Spire
A U.S. regional natural-gas utility holding company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Spire Inc. is a publicly traded American utility holding company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Its principal business is the regulated distribution of natural gas, supported by transmission, storage, and other energy-related activities. The company operates through utility subsidiaries serving customers in Missouri, Alabama, and Mississippi, with its largest operating business being Laclede Gas Company, the dominant natural-gas distribution utility in Missouri. The business traces its corporate heritage to Laclede Gas Company, which first listed its stock on the New York Stock Exchange in 1889. Laclede was among the original industrial companies included in the Dow Jones Industrial Average and was removed from that index in 1899. The company later operated as The Laclede Group before adopting the Spire name in 2016. The rebranding marked a transition from a historically focused Missouri gas company to a broader regional energy platform. Spire expanded materially through acquisitions. In 2013, The Laclede Group acquired Missouri Gas Energy from Southern Union Company, extending its Missouri presence to the Kansas City area in addition to its established St. Louis and eastern Missouri operations. In 2014, it acquired Alabama Gas Corporation, commonly known as Alagasco, from Energen. That business became Spire Alabama and gave the company a substantial regulated utility presence in Alabama. In 2016, after adopting the Spire corporate identity, the company acquired Energy South from Sempra U.S. Gas & Power. Energy South included Mobile Gas in Alabama and Willmut Gas in Mississippi; these businesses subsequently operated under the Spire Gulf Coast and Spire Mississippi names. Spire's utility model is based primarily on delivering natural gas through regulated local distribution networks to residential, commercial, and industrial customers. Laclede Gas serves the city of St. Louis and multiple counties in eastern Missouri and has been described as serving approximately 631,000 customers. Spire's Alabama operations serve communities and metropolitan areas across the state, while its Mississippi business serves the Hattiesburg area. The company also pursues non-regulated activities associated with natural-gas transmission, storage, and related commercial energy services. The company began trading under the symbol SR on the New York Stock Exchange on April 29, 2016. Before that change, its shares traded as The Laclede Group under the symbol LG. The Spire brand therefore combines a long-listed utility heritage with a comparatively modern corporate identity. Its public positioning emphasizes dependable energy delivery, regulated utility service, and regional natural-gas infrastructure rather than consumer packaged goods or a national retail proposition.
History
Spire's history is rooted in Laclede Gas Company, a St. Louis natural-gas utility whose stock-market history extends to the late nineteenth century. Laclede first listed its shares on the New York Stock Exchange on November 14, 1889, making it one of the oldest continuously listed stocks on that exchange. It was also one of the original industrial companies included in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, although it left the index in 1899. The company commemorated its long exchange history in 2009, when executives of The Laclede Group visited the New York Stock Exchange to mark 120 years of trading. By that point, the historic utility had been organized under the broader corporate name The Laclede Group. Its strategic development increasingly centered on building a multi-state natural-gas platform rather than remaining solely a St. Louis-area distributor. A major expansion occurred in 2013, when The Laclede Group purchased Missouri Gas Energy from Southern Union Company. The transaction broadened the company's Missouri footprint and added service in and around Kansas City. In 2014, the group acquired Alabama Gas Corporation, also known as Alagasco. The Alabama business became Spire Alabama and gave the company operations in a number of Alabama communities, including Birmingham, Mobile-area markets, Gadsden, Montgomery, Tuscaloosa, and other service territories. Leadership also changed during this expansion period. Suzanne Sitherwood became the company's first female chief executive in February 2012. Her appointment preceded the major acquisitions that reshaped the company's geographic profile. On April 28, 2016, shareholders approved the change from The Laclede Group to Spire. The new name was intended to provide a common identity for the expanding family of utility businesses. The company began trading under the New York Stock Exchange symbol SR on April 29, 2016; its previous symbol had been LG. Later in 2016, Spire acquired Energy South from Sempra U.S. Gas & Power. Energy South included Mobile Gas, which became associated with Spire Gulf Coast, and Willmut Gas, which became associated with Spire Mississippi. This transaction added a Mississippi utility operation and strengthened Spire's position along the Gulf Coast. Today, Spire is principally a regulated natural-gas utility holding company. Its main subsidiary, Laclede Gas Company, remains the largest natural-gas distribution utility in Missouri and serves approximately 631,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers in St. Louis and ten eastern Missouri counties, according to the referenced company history. Alongside Missouri distribution, the company operates utility businesses in Alabama and Mississippi and maintains transmission, storage, and other energy-related activities. The Spire identity thus represents the combination of a nineteenth-century listed utility heritage and a modern regional portfolio assembled through acquisition and rebranding.
- 2016
Corporate rebrand to Spire
[1]Shareholders approved replacing The Laclede Group name with Spire.
- 2016
SR ticker begins trading
[1]The company began trading on the NYSE under the symbol SR.
- 2016
Energy South acquisition
[1]Spire acquired Energy South, including Mobile Gas and Willmut Gas.
- 2014
Alabama Gas Corporation acquisition
[1]The company acquired Alabama Gas Corporation, later operated as Spire Alabama.
- 2013
Missouri Gas Energy acquisition
[1]The Laclede Group acquired Missouri Gas Energy from Southern Union Company.
- 2012
Suzanne Sitherwood becomes chief executive
[1]Suzanne Sitherwood became the first female CEO of the company.
- 2009
120th anniversary of NYSE trading
[1]The Laclede Group marked 120 years of trading by having executives participate in the NYSE closing-bell ceremony.
- 1899
Laclede leaves the Dow Jones Industrial Average
[1]Laclede Gas Company was removed from the original Dow Jones Industrial Average after having been one of its initial industrial constituents.
- 1889
Laclede Gas Company lists on the New York Stock Exchange
[1]Laclede Gas Company first listed its stock on the NYSE, establishing one of the longest exchange histories among U.S. utility companies.
Products and positioning
Regional natural-gas utility and energy-infrastructure holding company
Utility service
Regulated natural-gas distribution
Spire's core offering is the distribution of natural gas through regulated local utility networks. The service is delivered to residential, commercial, and industrial customers in Missouri, Alabama, and Mississippi through subsidiaries including Laclede Gas, Spire Alabama, Spire Gulf Coast, and Spire Mississippi.
Energy infrastructure
Natural-gas transmission and storage
In addition to local distribution, Spire pursues natural-gas transmission and storage activities. These businesses support the availability and movement of gas across the company's regional utility system and form part of its broader energy-infrastructure portfolio.
Utility service
Commercial and industrial gas service
Spire supplies natural gas to commercial and industrial customers in its regulated service territories. These customers are served alongside residential users through the company's local distribution utilities.
Brand decisions
2016
Adopt the Spire corporate identityStrategyBackground
The Laclede Group had expanded beyond its historic St. Louis and Missouri base through acquisitions in Missouri and Alabama.
Action taken
Shareholders approved changing the corporate name to Spire, and the company subsequently adopted the SR stock symbol.
Aftermath
The rebrand created a unified identity for the company's multi-state natural-gas utility businesses.
2016
Acquire Energy SouthM&ABackground
Spire sought to extend its regional utility portfolio after acquiring businesses in Missouri and Alabama.
Action taken
The company acquired Energy South from Sempra U.S. Gas & Power, adding Mobile Gas and Willmut Gas.
Aftermath
The transaction added utility operations in coastal Alabama and Mississippi, later associated with Spire Gulf Coast and Spire Mississippi.
Recent events
Spire reports fiscal 2019 results[3]
Reported:
Spire reported results for fiscal 2019 and its fourth quarter, including consolidated net income of $184.6 million for the fiscal year.
- Unconfirmed
Spire STL Pipeline enters commercial operation[3]
Reported:
Spire completed construction of the Spire STL Pipeline and placed it in commercial operation, supplying natural gas to Spire Missouri East.
Spire launches AirSafe API[4]
Reported:
Spire Global revealed its first product from Spire Aviation, launching the AirSafe API, which combines satellite ADS-B technology and ground-based collection to provide aircraft position reports.
Nationwide announces Spire digital insurance platform[5]
Reported:
Nationwide announced that it would launch Spire, a digital insurance platform initially offering auto insurance, in Texas in the fourth quarter of 2019, with additional states planned for 2020.
Sources5 sources
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