan and the postretirement plan. Management evaluates the return assumptions and asset allocation and adjusts both as market conditions warrant.
Management estimates that the Company will have no minimum funding requirements next year. The Company currently does not expect to make contributions to its pension plan and postretirement plan in fiscal 2026 due to the funded position of the plans. The Company will continue to evaluate its benefit plan funding levels in light of funding requirements and ongoing investment returns and make adjustments, as necessary, to avoid benefit restrictions and minimize PBGC premiums.
The following schedule reflects the sensitivity of pension costs to changes in certain actuarial assumptions, assuming that the other components of the calculation remain constant.
Actuarial Assumptions - Pension Plan
Change in Assumption
Increase in Pension Cost
Increase in Projected Benefit Obligation
Discount rate
Rate of return on plan assets
Rate of increase in compensation
The following schedule reflects the sensitivity of postretirement benefit costs from changes in certain actuarial assumptions, while the other components of the calculation remain constant.
Actuarial Assumptions - Postretirement Plan
Change in Assumption
Increase in Postretirement Benefit Cost
Increase in Accumulated Postretirement Benefit Obligation
Discount rate
Rate of return on plan assets
Medical claim cost increase
Derivatives - The Company may hedge certain risks incurred in its operation through the use of derivative instruments. The Company applies the requirements of ASC 815, Derivatives and Hedging, which requires the recognition of derivative instruments as assets or liabilities in the Company’s consolidated balance sheet at fair value. In most instances, fair value is based upon quoted futures prices for natural gas commodities and interest rate futures for interest rate swaps. Changes in the commodity and futures markets will impact the estimates of fair value in the future. Furthermore, the actual market value at the point of realization of the derivative may be significantly different from the values used in determining fair value in prior financial statements. The Company had six interest-rate swaps outstanding at September 30, 2025 related to its variable rate notes, compared to four at September 31, 2024. The corresponding fair value of the swaps is reflected on the consolidated balance sheets as of September 30, 2025 and 2024. A 25 basis point decrease or increase on the yield curve would result in an approximately $600,000 corresponding decrease or increase in the fair value of the interest rate swaps on the balance sheet. See Notes 1 and 8 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information regarding the swaps.
