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Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies (Policy)

9 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2020

Principles of Consolidation. The Company consolidates all entities in which it has a controlling financial interest. All significant intercompany balances and transactions are eliminated. The Company uses proportionate consolidation when accounting for drilling arrangements related to oil and gas producing properties accounted for under the full cost method of accounting.

The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Earnings For Interim Periods

Earnings for Interim Periods. The Company, in its opinion, has included all adjustments (which consist of only normally recurring adjustments, unless otherwise disclosed in this Form 10-Q) that are necessary for a fair statement of the results of operations for the reported periods. The consolidated financial statements and notes thereto, included herein, should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes for the years ended September 30, 2019, 2018 and 2017 that are included in the Company's 2019 Form 10-K. The consolidated financial statements for the year ended September 30, 2020 will be audited by the Company's independent registered public accounting firm after the end of the fiscal year.

The earnings for the nine months ended June 30, 2020 should not be taken as a prediction of earnings for the entire fiscal year ending September 30, 2020. Most of the business of both the Utility segment and the Company's NFR operations (included in the All Other category) is seasonal in nature and is influenced by weather conditions. Due to the seasonal nature of the heating business in the Utility segment and in the Company's NFR operations, earnings during the winter months normally represent a substantial part of the earnings that those businesses are expected to achieve for the entire fiscal year. The Company’s business segments are discussed more fully in Note 9 — Business Segment Information.

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. The components, as reported on the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheets, of the total cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash presented on the Statement of Cash Flows are as follows (in thousands):


	Nine Months Ended June 30, 2020						Nine Months Ended June 30, 2019
	Balance at October 1, 2019		Balance at June 30, 2020		Balance at October 1, 2018		Balance at June 30, 2019

Cash and Temporary Cash Investments	$	20,428	$	556,264	$	229,606	$	87,515
Hedging Collateral Deposits	6,832		7,699		3,441		6,835
Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Restricted Cash	$	27,260	$	563,963	$	233,047	$	94,350

The Company considers all highly liquid debt instruments purchased with a maturity date of generally three months or less to be cash equivalents. The Company’s restricted cash is composed entirely of amounts reported as Hedging Collateral Deposits on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Hedging Collateral Deposits is an account title for cash held in margin accounts funded by the Company to serve as collateral for hedging positions. In accordance with its accounting policy, the Company does not offset hedging collateral deposits paid or received against related derivative financial instruments liability or asset balances.

Allowance for Uncollectible Accounts

Allowance for Uncollectible Accounts. The allowance for uncollectible accounts is the Company’s best estimate of the amount of probable credit losses in the existing accounts receivable. The allowance is determined based on historical experience, the age of customer accounts, other specific information about customer accounts, and the economic environment. Account balances are charged off against the allowance twelve months after the account is final billed or when it is anticipated that the receivable will not be recovered. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, governments in the Company’s service territories initially mandated the shut-down of a significant number of businesses, leaving many individuals out of work. While government mandated shut downs have slowly been lifted over the last few months, unemployment levels remain high and many businesses have not seen their business activity return to pre-pandemic levels. The financial strains on businesses and individuals resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic could have a significant impact on their ability to pay their bills. In addition, in its service territories, the Company has suspended collection and termination activity for non-payments in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The combination of the current economic conditions and providing service to customers who otherwise would have been terminated could lead to a significant increase in uncollectible expense for customer receivables, primarily within the Utility segment. While the combination of the current low cost of natural gas service and the steps taken by the federal government to alleviate the financial burden on companies and individuals should act as an offset to the overall economic situation, the Company is anticipating that there will be some level of increase in uncollectible expense depending on the extent and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, the Company has not experienced any discernible change in the rate at which its customers pay their bills.

Gas Stored Underground

Gas Stored Underground. In the Utility segment, gas stored underground is carried at lower of cost or net realizable value, on a LIFO method. Gas stored underground normally declines during the first and second quarters of the year and is replenished during the third and fourth quarters. In the Utility segment, the current cost of replacing gas withdrawn from storage is recorded in the Consolidated Statements of Income and a reserve for gas replacement is recorded in the Consolidated Balance Sheets under the caption “Other Accruals and Current Liabilities.” Such reserve, which amounted to $10.6 million at June 30, 2020, is reduced to zero by September 30 of each year as the inventory is replenished.

Property, Plant and Equipment

Property, Plant and Equipment. In the Company’s Exploration and Production segment, oil and gas property acquisition, exploration and development costs are capitalized under the full cost method of accounting. Under this methodology, all costs associated with property acquisition, exploration and development activities are capitalized, including internal costs directly identified with acquisition, exploration and development activities. The internal costs that are capitalized do not include any costs related to production, general corporate overhead, or similar activities. The Company does not recognize any gain or loss on the sale or other disposition of oil and gas properties unless the gain or loss would significantly alter the relationship between capitalized costs and proved reserves of oil and gas attributable to a cost center. The Company's capitalized costs relating to oil and gas producing activities, net of accumulated depreciation, depletion and amortization, were $1.6 billion and $1.7 billion at June 30, 2020 and September 30, 2019, respectively.

Capitalized costs include costs related to unproved properties, which are excluded from amortization until proved reserves are found or it is determined that the unproved properties are impaired. Such costs amounted to $81.2 million and $53.5 million at June 30, 2020 and September 30, 2019, respectively. All costs related to unproved properties are reviewed quarterly to determine if impairment has occurred. The amount of any impairment is transferred to the pool of capitalized costs being amortized.

Capitalized costs are subject to the SEC full cost ceiling test. The ceiling test, which is performed each quarter, determines a limit, or ceiling, on the amount of property acquisition, exploration and development costs that can be capitalized. The ceiling under this test represents (a) the present value of estimated future net cash flows, excluding future cash outflows associated with settling asset retirement obligations that have been accrued on the balance sheet, using a discount factor of 10%, which is computed by applying prices of oil and gas (as adjusted for hedging) to estimated future production of proved oil and gas reserves as of the date of the latest balance sheet, less estimated future expenditures, plus (b) the cost of unevaluated properties not being depleted, less (c) income tax effects related to the differences between the book and tax basis of the properties. The gas and oil prices used to calculate the full cost ceiling are based on an unweighted arithmetic average of the first day of the month oil and gas prices for each month within the twelve-month period prior to the end of the reporting period. If capitalized costs, net of accumulated depreciation, depletion and amortization and related deferred income taxes, exceed the ceiling at the end of any quarter, a permanent impairment is required to be charged to earnings in that quarter. The book value of the oil and gas properties exceeded the ceiling at June 30, 2020 as well as March 31, 2020. As such, the Company recognized pre-tax impairment charges of $18.2 million and $196.0 million for the quarter and nine months ended June 30, 2020, respectively. Deferred income tax benefits of $5.0 million and $53.5 million related to the impairment charges were also recognized for the quarter and nine months ended June 30, 2020, respectively. In adjusting estimated future cash flows for hedging under the ceiling test at June 30, 2020 and March 31, 2020, estimated future net cash flows were increased by $125.6 million and $32.7 million, respectively.

The principal assets of the Utility, Pipeline and Storage and Gathering segments, consisting primarily of gas plant in service, are recorded at the historical cost when originally devoted to service. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, governments in the Company’s service territories initially mandated the shut-down of a significant number of businesses, leaving many individuals out of work. While government mandated shut downs have slowly been lifted over the last few months, unemployment levels remain high and many businesses have not seen their business activity return to pre-pandemic levels. It is possible that the extent and duration of this COVID-19 pandemic could reduce projected cash flows associated with the use of these assets, which could in turn lead to a decrease in fair value and result in a potential impairment of the recorded

value of such assets. While there were no indications of any conditions that could result in impairments at June 30, 2020, management will continue to monitor the situation on a quarterly basis.

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss. The components of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss and changes for the nine months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, net of related tax effect, are as follows (amounts in parentheses indicate debits) (in thousands):


	Gains and Losses on Derivative Financial Instruments		Gains and Losses on Securities Available for Sale		Funded Status of the Pension and Other Post-Retirement Benefit Plans		Total
Three Months Ended June 30, 2020
Balance at April 1, 2020	$	67,913	$	—	$	(86,830)	$	(18,917)
Other Comprehensive Gains and Losses Before Reclassifications	3,563		—		—		3,563
Amounts Reclassified From Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	(26,440)		—		—		(26,440)

Balance at June 30, 2020	$	45,036	$	—	$	(86,830)	$	(41,794)
Nine Months Ended June 30, 2020
Balance at October 1, 2019	$	34,675	$	—	$	(86,830)	$	(52,155)
Other Comprehensive Gains and Losses Before Reclassifications	59,388		—		—		59,388
Amounts Reclassified From Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	(49,977)		—		—		(49,977)
Cumulative Effect of Adoption of Authoritative Guidance for Hedging	950		—		—		950
Balance at June 30, 2020	$	45,036	$	—	$	(86,830)	$	(41,794)
Three Months Ended June 30, 2019
Balance at April 1, 2019	$	4,562	$	—	$	(58,848)	$	(54,286)
Other Comprehensive Gains and Losses Before Reclassifications	24,376		—		—		24,376
Amounts Reclassified From Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	(2,756)		—		—		(2,756)

Balance at June 30, 2019	$	26,182	$	—	$	(58,848)	$	(32,666)
Nine Months Ended June 30, 2019
Balance at October 1, 2018	$	(28,611)	$	7,437	$	(46,576)	$	(67,750)
Other Comprehensive Gains and Losses Before Reclassifications	38,185		—		—		38,185
Amounts Reclassified From Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	14,742		—		—		14,742
Reclassification Adjustment for the Cumulative Effect of Adoption of Authoritative Guidance for Financial Assets and Liabilities	—		(7,437)		—		(7,437)
Reclassification of Stranded Tax Effects Related to the 2017 Tax Reform Act	1,866		—		(12,272)		(10,406)
Balance at June 30, 2019	$	26,182	$	—	$	(58,848)	$	(32,666)

In August 2017, the FASB issued authoritative guidance which changes the financial reporting of hedging relationships to better portray the economic results of an entity's risk management activities and to simplify the application of hedge accounting. The Company adopted this authoritative guidance effective October 1, 2019, recognizing a cumulative effect adjustment that decreased retained earnings by $1.0 million and increased accumulated other comprehensive income by the same amount.

In January 2016, the FASB issued authoritative guidance regarding the recognition and measurement of financial assets and liabilities. The authoritative guidance primarily affects the accounting for equity investments and the presentation and disclosure requirements for financial instruments. All equity investments in unconsolidated entities will be measured at fair value through earnings rather than through accumulated other comprehensive income. The Company adopted this authoritative guidance effective October 1, 2018 and, as called for by the modified retrospective method of adoption, recorded a cumulative effect adjustment during the quarter ended December 31, 2018 to increase retained earnings by $7.4 million and decrease accumulated other comprehensive income by the same amount.

In February 2018, the FASB issued authoritative guidance that allows an entity to elect a reclassification from accumulated other comprehensive income to retained earnings for stranded tax effects resulting from the 2017 Tax Reform Act and requires certain disclosures about stranded tax effects. The Company adopted this authoritative guidance effective January 1, 2019 and recorded a cumulative effect adjustment related to deferred income taxes associated with hedging activities and pension and post-retirement benefit obligations for the quarter ended March 31, 2019 to increase retained earnings by $10.4 million and decrease accumulated other comprehensive income by the same amount.

Reclassifications Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss

Reclassifications Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss. The details about the reclassification adjustments out of accumulated other comprehensive loss for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019 are as follows (amounts in parentheses indicate debits to the income statement) (in thousands):


Details About Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss Components	Amount of Gain or (Loss) Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss									Affected Line Item in the Statement Where Net Income is Presented
		Three Months Ended June 30,						Nine Months Ended June 30,
		2020		2019		2020		2019
Gains (Losses) on Derivative Financial Instrument Cash Flow Hedges:
Commodity Contracts	$36,726		$4,091		$67,663		($18,692)		Operating Revenues
Commodity Contracts	(22)		—		1,890		(1,182)		Purchased Gas
Foreign Currency Contracts	(357)		(222)		(820)		(624)		Operating Revenues
	36,347		3,869		68,733		(20,498)		Total Before Income Tax
	(9,907)		(1,113)		(18,756)		5,756		Income Tax Expense
	$26,440		$2,756		$49,977		($14,742)		Net of Tax

Other Current Assets

Other Current Assets. The components of the Company’s Other Current Assets are as follows (in thousands):


	At June 30, 2020		At September 30, 2019

Prepayments	$	14,289	$	12,728
Prepaid Property and Other Taxes	11,684		14,361
Federal Income Taxes Receivable	—		42,388
State Income Taxes Receivable	3,106		8,579
Fair Values of Firm Commitments	4,384		7,538
Regulatory Assets	14,189		11,460
	$	47,652	$	97,054

Other Accruals and Current Liabilities

Other Accruals and Current Liabilities. The components of the Company’s Other Accruals and Current Liabilities are as follows (in thousands):


	At June 30, 2020		At September 30, 2019

Accrued Capital Expenditures	$	35,645	$	33,713
Regulatory Liabilities	42,598		50,332
Reserve for Gas Replacement	10,622		—
Liability for Royalty and Working Interests	12,061		18,057
Federal Income Taxes Payable	159		—



Non-Qualified Benefit Plan Liability	13,194		13,194
Other	24,065		24,304
	$	138,344	$	139,600

Earnings Per Common Share

Earnings Per Common Share. Basic earnings per common share is computed by dividing income or loss by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted earnings per common share reflects the potential dilution that could occur if securities or other contracts to issue common stock were exercised or converted into common stock. For purposes of determining earnings per common share, the potentially dilutive securities the Company had outstanding were SARs, restricted stock units and performance shares. For the quarter and nine months ended June 30, 2020, the diluted weighted average shares outstanding shown on the Consolidated Statements of Income reflects the potential dilution as a result of these securities as determined using the Treasury Stock Method. SARs, restricted stock units and performance shares that are antidilutive are excluded from the calculation of diluted earnings per common share. There were 513,428 securities and 513,180 securities excluded as being antidilutive for the quarter and nine months ended June 30, 2020, respectively. There were 120,546 securities and 122,327 securities excluded as being antidilutive for the quarter and nine months ended June 30, 2019, respectively.

Stock-Based Compensation

Stock-Based Compensation. The Company granted 254,608 performance shares during the nine months ended June 30, 2020. The weighted average fair value of such performance shares was $43.32 per share for the nine months ended June 30, 2020. Performance shares are an award constituting units denominated in common stock of the Company, the number of which may be adjusted over a performance cycle based upon the extent to which performance goals have been satisfied. Earned performance shares may be distributed in the form of shares of common stock of the Company, an equivalent value in cash or a combination of cash and shares of common stock of the Company, as determined by the Company. The performance shares do not entitle the participant to receive dividends during the vesting period.

Half of the performance shares granted during the nine months ended June 30, 2020 must meet a performance goal related to relative return on capital over a three-year performance cycle. The performance goal over the performance cycle is the Company’s total return on capital relative to the total return on capital of other companies in a group selected by the Compensation Committee (“Report Group”). Total return on capital for a given company means the average of the Report Group companies’ returns on capital for each twelve month period corresponding to each of the Company’s fiscal years during the performance cycle, based on data reported for the Report Group companies in the Bloomberg database. The number of these performance shares that will vest and be paid will depend upon the Company’s performance relative to the Report Group and not upon the absolute level of return achieved by the Company. The fair value of these performance shares is calculated by multiplying the expected number of shares that will be issued by the average market price of Company common stock on the date of grant reduced by the present value of forgone dividends over the vesting term of the award. The fair value is recorded as compensation expense over the vesting term of the award. The other half of the performance shares granted during the nine months ended June 30, 2020 must meet a performance goal related to relative total shareholder return over a three-year performance cycle. The performance goal over the performance cycle is the Company’s three-year total shareholder return relative to the three-year total shareholder return of the other companies in the Report Group. Three-year total shareholder return for a given company will be based on the data reported for that company (with the starting and ending stock prices over the performance cycle calculated as the average closing stock price for the prior calendar month and with dividends reinvested in that company’s securities at each ex-dividend date) in the Bloomberg database. The number of these total shareholder return performance shares ("TSR performance shares") that will vest and be paid will depend upon the Company’s performance relative to the Report Group and not upon the absolute level of return achieved by the Company. The fair value price at the date of grant for the TSR performance shares is determined using a Monte Carlo simulation technique, which includes a reduction in value for the present value of forgone dividends over the vesting term of the award. This price is multiplied by the number of TSR performance shares awarded, the result of which is recorded as compensation expense over the vesting term of the award.

The Company granted 150,839 nonperformance-based restricted stock units during the nine months ended June 30, 2020. The weighted average fair value of such nonperformance-based restricted stock units was $40.38 per share for the nine months ended June 30, 2020. Restricted stock units represent the right to receive shares of common stock of the Company (or the equivalent value in cash or a combination of cash and shares of common stock of the Company, as determined by the Company) at the end of a specified time period. These nonperformance-based restricted stock units do not entitle the participant to receive dividends during the vesting period. The accounting for nonperformance-based restricted stock units is the same as the accounting for restricted share awards, except that the fair value at the date of grant of the restricted stock units must be reduced by the present value of forgone dividends over the vesting term of the award.