UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, DC 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): November 15, 2023

NEW JERSEY RESOURCES CORPORATION
(Exact Name of registrant as specified in its charter)

New Jersey
001-08359
22-2376465
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation)
(Commission File Number)
(IRS Employer Identification No.)

1415 Wyckoff Road
Wall, New Jersey
 
07719
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)
 
(Zip Code)

(732) 938-1480
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:


Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)


Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)


Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))


Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class
Trading Symbol(s)
Name of each exchange on
which registered
Common Stock - $2.50 par value
NJR
New York Stock Exchange

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.



Item 2.02
Results of Operations and Financial Condition.

On November 21, 2023, New Jersey Resources Corporation (the “Company”) issued a press release reporting financial results for the fourth fiscal quarter and fiscal year ended September 30, 2023 (the “Earnings Release”). A copy of the Earnings Release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated herein by reference.

The information in Item 2.02 of this Current Report on Form 8-K is being furnished and shall not be deemed “filed” for the purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that Section and shall not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any registration statement or other document pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

Item 5.02
Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

(e) Fiscal 2024 Officer Annual Incentive Plan

At its November 15, 2023 meeting, the Leadership Development and Compensation Committee (the “LDCC”) of the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of the Company approved several items relating to compensatory arrangements with its named executive officers (“NEOs”). The details of these approvals are outlined below.

On November 15, 2023, the LDCC approved the Company’s fiscal year 2024 Officer Annual Incentive Plan (the “2024 OIP”) for officers of the Company and its subsidiaries. For fiscal year 2024, each of the Company’s NEOs participate in the 2024 OIP. The objectives for the 2024 OIP are to maintain line of sight for each executive officer by providing them with an understanding of their individual objectives and how they could be achieved based on areas that they impact, continue the linkage to corporate results and provide flexibility to determine awards based on qualitative performance assessments.

The performance criteria for receiving an annual incentive award under the 2024 OIP are net financial earnings (“NFE”), individual leadership and the Company’s “Commitment to Stakeholders” goals. Under the 2024 OIP, a performance hurdle based on the Company’s NFE for fiscal year 2024 must be met in order to be eligible to receive an award. Each of the NEO’s annual incentive awards under the 2024 OIP is based 50 percent on the Company’s NFE, 30 percent on the NEO achieving an individual leadership component and 20 percent on the Company meeting the goals of an overall “Commitment to Stakeholders” component. Under the 2024 OIP, the target annual incentive award opportunity for the NEOs, other than the President and Chief Executive Officer, ranges from 40 to 60 percent of base salary and the target annual incentive award opportunities for the President and Chief Executive Officer is 110 percent of base salary. Actual fiscal year 2024 cash incentive award payments under the 2024 OIP, if earned, could range from 0 percent up to 150 percent of this targeted amount for each of the NEOs. Amounts payable under the 2024 OIP that exceeded 100 percent of the target amount could be paid in full, or in part, in the form of restricted stock units (“RSUs”) and/or Deferred Retention Stock Units (“DRSUs”) based on the President and Chief Executive Officer’s recommendation and subsequent approval by the LDCC, or in the case of the President and Chief Executive Officer, based on the LDCC’s determination.

In addition, under the 2024 OIP, based upon the recommendations of the President and Chief Executive Officer, the LDCC reserves the ability to modify, based upon its qualitative assessment, any annual incentive award payable. In addition, the President and Chief Executive Officer, subject to LDCC approval, may recommend special recognition awards to NEOs who have made significant contributions and have demonstrated a sustained level of outstanding performance. The LDCC may approve special recognition awards to the President and Chief Executive Officer. The special recognition awards, if any, may be in the form of cash, RSUs or DRSUs.

Any award payable to an NEO under the 2024 OIP is subject to the Company’s compensation recoupment policies.


Long-Term Incentive Program Awards

Pursuant to grants made on November 15, 2023, the Board awarded (i) performance share units with performance criteria based upon the Company’s total shareholder return (“FY 2024 TSR Performance Share Units”) and with performance criteria based upon the Company’s cumulative NFE per share (“FY 2024 NFE Performance Share Units”) to each of the Company’s NEOs; (ii) RSUs to each of the NEOs, other than Mr. Stephen D. Westhoven; and (iii) performance-based RSUs with performance criteria based upon an NFE-based performance (“PBRSUs”) goal to Mr. Westhoven (such awards, collectively, the “Awards”), all pursuant to the Company’s 2017 Stock Award and Incentive Plan.

Performance Share Units

The FY 2024 TSR Performance Share Units vest, if at all, at the end of a 36-month performance period beginning on October 1, 2023, and ending on September 30, 2026, based on relative Company total shareholder return versus an established comparator group.

The FY 2024 NFE Performance Share Units vest, if at all, based upon the Company’s cumulative NFE per share over the 36-month period beginning on October 1, 2023, and ending on September 30, 2026.

On their vesting dates, the FY 2024 TSR Performance Share Units and FY 2024 NFE Performance Share Units are payable in shares of the Company’s common stock (“Common Stock”) in amounts ranging from zero to 150 percent of the number of granted performance share units. Additional shares of Common Stock may be awarded on the vesting dates with respect to the computed value of dividend equivalents accrued (measured against the Common Stock) during the performance measurement periods, subject to the Company’s achievement of prescribed performance goals. If the Company’s performance does not meet the minimum threshold level, no units will vest.

Restricted Stock Units

The RSUs awarded by the Company to the NEOs will accrue dividends and will vest in three equal installments on October 15, 2024, October 15, 2025 and October 15, 2026, subject to continued employment of the NEO, in each case except under certain conditions. The RSUs are payable in shares of the Company’s Common Stock.

Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units

The PBRSUs awarded to Mr. Westhoven will accrue dividends and may vest in up to three equal installments on September 30, 2024, September 30, 2025, and September 30, 2026, if the NFE-based performance goal for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024 is achieved, and subject to his continued employment, except under certain conditions. The PBRSUs are payable in shares of the Company’s Common Stock.

Award Agreements

The foregoing descriptions of the forms of the FY 2024 Performance Share Units Agreement - TSR, the FY 2024 Performance Share Units Agreement (NFE), the FY 2024 Restricted Stock Units Agreement, and the FY 2024 Performance-based Restricted Stock Units Agreement (together, the “Award Agreements”), are qualified in their entirety by the terms and provisions of the Award Agreements, which are attached hereto as Exhibit 10.1, Exhibit 10.2, Exhibit 10.3 and Exhibit 10.4, respectively, and are incorporated herein by reference.

Item 7.01
Regulation FD Disclosure.

Earnings Presentation

The Company will deliver a presentation via live public webcast on November 21, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. ET. The slides to be used for the presentation are furnished herewith as Exhibit 99.2 and are incorporated by reference into Item 7.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K.

The information in Item 7.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K is being furnished and shall not be deemed “filed” for the purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that Section and shall not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any registration statement or other document pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.


Item 9.01.
Financial Statements and Exhibits

(d)
Exhibits.

Exhibit Number
Exhibit
FY 2024 Performance Share Units Agreement - TSR
FY 2024 Performance Share Units Agreement (NFE)
FY 2024 Restricted Stock Units Agreement
FY 2024 Performance-based Restricted Stock Units Agreement
Earnings Release dated November 21, 2023 (furnished, not filed)
Presentation dated November 21, 2023 (furnished, not filed)
104
Cover page in Inline XBRL format


SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 
NEW JERSEY RESOURCES CORPORATION
   
Date: November 21, 2023
By:
/s/ Roberto F. Bel
   
Roberto F. Bel
   
Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer




Exhibit 10.1


NEW JERSEY RESOURCES CORPORATION
2017 Stock Award and Incentive Plan
Performance Share Units Agreement – (TSR)

This Performance Share Units Agreement (the “Agreement”), which includes the attached “Terms and Conditions of Performance Share Units” (the “Terms and Conditions”) and the attached Exhibit A captioned “Performance Goal and Earning of Performance Share Units”, confirms the grant on November __, 2023 (the “Grant Date”) by NEW JERSEY RESOURCES CORPORATION, a New Jersey corporation (the “Company”), to _____________ (“Employee”), under Sections 6(e), 6(i) and 7 of the 2017 Stock Award and Incentive Plan (the “Plan”), of Performance Share Units (the “Performance Share Units”), including rights to Dividend Equivalents as specified herein, as follows:

Target Number Granted:          _______ Performance Share Units (“Target Number”)

How Performance Share Units are Earned and Vest: The Performance Share Units, if not previously forfeited, (i) will be earned, if and to the extent that the Performance Goal defined on Exhibit A to this Agreement is achieved, with the corresponding number of Performance Share Units earned (ranging from 0% to 150% of the Target Number) as specified on Exhibit A, on the date set forth on Exhibit A (the “Earning Date”) and (ii) will vest as to the number of Performance Share Units earned if Employee remains employed by the Company or a Subsidiary from the Grant Date through the Earning Date (the “Stated Vesting Date”).  To the extent vested, all earned Performance Share Units shall be settled within 60 days after the Stated Vesting Date.  In addition, if not previously forfeited or payable, upon a Change in Control prior to the Stated Vesting Date, the Performance Share Units (i) will be earned in an amount equal to (A) the Target Number of the Performance Share Units if the Change in Control occurs within the first 12 months of the 36-month earning period specified on Exhibit A or (B) the number of Performance Share Units that would have been earned based upon the actual level of achievement if the performance period had ended at the date of the Change in Control if the Change in Control occurs within the last 24 months of the 36-month earning period specified on Exhibit A and (ii) will (A) immediately vest on the Change in Control with respect to such earned Performance Share Units and will be settled within 60 days thereafter, if Employee remains employed by the Company or a Subsidiary from the Grant Date through the Change in Control and no provision is made for the continuance, assumption or substitution of the Performance Share Units by the Company or its successor in connection with the Change in Control, or (B) vest on the Stated Vesting Date with respect to such earned Performance Share Units and will be settled within 60 days thereafter, if Employee remains employed by the Company or a Subsidiary from the Grant Date through the Stated Vesting Date and provision is made for the continuance, assumption or substitution of the Performance Share Units by the Company or its successor in connection with the Change in Control.  In addition, if not previously forfeited or payable, the Performance Share Units will become vested upon the occurrence of certain events relating to Employee’s Termination of Employment to the extent provided in Section 4 of the attached Terms and Conditions, and such vested Performance Share Units will continue to be subject to the Performance Goal and will be eligible to be earned if and to the extent that the Performance Goal is achieved or there is a Change in Control prior to the Stated Vesting Date and settled in accordance with Section 6(a) hereof.  The terms “vest” and “vesting” mean that the Performance Share Units have become non-forfeitable in relation to Employee’s employment but may continue to be subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture based on the Performance Goal to the extent provided in Section 4 of the attached Terms and Conditions.  If the Performance Goal is not met (or not fully met), and no Change in Control occurs within the first 12 months of the 36-month earning period specified on Exhibit A, the Performance Share Units (or the unearned portion of the Performance Share Units) will be immediately forfeited (whether vested or not). If Employee has a Termination of Employment prior to the Stated Vesting Date and the Performance Share Units are not otherwise vested by that date, the Performance Share Units will be immediately forfeited except as otherwise provided in Section 4 of the attached Terms and Conditions. Forfeited Performance Share Units cease to be outstanding and in no event will thereafter result in any delivery of shares of Stock to Employee.


Performance Goal and Earning Date: The Performance Goal and Earning Date, and the number of Performance Share Units earned for specified levels of performance at the Earning Date, shall be as specified in Exhibit A hereto.

Settlement: Performance Share Units that are to be settled hereunder, including Performance Share Units credited as a result of Dividend Equivalents, will be settled by delivery of one share of Stock, for each Performance Share Unit being settled. Settlement shall occur at the time specified above and in Section 6(a) of the attached Terms and Conditions.

Further Conditions to Settlement: Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, except as otherwise set forth below, the Company’s obligation to settle the Performance Share Units and Employee’s right to distribution of the Performance Share Units will be forfeited immediately upon the occurrence of any one or more of the following events (defined terms are attached hereto as Exhibit B):

(a)          Competitive Employment.  In the event that Employee, prior to full settlement of the Performance Share Units and within the Restricted Territory, directly or indirectly, whether on Employee’s own behalf or on behalf of any other person or entity, performs services of the type which are the same as or similar to those conducted, authorized, offered or provided by Employee to the Company within the last 24 months, and which support business activities which compete with the Business of the Company.

(b)          Recruitment of Company Employees and Contractors.  In the event that Employee, prior to full settlement of the Performance Share Units, directly or indirectly, whether on Employee’s own behalf or on behalf of any other person or entity, solicits or induces any employee or independent contractor of the Company with whom Employee had Material Contact to terminate or lessen such employment or contract with the Company.

(c)          Solicitation of Company Customers. In the event that Employee, prior to full settlement of the Performance Share Units, directly or indirectly, whether on Employee’s own behalf or on behalf of any other person or entity, solicits any actual or prospective customers of the Company with whom Employee had Material Contact for the purpose of selling any products or services which compete with the Business of the Company.

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(d)         Solicitation of Company Vendors. In the event that Employee, prior to full settlement of the Performance Share Units, directly or indirectly, whether on Employee’s own behalf or on behalf of any other person or entity, solicits any actual or prospective vendor of the Company with whom Employee had Material Contact for the purpose of purchasing products or services to support business activities which compete with the Business of the Company.

(e)         Breach of Confidentiality.  In the event that Employee, at any time prior to full settlement of the Performance Share Units, directly or indirectly, divulges or makes use of any Confidential Information or Trade Secrets of the Company other than in the performance of Employee’s duties for the Company.  This provision does not limit the remedies available to the Company under common or statutory law as to trade secrets or other forms of confidential information, which may impose longer duties of non-disclosure and provide for injunctive relief and damages. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, nothing herein is intended to or will be used in any way to prevent Employee from providing truthful testimony under oath in a judicial or administrative proceeding or to limit Employee’s right to communicate with a government agency, as provided for, protected under or warranted by applicable law.  The Employee further understands nothing herein limits the Employee’s ability to file a charge or complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the National Labor Relations Board, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Securities and Exchange Commission, or any other federal, state or local government agency or commission (‘Government Agencies”).  Nothing herein limits the Employee’s ability to communicate with any Government Agencies or otherwise participate in any investigation or proceeding that may be conducted by the Government Agency, including providing documents or information without notice to the Company.  This Agreement does not limit the Employee’s right to receive an award for information provided to any Government Agency. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Employee shall not be held criminally or civilly liable under any federal or state trade secret law for the disclosure of a Trade Secret that (i) is made in confidence to a federal, state, or local government official, either directly or indirectly, or to an attorney and solely for the purpose of reporting or investigating a suspected violation of law or (ii) is made in a complaint or other document filed in a lawsuit or other proceeding, if such filing is made under seal.  In addition, if the Employee files a lawsuit for retaliation for reporting a suspected violation of law, the Employee may disclose the Trade Secret to his or her attorney and use the Trade Secret information in the court proceeding, as long as the Employee files any document containing the Trade Secret under seal and does not disclose the Trade Secret, except pursuant to court order.

(f)         Return of Property and Information.  In the event that prior to full settlement of the Performance Share Units Employee fails to return all of the Company’s property and information (whether confidential or not) within Employee’s possession or control within seven (7) calendar days following the termination or resignation of Employee from employment with the Company.  Such property and information includes, but is not limited to, the original and any copy (regardless of the manner in which it is recorded) of all information provided by the Company to Employee or which Employee has developed or collected in the scope of Employee’s employment with the Company, as well as all Company-issued equipment, supplies, accessories, vehicles, keys, instruments, tools, devices, computers, cell phones, pagers, materials, documents, plans, records, notebooks, drawings, or papers.  Upon request by the Company, Employee shall certify in writing that Employee has complied with this provision, and has permanently deleted all Company information from any computers or other electronic storage devices or media owned by Employee.  Employee may only retain information relating to the Employee’s benefit plans and compensation to the extent needed to prepare Employee’s tax returns.

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(g)         Disparagement.  In the event that prior to full settlement of the Performance Share Units Employee makes any statements, either verbally or in writing, that are disparaging with regard to the Company or any of its subsidiaries or their respective executives and Board members.

(h)          Failure to Provide Information.  In the event that prior to full settlement of the Performance Share Units Employee fails to promptly and fully respond to requests for information from the Company regarding Employee’s compliance with any of the foregoing conditions.

If it is determined by the Leadership Development and Compensation Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors, in its sole discretion, that any of the foregoing events have occurred prior to full settlement of the Performance Share Units, any unpaid portion of the Performance Share Units will be forfeited without any compensation therefor, provided, however, that none of the foregoing conditions shall restrict any Employee who is a lawyer from practicing law.  To the extent any such condition would restrict any Employee who is a lawyer from practicing law or would penalize the Employee for practicing law, such condition shall not be effective and the Leadership Development and Compensation Committee may not forfeit any of the Performance Share Units on account therefor.

The Performance Share Units are subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan and this Agreement, including the Terms and Conditions of Performance Share Units attached hereto and deemed a part hereof. The number of Performance Share Units and the kind of shares deliverable in settlement and other terms and conditions of the Performance Share Units are subject to adjustment in accordance with Section 5 of the attached Terms and Conditions and Section 11(c) of the Plan.

Employee acknowledges and agrees that (i) the Performance Share Units are nontransferable, except as provided in Section 3 of the attached Terms and Conditions and Section 11(b) of the Plan, (ii) the Performance Share Units are subject to forfeiture in the event of Employee’s Termination of Employment in certain circumstances prior to vesting, as specified in Section 4 of the attached Terms and Conditions, (iii) the foregoing conditions shall apply to the Performance Share Units prior to settlement and (iv) sales of shares of Stock delivered upon settlement of the Performance Share Units will be subject to any Company policy regulating trading by employees.

Capitalized terms used in this Agreement but not defined herein shall have the same meanings as in the Plan.

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, NEW JERSEY RESOURCES CORPORATION has caused this Agreement to be executed by its officer thereunto duly authorized.

 
NEW JERSEY RESOURCES CORPORATION
   
 
By:
 
 

[NAME]
 

[Title]
 
 
EMPLOYEE
   
 

[NAME]
 

[Title]

5

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF PERFORMANCE SHARE UNITS

The following Terms and Conditions apply to the Performance Share Units granted to Employee by NEW JERSEY RESOURCES CORPORATION (the “Company”) and Performance Share Units resulting from Dividend Equivalents (as defined below), if any, as specified in the Performance Share Units Agreement (of which these Terms and Conditions form a part). Certain terms of the Performance Share Units, including the number of Performance Share Units granted, vesting date(s) and settlement date, are set forth on the cover page hereto and Exhibit A, which are an integral part of this Agreement.

1.          General.  The Performance Share Units are granted to Employee under the Company’s 2017 Stock Award and Incentive Plan (the “Plan”), which has been previously delivered to Employee and/or is available upon request to the Corporate Benefits Department. All of the applicable terms, conditions and other provisions of the Plan are incorporated by reference herein. Capitalized terms used in this Agreement but not defined herein shall have the same meanings as in the Plan. If there is any conflict between the provisions of this document and mandatory provisions of the Plan, the provisions of the Plan govern. By accepting the grant of the Performance Share Stock Units, Employee agrees to be bound by all of the terms and provisions of the Plan (as presently in effect or later amended), the rules and regulations under the Plan adopted from time to time, and the decisions and determinations relating to the Plan and grants thereunder of the Leadership Development and Compensation Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Committee”) made from time to time.

2.        Account for Employee. The Company shall maintain a bookkeeping account for Employee (the “Account”) reflecting the number of Performance Share Units then credited to Employee hereunder as a result of such grant of Performance Share Units and any crediting of additional Performance Share Units to Employee pursuant to dividends paid on shares of Stock under Section 5 hereof (“Dividend Equivalents”).

3.        Nontransferability. Until Performance Share Units are settled by delivery of shares of Stock in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, Employee may not transfer Performance Share Units or any rights hereunder to any third party other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution, except for transfers to a Beneficiary or as otherwise permitted and subject to the conditions under Section 11(b) of the Plan.  This restriction on transfer precludes any sale, assignment, pledge or other encumbrance or disposition of the Performance Share Units (except for forfeitures to the Company).

4.          Termination of Employment. The following provisions will govern the earning, vesting and forfeiture of the Performance Share Units that are outstanding at the time of Employee’s Termination of Employment (as defined below) (i) by the Company without Cause (as defined below) or by the Employee for Good Reason (as defined below), in either case during the CIC Protection Period (as defined below), or (ii) due to death, Disability (as defined below) or Retirement (as defined below), unless otherwise determined by the Committee (subject to Section 8(e) hereof):

(a)        Termination by the Company or by the Employee in Certain Events.  In the event of Employee’s Termination of Employment, prior to the Stated Vesting Date, by the Company without Cause within the CIC Protection Period and other than for Disability or Retirement, or by Employee for Good Reason within the CIC Protection Period, the outstanding Performance Share Units will be vested with respect to no less than a Pro Rata Portion (as defined below) of the Performance Share Units, to the extent earned previously (upon a Change in Control where provision is made for the continuance, assumption or substitution of the Performance Share Units by the Company or its successor in connection with the Change in Control or otherwise), to the extent not vested previously, and such earned and vested Performance Share Units will be settled in accordance with Section 6(a) hereof.  In the event of Employee’s Termination of Employment, prior to the Stated Vesting Date, (i) by the Company for Cause and other than for Disability or Retirement, (ii) by the Company for any reason other than Disability or Retirement prior to or after the CIC Protection Period, (iii) by Employee (other than for Good Reason within the CIC Protection Period or upon Retirement), or (iv) by Employee (other than upon Retirement) before or after the CIC Protection Period, the portion of the then-outstanding Performance Share Units not earned and vested at the date of Employee’s Termination of Employment will be forfeited.

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(b)        Death, Disability or Retirement. In the event of Employee’s Termination of Employment, prior to the Stated Vesting Date and before a Change in Control, due to Employee’s death, Disability or Retirement, the outstanding Performance Share Units will be vested with respect to no less than a Pro Rata Portion (as defined below) of the Performance Share Units, to the extent not earned previously, that may become earned on the Earning Date, to the extent not previously vested, and such vested Performance Share Units will continue to be subject to the Performance Goal and will be eligible to be earned if and to the extent that the Performance Goal is achieved or there is a Change in Control prior to the Stated Vesting Date and settled in accordance with Section 6(a) hereof.  In the event of Employee’s Termination of Employment, prior to the Stated Vesting Date and on or after a Change in Control, due to Employee’s death, Disability or Retirement, the outstanding Performance Share Units will be vested with respect to no less than a Pro Rata Portion of the Performance Share Units, to the extent earned previously (upon a Change in Control where provision is made for the continuance, assumption or substitution of the Performance Share Units by the Company or its successor in connection with the Change in Control or otherwise), to the extent not vested previously, and such earned and vested Performance Share Units will be settled in accordance with Section 6(a) hereof.  Any portion of the then-outstanding Performance Share Units not vested at or before the date of Employee's Termination of Employment will be forfeited.

(c)         Certain Definitions. The following definitions apply for purposes of this Agreement:

(i)       “Cause” has the same definition as under any employment or similar agreement between the Company and Employee or, if no such agreement exists or if such agreement does not contain any such definition, Cause means (i) Employee’s conviction of a felony or the entering by Employee of a plea of nolo contendere to a felony charge, (ii) Employee’s gross neglect, willful malfeasance or willful gross misconduct in connection with his or her employment which has had a significant adverse effect on the business of the Company and its subsidiaries, unless Employee reasonably believed in good faith that such act or non-act was in or not opposed to the best interest of the Company, or (iii) repeated material violations by Employee of the duties and obligations of Employee’s position with the Company which have continued after written notice thereof from the Company, which violations are demonstrably willful and deliberate on Employee’s part and which result in material damage to the Company’s business or reputation.

(ii)        “CIC Protection Period” means the two-year period beginning on the date of a Change in Control and ending on the day before the second annual anniversary of the date of the Change in Control.

(iii)      “Disability” means Employee has been incapable of substantially fulfilling the positions, duties, responsibilities and obligations of his employment because of physical, mental or emotional incapacity resulting from injury, sickness or disease for a period of at least six consecutive months. The Company and Employee shall agree on the identity of a physician to resolve any question as to Employee’s disability. If the Company and Employee cannot agree on the physician to make such determination, then the Company and Employee shall each select a physician and those physicians shall jointly select a third physician, who shall make the determination. The determination of any such physician shall be final and conclusive for all purposes of this Agreement.  Only the Company can initiate a Termination of Employment due to Disability.

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(iv)       “Good Reason” has the same definition as under any employment or similar agreement between the Company and Employee; but, if no such agreement exists or if any such agreement does not contain or reference any such definition, Good Reason shall not apply to the Employee for purposes of this Agreement.

(v)       “Pro Rata Portion” means a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of days from the first day of the 36-month earning period specified on Exhibit A to the date of Employee’s Termination of Employment due to Employee’s death, Disability or Retirement, or by the Company without Cause within the CIC Protection Period and other than for Disability or Retirement or by Employee for Good Reason within the CIC Protection Period, and the denominator of which is the number of days from the first day of such 36-month earning period to the Earning Date.

(vi)        “Retirement” means the Employee has attained age 65, or age 55 with 20 or more years of service.

(vii)     “Subsidiary” means any subsidiary corporation of the Company within the meaning of Section 424(f) of the Code (“Section 424(f) Corporation”) and any partnership, limited liability company or joint venture in which either the Company or Section 424(f) Corporation is at least a 50% equity participant.

(viii)    “Termination of Employment” and “Termination” means the earliest time at which Employee is not employed by the Company or a Subsidiary of the Company.

(d)        Termination by the Company for Cause.  In the event of Employee’s Termination of Employment by the Company for Cause, the portion of the then-outstanding Performance Share Units not earned and vested prior to such time will be forfeited immediately upon notice to Employee that the Company is terminating the Employee’s employment for Cause.

5.          Dividend Equivalents and Adjustments.

(a)         Dividend Equivalents. Dividend Equivalents will be credited on Performance Share Units (other than Performance Share Units that, at the relevant record date, previously have been settled or forfeited) and deemed converted into additional Performance Share Units.  Dividend Equivalents will be credited as follows, except that the Company may vary the manner of crediting (for example, by crediting cash dividend equivalents rather than additional Performance Share Units) for administrative convenience:

(i)        Cash Dividends. If the Company declares and pays a dividend or distribution on shares of Stock in the form of cash, then additional Performance Share Units shall be credited to Employee’s Account as of the payment date of such cash dividend or distribution (or settled as of the payment date of such cash dividend or distribution if the Performance Share Units are to be settled before the payment date) equal to the number of Performance Share Units credited to the Account as of the relevant record date multiplied by the amount of cash paid per share of Stock in such dividend or distribution divided by the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock at the payment date for such dividend or distribution.

(ii)        Non-Share Dividends. If the Company declares and pays a dividend or distribution on shares of Stock in the form of property other than shares of Stock, then a number of additional Performance Share Units shall be credited to Employee’s Account as of the payment date of such cash dividend or distribution (or settled as of the payment date of such cash dividend or distribution if the Performance Share Units are to be settled before the payment date) equal to the number of Performance Share Units credited to the Account as of the record date for such dividend or distribution multiplied by the fair market value of such property actually paid as a dividend or distribution on each outstanding share of Stock at such payment date, divided by the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock at such payment date for such dividend or distribution.

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(iii)       Share Dividends and Splits. If the Company declares and pays a dividend or distribution on shares of Stock in the form of additional shares of Stock, or there occurs a forward split of shares of Stock, then a number of additional Performance Share Units shall be credited to Employee’s Account as of the payment date for such dividend or distribution or forward split (or settled as of the payment date for such dividend or distribution or forward split if the Performance Share Units are to be settled before the payment date) equal to the number of Performance Share Units credited to the Account as of the record date for such dividend or distribution or split multiplied by the number of additional shares of Stock actually paid as a dividend or distribution or issued in such split in respect of each outstanding share of Stock.

(b)        Adjustments. The number of Performance Share Units credited to Employee’s Account shall be appropriately adjusted in order to prevent dilution or enlargement of Employee’s rights with respect to Performance Share Units or to reflect any changes in the number of outstanding shares of Stock resulting from any event referred to in Section 11(c) of the Plan, taking into account any Performance Share Units credited to Employee in connection with such event under Section 5(a) hereof. In furtherance of the foregoing, in the event of an equity restructuring, as defined in ASC Topic 718, which affects the shares of Stock, Employee shall have a legal right to an adjustment to Employee’s Performance Share Units which shall preserve without enlarging the value of the Performance Share Units, with the manner of such adjustment to be determined by the Committee in its discretion.  All adjustments will be made in a manner as to maintain the Performance Share Unit’s exemption from Code Section 409A or, to the extent Code Section 409A applies, to comply with Code Section 409A.  Any adjustments shall be subject to the requirements and restrictions set forth in Section 11(c) of the Plan.

(c)        Risk of Forfeiture and Settlement of Performance Share Units Resulting from Dividend Equivalents and Adjustments. Performance Share Units which directly or indirectly result from Dividend Equivalents on or adjustments to Performance Share Units granted hereunder shall be subject to the same risk of forfeiture and other conditions as apply to the granted Performance Share Units with respect to which the Dividend Equivalents or adjustments related and will be settled at the same time as such related Performance Share Units (unless the Performance Share Units are to be settled prior to the payment date of the Dividend Equivalents or the date of such adjustments, in which case the Dividend Equivalents or adjustments will be settled at the payment date of the dividends or the date of such adjustments (and in no event later than 60 days after the Performance Share Units otherwise are to be settled)).

6.          Settlement and Deferral.

(a)        Settlement Date. Except as otherwise set forth above under “Further Conditions to Settlement,” Performance Share Units granted hereunder that have become earned and vested, together with Performance Share Units credited as a result of Dividend Equivalents with respect thereto, to the extent earned and vested, shall be settled by delivery of one share of Stock for each Performance Share Unit being settled at the time specified herein.  Settlement of earned and vested Performance Share Units  granted hereunder shall occur at the Earning Date (with shares to be delivered within 60 days after the Earning Date); provided, however, that settlement of earned and vested Performance Share Units shall occur within 60 days after a Change in Control if no provision is made for the continuance, assumption or substitution of the Performance Share Units by the Company or its successor in connection with the Change in Control; and provided further, that settlement shall be deferred if so elected by Employee in accordance with Section 6(b) hereof subject to Section 6(c) hereof.  Settlement of Performance Share Units which directly or indirectly result from Dividend Equivalents on Performance Share Units granted hereunder generally shall occur at the time of settlement of the related Performance Share Units except as otherwise described above.

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(b)        Elective Deferral. The Committee may determine to permit Employee to elect to defer settlement (or re-defer) if such election would be permissible under Section 11(k) of the Plan and Code Section 409A.  In addition to any applicable requirements under Code Section 409A, any such deferral election shall be made only while Employee remains employed and at a time permitted under Code Section 409A.  The form under which an election is made shall set forth the time and form of payment of such amount deferred.  Any amount deferred shall be subject to a 6 month delay upon payment if required under Section 11(k)(i)(F) of the Plan.  Any elective deferral will be subject to such additional terms and conditions as the Senior Vice President, Human Resources, or the officer designated by the Company as responsible for administration of the Agreement, may reasonably impose.

(c)       Compliance with Code Section 409A. Other provisions of this Agreement notwithstanding, because the Performance Share Units will constitute a "deferral of compensation" under Section 409A of the Code (“Code Section 409A”) as presently in effect or hereafter amended (i.e., the Performance Share Units are not excluded or exempted under Code Section 409A or a regulation or other official governmental guidance thereunder; Note: an elective deferral under Section 6(b) would cause the Performance Share Units, if not already, to be a deferral of compensation subject to Code Section 409A after the deferral), such Performance Share Units will be considered a 409A Award under the Plan and, shall be subject to the additional requirements set forth in Section 11(k) of the Plan including without limitation that (i) Termination of Employment shall be construed consistent with the meaning of a Separation from Service and (ii) a Change in Control under the Agreement shall be construed consistent with the meaning of a 409A Ownership/Control Change.

7.        Employee Representations and Warranties Upon Settlement. As a condition to the settlement of the Performance Share Units, the Company may require Employee (i) to make any representation or warranty to the Company as may be required under any applicable law or regulation and (ii) to execute a release from claims against the Company arising at or before the date of the release, in such form as may be specified by the Company, and not revoke such release prior the expiration of any applicable revocation period, all within 60 days after Termination of Employment.

8.          Miscellaneous.

(a)         Binding Agreement; Written Amendments. This Agreement shall be binding upon the heirs, executors, administrators and successors of the parties. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties with respect to the Performance Share Units, and supersedes any prior agreements or documents with respect to the Performance Share Units. No amendment or alteration of this Agreement which may impose any additional obligation upon the Company shall be valid unless expressed in a written instrument duly executed in the name of the Company, and no amendment, alteration, suspension or termination of this Agreement which may materially impair the rights of Employee with respect to the Performance Share Units shall be valid unless expressed in a written instrument executed by Employee.

(b)         No Promise of Employment. The Performance Share Units and the granting thereof shall not constitute or be evidence of any agreement or understanding, express or implied, that Employee has a right to continue as an officer or employee of the Company for any period of time, or at any particular rate of compensation.

(c)        Governing Law. The validity, construction, and effect of this Agreement shall be determined in accordance with the laws (including those governing contracts) of the state of New Jersey, without giving effect to principles of conflicts of laws, and applicable federal law.

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(d)        Fractional Performance Share Units and Shares. The number of Performance Share Units credited to Employee’s Account shall include fractional Performance Share Units calculated to at least three decimal places, unless otherwise determined by the Committee. Unless settlement is effected through a third-party broker or agent that can accommodate fractional shares (without requiring issuance of a fractional Share by the Company), upon settlement of the Performance Share Units, the Committee, in its sole discretion, may either (i) round the fractional share to be delivered up to a whole Share or (ii) provide that Employee shall be paid, in cash, an amount equal to the value of any fractional Share that would have otherwise been deliverable in settlement of such Performance Share Units.

(e)        Mandatory Tax Withholding. Unless otherwise determined by the Committee, or Employee has elected at least 90 days prior to payout to satisfy the tax obligations in cash by other means, at the time of vesting and/or settlement the Company will withhold first from any cash payable and then from any shares of Stock deliverable in settlement of the Performance Share Units, in accordance with Section 11(d)(i) of the Plan, the number of whole shares of Stock having a value nearest to, but not exceeding, the minimum amount of income and employment taxes required to be withheld under applicable laws and regulations (only with respect to the minimum number of Shares necessary to satisfy statutory withholding requirements, unless withholding of any additional number of Shares will not result in additional accounting expense to the Company and is permitted by the Committee), and pay the amount of such withholding taxes in cash to the appropriate taxing authorities. Employee will be responsible for any withholding taxes not satisfied by means of such mandatory withholding and for all taxes in excess of such minimum withholding taxes that may be due upon vesting or settlement of Performance Share Units.

(f)        Statements. An individual statement of each Employee’s Account will be issued to Employee at such times as may be determined by the Company. Such a statement shall reflect the number of Performance Share Units credited to Employee’s Account, transactions therein during the period covered by the statement, and other information deemed relevant by the Company. Such a statement may be combined with or include information regarding other plans and compensatory arrangements. Employee’s statements shall be deemed a part of this Agreement, and shall evidence the Company’s obligations in respect of Performance Share Units, including the number of Performance Share Units credited as a result of Dividend Equivalents (if any). Any statement containing an error shall not, however, represent a binding obligation to the extent of such error, notwithstanding the inclusion of such statement as part of this Agreement.

(g)        Unfunded Obligations. The grant of the Performance Share Units and any provision for distribution in settlement of Employee’s Account hereunder shall be by means of bookkeeping entries on the books of the Company and shall not create in Employee any right to, or claim against any, specific assets of the Company, nor result in the creation of any trust or escrow account for Employee. With respect to Employee’s entitlement to any distribution hereunder, Employee shall be a general creditor of the Company.

(h)         Notices. Any notice to be given the Company under this Agreement shall be addressed to the Company at its principal executive offices, in care of the Senior Vice President, Human Resources, or the officer designated by the Company as responsible for administration of the Agreement, and any notice to Employee shall be addressed to Employee at Employee’s address as then appearing in the records of the Company.

(i)       Shareholder Rights. Employee and any Beneficiary shall not have any rights with respect to shares of Stock (including voting rights) covered by this Agreement prior to the settlement and distribution of the shares of Stock except as otherwise specified herein.  Specifically, Performance Share Units represent a contractual right to receive shares of Stock in the future, subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement and the Plan, and do not represent ownership of shares of Stock at any time before the settlement of this Award and actual issuance of the shares of Stock.

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Exhibit A
NEW JERSEY RESOURCES CORPORATION
2017 Stock Award and Incentive Plan
Performance Goal and Earning of Performance Share Units

The number of Performance Share Units earned by Participant shall be determined as of September 30, 2026 (the “Earning Date”), based on the Company’s “Total Shareholder Return Performance” in the 36-month period ending at the Earning Date as compared against an established group of comparable companies (the “Comparison Group”) selected by the Committee and shown below. The number of Performance Share Units earned will be determined based on the following grid:

Relative Total Shareholder Return
 
Company Relative Total
Shareholder Return Performance
Percentile Achieved
 
Performance Share Units Earned as
Percentage of
Target Performance Share Units
 
Less than 25th
   
0
%
25th  (threshold)
   
40
%
55th (target)
   
100
%
80th and above (maximum)
   
150
%

Total Shareholder Return (or “TSR”), expressed as a percentage, shall be computed as follows:

TSR = (PriceendPricebegin + Dividends) / Pricebegin

Pricebegin = the average of the closing share price of the Stock over the 20 trading days beginning October 1, 2023.

Priceend = the average of the closing share price of the Stock over the 20 trading days ending September 30, 2026.

Dividends = dividends or other distributions paid to shareholders with respect to the Stock with ex-dividend dates falling within the 36-month period between October 1, 2023 and September 30, 2026 (with such dividends and other distributions deemed reinvested in shares of Stock as of the ex-dividend date based on the Price of the Stock on the ex-dividend date where not paid in shares of Stock).

Price = the closing price of the Stock as of the applicable date.

Upon achievement of Total Shareholder Return at a percentile between any two specified percentiles, the Performance Share Units earned will be mathematically interpolated on a straight-line basis.

Determinations of the Committee regarding Total Shareholder Return performance, such performance as a percentile within the Comparison Group, the resulting Performance Share Units earned and vested and related matters will be final and binding on Participant.

Companies shall be removed from the Comparison Group if they undergo a Specified Corporate Change. A company that is removed from the Comparison Group before the Earning Date will not be included at all in the computation of Total Shareholder Return. A company in the Comparison Group will be deemed to have undergone a “Specified Corporate Change” if it:

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1.
ceases to be a domestically domiciled publicly traded company on a national stock exchange or market system, unless such cessation of such listing is due to a low stock price or low trading volume; or


2.
has gone private; or


3.
has reincorporated in a foreign (e.g., non-U.S.) jurisdiction, regardless of whether it is a reporting company in that or another jurisdiction; or


4.
has been acquired by another company (whether by a peer company or otherwise, but not including internal reorganizations), or has sold all or substantially all of its assets.

The Company shall rely on press releases, public filings, website postings, and other reasonably reliable information available regarding a peer company in making a determination that a Specified Corporate Change has occurred.

The Committee shall determine a reasonable methodology for dealing with companies in the Comparison Group that cease to be engaged in a business comparable to that of the Company.  Additionally, TSR will be -100% if a company: (i) files for bankruptcy, reorganization, or liquidation under any chapter of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code; (ii) is the subject of an involuntary bankruptcy proceeding that is not dismissed within 30 days; (iii) is the subject of a stockholder approved plan of liquidation or dissolution; or (iv) ceases to conduct substantial business operations.  Total Shareholder Return shall be calculated in a manner that reflects the economic return to shareholders, such that any equity restructuring of the Company or any company in the Comparison Group shall not have the effect of enlarging or reducing the rights of Employee except to the extent of its effects on the real economic return of a shareholder.

Determinations of the Committee regarding Total Shareholder Return performance, in the case of a Change in Control or Employee’s Termination due to death prior to the Earning Date, shall be made as if the performance period had ended at the date of the Change in Control or Termination of Employment due to death, as applicable.

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The Comparison Group

Atmos Energy Corporation
Avista Corp.
Black Hills Corporation
CenterPoint Energy, Inc.
Chesapeake Utilities Corporation
CMS Energy Corp.
National Fuel Gas Company
NiSource Inc.
Northwest Natural Gas Company
Northwestern Corporation
ONE Gas, Inc.
Southwest Gas Corporation
Spire Inc.
UGI Corporation

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Exhibit B
NEW JERSEY RESOURCES CORPORATION
2017 Stock Award and Incentive Plan
Definitions Under Further Conditions to Settlement


a.
“Business of the Company” means the following areas of its business which are selected below, which Employee acknowledges are areas of the Company’s business in which Employee has responsibilities:

(check as applicable)


___
Natural Gas Distribution: Consists of New Jersey Natural Gas Company (“NJNG”), a natural gas utility company that provides regulated retail natural gas service to residential and commercial customers in central and northern New Jersey and participates in the off-system sales and capacity release markets, and is developing a broad range of strategies to decarbonize its operations, including clean fuels and behind the meter solutions.


___
Energy Services:  Maintains and transacts around a portfolio of physical assets consisting of natural gas storage and transportation contracts and also provides wholesale energy management services to other energy companies and natural gas producers in market areas including states from the Gulf Coast and Mid-continent regions to the Appalachian and Northeast regions, the West Coast and Canada.


___
Clean Energy Ventures: Investor, owner, and operator in the renewable energy sector, including, but not limited to, investments in residential and commercial rooftop and ground mount solar systems.


___
Storage and Transportation:  Includes investments in natural gas transportation and storage assets and is comprised of the following: Steckman Ridge, which is a partnership that owns and operates a 17.7 Bcf natural gas storage facility, with up to 12 Bcf working capacity, in western Pennsylvania that is 50 percent owned by a Company Subsidiary; Leaf River Energy Center, a natural gas storage facility located in southeastern Mississippi with a combined working natural gas storage capacity of 32.2 million dekatherms; and Adelphia Gateway, an 84-mile pipeline in southeastern Pennsylvania and Delaware.


___
Home Services:  Consists of NJR Home Services Company, which provides Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning (“HVAC”) service, sales and installation of appliances, as well as installation of solar equipment and plumbing services.


b.
“Confidential Information” means all valuable and/or proprietary information (in oral, written, electronic or other forms) belonging to or pertaining to the Company, its customers and vendors, that is not generally known or publicly available, and which would be useful to competitors of the Company or otherwise damaging to the Company if disclosed.  Confidential Information may include, but is not necessarily limited to:  (i) the identity of the Company’s customers or potential customers, their purchasing histories, and the terms or proposed terms upon which the Company offers or may offer its products and services to such customers, (ii) the identity of the Company’s vendors or potential vendors, and the terms or proposed terms upon which the Company may purchase products and services from such vendors, (iii) technology used by the Company to provide its services, (iv) the terms and conditions upon which the Company employs its employees and independent contractors, (v) marketing and/or business plans and strategies, (vi) financial reports and analyses regarding the revenues, expenses, profitability and operations of the Company, and (vii) information provided to the Company by customers and other third parties under a duty to maintain the confidentiality of such information.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, Confidential Information does not include information that:  (i) has been voluntarily disclosed to the public by Company or any Employer, except where such public disclosure has been made by Employee without authorization from Company or Employer; (ii) has been independently developed and disclosed by others, or (iii) which has otherwise entered the public domain through lawful means. Confidential Information also does not include information related to any claim of sexual harassment or sexual assault and nothing herein restricts the disclosure of such information.  Nothing herein shall prohibit, prevent or restrict the Employee from reporting any allegations of unlawful conduct to federal, state or local officials or to an attorney retained by the Employee.

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c.
“Material Contact” means contact in person, by telephone, or by paper or electronic correspondence, or the supervision of those who have such conduct, and which is done in furtherance of the business interests of the company and within the last 36 months.


d.
“Restricted Territory” consists of the following areas, to the extent such areas have been identified as applicable to the definition of the “Business of the company” above:

Natural Gas Distribution: The State of New Jersey and for those employees engaged in or supervising off system sales, the States of New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

Energy Services: The Continental United States and within a 100 mile radius of the Dawn Storage Hub in Canada.

Clean Energy Ventures: The States of New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, Michigan, Indiana, and Maryland.

Storage and Transportation: The States of New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana and Texas.

Home Services: The State of New Jersey.


e.
“Trade Secrets” means a trade secret of the Company as defined by applicable law


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Exhibit 10.2


NEW JERSEY RESOURCES CORPORATION
2017 Stock Award and Incentive Plan
Performance Share Units Agreement (NFE)

This Performance Share Units Agreement (the “Agreement”), which includes the attached “Terms and Conditions of Performance Share Units” (the “Terms and Conditions”) and the attached Exhibit A captioned “Performance Goal and Earning of Performance Share Units”, confirms the grant on November __, 2023 (the “Grant Date”) by NEW JERSEY RESOURCES CORPORATION, a New Jersey corporation (the “Company”), to _____________________ (“Employee”), under Sections 6(e), 6(i) and 7 of the 2017 Stock Award and Incentive Plan (the “Plan”), of Performance Share Units (the “Performance Share Units”), including rights to Dividend Equivalents as specified herein, as follows:

Target Number Granted:          ____ Performance Share Units (“Target Number”)

How Performance Share Units are Earned and Vest: The Performance Share Units, if not previously forfeited, (i) will be earned, if and to the extent that the Performance Goal defined on Exhibit A to this Agreement is achieved, with the corresponding number of Performance Share Units earned (ranging from 0% to 150% of the Target Number) as specified on Exhibit A, on the date set forth on Exhibit A (the “Earning Date”) and (ii) will vest as to the number of Performance Share Units earned if Employee remains employed by the Company or a Subsidiary from the Grant Date through the Earning Date (the “Stated Vesting Date”).  To the extent vested, all earned Performance Share Units shall be settled within 60 days after the Stated Vesting Date.  In addition, if not previously forfeited or payable, upon a Change in Control prior to the Stated Vesting Date, the Performance Share Units (i) will be earned in an amount equal to the Target Number of the Performance Share Units and (ii) will (A) immediately vest on the Change in Control with respect to such earned Performance Share Units and will be settled within 60 days thereafter, if Employee remains employed by the Company or a Subsidiary from the Grant Date through the Change in Control and no provision is made for the continuance, assumption or substitution of the Performance Share Units by the Company or its successor in connection with the Change in Control, or (B) vest on the Stated Vesting Date with respect to such earned Performance Share Units and will be settled within 60 days thereafter, if Employee remains employed by the Company or a Subsidiary from the Grant Date through the Stated Vesting Date and provision is made for the continuance, assumption or substitution of the Performance Share Units by the Company or its successor in connection with the Change in Control.  In addition, if not previously forfeited or payable, the Performance Share Units will become vested upon the occurrence of certain events relating to Employee's Termination of Employment to the extent provided in Section 4 of the attached Terms and Conditions, and such vested Performance Share Units will continue to be subject to the Performance Goal and will be eligible to be earned if and to the extent that the Performance Goal is achieved or there is a Change in Control prior to the Stated Vesting Date and settled in accordance with Section 6(a) hereof. The terms “vest” and “vesting” mean that the Performance Share Units have become non-forfeitable in relation to Employee’s employment but may continue to be subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture based on the Performance Goal to the extent provided in Section 4 of the attached Terms and Conditions.  If the Performance Goal is not met (or not fully met), and no Change in Control occurs prior to the Earning Date, the Performance Share Units (or the unearned portion of the Performance Share Units) will be immediately forfeited (whether vested or not).  If Employee has a Termination of Employment prior to the Stated Vesting Date and the Performance Share Units are not otherwise vested by that date, the Performance Share Units will be immediately forfeited except as otherwise provided in Section 4 of the attached Terms and Conditions. Forfeited Performance Share Units cease to be outstanding and in no event will thereafter result in any delivery of shares of Stock to Employee.

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Performance Goal and Earning Date: The Performance Goal and Earning Date, and the number of Performance Share Units earned for specified levels of performance at the Earning Date, shall be as specified in Exhibit A hereto.

Settlement: Performance Share Units that are to be settled hereunder, including Performance Share Units credited as a result of Dividend Equivalents, will be settled by delivery of one share of Stock, for each Performance Share Unit being settled. Settlement shall occur at the time specified above and in Section 6(a) of the attached Terms and Conditions.

Further Conditions to Settlement: Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, except as otherwise set forth below, the Company’s obligation to settle the Performance Share Units and Employee’s right to distribution of the Performance Share Units will be forfeited immediately upon the occurrence of any one or more of the following events (defined terms are attached hereto as Exhibit B):

(a)          Competitive Employment.  In the event that Employee, prior to full settlement of the Performance Share Units and within the Restricted Territory, directly or indirectly, whether on Employee’s own behalf or on behalf of any other person or entity, performs services of the type which are the same as or similar to those conducted, authorized, offered or provided by Employee to the Company within the last 24 months, and which support business activities which compete with the Business of the Company.

(b)        Recruitment of Company Employees and Contractors.  In the event that Employee, prior to full settlement of the Performance Share Units, directly or indirectly, whether on Employee’s own behalf or on behalf of any other person or entity, solicits or induces any employee or independent contractor of the Company with whom Employee had Material Contact to terminate or lessen such employment or contract with the Company.

(c)          Solicitation of Company Customers. In the event that Employee, prior to full settlement of the Performance Share Units, directly or indirectly, whether on Employee’s own behalf or on behalf of any other person or entity, solicits any actual or prospective customers of the Company with whom Employee had Material Contact for the purpose of selling any products or services which compete with the Business of the Company.

(d)        Solicitation of Company Vendors. In the event that Employee, prior to full settlement of the Performance Share Units, directly or indirectly, whether on Employee’s own behalf or on behalf of any other person or entity, solicits any actual or prospective vendor of the Company with whom Employee had Material Contact for the purpose of purchasing products or services to support business activities which compete with the Business of the Company.

2

(e)         Breach of Confidentiality.  In the event that Employee, at any time prior to full settlement of the Performance Share Units, directly or indirectly, divulges or makes use of any Confidential Information or Trade Secrets of the Company other than in the performance of Employee’s duties for the Company.  This provision does not limit the remedies available to the Company under common or statutory law as to trade secrets or other forms of confidential information, which may impose longer duties of non-disclosure and provide for injunctive relief and damages. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, nothing herein is intended to or will be used in any way to prevent Employee from providing truthful testimony under oath in a judicial or administrative proceeding or to limit Employee’s right to communicate with a government agency, as provided for, protected under or warranted by applicable law.  The Employee further understands nothing herein limits the Employee’s ability to file a charge or complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the National Labor Relations Board, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Securities and Exchange Commission, or any other federal, state or local government agency or commission (‘Government Agencies”).  Nothing herein limits the Employee’s ability to communicate with any Government Agencies or otherwise participate in any investigation or proceeding that may be conducted by the Government Agency, including providing documents or information without notice to the Company.  This Agreement does not limit the Employee’s right to receive an award for information provided to any Government Agency. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Employee shall not be held criminally or civilly liable under any federal or state trade secret law for the disclosure of a Trade Secret that (i) is made in confidence to a federal, state, or local government official, either directly or indirectly, or to an attorney and solely for the purpose of reporting or investigating a suspected violation of law or (ii) is made in a complaint or other document filed in a lawsuit or other proceeding, if such filing is made under seal.  In addition, if the Employee files a lawsuit for retaliation for reporting a suspected violation of law, the Employee may disclose the Trade Secret to his or her attorney and use the Trade Secret information in the court proceeding, as long as the Employee files any document containing the Trade Secret under seal and does not disclose the Trade Secret, except pursuant to court order.

(f)        Return of Property and Information.  In the event that prior to full settlement of the Performance Share Units Employee fails to return all of the Company’s property and information (whether confidential or not) within Employee’s possession or control within seven (7) calendar days following the termination or resignation of Employee from employment with the Company.  Such property and information includes, but is not limited to, the original and any copy (regardless of the manner in which it is recorded) of all information provided by the Company to Employee or which Employee has developed or collected in the scope of Employee’s employment with the Company, as well as all Company-issued equipment, supplies, accessories, vehicles, keys, instruments, tools, devices, computers, cell phones, pagers, materials, documents, plans, records, notebooks, drawings, or papers.  Upon request by the Company, Employee shall certify in writing that Employee has complied with this provision, and has permanently deleted all Company information from any computers or other electronic storage devices or media owned by Employee.  Employee may only retain information relating to the Employee’s benefit plans and compensation to the extent needed to prepare Employee’s tax returns.

(g)        Disparagement.  In the event that prior to full settlement of the Performance Share Units Employee makes any statements, either verbally or in writing, that are disparaging with regard to the Company or any of its subsidiaries or their respective executives and Board members.

3

(h)          Failure to Provide Information.  In the event that prior to full settlement of the Performance Share Units Employee fails to promptly and fully respond to requests for information from the Company regarding Employee’s compliance with any of the foregoing conditions.

If it is determined by the Leadership Development and Compensation Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors, in its sole discretion, that any of the foregoing events have occurred prior to full settlement of the Performance Share Units, any unpaid portion of the Performance Share Units will be forfeited without any compensation therefor, provided, however, that none of the foregoing conditions shall restrict any Employee who is a lawyer from practicing law.  To the extent any such condition would restrict any Employee who is a lawyer from practicing law or would penalize the Employee for practicing law, such condition shall not be effective and the Leadership Development and Compensation Committee may not forfeit any of the Performance Share Units on account therefor.

The Performance Share Units are subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan and this Agreement, including the Terms and Conditions of Performance Share Units attached hereto and deemed a part hereof. The number of Performance Share Units and the kind of shares deliverable in settlement and other terms and conditions of the Performance Share Units are subject to adjustment in accordance with Section 5 of the attached Terms and Conditions and Section 11(c) of the Plan.

Employee acknowledges and agrees that (i) the Performance Share Units are nontransferable, except as provided in Section 3 of the attached Terms and Conditions and Section 11(b) of the Plan, (ii) the Performance Share Units are subject to forfeiture in the event of Employee’s Termination of Employment in certain circumstances prior to vesting, as specified in Section 4 of the attached Terms and Conditions, (iii) the foregoing conditions shall apply to the Performance Share Units prior to settlement and (iv) sales of shares of Stock delivered upon settlement of the Performance Share Units will be subject to any Company policy regulating trading by employees.

Capitalized terms used in this Agreement but not defined herein shall have the same meanings as in the Plan.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, NEW JERSEY RESOURCES CORPORATION has caused this Agreement to be executed by its officer thereunto duly authorized.

4

 
NEW JERSEY RESOURCES CORPORATION
   
 
By:
 

 

[NAME]
 

[Title]
 
 
Officer’s Name
   

 

[NAME]
 

[Title]

5

TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF PERFORMANCE SHARE UNITS

The following Terms and Conditions apply to the Performance Share Units granted to Employee by NEW JERSEY RESOURCES CORPORATION (the “Company”) and Performance Share Units resulting from Dividend Equivalents (as defined below), if any, as specified in the Performance Share Units Agreement (of which these Terms and Conditions form a part). Certain terms of the Performance Share Units, including the number of Performance Share Units granted, vesting date(s) and settlement date, are set forth on the cover page hereto and Exhibit A, which are an integral part of this Agreement.

1.          General.  The Performance Share Units are granted to Employee under the Company’s 2017 Stock Award and Incentive Plan (the “Plan”), which has been previously delivered to Employee and/or is available upon request to the Human Resources Department. All of the applicable terms, conditions and other provisions of the Plan are incorporated by reference herein. Capitalized terms used in this Agreement but not defined herein shall have the same meanings as in the Plan. If there is any conflict between the provisions of this document and mandatory provisions of the Plan, the provisions of the Plan govern. By accepting the grant of the Performance Share Units, Employee agrees to be bound by all of the terms and provisions of the Plan (as presently in effect or later amended), the rules and regulations under the Plan adopted from time to time, and the decisions and determinations relating to the Plan and grants thereunder of the Leadership Development and Compensation Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Committee”) made from time to time.

2.        Account for Employee. The Company shall maintain a bookkeeping account for Employee (the “Account”) reflecting the number of Performance Share Units then credited to Employee hereunder as a result of such grant of Performance Share Units and any crediting of additional Performance Share Units to Employee pursuant to dividends paid on shares of Stock under Section 5 hereof (“Dividend Equivalents”).

3.        Nontransferability. Until Performance Share Units are settled by delivery of shares of Stock in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, Employee may not transfer Performance Share Units or any rights hereunder to any third party other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution, except for transfers to a Beneficiary or as otherwise permitted and subject to the conditions under Section 11(b) of the Plan.  This restriction on transfer precludes any sale, assignment, pledge or other encumbrance or disposition of the Performance Share Units (except for forfeitures to the Company).

4.          Termination of Employment. The following provisions will govern the earning, vesting and forfeiture of the Performance Share Units that are outstanding at the time of Employee’s Termination of Employment (as defined below) (i) by the Company without Cause (as defined below) or by the Employee for Good Reason (as defined below), in either case during the CIC Protection Period (as defined below), or (ii) due to death, Disability (as defined below) or Retirement (as defined below), unless otherwise determined by the Committee (subject to Section 8(e) hereof):

(a)         Termination by the Company or by the Employee in Certain Events. In the event of Employee’s Termination of Employment, prior to the Stated Vesting Date, by the Company without Cause within the CIC Protection Period and other than for Disability or Retirement, or by Employee for Good Reason within the CIC Protection Period, the outstanding Performance Share Units will be vested with respect to no less than a Pro Rata Portion (as defined below) of the Performance Share Units, to the extent earned previously (upon a Change in Control where provision is made for the continuance, assumption or substitution of the Performance Share Units by the Company or its successor in connection with the Change in Control or otherwise), to the extent not vested previously, and such earned and vested Performance Share Units will be settled in accordance with Section 6(a) hereof.  In the event of Employee’s Termination of Employment, prior to the Stated Vesting Date, (i) by the Company for Cause and other than for Disability or Retirement, (ii) by the Company for any reason other than Disability or Retirement prior to or after the CIC Protection Period, (iii) by Employee (other than for Good Reason within the CIC Protection Period or upon Retirement), or (iv) by Employee (other than upon Retirement) before or after the CIC Protection Period, the portion of the then-outstanding Performance Share Units not earned and vested at the date of Employee’s Termination of Employment will be forfeited.

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(b)        Death, Disability or Retirement. In the event of Employee’s Termination of Employment, prior to the Stated Vesting Date and before a Change in Control, due to Employee’s death, Disability or Retirement, the outstanding Performance Share Units will be vested with respect to no less than a Pro Rata Portion (as defined below) of the Performance Share Units, to the extent not earned previously, that may become earned on the Earning Date, to the extent not previously vested, and such vested Performance Share Units will continue to be subject to the Performance Goal and will be eligible to be earned if and to the extent that the Performance Goal is achieved or there is a Change in Control prior to the Stated Vesting Date and settled in accordance with Section 6(a) hereof.  In the event of Employee’s Termination of Employment, prior to the Stated Vesting Date but on or after a Change in Control, due to Employee’s death, Disability or Retirement, the outstanding Performance Share Units will be vested with respect to no less than a Pro Rata Portion of the Performance Share Units, to the extent earned previously (upon a Change in Control where provision is made for the continuance, assumption or substitution of the Performance Share Units by the Company or its successor in connection with the Change in Control or otherwise), to the extent not vested previously, and such earned and vested Performance Share Units will be settled in accordance with Section 6(a) hereof.  Any portion of the then-outstanding Performance Share Units not vested at or before the date of Employee’s Termination of Employment will be forfeited.

(c)         Certain Definitions. The following definitions apply for purposes of this Agreement:

(i)       “Cause” has the same definition as under any employment or similar agreement between the Company and Employee or, if no such agreement exists or if such agreement does not contain any such definition, Cause means (i) Employee’s conviction of a felony or the entering by Employee of a plea of nolo contendere to a felony charge, (ii) Employee’s gross neglect, willful malfeasance or willful gross misconduct in connection with his or her employment which has had a significant adverse effect on the business of the Company and its subsidiaries, unless Employee reasonably believed in good faith that such act or non-act was in or not opposed to the best interest of the Company, or (iii) repeated material violations by Employee of the duties and obligations of Employee’s position with the Company which have continued after written notice thereof from the Company, which violations are demonstrably willful and deliberate on Employee’s part and which result in material damage to the Company’s business or reputation.

(ii)        “CIC Protection Period” means the two-year period beginning on the date of a Change in Control and ending on the day before the second annual anniversary of the date of the Change in Control.

(iii)      “Disability” means Employee has been incapable of substantially fulfilling the positions, duties, responsibilities and obligations of his employment because of physical, mental or emotional incapacity resulting from injury, sickness or disease for a period of at least six consecutive months. The Company and Employee shall agree on the identity of a physician to resolve any question as to Employee’s disability. If the Company and Employee cannot agree on the physician to make such determination, then the Company and Employee shall each select a physician and those physicians shall jointly select a third physician, who shall make the determination. The determination of any such physician shall be final and conclusive for all purposes of this Agreement.  Only the Company can initiate a Termination of Employment due to Disability.

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(iv)       “Good Reason” has the same definition as under any employment or similar agreement between the Company and Employee; but, if no such agreement exists or if any such agreement does not contain or reference any such definition, Good Reason shall not apply to the Employee for purposes of this Agreement.

(v)       “Pro Rata Portion” means a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of days from the first day of the 36-month earning period specified on Exhibit A to the date of Employee’s Termination of Employment due to Employee’s death, Disability or Retirement, or by the Company without Cause within the CIC Protection Period and other than for Disability or Retirement or by Employee for Good Reason within the CIC Protection Period, and the denominator of which is the number of days from the first day of such 36-month earning period to the Earning Date.

(vi)        “Retirement” means the Employee has attained age 65, or age 55 with 20 or more years of service.

(vii)     “Subsidiary” means any subsidiary corporation of the Company within the meaning of Section 424(f) of the Code (“Section 424(f) Corporation”) and any partnership, limited liability company or joint venture in which either the Company or Section 424(f) Corporation is at least a 50% equity participant.

(vii)     “Termination of Employment” and “Termination” means the earliest time at which Employee is not employed by the Company or a Subsidiary of the Company.

(d)        Termination by the Company for Cause.  In the event of Employee’s Termination of Employment by the Company for Cause, the portion of the then-outstanding Performance Share Units not earned and vested prior to such time will be forfeited immediately upon notice to Employee that the Company is terminating the Employee’s employment for Cause.

5.          Dividend Equivalents and Adjustments.

(a)         Dividend Equivalents. Dividend Equivalents will be credited on Performance Share Units (other than Performance Share Units that, at the relevant record date, previously have been settled or forfeited) and deemed converted into additional Performance Share Units.  Dividend Equivalents will be credited as follows, except that the Company may vary the manner of crediting (for example, by crediting cash dividend equivalents rather than additional Performance Share Units) for administrative convenience:

(i)       Cash Dividends. If the Company declares and pays a dividend or distribution on shares of Stock in the form of cash, then additional Performance Share Units shall be credited to Employee’s Account as of the payment date of such cash dividend or distribution (or settled as of the payment date of such cash dividend or distribution if the Performance Share Units are to be settled before the payment date) equal to the number of Performance Share Units credited to the Account as of the relevant record date multiplied by the amount of cash paid per share of Stock in such dividend or distribution divided by the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock at the payment date for such dividend or distribution.

(ii)        Non-Share Dividends. If the Company declares and pays a dividend or distribution on shares of Stock in the form of property other than shares of Stock, then a number of additional Performance Share Units shall be credited to Employee’s Account as of the payment date of such cash dividend or distribution (or settled as of the payment date of such cash dividend or distribution if the Performance Share Units are to be settled before the payment date) equal to the number of Performance Share Units credited to the Account as of the record date for such dividend or distribution multiplied by the fair market value of such property actually paid as a dividend or distribution on each outstanding share of Stock at such payment date, divided by the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock at such payment date for such dividend or distribution.

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(iii)       Share Dividends and Splits. If the Company declares and pays a dividend or distribution on shares of Stock in the form of additional shares of Stock, or there occurs a forward split of shares of Stock, then a number of additional Performance Share Units shall be credited to Employee’s Account as of the payment date for such dividend or distribution or forward split (or settled as of the payment date for such dividend or distribution or forward split if the Performance Share Units are to be settled before the payment date) equal to the number of Performance Share Units credited to the Account as of the record date for such dividend or distribution or split multiplied by the number of additional shares of Stock actually paid as a dividend or distribution or issued in such split in respect of each outstanding share of Stock.

(b)        Adjustments. The number of Performance Share Units credited to Employee’s Account shall be appropriately adjusted in order to prevent dilution or enlargement of Employee’s rights with respect to Performance Share Units or to reflect any changes in the number of outstanding shares of Stock resulting from any event referred to in Section 11(c) of the Plan, taking into account any Performance Share Units credited to Employee in connection with such event under Section 5(a) hereof. In furtherance of the foregoing, in the event of an equity restructuring, as defined in ASC Topic 718, which affects the shares of Stock, Employee shall have a legal right to an adjustment to Employee’s Performance Share Units which shall preserve without enlarging the value of the Performance Share Units, with the manner of such adjustment to be determined by the Committee in its discretion.  All adjustments will be made in a manner as to maintain the Performance Share Unit’s exemption from Code Section 409A or, to the extent Code Section 409A applies, to comply with Code Section 409A.  Any adjustments shall be subject to the requirements and restrictions set forth in Section 11(c) of the Plan.

(c)        Risk of Forfeiture and Settlement of Performance Share Units Resulting from Dividend Equivalents and Adjustments. Performance Share Units which directly or indirectly result from Dividend Equivalents on or adjustments to Performance Share Units granted hereunder shall be subject to the same risk of forfeiture and other conditions as apply to the granted Performance Share Units with respect to which the Dividend Equivalents or adjustments related and will be settled at the same time as such related Performance Share Units (unless the Performance Share Units are to be settled prior to the payment date of the Dividend Equivalents or the date of such adjustments, in which case the Dividend Equivalents or adjustments will be settled at the payment date of the dividends or the date of such adjustments (and in no event later than 60 days after the Performance Share Units otherwise are to be settled)).

6.          Settlement and Deferral.

(a)        Settlement Date. Except as otherwise set forth above under “Further Conditions to Settlement,” Performance Share Units granted hereunder that have become earned and vested, together with Performance Share Units credited as a result of Dividend Equivalents with respect thereto, to the extent earned and vested, shall be settled by delivery of one share of Stock for each Performance Share Unit being settled at the time specified herein. Settlement of earned and vested Performance Share Units granted hereunder shall occur at the Earning Date (with shares to be delivered within 60 days after the Earning Date); provided, however, that settlement of earned and vested Performance Share Units shall occur within 60 days after a Change in Control if no provision is made for the continuance, assumption or substitution of the Performance Share Units by the Company or its successor in connection with the Change in Control; and provided further, that settlement shall be deferred if so elected by Employee in accordance with Section 6(b) hereof subject to Section 6(c) hereof.  Settlement of Performance Share Units which directly or indirectly result from Dividend Equivalents on Performance Share Units granted hereunder generally shall occur at the time of settlement of the related Performance Share Units except as otherwise described above.

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(b)        Elective Deferral. The Committee may determine to permit Employee to elect to defer settlement (or re-defer) if such election would be permissible under Section 11(k) of the Plan and Code Section 409A.  In addition to any applicable requirements under Code Section 409A, any such deferral election shall be made only while Employee remains employed and at a time permitted under Code Section 409A.  The form under which an election is made shall set forth the time and form of payment of such amount deferred.  Any amount deferred shall be subject to a six-month delay upon payment if required under Section 11(k)(i)(F) of the Plan.  Any elective deferral will be subject to such additional terms and conditions as the Senior Vice President, Human Resources, or the officer designated by the Company as responsible for administration of the Agreement, may reasonably impose.

(c)       Compliance with Code Section 409A. Other provisions of this Agreement notwithstanding, because the Performance Share Units will constitute a "deferral of compensation" under Section 409A of the Code (“Code Section 409A”) as presently in effect or hereafter amended (i.e., the Performance Share Units are not excluded or exempted under Code Section 409A or a regulation or other official governmental guidance thereunder; Note: an elective deferral under Section 6(b) would cause the Performance Share Units, if not already, to be a deferral of compensation subject to Code Section 409A after the deferral), such Performance Share Units will be considered a 409A Award under the Plan and shall be subject to the additional requirements set forth in Section 11(k) of the Plan including without limitation that (i) Termination of Employment shall be construed consistent with the meaning of a Separation from Service and (ii) a Change in Control under the Agreement shall be construed consistent with the meaning of a 409A Ownership/Control Change.

7.        Employee Representations and Warranties Upon Settlement. As a condition to the settlement of the Performance Share Units, the Company may require Employee (i) to make any representation or warranty to the Company as may be required under any applicable law or regulation and (ii) to execute a release from claims against the Company arising at or before the date of the release, in such form as may be specified by the Company, and not revoke such release prior the expiration of any applicable revocation period, all within 60 days after Termination of Employment.

8.          Miscellaneous.

(a)        Binding Agreement; Written Amendments. This Agreement shall be binding upon the heirs, executors, administrators and successors of the parties. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties with respect to the Performance Share Units, and supersedes any prior agreements or documents with respect to the Performance Share Units. No amendment or alteration of this Agreement which may impose any additional obligation upon the Company shall be valid unless expressed in a written instrument duly executed in the name of the Company, and no amendment, alteration, suspension or termination of this Agreement which may materially impair the rights of Employee with respect to the Performance Share Units shall be valid unless expressed in a written instrument executed by Employee.

(b)        No Promise of Employment. The Performance Share Units and the granting thereof shall not constitute or be evidence of any agreement or understanding, express or implied, that Employee has a right to continue as an officer or employee of the Company for any period of time, or at any particular rate of compensation.

(c)        Governing Law. The validity, construction, and effect of this Agreement shall be determined in accordance with the laws (including those governing contracts) of the state of New Jersey, without giving effect to principles of conflicts of laws, and applicable federal law.

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(d)        Fractional Performance Share Units and Shares. The number of Performance Share Units credited to Employee’s Account shall include fractional Performance Share Units calculated to at least three decimal places, unless otherwise determined by the Committee. Unless settlement is effected through a third-party broker or agent that can accommodate fractional shares (without requiring issuance of a fractional Share by the Company), upon settlement of the Performance Share Units, the Committee, in its sole discretion, may either (i) round the fractional share to be delivered up to a whole Share or (ii) provide that Employee shall be paid, in cash, an amount equal to the value of any fractional Share that would have otherwise been deliverable in settlement of such Performance Share Units.

(e)        Mandatory Tax Withholding. Unless otherwise determined by the Committee, or Employee has elected at least 90 days prior to payout to satisfy the tax obligations in cash by other means, at the time of vesting and/or settlement the Company will withhold first from any cash payable and then from any shares of Stock deliverable in settlement of the Performance Share Units, in accordance with Section 11(d)(i) of the Plan, the number of whole shares of Stock having a value nearest to, but not exceeding, the minimum amount of income and employment taxes required to be withheld under applicable laws and regulations (only with respect to the minimum number of Shares necessary to satisfy statutory withholding requirements, unless withholding of any additional number of Shares will not result in additional accounting expense to the Company and is permitted by the Committee), and pay the amount of such withholding taxes in cash to the appropriate taxing authorities. Employee will be responsible for any withholding taxes not satisfied by means of such mandatory withholding and for all taxes in excess of such minimum withholding taxes that may be due upon vesting or settlement of Performance Share Units.

(f)         Statements. An individual statement of each Employee’s Account will be issued to Employee at such times as may be determined by the Company. Such a statement shall reflect the number of Performance Share Units credited to Employee’s Account, transactions therein during the period covered by the statement, and other information deemed relevant by the Company. Such a statement may be combined with or include information regarding other plans and compensatory arrangements. Employee’s statements shall be deemed a part of this Agreement, and shall evidence the Company’s obligations in respect of Performance Share Units, including the number of Performance Share Units credited as a result of Dividend Equivalents (if any). Any statement containing an error shall not, however, represent a binding obligation to the extent of such error, notwithstanding the inclusion of such statement as part of this Agreement.

(g)        Unfunded Obligations. The grant of the Performance Share Units and any provision for distribution in settlement of Employee’s Account hereunder shall be by means of bookkeeping entries on the books of the Company and shall not create in Employee any right to, or claim against any, specific assets of the Company, nor result in the creation of any trust or escrow account for Employee. With respect to Employee’s entitlement to any distribution hereunder, Employee shall be a general creditor of the Company.

(h)         Notices. Any notice to be given the Company under this Agreement shall be addressed to the Company at its principal executive offices, in care of the Senior Vice President, Human Resources, or the officer designated by the Company as responsible for administration of the Agreement, and any notice to Employee shall be addressed to Employee at Employee’s address as then appearing in the records of the Company.

(i)        Shareholder Rights. Employee and any Beneficiary shall not have any rights with respect to shares of Stock (including voting rights) covered by this Agreement prior to the settlement and distribution of the shares of Stock except as otherwise specified herein.  Specifically, Performance Share Units represent a contractual right to receive shares of Stock in the future, subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement and the Plan, and do not represent ownership of shares of Stock at any time before the settlement of this Award and actual issuance of the shares of Stock.

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Exhibit A
NEW JERSEY RESOURCES CORPORATION
2017 Stock Award and Incentive Plan
Performance Goal and Earning of Performance Share Units

The number of Performance Share Units earned by Participant shall be determined as of September 30, 2026 (the “Earning Date”), based on the Company’s “Cumulative NFEPS” (defined below) over the 36-month period ending at the Earning Date.  The number of Performance Share Units earned will be determined based on the following table:


Cumulative NFEPS
Performance Share Units Earned as a
Percentage of Target
Performance Share Units
Less than $
0%
 $
50%
 $
100%
$ or Greater
150%

“Net Financial Earnings” or “NFE” is a financial measure not calculated in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles that the Company reports on a quarterly and annual basis to the public and in its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and annual reports on Form 10-K that are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).

“NFEPS” shall be the NFE per basic share of Common Stock that the Company reports on a quarterly and annual basis to the public and in its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and annual report on Form 10-K that are filed with the SEC.

“Cumulative NFEPS” shall be the sum of the annual NFEPS for the three fiscal years (“FY”) ended September 30, 2024, 2025 and 2026 calculated as follows:

Cumulative NFEPS = NFEPSFY2024 + NFEPSFY2025 + NFEPSFY2026

Upon achievement of Cumulative NFEPS at a point between any two specified Cumulative NFEPS levels, the Performance Share Units earned will be mathematically interpolated on a straight-line basis.

Determinations of the Committee regarding the NFEPS and Cumulative NFEPS, the calculations related thereto, the resulting Performance Share Units and related matters will be final and binding on the Participant.

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Exhibit B
NEW JERSEY RESOURCES CORPORATION
2017 Stock Award and Incentive Plan
Definitions Under Further Conditions to Settlement


a.
“Business of the Company” means the following areas of its business which are selected below, which Employee acknowledges are areas of the Company’s business in which Employee has responsibilities:
 
(check as applicable)
 

___
Natural Gas Distribution: Consists of New Jersey Natural Gas Company (“NJNG”), a natural gas utility company that provides regulated retail natural gas service to residential and commercial customers in central and northern New Jersey and participates in the off-system sales and capacity release markets, and is developing a broad range of strategies to decarbonize its operations, including clean fuels and behind the meter solutions.
 

___
Energy Services:  Maintains and transacts around a portfolio of physical assets consisting of natural gas storage and transportation contracts and also provides wholesale energy management services to other energy companies and natural gas producers in market areas including states from the Gulf Coast and Mid-continent regions to the Appalachian and Northeast regions, the West Coast and Canada.
 

___
Clean Energy Ventures: Investor, owner, and operator in the renewable energy sector, including, but not limited to, investments in residential and commercial rooftop and ground mount solar systems.
 

___
Storage and Transportation:  Includes investments in natural gas transportation and storage assets and is comprised of the following:  Steckman Ridge, which is a partnership that owns and operates a 17.7 Bcf natural gas storage facility, with up to 12 Bcf working capacity, in western Pennsylvania that is 50 percent owned by a Company Subsidiary; Leaf River Energy Center, a natural gas storage facility located in southeastern Mississippi with a combined working natural gas storage capacity of 32.2 million dekatherms; and Adelphia Gateway, an 84-mile pipeline in southeastern Pennsylvania and Delaware.
 

___
Home Services:  Consists of NJR Home Services Company, which provides Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning (“HVAC”) service, sales and installation of appliances, as well as installation of solar equipment and plumbing services.
 

b.
“Confidential Information” means all valuable and/or proprietary information (in oral, written, electronic or other forms) belonging to or pertaining to the Company, its customers and vendors, that is not generally known or publicly available, and which would be useful to competitors of the Company or otherwise damaging to the Company if disclosed.  Confidential Information may include, but is not necessarily limited to:  (i) the identity of the Company’s customers or potential customers, their purchasing histories, and the terms or proposed terms upon which the Company offers or may offer its products and services to such customers, (ii) the identity of the Company’s vendors or potential vendors, and the terms or proposed terms upon which the Company may purchase products and services from such vendors, (iii) technology used by the Company to provide its services, (iv) the terms and conditions upon which the Company employs its employees and independent contractors, (v) marketing and/or business plans and strategies, (vi) financial reports and analyses regarding the revenues, expenses, profitability and operations of the Company, and (vii) information provided to the Company by customers and other third parties under a duty to maintain the confidentiality of such information.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, Confidential Information does not include information that:  (i) has been voluntarily disclosed to the public by Company or any Employer, except where such public disclosure has been made by Employee without authorization from Company or Employer; (ii) has been independently developed and disclosed by others, or (iii) which has otherwise entered the public domain through lawful means. Confidential Information also does not include information related to any claim of sexual harassment or sexual assault and nothing herein restricts the disclosure of such information.  Nothing herein shall prohibit, prevent or restrict the Employee from reporting any allegations of unlawful conduct to federal, state or local officials or to an attorney retained by the Employee.
 
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c.
“Material Contact” means contact in person, by telephone, or by paper or electronic correspondence, or the supervision of those who have such conduct, and which is done in furtherance of the business interests of the company and within the last 36 months.


d.
“Restricted Territory” consists of the following areas, to the extent such areas have been identified as applicable to the definition of the “Business of the company” above:

Natural Gas Distribution: The State of New Jersey and for those employees engaged in or supervising off system sales, the States of New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

Energy Services: The Continental United States and within a 100 mile radius of the Dawn Storage Hub in Canada.

Clean Energy Ventures: The States of New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, Michigan, Indiana, and Maryland.

Storage and Transportation: The States of New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana and Texas.

Home Services: The State of New Jersey.


e.
“Trade Secrets” means a trade secret of the Company as defined by applicable law.


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Exhibit 10.3

NEW JERSEY RESOURCES CORPORATION

2017 Stock Award and Incentive Plan

Restricted Stock Units Agreement

This Restricted Stock Units Agreement (the "Agreement"), which includes the attached “Terms and Conditions of Restricted Stock Units” (the “Terms and Conditions”), confirms the grant on November ___, 2023 (the “Grant Date”) by NEW JERSEY RESOURCES CORPORATION, a New Jersey corporation (the "Company"), to                            ("Employee"), under Section 6(e) of the 2017 Stock Award and Incentive Plan (the "Plan"), of Restricted Stock Units, including rights to Dividend Equivalents as specified herein, as follows:
 
Number of Restricted Stock Units granted:          _________
 
How Restricted Stock Units Vest:         The Restricted Stock Units, if not previously forfeited, will vest on the dates and as to the number of Restricted Stock Units in the following table provided Employee remains employed by the Company or a Subsidiary from the Grant Date through the Stated Vesting Date:
 
 
Stated Vesting Date
Number of Restricted Stock Units
that Vest at that Date
   
October 15, 2024
________
October 15, 2025
________
October 15, 2026
________

In addition, if not previously vested or forfeited, the Restricted Stock Units (i) will become immediately vested in full upon a Change in Control prior to the Stated Vesting Date, if (A) Employee remains employed by the Company or a Subsidiary from the Grant Date through the Change in Control and (B) no provision is made for the continuance, assumption or substitution of the Restricted Stock Units by the Company or its successor in connection with the Change in Control; and (ii) will become vested upon the Employee’s Termination of Employment, prior to the Stated Vesting Date, to the extent provided in Section 3 of the attached Terms and Conditions.  The terms "vest" and "vesting" mean that the Restricted Stock Units have become earned and payable. If Employee has a Termination of Employment prior to a Stated Vesting Date, and the Restricted Stock Units are not otherwise deemed vested by or as of that date as set forth above, such unvested Restricted Stock Units will be immediately forfeited.  Forfeited Restricted Stock Units cease to be outstanding and in no event will thereafter result in any delivery of shares of Stock to Employee.

Settlement:     The Restricted Stock Units, to the extent vested, including Restricted Stock Units credited as the result of Dividend Equivalents, to the extent vested, will be settled by delivery of one share of Stock for each Restricted Stock Unit to be settled, as soon as administratively practicable (and no later than 60 days) after the earlier of (i) the Stated Vesting Date that corresponds to the applicable tranche of vested Restricted Stock Units or (ii) a Change in Control if no provision is made for the continuance, assumption or substitution of the Restricted Stock Units by the Company or its successor in connection with the Change in Control.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Committee may determine to permit Employee to elect to defer settlement (or re-defer) if such election would be permissible under Section 11(k) of the Plan and Code Section 409A.  In addition to any applicable requirements under Code Section 409A, any such deferral election shall be made only while Employee remains employed and at a time permitted under Code Section 409A.  The form under which an election is made shall set forth the time and form of payment of such amount deferred.  Any amount deferred shall be subject to a six (6)-month delay upon payment if required under Section 11(k)(i)(F) of the Plan.  Any elective deferral will be subject to such additional terms and conditions as the Senior Vice President, Human Resources, or the officer designated by the Company as responsible for administration of the Agreement, may reasonably impose.


Further Conditions to Settlement:          Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, except as otherwise set forth below, the Company’s obligation to settle the Restricted Stock Units and Employee’s right to distribution of the Restricted Stock Units will be forfeited immediately upon the occurrence of any one or more of the following events (defined terms are attached hereto as Exhibit B):


(a)
Competitive Employment.  In the event that Employee, prior to full settlement of the Restricted Stock Units and within the Restricted Territory, directly or indirectly, whether on Employee’s own behalf or on behalf of any other person or entity, performs services of the type which are the same as or similar to those conducted, authorized, offered or provided by Employee to the Company within the last 24 months, and which support business activities which compete with the Business of the Company.


(b)
Recruitment of Company Employees and Contractors.  In the event that Employee, prior to full settlement of the Restricted Stock Units, directly or indirectly, whether on Employee’s own behalf or on behalf of any other person or entity, solicits or induces any employee or independent contractor of the Company with whom Employee had Material Contact to terminate or lessen such employment or contract with the Company.


(c)
Solicitation of Company Customers. In the event that Employee, prior to full settlement of the Restricted Stock Units, directly or indirectly, whether on Employee’s own behalf or on behalf of any other person or entity, solicits any actual or prospective customers of the Company with whom Employee had Material Contact for the purpose of selling any products or services which compete with the Business of the Company.


(d)
Solicitation of Company Vendors. In the event that Employee, prior to full settlement of the Restricted Stock Units, directly or indirectly, whether on Employee’s own behalf or on behalf of any other person or entity, solicits any actual or prospective vendor of the Company with whom Employee had Material Contact for the purpose of purchasing products or services to support business activities which compete with the Business of the Company.


(e)
Breach of Confidentiality.  In the event that Employee, at any time prior to full settlement of the Restricted Stock Units, directly or indirectly, divulges or makes use of any Confidential Information or Trade Secrets of the Company other than in the performance of Employee’s duties for the Company.  This provision does not limit the remedies available to the Company under common or statutory law as to trade secrets or other forms of confidential information, which may impose longer duties of non-disclosure and provide for injunctive relief and damages. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, nothing herein is intended to or will be used in any way to prevent Employee from providing truthful testimony under oath in a judicial or administrative proceeding or to limit Employee’s right to communicate with a government agency, as provided for, protected under or warranted by applicable law.  The Employee further understands nothing herein limits the Employee’s ability to file a charge or complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the National Labor Relations Board, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Securities and Exchange Commission, or any other federal, state or local government agency or commission (‘Government Agencies”).  Nothing herein limits the Employee’s ability to communicate with any Government Agencies or otherwise participate in any investigation or proceeding that may be conducted by the Government Agency, including providing documents or information without notice to the Company.  This Agreement does not limit the Employee’s right to receive an award for information provided to any Government Agency. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Employee shall not be held criminally or civilly liable under any federal or state trade secret law for the disclosure of a Trade Secret that (i) is made in confidence to a federal, state, or local government official, either directly or indirectly, or to an attorney and solely for the purpose of reporting or investigating a suspected violation of law or (ii) is made in a complaint or other document filed in a lawsuit or other proceeding, if such filing is made under seal.  In addition, if the Employee files a lawsuit for retaliation for reporting a suspected violation of law, the Employee may disclose the Trade Secret to his or her attorney and use the Trade Secret information in the court proceeding, as long as the Employee files any document containing the Trade Secret under seal and does not disclose the Trade Secret, except pursuant to court order.

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(f)
Return of Property and Information.  In the event that prior to full settlement of the Restricted Stock Units Employee fails to return all of the Company’s property and information (whether confidential or not) within Employee’s possession or control within seven (7) calendar days following the termination or resignation of Employee from employment with the Company.  Such property and information includes, but is not limited to, the original and any copy (regardless of the manner in which it is recorded) of all information provided by the Company to Employee or which Employee has developed or collected in the scope of Employee’s employment with the Company, as well as all Company-issued equipment, supplies, accessories, vehicles, keys, instruments, tools, devices, computers, cell phones, pagers, materials, documents, plans, records, notebooks, drawings, or papers.  Upon request by the Company, Employee shall certify in writing that Employee has complied with this provision and has permanently deleted all Company information from any computers or other electronic storage devices or media owned by Employee.  Employee may only retain information relating to the Employee’s benefit plans and compensation to the extent needed to prepare Employee’s tax returns.


(g)
Disparagement.  In the event that prior to full settlement of the Restricted Stock Units Employee makes any statements, either verbally or in writing, that are disparaging with regard to the Company or any of its subsidiaries or their respective executives and Board members.


(h)
Failure to Provide Information.  In the event that prior to full settlement of the Restricted Stock Units Employee fails to promptly and fully respond to requests for information from the Company regarding Employee’s compliance with any of the foregoing conditions.

If it is determined by the Leadership Development and Compensation Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors, in its sole discretion, that any of the foregoing events have occurred prior to full settlement of the Restricted Stock Units, any unpaid portion of the Restricted Stock Units will be forfeited without any compensation therefor, provided, however, that none of the foregoing conditions shall restrict any Employee who is a lawyer from practicing law.  To the extent any such condition would restrict any Employee who is a lawyer from practicing law or would penalize the Employee for practicing law, such condition shall not be effective and the Leadership Development and Compensation Committee may not forfeit any of the Restricted Stock Units on account therefor.

The Restricted Stock Units are subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan and this Agreement, including the attached Terms and Conditions deemed a part hereof.  The number of Restricted Stock Units and the kind of shares deliverable in settlement and other terms and conditions of the Restricted Stock Units are subject to adjustment in accordance with Section 4(b) of the attached Terms and Conditions and Section 11(c) of the Plan.  Capitalized terms used in this Agreement but not defined herein shall have the same meanings as in the Plan.

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Employee acknowledges and agrees that (i) Restricted Stock Units are nontransferable, except as provided in Section 2 of the attached Terms and Conditions and Section 11(b) of the Plan, (ii) the Restricted Stock Units are subject to forfeiture in the event of Employee's Termination of Employment in certain circum-stances prior to vesting, as specified in Section 3 of the attached Terms and Conditions, and (iii) sales of the shares of Stock following vesting and settlement of the Restricted Stock Units will be subject to the Company's policy regulating trading by employees.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, NEW JERSEY RESOURCES CORPORATION has caused this Agreement to be executed by its officer thereunto duly authorized, and Employee has duly executed this Agreement, by which each has agreed to the terms of this Agreement.

EMPLOYEE
NEW JERSEY RESOURCES CORPORATION
   
   
By:
 
[Employee Name]

[Name]
 

[Title]

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TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF RESTRICTED STOCK UNITS

The following Terms and Conditions apply to the Restricted Stock Units granted to Employee by NEW JERSEY RESOURCES CORPORATION (the "Company"), and Restricted Stock Units resulting from Dividend Equivalents (as defined below), if any, as specified in the Restricted Stock Units Agreement (of which these Terms and Conditions form a part).  Certain terms of the Restricted Stock Units, including the number granted, vesting date(s) and settlement times, are set forth on the preceding pages, which is an integral part of this Agreement.

1.          General.

(a)          The Restricted Stock Units are granted to Employee under the Company's 2017 Stock Award and Incentive Plan (the "Plan"), a copy of which has been previously delivered to Employee and/or is available upon request to the Human Resources Department.  All of the applicable terms, conditions and other provisions of the Plan are incorporated by reference herein. Capitalized terms used in this Agreement but not defined herein shall have the same meanings as in the Plan.  If there is any conflict between the provisions of this document and mandatory provisions of the Plan, the provisions of the Plan govern.  By accepting the grant of Restricted Stock Units, Employee agrees to be bound by all of the terms and provisions of the Plan (as presently in effect or later amended), the rules and regulations under the Plan adopted from time to time, and the decisions and determinations relating to the Plan and grants thereunder of the Leadership Development and Compensation Committee of the Company's Board of Directors (the "Committee") made from time to time.

(b)          Account for Employee.  The Company shall maintain a bookkeeping account for Employee (the “Account”) reflecting the number of Restricted Stock Units then credited to Employee hereunder as the result of such grant of Restricted Stock Units and any crediting of additional Restricted Stock Units to Employee pursuant to dividends paid on shares of Stock under Section 4 hereof (“Dividend Equivalents”).

2.          Nontransferability.  Until such time as the Restricted Stock Units are settled by delivery of Stock in accordance with this Agreement, Employee may not transfer Restricted Stock Units or any rights hereunder to any third party other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution, except for transfers to a Beneficiary or as otherwise permitted and subject to the conditions under Section 11(b) of the Plan.  This restriction on transfer precludes any sale, assignment, pledge, or other encumbrance or disposition of the Restricted Stock Units (except for forfeitures to the Company).

3.          Termination of Employment. The following provisions will govern the vesting or forfeiture, and the settlement, of the Restricted Stock Units that are outstanding at the time of Employee's Termination of Employment (i) due to Employee’s death, Disability or Retirement, (ii) by the Company without Cause or by the Employee for Good Reason, in either case during the CIC Protection Period, or (iii) under circumstances other than those set forth in the immediately preceding clauses (i) and (ii), in each case prior to the Stated Vesting Date that corresponds to the applicable tranche of Restricted Stock Units, unless otherwise determined by the Committee (subject to Section 7(e) hereof):

(a)          Death, Disability or Retirement.  In the event of Employee's Termination of Employment, prior to the Stated Vesting Date that applies to the applicable tranche of Restricted Stock Units, due to death, Disability or Retirement, the outstanding Restricted Stock Units will be vested with respect to no less than a Pro Rata Portion of the outstanding Restricted Stock Units, to the extent not vested previously, and all Restricted Stock Units, to the extent vested, including Restricted Stock Units credited as the result of Dividend Equivalents, to the extent vested, shall be settled, as soon as administratively practicable (and no later than 60 days) after the earlier of (i) the Stated Vesting Date that corresponds to the applicable tranche of vested Restricted Stock Units or (ii) a Change in Control if no provision is made for the continuance, assumption or substitution of the Restricted Stock Units by the Company or its successor in connection with the Change in Control.  Restricted Stock Units that are not vested by or as of the date of Employee's Termination of Employment due to death, Disability or Retirement will be immediately forfeited.

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(b)          Termination by the Company or by Employee in Certain Events.  In the event of Employee’s Termination of Employment, prior to the Stated Vesting Date that applies to the applicable tranche of Restricted Stock Units, by the Company without Cause within the CIC Protection Period and other than for Disability or Retirement, or by Employee for Good Reason within the CIC Protection Period, all such outstanding Restricted Stock Units will be vested, to the extent not previously vested, and all Restricted Stock Units, to the extent vested, including Restricted Stock Units credited as the result of Dividend Equivalents, to the extent vested, shall be settled, as soon as administratively practicable (and no later than 60 days) after (i) the Stated Vesting Date that corresponds to the applicable tranche of vested Restricted Stock Units or (ii) a Change in Control if no provision is made for the continuance, assumption or substitution of the Restricted Stock Units by the Company or its successor in connection with the Change in Control.

(c)          Other Termination of Employment.  In the event of Employee's Termination of Employment, prior to the Stated Vesting Date that applies to the applicable tranche of Restricted Stock Units, (i) other than due to death, Disability or Retirement and (ii) other than by the Company without Cause within the CIC Protection Period and other than for Disability or Retirement, or by Employee for Good Reason within the CIC Protection Period, all Restricted Stock Units, to the extent vested, including Restricted Stock Units credited as the result of Dividend Equivalents, to the extent vested, shall be settled, as soon as administratively practicable (and no later than 60 days) after the earlier of (i) the Stated Vesting Date that corresponds to the applicable tranche of vested Restricted Stock Units or (ii) a Change in Control if no provision is made for the continuance, assumption or substitution of the Restricted Stock Units by the Company or its successor in connection with the Change in Control.  Restricted Stock Units that are not vested by or as of the date of Employee's Termination of Employment as described herein will be immediately forfeited.

(d)            Certain Definitions.  The following definitions apply for purposes of this Agreement:

(i)          “Cause” has the same definition as under any employment or similar agreement between the Company and Employee or, if no such agreement exists or if such agreement does not contain any such definition, Cause means (i) Employee’s conviction of a felony or the entering by Employee of a plea of nolo contendere to a felony charge, (ii) Employee’s gross neglect, willful malfeasance or willful gross misconduct in connection with his or her employment which has had a significant adverse effect on the business of the Company and its subsidiaries, unless Employee reasonably believed in good faith that such act or non-act was in or not opposed to the best interest of the Company, or (iii) repeated material violations by Employee of the duties and obligations of Employee’s position with the Company which have continued after written notice thereof from the Company, which violations are demonstrably willful and deliberate on Employee’s part and which result in material damage to the Company’s business or reputation.

(ii)          “CIC Protection Period” means the two-year period beginning on the date of a Change in Control and ending on the day before the second annual anniversary of the date of the Change in Control.

(iii)          "Disability" means Employee has been incapable of substantially fulfilling the positions, duties, responsibilities and obligations of his employment because of physical, mental or emotional incapacity resulting from injury, sickness or disease for a period of at least six consecutive months.  The Company and Employee shall agree on the identity of a physician to resolve any question as to Employee's disability.  If the Company and Employee cannot agree on the physician to make such determination, then the Company and Employee shall each select a physician and those physicians shall jointly select a third physician, who shall make the determination.  The determination of any such physician shall be final and conclusive for all purposes of this Agreement.  Only the Company can initiate a Termination of Employment due to Disability.

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(iv)          “Good Reason” has the same definition as under any employment or similar agreement between the Company and Employee; but, if no such agreement exists or if any such agreement does not contain or reference any such definition, Good Reason shall not apply to the Employee for purposes of this Agreement.

(v)          “Pro Rata Portion" means, for each tranche of Restricted Stock Units, a fraction the numerator of which is the number of days that have elapsed from the first day of the Company’s fiscal year which includes the Grant Date to the date of Employee's Termination of Employment and the denominator of which is the number of days from the first day of the Company’s fiscal year which includes the Grant Date to the Stated Vesting Date for that tranche.  A "tranche" is each portion of the Restricted Stock Units that has a unique Stated Vesting Date.

(vii)          “Retirement” means Employee’s Termination of Employment on or after the Employee has attained age 65, or age 55 with 20 or more years of service.

(viii)          “Subsidiary” means any subsidiary corporation of the Company within the meaning of Section 424(f) of the Code (“Section 424(f) Corporation”) and any partnership, limited liability company or joint venture in which either the Company or Section 424(f) Corporation is at least a 50% equity participant.

(ix)          "Termination of Employment" and “Termination” means the earliest time at which Employee is not employed by the Company or a Subsidiary of the Company and is not serving as a non-employee director of the Company or a Subsidiary of the Company, subject to Section 7(f) below.

(e)          Termination by the Company for Cause.  In the event of Employee’s Termination of Employment by the Company for Cause, the portion of the then-outstanding Restricted Stock Units not vested previously will be forfeited immediately upon notice to Employee that the Company is terminating the Employee’s employment for Cause (notwithstanding whether Employee is eligible to terminate employment due to Disability or Retirement at that time).

4.          Dividend Equivalents and Adjustments.

(a)          Dividend Equivalents.  Dividend Equivalents will be credited on Restricted Stock Units (other than Restricted Stock Units that, at the relevant record date, previously have been settled or forfeited) and deemed converted into additional Restricted Stock Units.  Dividend Equivalents will be credited as follows, except that the Company may vary the manner of crediting (for example, by crediting cash Dividend Equivalents rather than additional Restricted Stock Units) for administrative convenience:

(i)          Cash Dividends.  If the Company declares and pays a dividend or distribution on shares of Stock in the form of cash, then additional Restricted Stock Units shall be credited to Employee’s Account as of the payment date of such cash dividend or distribution (or settled as of the payment date of such cash dividend or distribution if the Restricted Stock Units are to be settled before the payment date) equal to the number of Restricted Stock Units credited to the Account as of the record date of such dividend or distribution multiplied by the amount of cash paid per share of Stock in such dividend or distribution divided by the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock at the payment date for such dividend or distribution.

(ii)          Non-Share Dividends.  If the Company declares and pays a dividend or distribution on shares of Stock in the form of property other than shares of Stock, then a number of additional Restricted Stock Units shall be credited to Employee’s Account as of the payment date for such dividend or distribution (or settled as of the payment date for such dividend or distribution if the Restricted Stock Units are to be settled before the payment date) equal to the number of Restricted Stock Units credited to the Account as of the record date for such dividend or distribution multiplied by the fair market value of such property actually paid as a dividend or distribution on each outstanding share of Stock at such payment date, divided by the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock at such payment date for such dividend or distribution.

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(iii)          Share Dividends and Splits.  If the Company declares and pays a dividend or distribution on shares of Stock in the form of additional shares of Stock, or there occurs a forward split of shares of Stock, then a number of additional Restricted Stock Units shall be credited to Employee’s Account as of the payment date for such dividend or distribution or forward split (or settled as of the payment date for such dividend or distribution or forward split if the Restricted Stock Units are to be settled before the payment date) equal to the number of Restricted Stock Units credited to the Account as of the record date for such dividend or distribution or split multiplied by the number of additional shares of Stock actually paid as a dividend or distribution or issued in such split in respect of each outstanding share of Stock.

(b)          Adjustments.  The number of Restricted Stock Units credited to Employee’s Account shall be appropriately adjusted in order to prevent dilution or enlargement of Employee’s rights with respect to Restricted Stock Units or to reflect any changes in the number of outstanding shares of Stock resulting from any event referred to in Section 11(c) of the Plan, taking into account any Restricted Stock Units credited to Employee in connection with such event under Section 4(a) hereof. In furtherance of the foregoing, in the event of an equity restructuring, as defined in ASC Topic 718, which affects the shares of Stock, Employee shall have a legal right to an adjustment to Employee’s Restricted Stock Units which shall preserve without enlarging the value of the Restricted Stock Units, with the manner of such adjustment to be determined by the Committee in its discretion.  All adjustments will be made in a manner as to maintain the Restricted Stock Units' exemption from Code Section 409A or, to the extent Code Section 409A applies, to comply with Code Section 409A.  Any adjustments shall be subject to the requirements and restrictions set forth in Section 11(c) of the Plan.

(c)          Risk of Forfeiture and Settlement of Restricted Stock Units Resulting from Dividend Equivalents and Adjustments. Restricted Stock Units which directly or indirectly result from Dividend Equivalents on or adjustments to Restricted Stock Units granted hereunder shall be subject to the same risk of forfeiture and other conditions as apply to the granted Restricted Stock Units with respect to which the Dividend Equivalents or adjustments related and will be settled at the same time as such related Restricted Stock Units (unless the Restricted Stock Units are to be settled prior to the payment date of the Dividend Equivalents or the date of the adjustments, in which case the Dividend Equivalents or adjustments will be settled at the payment date of the dividend or the date of the adjustments (and in no event later than sixty (60) days after the Restricted Stock Units otherwise are to be settled)).

5.          Other Terms of Restricted Stock Units.

(a)          Voting and Other Shareholder Rights.  Employee shall not be entitled to vote Restricted Stock Units on any matter submitted to a vote of holders of Common Stock and shall not have any other rights of a shareholder of the Company, unless and until the Restricted Stock Units are settled as described in the Agreement.

(b)            Consideration for Grant of Restricted Stock Units.  Employee shall not be required to pay cash consideration for the grant of the Restricted Stock Units and Dividend Equivalents, but Employee's performance of services to the Company prior to the settlement of the Restricted Stock Units shall be deemed to be consideration for this grant of Restricted Stock Units and Dividend Equivalents.

(c)            Insider Trading Policy Applicable.  Employee acknowledges that sales of shares resulting from Restricted Stock Units that have been settled will be subject to the Company's policies governing the purchase and sale of Company securities.

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(d)            Certificates Evidencing Restricted Stock UnitsOn the date any Restricted Stock Units subject to this Agreement are to be settled (the “Payment Date”), such Restricted Stock Units shall be settled by the Company delivering to the Employee, a number of shares of Stock equal to the number of shares of Restricted Stock Units that are to be settled upon that Payment Date, subject to any applicable withholding requirements described below. The Company shall issue the shares either (i) in certificate form or (ii) in book entry form, registered in the name of the Employee. Delivery of any certificates will be made to the Employee’s last address reflected on the books of the Company unless the Company is otherwise instructed in writing.  The Company shall pay fractional Restricted Stock Units in cash, subject to any applicable withholding requirements described below.  Neither the Employee nor any of the Employee’s successors, heirs, assigns or personal representatives shall have any further rights or interests in any Restricted Stock Units and Dividend Equivalents that are so paid.

6.          Employee Representations and Warranties and ReleaseAs a condition to settlement of the Restricted Stock Units to Employee that vest upon Termination of Employment, the Company may require Employee (i) to make any representation or warranty to the Company as may be required under any applicable law or regulation, and (ii) to execute a release from claims against the Company arising at or before the date of such release, in such form as may be specified by the Company, and not revoke such release prior to the expiration of any applicable revocation period, all within sixty (60) days after Termination of Employment.

7.          Miscellaneous.

(a)            Binding Agreement; Written Amendments.  This Agreement shall be binding upon the heirs, executors, administrators and successors of the parties.  This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties with respect to the Restricted Stock Units and supersedes any prior agreements (either verbal or written) or documents with respect to the Restricted Stock Units.  No amendment or alteration of this Agreement which may impose any additional obligation upon the Company shall be valid unless expressed in a written instrument duly executed in the name of the Company, and no amendment, alteration, suspension or termination of this Agreement which may materially impair the rights of Employee with respect to the Restricted Stock Units shall be valid unless expressed in a written instrument executed by Employee.

(b)            No Promise of Employment.  The Restricted Stock Units and the granting thereof shall not constitute or be evidence of any agreement or understanding, express or implied, that Employee has a right to continue as an officer or employee of the Company for any period of time, or at any particular rate of compensation.

(c)            Governing Law.  The validity, construction, and effect of this Agreement shall be determined in accordance with the laws (including those governing contracts) of the state of New Jersey, without giving effect to principles of conflicts of laws, and applicable federal law.

(d)           Fractional Restricted Stock Units and Shares.  The number of Restricted Stock Units credited to Employee’s Account shall include fractional Restricted Stock Units calculated to at least three decimal places, unless otherwise determined by the Committee.  Unless settlement is effected through a third-party broker or agent that can accommodate fractional shares (without requiring issuance of a fractional Share by the Company), upon settlement of the Restricted Stock Units, the Committee, in its sole discretion, may either (i) round the fractional Share to be delivered up to a whole Share or (ii) provide that  Employee shall be paid, in cash, an amount equal to the value of any fractional Share that would have otherwise been deliverable in settlement of such Restricted Stock Units.

(e)           Mandatory Tax Withholding.  Unless otherwise determined by the Committee, or unless Employee has elected at least 90 days prior to payout to satisfy the tax obligations in cash by other means, at the time of settlement of the Restricted Stock Units to Employee, the Company will withhold first from any cash payable and then from any Shares deliverable, in accordance with Section 11(d)(i) of the Plan, the number of whole Shares having a value nearest to, but not exceeding, the amount of income and employment taxes to be withheld (after withholding of any cash payable hereunder) (only with respect to the minimum number of Shares necessary to satisfy statutory withholding requirements, unless withholding of any additional number of Shares will not result in additional accounting expense to the Company and is permitted by the Committee), and pay the amount of such withholding taxes in cash to the appropriate taxing authorities.  Employee will be responsible for any withholding taxes not satisfied by means of such mandatory withholding and for all taxes in excess of such withholding taxes that may be due upon settlement of the Restricted Stock Units.

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(f)           Notices.  Any notice to be given the Company under this Agreement shall be addressed to the Company at its principal executive offices, in care of the Senior Vice President, Human Resources, and any notice to Employee shall be addressed to Employee at Employee’s address as then appearing in the records of the Company.

(g)           Compliance with Code Section 409A.  Other provisions of this Agreement notwithstanding, because the Restricted Stock Units described herein will constitute a "deferral of compensation" under Section 409A of the Code (“Code Section 409A”) as presently in effect (i.e., the Restricted Stock Units are not excluded or exempted under Code Section 409A or a regulation or other official governmental guidance thereunder; Note: an elective deferral would cause the Restricted Stock Units, if not already, to be a deferral of compensation subject to Code Section 409A after the deferral), such Restricted Stock Units are considered a 409A Award under the Plan and shall be subject to the additional requirements set forth in Section 11(k) of the Plan, including without limitation that (i) Termination of Employment shall be construed consistent with the meaning of a Separation from Service under Section 409A of the Code and (ii) a Change in Control under this Agreement shall be construed consistent with the meaning of a 409A Ownership/Control Change.

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Exhibit B
NEW JERSEY RESOURCES CORPORATION
2017 Stock Award and Incentive Plan
Definitions Under Further Conditions to Settlement


a.
“Business of the Company” means the following areas of its business which are selected below, which Employee acknowledges are areas of the Company’s business in which Employee has responsibilities:

(check as applicable)


___
Natural Gas Distribution: Consists of New Jersey Natural Gas Company (“NJNG”), a natural gas utility company that provides regulated retail natural gas service to residential and commercial customers in central and northern New Jersey and participates in the off-system sales and capacity release markets, and is developing a broad range of strategies to decarbonize its operations, including clean fuels and behind the meter solutions.


___
Energy Services:  Maintains and transacts around a portfolio of physical assets consisting of natural gas storage and transportation contracts and also provides wholesale energy management services to other energy companies and natural gas producers in market areas including states from the Gulf Coast and Mid-continent regions to the Appalachian and Northeast regions, the West Coast and Canada.


___
Clean Energy Ventures: Investor, owner, and operator in the renewable energy sector, including, but not limited to, investments in residential and commercial rooftop and ground mount solar systems.


___
Storage and Transportation:  Includes investments in natural gas transportation and storage assets and is comprised of the following: Steckman Ridge, which is a partnership that owns and operates a 17.7 Bcf natural gas storage facility, with up to 12 Bcf working capacity, in western Pennsylvania that is 50 percent owned by a Company Subsidiary; Leaf River Energy Center, a natural gas storage facility located in southeastern Mississippi with a combined working natural gas storage capacity of 32.2 million dekatherms; and Adelphia Gateway, an 84-mile pipeline in southeastern Pennsylvania and Delaware.


___
Home Services:  Consists of NJR Home Services Company, which provides Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) service, sales and installation of appliances, as well as installation of solar equipment and plumbing services.


b.
“Confidential Information” means all valuable and/or proprietary information (in oral, written, electronic or other forms) belonging to or pertaining to the Company, its customers and vendors, that is not generally known or publicly available, and which would be useful to competitors of the Company or otherwise damaging to the Company if disclosed.  Confidential Information may include, but is not necessarily limited to:  (i) the identity of the Company’s customers or potential customers, their purchasing histories, and the terms or proposed terms upon which the Company offers or may offer its products and services to such customers, (ii) the identity of the Company’s vendors or potential vendors, and the terms or proposed terms upon which the Company may purchase products and services from such vendors, (iii) technology used by the Company to provide its services, (iv) the terms and conditions upon which the Company employs its employees and independent contractors, (v) marketing and/or business plans and strategies, (vi) financial reports and analyses regarding the revenues, expenses, profitability and operations of the Company, and (vii) information provided to the Company by customers and other third parties under a duty to maintain the confidentiality of such information.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, Confidential Information does not include information that:  (i) has been voluntarily disclosed to the public by Company or any Employer, except where such public disclosure has been made by Employee without authorization from Company or Employer; (ii) has been independently developed and disclosed by others, or (iii) which has otherwise entered the public domain through lawful means. Confidential Information also does not include information related to any claim of sexual harassment or sexual assault and nothing herein restricts the disclosure of such information.  Nothing herein shall prohibit, prevent or restrict the Employee from reporting any allegations of unlawful conduct to federal, state or local officials or to an attorney retained by the Employee.

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c.
“Material Contact” means contact in person, by telephone, or by paper or electronic correspondence, or the supervision of those who have such conduct, and which is done in furtherance of the business interests of the company and within the last 36 months.


d.
“Restricted Territory” consists of the following areas, to the extent such areas have been identified as applicable to the definition of the “Business of the company” above:

Natural Gas Distribution: The State of New Jersey and for those employees engaged in or supervising off system sales, the States of New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

Energy Services: The Continental United States and within a 100 mile radius of the Dawn Storage Hub in Canada.

Clean Energy Ventures: The States of New Jersey, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Michigan, Indiana, and Maryland.

Storage and Transportation: The States of New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia West Virginia, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana and Texas.

Home Services: The State of New Jersey.


e.
“Trade Secrets” means a trade secret of the Company as defined by applicable law.


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Exhibit 10.4



NEW JERSEY RESOURCES CORPORATION
2017 Stock Award and Incentive Plan
Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units Agreement

This Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units Agreement (the “Agreement”), which includes the attached “Terms and Conditions of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units” (the “Terms and Conditions”) and the attached Exhibit A captioned “Performance Goals and Vesting of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units”, confirms the grant on November __, 2023 (the “Grant Date”) by NEW JERSEY RESOURCES CORPORATION, a New Jersey corporation (the “Company”), to                                                     (“Employee”), under Sections 6(e), 6(i) and 7 of the 2017 Stock Award and Incentive Plan (the “Plan”), of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units (the “Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units”), including rights to dividends paid on the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units as specified herein, as follows:

Number of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units Granted:                       

Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units are Forfeitable:  The Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units are forfeitable until they vest and become non-forfeitable as specified herein.


How Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units Vest:  The Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units, if not previously forfeited, (i) will be earned if and to the extent that the Performance Goal defined on Exhibit A to this Agreement for the Company’s fiscal year ended September 30, 2024 is achieved, and (ii) will vest and become non-forfeitable as to one-third (1/3) of the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units earned (rounded down to the nearest whole share) on the last day of each of the Company’s fiscal years ended September 30, 2024 and September 30, 2025 and as to the remaining Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units earned on the last day of the Company’s fiscal year ended September 30, 2026 (each a “Stated Vesting Date”), provided in each case the Employee continues to be employed by the Company or a Subsidiary from the Grant Date through the Stated Vesting Date that applies to the applicable tranche of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units, and the Committee certifies achievement of the Performance Goal for the 2024 fiscal year within 60 days after the end of the 2024 fiscal year.  In that event, all earned and vested Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units will be settled within 60 days after the Stated Vesting Date that applies to the applicable tranche of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units.  In addition, if not previously forfeited, upon a Change in Control prior to the Stated Vesting Date that applies to the applicable tranche of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units, the earned Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units (or the number of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units set forth above if the Change in Control occurs in the Company’s fiscal year ended September 30, 2024) will vest and become non-forfeitable in full and will be settled within 60 days thereafter, provided the Employee continues to be employed by the Company or a Subsidiary from the Grant Date until the Change in Control, if no provision is made for the continuance, assumption or substitution of the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units by the Company or its successor in connection with the Change in Control.  If provision is made for the continuance, assumption or substitution of the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units by the Company or its successor in connection with such a Change in Control, the earned Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units (or the number of the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units set forth above if the Change in Control occurs in the Company’s fiscal year ended September 30, 2024) will remain outstanding after the Change in Control occurs and will become vested as of the Stated Vesting Date that applies to the applicable tranche of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units and be settled within 60 days thereafter, provided in each case the Employee continues to be employed by the Company or a Subsidiary from the Grant Date through such Stated Vesting Date.  If the Performance Goal for the Company’s 2024 fiscal year is not met (and there is no Change in Control during such 2024 fiscal year), the unearned Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units will be immediately forfeited.  In addition, if not previously forfeited, the earned Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units (or the number of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units set forth above if the Change in Control occurs in the Company’s fiscal year ended September 30, 2024) will vest and become non-forfeitable in connection with Employee’s Termination of Employment prior to the Stated Vesting Date that applies to the applicable tranche of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units to the extent provided in Section 4 of the attached Terms and Conditions and settled in accordance with Section 6(a) hereof.  If Employee has a Termination of Employment prior to the Stated Vesting Date that applies to the applicable tranche of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units and the earned Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units (or the number of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units set forth above if the Change in Control occurs in the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024) do not vest to the extent provided in Section 4 of the attached Terms and Conditions, the unvested Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units will be immediately forfeited.  If Employee has a Termination of Employment prior to the Stated Vesting Date that applies to the applicable tranche of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units and the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units are not yet earned at that time, the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units that have not yet been earned will vest and become non-forfeitable in connection with Employee’s Termination of Employment to the extent provided in Section 4 of the attached Terms and Conditions and will be earned if and to the extent that the Performance Goal defined in Exhibit A to this Agreement for the Company’s fiscal year ended September 30, 2024 is achieved or there is a Change in Control in the Company’s fiscal year ended September 30, 2024, and settled in accordance with Section 6(a) hereof, and any such Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units not vested as of the date of Employee’s Termination of Employment will be immediately forfeited.  Forfeited Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units cease to be outstanding and shall be forfeited and reacquired by the Company.

Performance Goals: The Performance Goals upon which the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units may become earned and eligible to become vested and non-forfeitable, subject to Employee’s continued employment with the Company or a Subsidiary or as otherwise set forth herein, shall be as specified in Exhibit A hereto.

Further Conditions to Settlement: Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, except as otherwise set forth below, the Company’s obligation to settle the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units and Employee’s right to distribution of the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units will be forfeited immediately upon the occurrence of any one or more of the following events (defined terms are attached hereto as Exhibit B):

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(a)          Competitive Employment.  In the event that Employee, prior to full settlement of the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units and within the Restricted Territory, directly or indirectly, whether on Employee’s own behalf or on behalf of any other person or entity, performs services of the type which are the same as or similar to those conducted, authorized, offered or provided by Employee to the Company within the last 24 months, and which support business activities which compete with the Business of the Company.

(b)         Recruitment of Company Employees and Contractors.  In the event that Employee, prior to full settlement of the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units, directly or indirectly, whether on Employee’s own behalf or on behalf of any other person or entity, solicits or induces any employee or independent contractor of the Company with whom Employee had Material Contact to terminate or lessen such employment or contract with the Company.

(c)          Solicitation of Company Customers. In the event that Employee, prior to full settlement of the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units, directly or indirectly, whether on Employee’s own behalf or on behalf of any other person or entity, solicits any actual or prospective customers of the Company with whom Employee had Material Contact for the purpose of selling any products or services which compete with the Business of the Company.

(d)        Solicitation of Company Vendors. In the event that Employee, prior to full settlement of the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units, directly or indirectly, whether on Employee’s own behalf or on behalf of any other person or entity, solicits any actual or prospective vendor of the Company with whom Employee had Material Contact for the purpose of purchasing products or services to support business activities which compete with the Business of the Company.

(e)        Breach of Confidentiality.  In the event that Employee, at any time prior to full settlement of the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units, directly or indirectly, divulges or makes use of any Confidential Information or Trade Secrets of the Company other than in the performance of Employee’s duties for the Company.  This provision does not limit the remedies available to the Company under common or statutory law as to trade secrets or other forms of confidential information, which may impose longer duties of non-disclosure and provide for injunctive relief and damages. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, nothing herein is intended to or will be used in any way to prevent Employee from providing truthful testimony under oath in a judicial or administrative proceeding or to limit Employee’s right to communicate with a government agency, as provided for, protected under or warranted by applicable law.  The Employee further understands nothing herein limits the Employee’s ability to file a charge or complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the National Labor Relations Board, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Securities and Exchange Commission, or any other federal, state or local government agency or commission (‘Government Agencies”).  Nothing herein limits the Employee’s ability to communicate with any Government Agencies or otherwise participate in any investigation or proceeding that may be conducted by the Government Agency, including providing documents or information without notice to the Company.  This Agreement does not limit the Employee’s right to receive an award for information provided to any Government Agency. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Employee shall not be held criminally or civilly liable under any federal or state trade secret law for the disclosure of a Trade Secret that (i) is made in confidence to a federal, state, or local government official, either directly or indirectly, or to an attorney and solely for the purpose of reporting or investigating a suspected violation of law or (ii) is made in a complaint or other document filed in a lawsuit or other proceeding, if such filing is made under seal.  In addition, if the Employee files a lawsuit for retaliation for reporting a suspected violation of law, the Employee may disclose the Trade Secret to his or her attorney and use the Trade Secret information in the court proceeding, as long as the Employee files any document containing the Trade Secret under seal and does not disclose the Trade Secret, except pursuant to court order.

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(f)          Return of Property and Information.  In the event that prior to full settlement of the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units Employee fails to return all of the Company’s property and information (whether confidential or not) within Employee’s possession or control within seven (7) calendar days following the termination or resignation of Employee from employment with the Company.  Such property and information includes, but is not limited to, the original and any copy (regardless of the manner in which it is recorded) of all information provided by the Company to Employee or which Employee has developed or collected in the scope of Employee’s employment with the Company, as well as all Company-issued equipment, supplies, accessories, vehicles, keys, instruments, tools, devices, computers, cell phones, pagers, materials, documents, plans, records, notebooks, drawings, or papers.  Upon request by the Company, Employee shall certify in writing that Employee has complied with this provision and has permanently deleted all Company information from any computers or other electronic storage devices or media owned by Employee.  Employee may only retain information relating to the Employee’s benefit plans and compensation to the extent needed to prepare Employee’s tax returns.

(g)        Disparagement.  In the event that prior to full settlement of the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units Employee makes any statements, either verbally or in writing, that are disparaging with regard to the Company or any of its subsidiaries or their respective executives and Board members.

(h)        Failure to Provide Information.  In the event that prior to full settlement of the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units Employee fails to promptly and fully respond to requests for information from the Company regarding Employee’s compliance with any of the foregoing conditions.

If it is determined by the Leadership Development and Compensation Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors, in its sole discretion, that any of the foregoing events have occurred prior to full settlement of the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units, any unpaid portion of the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units will be forfeited without any compensation therefor, provided, however, that none of the foregoing conditions shall restrict any Employee who is a lawyer from practicing law.  To the extent any such condition would restrict any Employee who is a lawyer from practicing law or would penalize the Employee for practicing law, such condition shall not be effective and the Leadership Development and Compensation Committee may not forfeit any of the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units on account therefor.

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Dividend Rights:  Dividends paid on shares of stock covered under the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units shall be automatically reinvested in additional Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units which shall be subject to the same terms as the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units to which the dividends relate, as specified in Section 5 of the Terms and Conditions of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units.

The Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units are subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan and this Agreement, including the Terms and Conditions of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units attached hereto and deemed a part hereof. The number of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units and the kind of shares of Stock and the other terms and conditions of the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units are subject to adjustment in accordance with Section 5 of the attached Terms and Conditions and Section 11(c) of the Plan.

Employee acknowledges and agrees that (i) the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units are nontransferable, except as provided in Section 3 of the attached Terms and Conditions and Section 11(b) of the Plan, (ii) the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units are subject to forfeiture in the event (A) of the Company’s failure to achieve the applicable Performance Goal or undergo a Change in Control or (B) of Employee’s Termination of Employment in certain circumstances prior to a Stated Vesting Date, as specified in Section 4 of the attached Terms and Conditions, (iii) the foregoing conditions shall apply to the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units prior to settlement and (iv) sales and other transfers of shares of Stock will be subject to any Company policy regulating trading by employees and the transfer restrictions set forth in Section 3 of the attached Terms and Conditions.

Capitalized terms used in this Agreement but not defined herein shall have the same meanings as in the Plan.

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, NEW JERSEY RESOURCES CORPORATION has caused this Agreement to be executed by its officer thereunto duly authorized.

 
NEW JERSEY RESOURCES CORPORATION
   
 
By:
 
 

[NAME]
 

[Title]
 
 

   
 

[NAME]
 

[Title]

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TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF PERFORMANCE-BASED RESTRICTED STOCK UNITS

The following Terms and Conditions apply to the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units granted to Employee by NEW JERSEY RESOURCES CORPORATION (the “Company”) and to any additional Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units resulting from dividends paid on shares of Stock underlying the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units (as defined below), if any, as specified in the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units Agreement (of which these Terms and Conditions form a part). Certain terms of the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units, including the number of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units granted and vesting terms and date(s), are set forth on the cover page hereto and Exhibit A, which are an integral part of this Agreement.

1. General.  The Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units are granted to Employee under the Company’s 2017 Stock Award and Incentive Plan (the “Plan”), a copy of which has been previously delivered to Employee and/or is available upon request to the Human Resources Department. All of the applicable terms, conditions and other provisions of the Plan are incorporated by reference herein. Capitalized terms used in this Agreement but not defined herein shall have the same meanings as in the Plan. If there is any conflict between the provisions of this document and mandatory provisions of the Plan, the provisions of the Plan govern. By accepting the grant of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units, Employee agrees to be bound by all of the terms and provisions of the Plan (as presently in effect or later amended), the rules and regulations under the Plan adopted from time to time, and the decisions and determinations of the Leadership Development and Compensation Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Committee”) made from time to time with respect to the Plan or this Agreement.

2.  Account for Employee. The Company shall maintain a bookkeeping account for Employee (the “Account”) reflecting the number of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units then credited to Employee hereunder as a result of such grant of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units and any crediting of additional Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units to Employee pursuant to dividends paid on shares of Stock under Section 5 hereof (“Dividend Equivalents”).

3.  Nontransferability.

(a) Until the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units become vested in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, Employee may not transfer Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units or any rights hereunder to any third party other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution, except for transfers to a Beneficiary or as otherwise permitted and subject to the conditions under Section 11(b) of the Plan.  This restriction on transfer precludes any sale, assignment, pledge or other encumbrance or disposition of the Performance Share Units (except for forfeitures to the Company).

(b) Any transfer in violation of this Section 3 will be void and of no effect.

4.  Termination of Employment. The following provisions will govern the earning, vesting and forfeiture of the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units that are outstanding at the time of Employee’s Termination of Employment (as defined below) (i) by the Company without Cause (as defined below) or by the Employee for Good Reason (as defined below), in either case during the CIC Protection Period (as defined below), or (ii) due to death, Disability (as defined below) or Retirement (as defined below), unless otherwise determined by the Committee (subject to Section 8(e) hereof):

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(a) Termination by the Company or by Employee in Certain Events.  In the event of Employee’s Termination of Employment, prior to the Stated Vesting Date that applies to the applicable tranche of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units, by the Company without Cause within the CIC Protection Period and other than for Disability or Retirement, or by Employee for Good Reason within the CIC Protection Period, the outstanding Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units will be vested with respect to no less than a Pro Rata Portion (as defined below) of the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units, to the extent earned previously (upon a Change in Control where provision is made for the continuance, assumption or substitution of the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units by the Company or its successor upon the Change in Control or otherwise), to the extent not vested previously, and such earned and vested Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units will be settled in accordance with Section 6(a) hereof.  In the event of Employee’s Termination of Employment, prior to the Stated Vesting Date that applies to the applicable tranche of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units, (i) by the Company for any reason other than Disability or Retirement prior to or after the CIC Protection Period, (ii) by Employee (other than for Good Reason within the CIC Protection Period or upon Retirement) or (iii) by Employee (other than on Retirement) prior to or after the CIC Protection Period, the then-outstanding Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units not earned and vested at the date of Employee’s Termination of Employment will be immediately forfeited.

(b) Death, Disability or Retirement. In the event of Employee’s Termination of Employment, prior to September 30, 2024 and prior to a Change in Control, due to Employee’s death, Disability or Retirement, the outstanding Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units will be vested with respect to no less than a Pro Rata Portion of the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units that has not become earned previously, to the extent not previously vested, and such vested Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units will continue to be subject to the Performance Goal and will be eligible to be earned if and to the extent that the Performance Goal is achieved or there is a Change in Control prior to September 30, 2024 and settled in accordance with Section 6(a) hereof.  In the event of Employee’s Termination of Employment, after September 30, 2024 or after a Change in Control that occurs in the Company’s fiscal year ended September 30, 2024, due to Employee’s death, Disability or Retirement, the outstanding Performance Share Units will be vested with respect to no less than a Pro Rata Portion of the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units, to the extent earned previously, to the extent not vested previously, and such earned and vested Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units will be settled in accordance with Section 6(a) hereof.  Any portion of the then-outstanding Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units not vested at or before the date of Employee’s Termination of Employment will be forfeited.

(d) Certain Definitions. The following definitions apply for purposes of this Agreement:

(i) “Cause” has the same definition as under any employment or similar agreement between the Company and Employee or, if no such agreement exists or if such agreement does not contain any such definition, Cause means (i) Employee’s conviction of a felony or the entering by Employee of a plea of nolo contendere to a felony charge, (ii) Employee’s gross neglect, willful malfeasance or willful gross misconduct in connection with his or her employment which has had a significant adverse effect on the business of the Company and its subsidiaries, unless Employee reasonably believed in good faith that such act or non-act was in or not opposed to the best interest of the Company, or (iii) repeated material violations by Employee of the duties and obligations of Employee’s position with the Company which have continued after written notice thereof from the Company, which violations are demonstrably willful and deliberate on Employee’s part and which result in material damage to the Company’s business or reputation.

(ii) “CIC Protection Period” means the two-year period beginning on the date of a Change in Control and ending on the day before the second annual anniversary of the date of the Change in Control.

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(iii) “Disability” means Employee has been incapable of substantially fulfilling the positions, duties, responsibilities and obligations of his employment because of physical, mental or emotional incapacity resulting from injury, sickness or disease for a period of at least six consecutive months. The Company and Employee shall agree on the identity of a physician to resolve any question as to Employee’s disability. If the Company and Employee cannot agree on the physician to make such determination, then the Company and Employee shall each select a physician and those physicians shall jointly select a third physician, who shall make the determination. The determination of any such physician shall be final and conclusive for all purposes of this Agreement.  Only the Company can initiate a Termination of Employment due to Disability.

(iv) “Good Reason” has the same definition as under any employment or similar agreement between the Company and Employee; but, if no such agreement exists or if any such agreement does not contain or reference any such term, Good Reason shall not apply to the Employee for purposes of this Agreement.

(v) "Pro Rata Portion" means, for each tranche of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units, a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of days that have elapsed from the first day of the Company’s fiscal year which includes the Grant Date to the date of Employee's Termination of Employment and the denominator of which is the number of days from the first day of the Company’s fiscal year which includes the Grant Date to the Stated Vesting Date for that tranche.  A "tranche" is that portion of the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units that have a unique Stated Vesting Date.

(vii) “Retirement” means the Employee attains age 65, or age 55 with 20 or more years of service.

(viii) “Subsidiary” means any subsidiary corporation of the Company within the meaning of Section 424(f) of the Code (“Section 424(f) Corporation”) and any partnership, limited liability company or joint venture in which either the Company or a Section 424(f) Corporation is at least a fifty percent (50%) equity participant.

(ix) “Termination of Employment” and “Termination” means the earliest time at which Employee is not employed by the Company or a Subsidiary and is not serving as a non-employee director of the Company or a Subsidiary.

(e) Termination by the Company for Cause.  In the event of Employee’s Termination of Employment by the Company for Cause, the portion of the then-outstanding Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units not earned and vested prior to such time will be forfeited immediately upon notice to Employee that the Company will terminate the Employee’s employment for Cause.

5Dividend Equivalents and Adjustments.

(a) Dividend Equivalents. Dividend Equivalents will be credited on Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units (other than Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units that, at the relevant record date, previously has vested or been forfeited) and deemed reinvested in additional shares of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units. Dividend Equivalents will be credited as follows, except that the Company may vary the manner of crediting (for example, by crediting cash dividend equivalents rather than additional Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units) for administrative convenience:

(i) Cash Dividends. If the Company declares and pays a dividend or distribution on shares of Stock in the form of cash, then additional Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units shall be credited to Employee as of the payment date of such cash dividend or distribution (or settled as of the payment date of such cash dividend or distribution if the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units are to be settled before the payment date) equal to the number of outstanding Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units as of the relevant record date multiplied by the amount of cash paid per share of Stock in such dividend or distribution divided by the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock at the payment date for such dividend or distribution (rounded down to the nearest whole share).

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(ii) Non-Share Dividends. If the Company declares and pays a dividend or distribution on shares of Stock in the form of property other than shares of Stock, then a number of additional shares of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units shall be credited to Employee as of the payment date of such cash dividend or distribution (or settled as of the payment date of such cash dividend or distribution if the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units are to be settled before the payment date) equal to the number of shares of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units credited to the Employee as of the record date for such dividend or distribution multiplied by the fair market value of such property actually paid as a dividend or distribution on each outstanding share of Stock at such payment date, divided by the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock at such payment date for such dividend or distribution (rounded down to the nearest whole share).

(iii) Share Dividends and Splits. If the Company declares and pays a dividend or distribution on shares of Stock in the form of additional shares of Stock, or there occurs a forward split of shares of Stock, then a number of additional shares of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units shall be credited to Employee as of the payment date for such dividend or distribution or forward split (or settled as of the payment date of such cash dividend or distribution if the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units are to be settled before the payment date) equal to the number of shares of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units credited to the Employee as of the record date for such dividend or distribution or split multiplied by the number of additional shares of Stock actually paid as a dividend or distribution or issued in such split in respect of each outstanding share of Stock (rounded down to the nearest whole share)

(b) Adjustments. The number of shares of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units credited to Employee shall be appropriately adjusted in order to prevent dilution or enlargement of Employee’s rights with respect to Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units or to reflect any changes in the number of outstanding shares of Stock resulting from any event referred to in Section 11(c) of the Plan, taking into account any Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units credited to Employee in connection with such event under Section 5 hereof. In furtherance of the foregoing, in the event of an equity restructuring, as defined in ASC Topic 718, which affects the shares of Stock, Employee shall have a legal right to an adjustment to Employee’s Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units which shall preserve without enlarging the value of the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units, with the manner of such adjustment to be determined by the Committee in its discretion.

(c) Risk of Forfeiture and Delivery of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units Resulting from Dividend Equivalents and Adjustments. Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units which directly or indirectly result from Dividend Equivalents on or adjustments to Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units granted hereunder shall be subject to the same risk of forfeiture and other conditions as apply to the granted Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units to which the Dividend Equivalents or adjustments relate and will be subject to the same terms as such granted Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units (unless the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units are to be settled prior to the payment date of the Dividend Equivalents or adjustments, in which case the Dividend Equivalents or the date of such adjustments will be settled at the payment date of the dividends or the date of such adjustments (and in no event later than 60 days after the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units otherwise are to be settled)).

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6.  Settlement and Deferral.

(a) Settlement Date. Except as otherwise set forth above under “Further Conditions to Settlement,” Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units granted hereunder that have become earned and vested, together with Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units credited as a result of Dividend Equivalents with respect thereto, to the extent earned and vested, shall be settled by delivery of one share of Stock for each Performance-Based Restricted Stock Unit being settled at the time specified herein. Settlement of earned and vested Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units granted hereunder shall occur at the Stated Vesting Date (with shares to be delivered within 60 days after the Stated Vesting Date); provided, however, that settlement of earned and vested Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units shall occur within 60 days after a Change in Control if no provision is made for the continuance, assumption or substitution of the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units by the Company or its successor in connection with the Change in Control; and provided further, that settlement shall be deferred if so elected by Employee in accordance with Section 6(b) hereof subject to Section 6(c) hereof.  Settlement of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units which directly or indirectly result from Dividend Equivalents on Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units granted hereunder generally shall occur at the time of settlement of the related Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units except as otherwise described above.

(b) Elective Deferral. The Committee may determine to permit Employee to elect to defer settlement (or re-defer) if such election would be permissible under Section 11(k) of the Plan and Code Section 409A.  In addition to any applicable requirements under Code Section 409A, any such deferral election shall be made only while Employee remains employed and at a time permitted under Code Section 409A.  The form under which an election is made shall set forth the time and form of payment of such amount deferred.  Any amount deferred shall be subject to a six-month delay upon payment if required under Section 11(k)(i)(F) of the Plan.  Any elective deferral will be subject to such additional terms and conditions as the Senior Vice President, Human Resources, or the officer designated by the Company as responsible for administration of the Agreement, may reasonably impose.

(c) Compliance with Code Section 409A. Other provisions of this Agreement notwithstanding, because the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units will constitute a "deferral of compensation" under Section 409A of the Code (“Code Section 409A”) as presently in effect or hereafter amended (i.e., the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units are not excluded or exempted under Code Section 409A or a regulation or other official governmental guidance thereunder; Note: an elective deferral under Section 6(b) would cause the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units, if not already, to be a deferral of compensation subject to Code Section 409A after the deferral), such Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units will be considered a 409A Award under the Plan and shall be subject to the additional requirements set forth in Section 11(k) of the Plan including without limitation that (i) Termination of Employment shall be construed consistent with the meaning of a Separation from Service and (ii) a Change in Control under the Agreement shall be construed consistent with the meaning of a 409A Ownership/Control Change.

7Employee Representations and Warranties Upon Settlement. As a condition to the grant, vesting or settlement of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units, the Company may require Employee (i) to make any representation or warranty to the Company as may be required under any applicable law or regulation and (ii) to execute a release from claims against the Company arising at or before the date of the release, in such form as may be specified by the Company, and not revoke such release prior the expiration of any applicable revocation period, all within 60 days after Termination of Employment.

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8.  Miscellaneous.

(a) Binding Agreement; Written Amendments. This Agreement shall be binding upon the heirs, executors, administrators and successors of the parties. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties with respect to the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units and supersedes any prior agreements or documents with respect to the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units. No amendment or alteration of this Agreement which may impose any additional obligation upon the Company shall be valid unless expressed in a written instrument duly executed in the name of the Company, and no amendment, alteration, suspension or termination of this Agreement which may materially impair the rights of Employee with respect to the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units shall be valid unless expressed in a written instrument executed by Employee.

(b) No Promise of Employment. The Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units and the granting thereof shall not constitute or be evidence of any agreement or understanding, express or implied, that Employee has a right to continue as an officer or employee of the Company or any Subsidiary for any period of time or at any particular rate of compensation.

(c) Governing Law. The validity, construction, and effect of this Agreement shall be determined in accordance with the laws (including those governing contracts) of the State of New Jersey, without giving effect to principles of conflicts of laws, and applicable federal law.

(d) Fractional Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units and Shares. The number of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units credited to Employee shall not include any fractional shares.  The Committee, in its sole discretion, may either (i) round the fractional shares to be credited up to the nearest whole Share or (ii) provide that fractional shares shall be paid in cash to Employee at the time the shares of Stock otherwise would have been delivered.

(e) Tax Withholding.  Unless otherwise determined by the Committee, or Employee has elected at least 90 days prior to payout to satisfy the tax obligations in cash by other means, at the time of vesting and/or settlement, the Company may withhold from any payment relating to the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units, including from a vesting or distribution of Stock thereunder, or any payroll or other payment to the Employee, amounts of withholding and other taxes due or potentially payable in connection with any transaction involving the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units, and to take such other action as the Committee may deem advisable to enable the Company and Employee to satisfy obligations for the payment of withholding taxes and other tax obligations relating to the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units.  The Company shall first withhold any cash payable upon settlement and then may withhold or receive whole shares of Stock or other property and to make cash payments in respect thereof in satisfaction of the Employee's withholding obligations, either on a mandatory or elective basis in the discretion of the Committee, or in satisfaction of other tax obligations.  Other provisions of the Plan notwithstanding, only the minimum number of shares of Stock deliverable in connection with the Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units necessary to satisfy statutory withholding requirements will be withheld unless withholding of any additional number of Shares will not result in additional accounting expense to the Company and is permitted by the Committee.

(f) Unfunded Obligations. The grant of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units and any provision hereof shall not create in Employee any right to, or claim against any, specific assets of the Company, nor result in the creation of any trust or escrow account for Employee.

(g) Notices. Any notice to be given the Company under this Agreement shall be addressed to the Company at its principal executive offices, in care of the Senior Vice President, Human Resources, or the officer designated by the Company as responsible for administration of the Agreement, and any notice to Employee shall be addressed to Employee at Employee’s address as then appearing in the records of the Company.

(h) Shareholder Rights. Employee and any Beneficiary shall have no rights of a shareholder with respect to outstanding shares of Stock relating to Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units (including the right to vote the Stock, except for the right to receive dividends thereon, subject to mandatory reinvestment of the dividends in additional Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units as specified herein) covered by this Agreement prior to vesting or forfeiture of the shares of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units except as otherwise specified herein.

12

Exhibit A
NEW JERSEY RESOURCES CORPORATION
2017 Stock Award and Incentive Plan
Performance Goals and Vesting of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units

The number of shares of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Units set forth in the Agreement may become earned and eligible to become vested and non-forfeitable as of the applicable Stated Vesting Date, subject to the other terms of the Agreement, if the Company’s “Net Financial Earnings per Share” (“NFEPS”) for the fiscal year ending on September 30, 2024 equals or exceeds $            .

“NFEPS” shall be the NFE per basic share of Common Stock that the Company reports on a quarterly and annual basis to the public and in its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and annual report on Form 10-K that are filed with the SEC.

Determinations of the Committee regarding NFEPS will be final and binding on Employee.  “Net Financial Earnings” or “NFE” is a financial measure not calculated in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles that the Company reports on a quarterly and annual basis to the public and in its quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and annual reports on Form 10-K that are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).

13

Exhibit B
NEW JERSEY RESOURCES CORPORATION
2017 Stock Award and Incentive Plan
Definitions Under Further Conditions to Settlement

  a.
“Business of the Company” means the following areas of its business which are selected below, which Employee acknowledges are areas of the Company’s business in which Employee has responsibilities:

(check as applicable)


___
Natural Gas Distribution: Consists of New Jersey Natural Gas Company (“NJNG”), a natural gas utility company that provides regulated retail natural gas service to residential and commercial customers in central and northern New Jersey and participates in the off-system sales and capacity release markets, and is developing a broad range of strategies to decarbonize its operations, including clean fuels and behind the meter solutions.


___
Energy Services:  Maintains and transacts around a portfolio of physical assets consisting of natural gas storage and transportation contracts and also provides wholesale energy management services to other energy companies and natural gas producers in market areas including states from the Gulf Coast and Mid-continent regions to the Appalachian and Northeast regions, the West Coast and Canada.


___
Clean Energy Ventures: Investor, owner, and operator in the renewable energy sector, including, but not limited to, investments in residential and commercial rooftop and ground mount solar systems.


___
Storage and Transportation:  Includes investments in natural gas transportation and storage assets and is comprised of the following: Steckman Ridge, which is a partnership that owns and operates a 17.7 Bcf natural gas storage facility, with up to 12 Bcf working capacity, in western Pennsylvania that is 50 percent owned by a Company Subsidiary; Leaf River Energy Center, a natural gas storage facility located in southeastern Mississippi with a combined working natural gas storage capacity of 32.2 million dekatherms; and Adelphia Gateway, an 84-mile pipeline in southeastern Pennsylvania and Delaware.


___
Home Services:  Consists of NJR Home Services Company, which provides Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning (“HVAC”) service, sales and installation of appliances, as well as installation of solar equipment and plumbing services.


b.
“Confidential Information” means all valuable and/or proprietary information (in oral, written, electronic or other forms) belonging to or pertaining to the Company, its customers and vendors, that is not generally known or publicly available, and which would be useful to competitors of the Company or otherwise damaging to the Company if disclosed.  Confidential Information may include, but is not necessarily limited to:  (i) the identity of the Company’s customers or potential customers, their purchasing histories, and the terms or proposed terms upon which the Company offers or may offer its products and services to such customers, (ii) the identity of the Company’s vendors or potential vendors, and the terms or proposed terms upon which the Company may purchase products and services from such vendors, (iii) technology used by the Company to provide its services, (iv) the terms and conditions upon which the Company employs its employees and independent contractors, (v) marketing and/or business plans and strategies, (vi) financial reports and analyses regarding the revenues, expenses, profitability and operations of the Company, and (vii) information provided to the Company by customers and other third parties under a duty to maintain the confidentiality of such information.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, Confidential Information does not include information that:  (i) has been voluntarily disclosed to the public by Company or any Employer, except where such public disclosure has been made by Employee without authorization from Company or Employer; (ii) has been independently developed and disclosed by others, or (iii) which has otherwise entered the public domain through lawful means. Confidential Information also does not include information related to any claim of sexual harassment or sexual assault and nothing herein restricts the disclosure of such information.  Nothing herein shall prohibit, prevent or restrict the Employee from reporting any allegations of unlawful conduct to federal, state or local officials or to an attorney retained by the Employee.

14


c.
“Material Contact” means contact in person, by telephone, or by paper or electronic correspondence, or the supervision of those who have such conduct, and which is done in furtherance of the business interests of the company and within the last 36 months.


d.
“Restricted Territory” consists of the following areas, to the extent such areas have been identified as applicable to the definition of the “Business of the company” above:

Natural Gas Distribution: The State of New Jersey and for those employees engaged in or supervising off system sales, the States of New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

Energy Services: The Continental United States and within a 100 mile radius of the Dawn Storage Hub in Canada.

Clean Energy Ventures: The States of New Jersey, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Michigan, Indiana, and Maryland.

Storage and Transportation: The States of New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama and Texas.

Home Services: The State of New Jersey.


e.
“Trade Secrets” means a trade secret of the Company as defined by applicable law.


15


Exhibit 99.1


NEW JERSEY RESOURCES REPORTS FISCAL 2023 FOURTH-QUARTER
AND YEAR END RESULTS

Introduces Fiscal 2024 Guidance and Maintains its Long-term Projected Growth Rate

WALL, N.J., November 21, 2023 Today, New Jersey Resources Corporation (NYSE: NJR) reported results for the fourth quarter and year ended fiscal 2023. Highlights include:

Consolidated net income of $264.7 million for fiscal 2023, compared with net income of $274.9 million in fiscal 2022
Consolidated net financial earnings (NFE), a non-GAAP financial measure, of $261.8 million, or $2.70 per share, compared to NFE of $240.3 million, or $2.50 per share, in fiscal 2022
Increased fiscal 2024 dividend by 7.7% to $1.68 per share

Outlook for Fiscal 2024
Introduces fiscal 2024 net financial earnings per share (NFEPS) guidance range of $2.70 to $2.85
Maintains long-term projected NFEPS growth rate of 7 to 9 percent(1)

Fourth-quarter fiscal 2023 net income totaled $37.0 million, or $0.38 per share, compared with net income of $54.5 million, or $0.57 per share, during the same period in fiscal 2022. Fiscal 2023 net income totaled $264.7 million, or $2.73 per share, compared with $274.9 million, or $2.86 per share, for the same period in fiscal 2022.

Fourth-quarter fiscal 2023 NFE totaled $29.6 million, or $0.30 per share, compared to NFE of $47.9 million, or $0.50 per share, during the same period in fiscal 2022. Fiscal 2023 NFE totaled $261.8 million, or $2.70 per share, compared with $240.3 million, or $2.50 per share, for the same period in fiscal 2022.

Management Commentary
Steve Westhoven, President and CEO, stated, "NJR reported an excellent year in fiscal 2023 supported by solid contributions from our complementary portfolio of businesses. We achieved NFEPS at the higher end of our guidance range, which was increased by $0.20 earlier this year as a result of the strong performance of our business units during Winter Storm Elliott, particularly Energy Services. Our performance this past year speaks to the strength of our diversified business model, and our ability to adapt to challenges in ways that benefit our customers and investors."

Key Performance Metrics
 
   
Three Months Ended
   
Twelve Months Ended
 
   
September 30,
   
September 30,
 
($ in Thousands)
 
2023
   
2022
   
2023
   
2022
 
Net income
 
$
37,024
   
$
54,522
   
$
264,724
   
$
274,922
 
Basic EPS
 
$
0.38
   
$
0.57
   
$
2.73
   
$
2.86
 
Net financial earnings
 
$
29,563
   
$
47,896
   
$
261,827
   
$
240,321
 
Basic net financial earnings per share
 
$
0.30
   
$
0.50
   
$
2.70
   
$
2.50
 
 
(1) NFEPS long-term annual growth projections are based on the midpoint of the $2.20 - $2.30 initial guidance range for fiscal 2022, provided on February 1, 2021


NJR Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal 2023 Results
Page 2 of 13
A reconciliation of net income to NFE for the three and twelve months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, is provided below.

   
Three Months Ended
   
Twelve Months Ended
 
   
September 30,
   
September 30,
 
(Thousands)
 
2023
   
2022
   
2023
   
2022
 
Net income
 
$
37,024
   
$
54,522
   
$
264,724
   
$
274,922
 
Add:
                               
Unrealized gain on derivative instruments and related transactions
   
(7,579
)
   
(1,846
)
   
(38,081
)
   
(59,906
)
Tax effect
   
1,800
     
439
     
9,050
     
14,248
 
Effects of economic hedging related to natural gas inventory
   
(2,186
)
   
(5,221
)
   
34,699
     
19,939
 
Tax effect
   
520
     
1,241
     
(8,246
)
   
(4,738
)
Gain on equity method investment
   
     
(1,500
)
   
(300
)
   
(5,521
)
Tax effect
   
(93
)
   
374
     
(19
)
   
1,377
 
NFE tax adjustment
   
77
     
(113
)
   
     
 
Net financial earnings
 
$
29,563
   
$
47,896
   
$
261,827
   
$
240,321
 
                                 
Weighted Average Shares Outstanding
                               
Basic
   
97,568
     
96,235
     
97,028
     
96,100
 
Diluted
   
98,192
     
96,630
     
97,627
     
96,488
 
                                 
Basic earnings per share
 
$
0.38
   
$
0.57
   
$
2.73
   
$
2.86
 
Add:
                               
Unrealized gain on derivative instruments and related transactions
   
(0.08
)
   
(0.02
)
   
(0.39
)
   
(0.62
)
Tax effect
   
0.02
     
0.01
     
0.09
     
0.15
 
Effects of economic hedging related to natural gas inventory
   
(0.02
)
   
(0.05
)
   
0.36
     
0.21
 
Tax effect
   
     
0.01
     
(0.09
)
   
(0.05
)
Gain on equity method investment
   
     
(0.02
)
   
     
(0.06
)
Tax effect
   
     
     
     
0.01
 
Basic net financial earnings per share
 
$
0.30
   
$
0.50
   
$
2.70
   
$
2.50
 

NFE is a measure of earnings based on the elimination of timing differences to effectively match the earnings effects of the economic hedges with the physical sale of natural gas, Solar Renewable Energy Certificates (SRECs) and foreign currency contracts. Consequently, to reconcile net income and NFE, current-period unrealized gains and losses on the derivatives are excluded from NFE as a reconciling item. Realized derivative gains and losses are also included in current-period net income. However, NFE includes only realized gains and losses related to natural gas sold out of inventory, effectively matching the full earnings effects of the derivatives with realized margins on physical natural gas flows. NFE also excludes certain transactions associated with equity method investments, including impairment charges, which are non-cash charges, and return of capital in excess of the carrying value of our investment. These are not indicative of the Company's performance for its ongoing operations. Included in the tax effects are current and deferred income tax expense corresponding with the components of NFE.


NJR Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal 2023 Results
Page 3 of 13
A table detailing NFE for the three and twelve months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, is provided below.

Net financial (loss) earnings by business unit
 
   
Three Months Ended
   
Twelve Months Ended
 
   
September 30,
   
September 30,
 
(Thousands)
 
2023
   
2022
   
2023
   
2022
 
New Jersey Natural Gas
 
$
(24,838
)
 
$
(16,387
)
 
$
131,414
   
$
140,124
 
Clean Energy Ventures
   
50,152
     
57,813
     
44,458
     
39,403
 
Storage and Transportation
   
1,784
     
11,341
     
12,835
     
22,454
 
Energy Services
   
(3,537
)
   
(3,383
)
   
68,517
     
39,121
 
Home Services and Other
   
3,451
     
(1,894
)
   
4,758
     
(781
)
Subtotal
   
27,012
     
47,490
     
261,982
     
240,321
 
Eliminations
   
2,551
     
406
     
(155
)
   
 
Total
 
$
29,563
   
$
47,896
   
$
261,827
   
$
240,321
 

Fiscal 2024 NFE Guidance:

NJR is introducing its fiscal 2024 NFEPS guidance range of $2.70 to $2.85, which represents 12.3% percent year-over-year growth over the midpoint of the originally provided fiscal 2023 guidance range of $2.42 - $2.52, subject to the risks and uncertainties identified below under "Forward-Looking Statements."

In fiscal 2024, NJR expects Energy Services will represent a higher percentage of NFEPS than in prior years due to contributions from the Asset Management Agreements signed in 2020. The following chart represents NJR’s current expected contributions from its business segments for fiscal 2024:
 
Company
Expected Fiscal 2024
Net Financial Earnings
Contribution
New Jersey Natural Gas
40 to 45 percent
Clean Energy Ventures
13 to 18 percent
Storage and Transportation
4 to 8 percent
Energy Services
35 to 40 percent
Home Services and Other
0 to 1 percent
                                                                           
In providing fiscal 2024 NFE guidance, management is aware there could be differences between reported GAAP earnings and NFE due to matters such as, but not limited to, the positions of our energy-related derivatives. Management is not able to reasonably estimate the aggregate impact or significance of these items on reported earnings and, therefore, is not able to provide a reconciliation to the corresponding GAAP equivalent for its operating earnings guidance without unreasonable efforts.

New Jersey Natural Gas ("NJNG")

NJNG reported fiscal 2023 NFE of $131.4 million, compared to NFE of $140.1 million during fiscal 2022. NJNG reported fourth-quarter fiscal 2023 net financial loss of $(24.8) million, compared to a net financial loss of $(16.4) million during the same period in fiscal 2022. The decrease in NFE for the year was due primarily to higher depreciation and operating expenses, including the deferral of bad debt costs in accordance with the July 2, 2020 BPU deferral order in fiscal 2022 that did not reoccur, partially offset by higher utility gross margin.


NJR Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal 2023 Results
Page 4 of 13
Customer Growth:

NJNG added 8,800 new customers during fiscal 2023, compared with 7,808 during fiscal 2022. NJNG expects these new customers to contribute approximately $7.4 million of incremental utility gross margin on an annualized basis.

Infrastructure Update:

NJNG's Infrastructure Investment Program (IIP) is a five-year, $150 million accelerated recovery program that began in fiscal 2021. IIP consists of a series of infrastructure projects designed to enhance the safety and reliability of NJNG's natural gas distribution system. During fiscal 2023, NJNG spent $43.1 million under the program on various distribution system reinforcement projects. On March 30, 2023, NJNG submitted its annual IIP filing to the BPU requesting a rate increase for capital expenditures of $31.4 million through June 30, 2023, resulting in a $3.2 million revenue increase, with an effective date of October 1, 2023.

Basic Gas Supply Service (BGSS) Incentive Programs:

BGSS incentive programs contributed $20.0 million to utility gross margin in fiscal 2023, compared with $19.6 million during fiscal 2022. Increases in storage incentive margin and capacity release volumes in fiscal 2023, were partially offset by lower off-system sales.

For more information on utility gross margin, please see "Non-GAAP Financial Information" below.

Energy-Efficiency Programs:

SAVEGREEN invested $59.8 million in fiscal 2023 in energy-efficiency upgrades for customers' homes and businesses. NJNG recovered $26.3 million of its outstanding investments during fiscal 2023 through its energy efficiency rate.

Clean Energy Ventures (CEV)

CEV reported fiscal 2023 NFE of $44.5 million, compared with NFE of $39.4 million during fiscal 2022. Fourth-quarter fiscal 2023 NFE were $50.2 million, compared with NFE of $57.8 million during the same period in fiscal 2022. The increase in NFE for fiscal 2023 was due primarily to a reversal of a valuation allowance on certain deferred tax assets during June 2023, which was determined to be no longer required. The decrease in NFE for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023 was largely due to lower SREC and electricity revenue for the period, partially offset by higher TREC revenue.

Solar Investment Update:

During fiscal 2023, CEV placed 10 commercial projects into service, adding approximately 78MW to total installed capacity, including two operational assets acquired in July 2023 totaling approximately 21MW.

As of September 30, 2023, CEV had approximately 469MW of solar capacity (including residential) in service in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Indiana, and Michigan.

Storage and Transportation

Storage and Transportation reported fiscal 2023 NFE of $12.8 million, compared with NFE of $22.5 million during fiscal 2022. Fourth-quarter fiscal 2023 NFE were $1.8 million, compared with NFE of $11.3 million during the same period in fiscal 2022. NFE for both periods decreased due to increased depreciation and interest expense; resulting primarily from the southern portion of the Adelphia Gateway project, which was placed in service in September 2022.


NJR Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal 2023 Results
Page 5 of 13
Energy Services

Energy Services reported fiscal 2023 NFE of $68.5 million, compared with NFE of $39.1 million during fiscal 2022. Fourth-quarter fiscal 2023 net financial loss was $(3.5) million compared with net financial loss of $(3.4) million for the same period in fiscal 2022. The increase in fiscal 2023 NFE was due to higher natural gas price volatility during periods of colder than expected weather in December 2022 and February 2023 as compared to the prior year, allowing Energy Services to capture additional financial margin.

Home Services and Other Operations

Home Services and Other Operations reported fiscal 2023 NFE of $4.8 million, compared with a net financial loss of $(0.8) million during fiscal 2022. Fourth-quarter fiscal 2023 NFE were $3.5 million compared with a net financial loss of $(1.9) million for the same period in fiscal 2022. The increase in NFE for the quarter and year was due primarily to increased installation and service contract revenue.

Capital Expenditures and Cash Flows:

NJR is committed to maintaining a strong financial profile:

During fiscal 2023, capital expenditures were $537.3 million, including accruals, compared with $569.2 million, during fiscal 2022. The decrease in capital expenditures was primarily due to the completion of the southern portion of the Adelphia Gateway Pipeline project, which was placed into service in September 2022, as well as lower solar capital expenditures during the fiscal year. This was partially offset by an increase in capital expenditures at NJNG of $112.4 million, largely due to investments in customer growth and system integrity.

During fiscal 2023, cash flows from operations were $479.0 million, compared with cash flows from operations of $323.5 million during the same period of fiscal 2022. The increase in operating cash flows was due to increased earnings and decreased working capital requirements as a result of a lower gas prices when compared to the prior fiscal year.


NJR Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal 2023 Results
Page 6 of 13
Forward-Looking Statements:

This earnings release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. NJR cautions readers that the assumptions forming the basis for forward-looking statements include many factors that are beyond NJR’s ability to control or estimate precisely, such as estimates of future market conditions and the behavior of other market participants. Words such as “anticipates,” “estimates,” “expects,” “projects,” “may,” “will,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “should” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements and such forward-looking statements are made based upon management’s current expectations, assumptions and beliefs as of this date concerning future developments and their potential effect upon NJR. There can be no assurance that future developments will be in accordance with management’s expectations, assumptions and beliefs or that the effect of future developments on NJR will be those anticipated by management. Forward-looking statements in this earnings release include, but are not limited to, certain statements regarding NJR’s NFEPS guidance for fiscal 2024, projected NFEPS growth rates, NFEPS Contributions, forecasted contribution of business segments to NJR’s NFE for fiscal 2024, customer growth at NJNG and their expected contributions, infrastructure programs and investments future decarbonization opportunities including IIP, the outcome or timing of future Base Rate Cases with the BPU, and other legal and regulatory expectations.

Additional information and factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from NJR’s expectations are contained in NJR’s filings with the SEC, including NJR’s Annual Reports on Form 10-K and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, recent Current Reports on Form 8-K, and other SEC filings, which are available at the SEC’s web site, http://www.sec.gov. Information included in this earnings release is representative as of today only and while NJR periodically reassesses material trends and uncertainties affecting NJR's results of operations and financial condition in connection with its preparation of management's discussion and analysis of results of operations and financial condition contained in its Quarterly and Annual Reports filed with the SEC, NJR does not, by including this statement, assume any obligation to review or revise any particular forward-looking statement referenced herein in light of future events.

Non-GAAP Financial Information:

This earnings release includes the non-GAAP financial measures NFE/net financial loss, NFE per basic share, financial margin and utility gross margin. A reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable financial measures calculated and reported in accordance with GAAP can be found below. As an indicator of NJR’s operating performance, these measures should not be considered an alternative to, or more meaningful than, net income or operating revenues as determined in accordance with GAAP. This information has been provided pursuant to the requirements of SEC Regulation G.

NFE and financial margin exclude unrealized gains or losses on derivative instruments related to NJR’s unregulated subsidiaries and certain realized gains and losses on derivative instruments related to natural gas that has been placed into storage at Energy Services and certain transactions related to NJR's investments in the PennEast Project, net of applicable tax adjustments as described below. Financial margin also differs from gross margin as defined on a GAAP basis as it excludes certain operations and maintenance expense and depreciation and amortization as well as the effects of derivatives as discussed above. Volatility associated with the change in value of these financial instruments and physical commodity reported on the income statement in the current period. In order to manage its business, NJR views its results without the impacts of the unrealized gains and losses, and certain realized gains and losses, caused by changes in value of these financial instruments and physical commodity contracts prior to the completion of the planned transaction because it shows changes in value currently instead of when the planned transaction ultimately is settled. An annual estimated effective tax rate is calculated for NFE purposes and any necessary quarterly tax adjustment is applied to NJR Energy Services Company.

NJNG’s utility gross margin is defined as operating revenues less natural gas purchases, sales tax, and regulatory rider expense. This measure differs from gross margin as presented on a GAAP basis as it excludes certain operations and maintenance expense and depreciation and amortization. Utility gross margin may also not be comparable to the definition of gross margin used by others in the natural gas distribution business and other industries. Management believes that utility gross margin provides a meaningful basis for evaluating utility operations since natural gas costs, sales tax and regulatory rider expenses are included in operating revenues and passed through to customers and, therefore, have no effect on utility gross margin.

Management uses these non-GAAP financial measures as supplemental measures to other GAAP results to provide a more complete understanding of NJR’s performance. Management believes these non-GAAP financial measures are more reflective of NJR’s business model, provide transparency to investors and enable period-to-period comparability of financial performance. A reconciliation of all non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable financial measures calculated and reported in accordance with GAAP can be found below. For a full discussion of NJR’s non-GAAP financial measures, please see NJR’s most recent Report on Form 10-K, Item 7.


NJR Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal 2023 Results
Page 7 of 13
About New Jersey Resources

New Jersey Resources (NYSE: NJR) is a Fortune 1000 company that, through its subsidiaries, provides safe and reliable natural gas and clean energy services, including transportation, distribution, asset management and home services. NJR is composed of five primary businesses:

New Jersey Natural Gas, NJR’s principal subsidiary, operates and maintains natural gas transportation and distribution infrastructure to serve approximately 576,000 customers in New Jersey’s Monmouth, Ocean, Morris, Middlesex, Sussex and Burlington counties.

Clean Energy Ventures invests in, owns and operates solar projects with a total capacity of approximately 469 megawatts, providing residential and commercial customers with low-carbon solutions.

Energy Services manages a diversified portfolio of natural gas transportation and storage assets and provides physical natural gas services and customized energy solutions to its customers across North America.

Storage and Transportation serves customers from local distributors and producers to electric generators and wholesale marketers through its ownership of Leaf River and the Adelphia Gateway Pipeline, as well as our 50% equity ownership in the Steckman Ridge natural gas storage facility.

Home Services provides service contracts as well as heating, central air conditioning, water heaters, standby generators, solar and other indoor and outdoor comfort products to residential homes throughout New Jersey.

NJR and its over 1,300 employees are committed to helping customers save energy and money by promoting conservation and encouraging efficiency through Conserve to Preserve® and initiatives such as The SAVEGREEN Project® and The Sunlight Advantage®.

For more information about NJR:
www.njresources.com.

Follow us on X.com (Twitter) @NJNaturalGas.
“Like” us on facebook.com/NewJerseyNaturalGas.


NJR Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal 2023 Results
Page 8 of 13
NEW JERSEY RESOURCES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(Unaudited)
 
   
Three Months Ended
   
Twelve Months Ended
 
   
September 30,
   
September 30,
 
(Thousands, except per share data)
 
2023
   
2022
   
2023
   
2022
 
OPERATING REVENUES
                       
Utility
 
$
108,404
   
$
190,151
   
$
1,011,284
   
$
1,127,417
 
Nonutility
   
222,921
     
575,335
     
951,710
     
1,778,562
 
Total operating revenues
   
331,325
     
765,486
     
1,962,994
     
2,905,979
 
OPERATING EXPENSES
                               
Gas purchases
                               
Utility
   
34,998
     
112,463
     
416,158
     
547,901
 
Nonutility
   
87,228
     
413,521
     
555,579
     
1,393,656
 
Related parties
   
1,739
     
1,828
     
7,206
     
7,395
 
Operation and maintenance
   
100,759
     
118,723
     
373,568
     
361,866
 
Regulatory rider expenses
   
3,017
     
3,496
     
50,542
     
59,437
 
Depreciation and amortization
   
39,291
     
34,549
     
152,941
     
129,249
 
Total operating expenses
   
267,032
     
684,580
     
1,555,994
     
2,499,504
 
OPERATING INCOME
   
64,293
     
80,906
     
407,000
     
406,475
 
Other income, net
   
10,938
     
9,744
     
26,083
     
22,295
 
Interest expense, net of capitalized interest
   
33,143
     
26,016
     
123,014
     
85,830
 
INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES AND EQUITY IN EARNINGS OF AFFILIATES
   
42,088
     
64,634
     
310,069
     
342,940
 
Income tax provision
   
6,216
     
12,144
     
49,275
     
76,195
 
Equity in earnings of affiliates
   
1,152
     
2,032
     
3,930
     
8,177
 
NET INCOME
 
$
37,024
   
$
54,522
   
$
264,724
   
$
274,922
 
                                 
EARNINGS PER COMMON SHARE
                               
Basic
 
$
0.38
   
$
0.57
   
$
2.73
   
$
2.86
 
Diluted
 
$
0.38
   
$
0.56
   
$
2.71
   
$
2.85
 
                                 
WEIGHTED AVERAGE SHARES OUTSTANDING
                               
Basic
   
97,568
     
96,235
     
97,028
     
96,100
 
Diluted
   
98,192
     
96,630
     
97,627
     
96,488
 
                                 


NJR Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal 2023 Results
Page 9 of 13
RECONCILIATION OF NON-GAAP PERFORMANCE MEASURES
(Unaudited)

   
Three Months Ended
   
Twelve Months Ended
 
   
September 30,
   
September 30,
 
(Thousands)
 
2023
   
2022
   
2023
   
2022
 
NEW JERSEY RESOURCES
             
   
A reconciliation of net income, the closest GAAP financial measure, to net financial earnings is as follows:
 
                         
Net income
 
$
37,024
   
$
54,522
   
$
264,724
   
$
274,922
 
Add:
                               
Unrealized gain on derivative instruments and related transactions
   
(7,579
)
   
(1,846
)
   
(38,081
)
   
(59,906
)
Tax effect
   
1,800
     
439
     
9,050
     
14,248
 
Effects of economic hedging related to natural gas inventory
   
(2,186
)
   
(5,221
)
   
34,699
     
19,939
 
Tax effect
   
520
     
1,241
     
(8,246
)
   
(4,738
)
Gain on equity method investment
   
     
(1,500
)
   
(300
)
   
(5,521
)
Tax effect
   
(93
)
   
374
     
(19
)
   
1,377
 
NFE tax adjustment
   
77
     
(113
)
   
     
 
Net financial earnings
 
$
29,563
   
$
47,896
   
$
261,827
   
$
240,321
 
                                 
Weighted Average Shares Outstanding
                               
Basic
   
97,568
     
96,235
     
97,028
     
96,100
 
Diluted
   
98,192
     
96,630
     
97,627
     
96,488
 

A reconciliation of basic earnings per share, the closest GAAP financial measure, to basic net financial earnings per share is as follows:

Basic earnings per share
 
$
0.38
   
$
0.57
   
$
2.73
   
$
2.86
 
Add:
                               
Unrealized gain on derivative instruments and related transactions
 
$
(0.08
)
 
$
(0.02
)
 
$
(0.39
)
 
$
(0.62
)
Tax effect
 
$
0.02
   
$
0.01
   
$
0.09
   
$
0.15
 
Effects of economic hedging related to natural gas inventory
 
$
(0.02
)
 
$
(0.05
)
 
$
0.36
   
$
0.21
 
Tax effect
 
$
   
$
0.01
   
$
(0.09
)
 
$
(0.05
)
Gain on equity method investment
 
$
   
$
(0.02
)
 
$
   
$
(0.06
)
Tax effect
 
$
   
$
   
$
   
$
0.01
 
Basic net financial earnings per share
 
$
0.30
   
$
0.50
   
$
2.70
   
$
2.50
 
                                 
NATURAL GAS DISTRIBUTION
                 

A reconciliation of gross margin, the closest GAAP financial measure, to utility gross margin is as follows:

Operating revenues
 
$
108,741
   
$
190,488
   
$
1,012,633
   
$
1,128,767
 
Less:
                               
Natural gas purchases
   
37,323
     
114,791
     
425,457
     
557,232
 
Operating and maintenance (1)
   
31,605
     
30,805
     
115,292
     
93,164
 
Regulatory rider expense
   
3,017
     
3,496
     
50,542
     
59,437
 
Depreciation and amortization
   
26,292
     
24,391
     
102,326
     
94,579
 
Gross margin
   
10,504
     
17,005
     
319,016
     
324,355
 
Add:
                               
Operating and maintenance (1)
   
31,605
     
30,805
     
115,292
     
93,164
 
Depreciation and amortization
   
26,292
     
24,391
     
102,326
     
94,579
 
Utility gross margin
 
$
68,401
   
$
72,201
   
$
536,634
   
$
512,098
 
(1) Excludes selling, general and administrative expenses of $28.7 million and $26.7 million for the three months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively, and $111.5 million and $102.8 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively.


NJR Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal 2023 Results
Page 10 of 13
RECONCILIATION OF NON-GAAP PERFORMANCE MEASURES (continued)
(Unaudited)

   
Three Months Ended
   
Twelve Months Ended
 
   
September 30,
   
September 30,
 
(Thousands)
 
2023
   
2022
   
2023
   
2022
 
ENERGY SERVICES
                       
                         
A reconciliation of gross margin, the closest GAAP financial measure, to Energy Services' financial margin is as follows:
 
                         
Operating revenues
 
$
102,932
   
$
439,568
   
$
691,616
   
$
1,529,272
 
Less:
                               
Natural Gas purchases
   
87,932
     
413,805
     
558,932
     
1,394,405
 
Operation and maintenance (1)
   
5,833
     
10,281
     
20,199
     
23,709
 
Depreciation and amortization
   
51
     
54
     
221
     
148
 
Gross margin
   
9,116
     
15,428
     
112,264
     
111,010
 
Add:
                               
Operation and maintenance (1)
   
5,833
     
10,281
     
20,199
     
23,709
 
Depreciation and amortization
   
51
     
54
     
221
     
148
 
Unrealized (gain) loss on derivative instruments and related transactions
   
(8,559
)
   
1,671
     
(48,251
)
   
(60,000
)
Effects of economic hedging related to natural gas inventory
   
(2,186
)
   
(5,221
)
   
34,699
     
19,939
 
Financial margin
 
$
4,255
   
$
22,213
   
$
119,132
   
$
94,806
 
(1)  Excludes selling, general and administrative expenses of $0.4 million and $14.3 million for the three months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively, and $(0.8) million and $15.4 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

A reconciliation of net income, the closest GAAP financial measure, to net financial earnings is as follows:

Net income (loss)
 
$
4,577
   
$
(564
)
 
$
78,848
   
$
69,650
 
Add:
                               
Unrealized (gain) loss on derivative instruments and related transactions
   
(8,559
)
   
1,671
     
(48,251
)
   
(60,000
)
Tax effect
   
2,034
     
(397
)
   
11,467
     
14,270
 
Effects of economic hedging related to natural gas
   
(2,186
)
   
(5,221
)
   
34,699
     
19,939
 
Tax effect
   
520
     
1,241
     
(8,246
)
   
(4,738
)
NFE tax adjustment
   
77
     
(113
)
   
     
 
Net financial (loss) earnings
 
$
(3,537
)
 
$
(3,383
)
 
$
68,517
   
$
39,121
 
                                 


NJR Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal 2023 Results
Page 11 of 13
FINANCIAL STATISTICS BY BUSINESS UNIT
(Unaudited)

   
Three Months Ended
   
Twelve Months Ended
 
   
September 30,
   
September 30,
 
(Thousands, except per share data)
 
2023
   
2022
   
2023
   
2022
 
NEW JERSEY RESOURCES
                       
                         
Operating Revenues
                       
Natural Gas Distribution
 
$
108,741
   
$
190,488
   
$
1,012,633
   
$
1,128,767
 
Clean Energy Ventures
   
83,755
     
92,475
     
124,131
     
128,280
 
Energy Services
   
102,932
     
439,568
     
691,616
     
1,529,272
 
Storage and Transportation
   
22,933
     
25,860
     
92,859
     
67,735
 
Home Services and Other
   
14,969
     
14,789
     
57,638
     
56,182
 
Sub-total
   
333,330
     
763,180
     
1,978,877
     
2,910,236
 
Eliminations
   
(2,005
)
   
2,306
     
(15,883
)
   
(4,257
)
Total
 
$
331,325
   
$
765,486
   
$
1,962,994
   
$
2,905,979
 
                                 
                                 
Operating (Loss) Income
                               
Natural Gas Distribution
 
$
(18,172
)
 
$
(9,721
)
 
$
207,528
   
$
218,973
 
Clean Energy Ventures
   
67,389
     
74,055
     
58,722
     
66,178
 
Energy Services
   
8,742
     
1,160
     
113,112
     
95,639
 
Storage and Transportation
   
5,901
     
12,867
     
32,425
     
22,163
 
Home Services and Other
   
595
     
(1,562
)
   
2,495
     
678
 
Sub-total
   
64,455
     
76,799
     
414,282
     
403,631
 
Eliminations
   
(162
)
   
4,107
     
(7,282
)
   
2,844
 
Total
 
$
64,293
   
$
80,906
   
$
407,000
   
$
406,475
 
                                 
                                 
Equity in Earnings of Affiliates
                               
Storage and Transportation
 
$
863
   
$
2,279
   
$
3,126
   
$
9,865
 
Eliminations
   
289
     
(247
)
   
804
     
(1,688
)
Total
 
$
1,152
   
$
2,032
   
$
3,930
   
$
8,177
 
                                 
                                 
Net (Loss) Income
                               
Natural Gas Distribution
 
$
(24,838
)
 
$
(16,387
)
 
$
131,414
   
$
140,124
 
Clean Energy Ventures
   
50,152
     
57,813
     
44,458
     
39,403
 
Energy Services
   
4,577
     
(564
)
   
78,848
     
69,650
 
Storage and Transportation
   
1,877
     
12,467
     
13,154
     
26,598
 
Home Services and Other
   
3,451
     
(1,894
)
   
4,758
     
(781
)
Sub-total
   
35,219
     
51,435
     
272,632
     
274,994
 
Eliminations
   
1,805
     
3,087
     
(7,908
)
   
(72
)
Total
 
$
37,024
   
$
54,522
   
$
264,724
   
$
274,922
 
                                 
                                 
Net Financial (Loss) Earnings
                               
Natural Gas Distribution
 
$
(24,838
)
 
$
(16,387
)
 
$
131,414
   
$
140,124
 
Clean Energy Ventures
   
50,152
     
57,813
     
44,458
     
39,403
 
Energy Services
   
(3,537
)
   
(3,383
)
   
68,517
     
39,121
 
Storage and Transportation
   
1,784
     
11,341
     
12,835
     
22,454
 
Home Services and Other
   
3,451
     
(1,894
)
   
4,758
     
(781
)
Sub-total
   
27,012
     
47,490
     
261,982
     
240,321
 
Eliminations
   
2,551
     
406
     
(155
)
   
 
Total
 
$
29,563
   
$
47,896
   
$
261,827
   
$
240,321
 
                                 
                                 
Throughput (Bcf)
                               
NJNG, Core Customers
   
17.4
     
21.0
     
93.4
     
99.6
 
NJNG, Off System/Capacity Management
   
20.6
     
25.8
     
72.6
     
95.2
 
Energy Services Fuel Mgmt. and Wholesale Sales
   
41.4
     
50.2
     
150.4
     
231.1
 
Total
   
79.4
     
97.0
     
316.4
     
425.9
 
                                 
                                 
Common Stock Data
                               
Yield at September 30,
   
4.1
%
   
4.0
%
   
4.1
%
   
4.0
%
Market Price at September 30,
 
$
40.63
   
$
38.70
   
$
40.63
   
$
38.70
 
Shares Out. at September 30,
   
97,584
     
96,250
     
97,584
     
96,250
 
Market Cap. at September 30,
 
$
3,964,856
   
$
3,724,870
   
$
3,964,856
   
$
3,724,870
 
                                 


NJR Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal 2023 Results
Page 12 of 13
   
Three Months Ended
   
Twelve Months Ended
 
(Unaudited)
 
September 30,
   
September 30,
 
(Thousands, except customer and weather data)
 
2023
   
2022
   
2023
   
2022
 
NATURAL GAS DISTRIBUTION
                       
                         
Utility Gross Margin
                       
Operating revenues
 
$
108,741
   
$
190,488
   
$
1,012,633
   
$
1,128,767
 
Less:
                               
Natural gas purchases
   
37,323
     
114,791
     
425,457
     
557,232
 
Operating and maintenance (1)
   
31,605
     
30,805
     
115,292
     
93,164
 
Regulatory rider expense
   
3,017
     
3,496
     
50,542
     
59,437
 
Depreciation and amortization
   
26,292
     
24,391
     
102,326
     
94,579
 
Gross margin
   
10,504
     
17,005
     
319,016
     
324,355
 
Add:
                               
Operating and maintenance (1)
   
31,605
     
30,805
     
115,292
     
93,164
 
Depreciation and amortization
   
26,292
     
24,391
     
102,326
     
94,579
 
Total Utility Gross Margin
 
$
68,401
   
$
72,201
   
$
536,634
   
$
512,098
 
(1) Excludes selling, general and administrative expenses of $28.7 million and $26.7 million for the three months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively, and $111.5 million and $102.8 million for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively.
 
                                 
Utility Gross Margin, Operating Income and Net Income
                               
Residential
 
$
39,121
   
$
37,451
   
$
360,138
   
$
341,167
 
Commercial, Industrial & Other
   
10,808
     
13,020
     
76,550
     
77,629
 
Firm Transportation
   
14,611
     
12,832
     
76,114
     
69,933
 
Total Firm Margin
   
64,540
     
63,303
     
512,802
     
488,729
 
Interruptible
   
1,240
     
1,362
     
3,812
     
3,782
 
Total System Margin
   
65,780
     
64,665
     
516,614
     
492,511
 
Off System/Capacity Management/FRM/Storage Incentive
   
2,621
     
7,536
     
20,020
     
19,587
 
Total Utility Gross Margin
   
68,401
     
72,201
     
536,634
     
512,098
 
Operation and maintenance expense
   
60,281
     
57,531
     
226,780
     
198,546
 
Depreciation and amortization
   
26,292
     
24,391
     
102,326
     
94,579
 
Operating (Loss) Income
 
$
(18,172
)
 
$
(9,721
)
 
$
207,528
   
$
218,973
 
 
                               
Net (Loss) Income
 
$
(24,838
)
 
$
(16,387
)
 
$
131,414
   
$
140,124
 
 
                               
Net Financial (Loss) Earnings
 
$
(24,838
)
 
$
(16,387
)
 
$
131,414
   
$
140,124
 
                                 
Throughput (Bcf)
                               
Residential
   
3.4
     
3.2
     
43.4
     
45.5
 
Commercial, Industrial & Other
   
0.4
     
0.8
     
8.4
     
8.7
 
Firm Transportation
   
1.1
     
1.5
     
12.1
     
13.0
 
Total Firm Throughput
   
4.9
     
5.5
     
63.9
     
67.2
 
Interruptible
   
12.5
     
15.5
     
29.5
     
32.4
 
Total System Throughput
   
17.4
     
21.0
     
93.4
     
99.6
 
Off System/Capacity Management
   
20.6
     
25.8
     
72.6
     
95.2
 
Total Throughput
   
38.0
     
46.8
     
166.0
     
194.8
 
                                 
Customers
                               
Residential
   
520,682
     
512,264
     
520,682
     
512,264
 
Commercial, Industrial & Other
   
31,725
     
31,227
     
31,725
     
31,227
 
Firm Transportation
   
23,490
     
25,713
     
23,490
     
25,713
 
Total Firm Customers
   
575,897
     
569,204
     
575,897
     
569,204
 
Interruptible
   
83
     
88
     
83
     
88
 
Total System Customers
   
575,980
     
569,292
     
575,980
     
569,292
 
Off System/Capacity Management*
   
20
     
8
     
20
     
8
 
Total Customers
   
576,000
     
569,300
     
576,000
     
569,300
 
*The number of customers represents those active during the last month of the period.
                 
Degree Days
                               
Actual
   
28
     
33
     
3,897
     
4,130
 
Normal
   
24
     
27
     
4,498
     
4,504
 
Percent of Normal
   
116.7
%
   
122.2
%
   
86.6
%
   
91.7
%
                                 


NJR Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal 2023 Results
Page 13 of 13
   
Three Months Ended
   
Twelve Months Ended
 
(Unaudited)
 
September 30,
   
September 30,
 
(Thousands, except customer, RECs and megawatt)
 
2023
   
2022
   
2023
   
2022
 
CLEAN ENERGY VENTURES
                       
                         
Operating Revenues
                       
SREC sales
 
$
69,455
   
$
76,637
   
$
79,762
   
$
84,476
 
TREC sales
   
4,629
     
1,913
     
12,636
     
5,487
 
Solar electricity sales and other
   
6,608
     
10,967
     
19,782
     
26,806
 
Sunlight Advantage
   
3,063
     
2,958
     
11,951
     
11,511
 
Total Operating Revenues
 
$
83,755
   
$
92,475
   
$
124,131
   
$
128,280
 
                                 
Depreciation and Amortization
 
$
6,607
   
$
5,494
   
$
25,320
   
$
21,396
 
                                 
Operating Income
 
$
67,389
   
$
74,055
   
$
58,722
   
$
66,178
 
                                 
Income Tax (Benefit) Provision
 
$
15,396
   
$
16,885
   
$
(7,683
)
 
$
11,361
 
                                 
Net Income
 
$
50,152
   
$
57,813
   
$
44,458
   
$
39,403
 
                                 
Net Financial Earnings
 
$
50,152
   
$
57,813
   
$
44,458
   
$
39,403
 
                                 
Solar Renewable Energy Certificates Generated
   
129,286
     
146,772
     
422,039
     
425,453
 
                                 
Solar Renewable Energy Certificates Sold
   
345,035
     
378,532
     
393,906
     
417,305
 
                                 
Transition Renewable Energy Certificates Generated
   
28,507
     
13,443
     
80,520
     
38,914
 
                                 
Solar Renewable Energy Certificates II Generated
   
4,457
     
     
10,260
     
 
                                 
Solar Megawatts Under Construction
   
5.6
     
63.1
     
5.6
     
63.1
 
                                 
ENERGY SERVICES
                       
                         
Operating Income
                       
Operating revenues
 
$
102,932
   
$
439,568
   
$
691,616
   
$
1,529,272
 
Less:
                               
Gas purchases
   
87,932
     
413,805
     
558,932
     
1,394,405
 
Operation and maintenance expense
   
6,207
     
24,549
     
19,351
     
39,080
 
Depreciation and amortization
   
51
     
54
     
221
     
148
 
Operating Income
 
$
8,742
   
$
1,160
   
$
113,112
   
$
95,639
 
                                 
Net Income (Loss)
 
$
4,577
   
$
(564
)
 
$
78,848
   
$
69,650
 
                                 
Financial Margin
 
$
4,255
   
$
22,213
   
$
119,132
   
$
94,806
 
                                 
Net Financial (Loss) Earnings
 
$
(3,537
)
 
$
(3,383
)
 
$
68,517
   
$
39,121
 
                                 
Gas Sold and Managed (Bcf)
   
41.4
     
50.2
     
150.4
     
231.1
 
                                 
STORAGE AND TRANSPORTATION
                       
                         
Operating Revenues
 
$
22,933
   
$
25,860
   
$
92,859
   
$
67,735
 
                                 
Equity in Earnings of Affiliates
 
$
863
   
$
2,279
   
$
3,126
   
$
9,865
 
                                 
Operation and Maintenance Expense
 
$
10,697
   
$
8,044
   
$
34,648
   
$
30,568
 
                                 
Other Income, Net
 
$
2,021
   
$
1,405
   
$
6,850
   
$
8,546
 
                                 
Interest Expense
 
$
6,538
   
$
4,937
   
$
25,803
   
$
12,097
 
                                 
Income Tax Provision (Benefit)
 
$
370
   
$
(853
)
 
$
3,444
   
$
1,879
 
                                 
Net Income
 
$
1,877
   
$
12,467
   
$
13,154
   
$
26,598
 
                                 
Net Financial Earnings
 
$
1,784
   
$
11,341
   
$
12,835
   
$
22,454
 
                                 
HOME SERVICES AND OTHER
                       
                         
Operating Revenues
 
$
14,969
   
$
14,789
   
$
57,638
   
$
56,182
 
                                 
Operating Income (Loss)
 
$
595
   
$
(1,562
)
 
$
2,495
   
$
678
 
                                 
Net Income (Loss)
 
$
3,451
   
$
(1,894
)
 
$
4,758
   
$
(781
)
                                 
Net Financial Earnings (Loss)
 
$
3,451
   
$
(1,894
)
 
$
4,758
   
$
(781
)
                                 
Total Service Contract Customers at Sep 30
   
101,499
     
103,123
     
101,499
     
103,123
 
                                 




Exhibit 99.2

 FY 2023 Fourth Quarter and Year End Financial Results  November 21, 2023  November 2023   Investor Presentation 
 

 Forward-Looking Statements and Non-GAAP Measures  Forward-Looking Statements  This presentation contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. NJR cautions readers that the assumptions forming the basis for forward-looking statements include many factors that are beyond NJR’s ability to control or estimate precisely, such as estimates of future market conditions and the behavior of other market participants. Words such as “anticipates,” “estimates,” “expects,” “projects,” “may,” “will,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “should” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements and such forward-looking statements are made based upon management’s current expectations, assumptions and beliefs as of this date concerning future developments and their potential effect upon NJR. There can be no assurance that future developments will be in accordance with management’s expectations, assumptions and beliefs or that the effect of future developments on NJR will be those anticipated by management. Forward-looking statements in this earnings presentation include, but are not limited to, certain statements regarding NJR’s NFEPS guidance for fiscal 2024, including NFEPS guidance by Segment, fiscal 2024 and 2025 long term growth targets and range, long term annual growth projections and targets, Capital Plan expectations for FY 2024 and 2025, projections of dividend and financing activities, customer growth at NJNG, future NJR and NJNG capital expenditures, potential CEV capital projects, project pipeline (under construction, contract or exclusivity) through Fiscal 2028, total expected shareholder return projections, dividend growth, CEV revenue and service projections, SREC Hedging strategies and Asset Management Agreements, the outcome and timing of future Base Rate Cases with the BPU, emissions reduction strategies and clean energy goals, environmental social and governance efforts, rising interest rates and ITCs, and other legal and regulatory expectations.  Additional information and factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from NJR’s expectations are contained in NJR’s filings with the SEC, including NJR’s Annual Reports on Form 10-K and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, recent Current Reports on Form 8-K, and other SEC filings, which are available at the SEC’s web site, http://www.sec.gov. Information included in this presentation is representative as of today only and while NJR periodically reassesses material trends and uncertainties affecting NJR's results of operations and financial condition in connection with its preparation of management's discussion and analysis of results of operations and financial condition contained in its Quarterly and Annual Reports filed with the SEC, NJR does not, by including this statement, assume any obligation to review or revise any particular forward-looking statement referenced herein in light of future events.  Non-GAAP Measures  Non-GAAP Measures  This presentation includes the non-GAAP financial measures NFE/net financial loss, NFE per basic share, financial margin, utility gross margin, adjusted funds from operations and adjusted debt. A reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable financial measures calculated and reported in accordance with GAAP can be found below. As an indicator of NJR’s operating performance, these measures should not be considered an alternative to, or more meaningful than, net income or operating revenues as determined in accordance with GAAP. This information has been provided pursuant to the requirements of SEC Regulation G.  NFE and financial margin exclude unrealized gains or losses on derivative instruments related to NJR’s unregulated subsidiaries and certain realized gains and losses on derivative instruments related to natural gas that has been placed into storage at Energy Services and certain transactions related to NJR's investments in the PennEast Project, net of applicable tax adjustments as described below. Financial margin also differs from gross margin as defined on a GAAP basis as it excludes certain operations and maintenance expense and depreciation and amortization as well as the effects of derivatives as discussed above. Volatility associated with the change in value of these financial instruments and physical commodity reported on the income statement in the current period. In order to manage its business, NJR views its results without the impacts of the unrealized gains and losses, and certain realized gains and losses, caused by changes in value of these financial instruments and physical commodity contracts prior to the completion of the planned transaction because it shows changes in value currently instead of when the planned transaction ultimately is settled. An annual estimated effective tax rate is calculated for NFE purposes and any necessary quarterly tax adjustment is applied to NJR Energy Services Company.  NJNG’s utility gross margin is defined as operating revenues less natural gas purchases, sales tax, and regulatory rider expense. This measure differs from gross margin as presented on a GAAP basis as it excludes certain operations and maintenance expense and depreciation and amortization. Utility gross margin may also not be comparable to the definition of gross margin used by others in the natural gas distribution business and other industries. Management believes that utility gross margin provides a meaningful basis for evaluating utility operations since natural gas costs, sales tax and regulatory rider expenses are included in operating revenues and passed through to customers and, therefore, have no effect on utility gross margin.   Adjusted funds from operations is cash flows from operating activities, plus components of working capital, cash paid for interest (net of amounts capitalized), capitalized interest, the incremental change in SAVEGREEN loans, grants, rebates, and related investments, and operating lease expense.  Adjusted debt is total long-term and short-term debt, net of cash and cash equivalents, excluding solar asset financing obligations but including solar contractually committed payments for sale lease-backs, debt issuance costs, and other Fitch credit metric adjustments.  Management uses NFE/net financial loss, utility gross margin, financial margin, adjusted funds from operations and adjusted debt, as supplemental measures to other GAAP results to provide a more complete understanding of the Company’s performance. Management believes these non-GAAP measures are more reflective of the Company’s business model, provide transparency to investors and enable period-to-period comparability of financial performance. In providing NFE guidance, management is aware that there could be differences between reported GAAP earnings and NFE/net financial loss due to matters such as, but not limited to, the positions of our energy-related derivatives. Management is not able to reasonably estimate the aggregate impact or significance of these items on reported earnings and therefore is not able to provide a reconciliation to the corresponding GAAP equivalent for its operating earnings guidance without unreasonable efforts. In addition, in making forecasts relating to S&T’s Adjusted EBITDA and adjusted funds from operations and adjusted debt, management is aware that there could be differences between reported GAAP earnings, cash flows from operations and total long-term and short-term debt due to matters such as, but not limited to, the unpredictability and variability of future earnings, working capital and cash positions. Management is not able to reasonably estimate the aggregate impact or significance of these items on reported GAAP measures and therefore is not able to provide a reconciliation to the corresponding GAAP equivalent for such forecasts without unreasonable efforts. NFE/net financial loss, utility gross margin and financial margin are discussed more fully in Item 7 of our Report on Form 10-K and, we have provided presentations of the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure and a reconciliation of our non-GAAP financial measures, NFE/net financial loss, utility gross margin, financial margin, adjusted funds from operations and adjusted debt, to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures, in the appendix to this presentation. This information has been provided pursuant to the requirements of SEC Regulation G. 
 

 Contents  Fiscal 2023 Fourth Quarter and Year End Conference Call  4  Agenda  5  Fiscal 2023 Accomplishments  6   Fiscal 2024 NFEPS Guidance of $2.70 to $2.85  7  NFEPS Guidance by Segment  8  New Jersey Natural Gas  9  Clean Energy Ventures (CEV): Pipeline of Investment Opportunities  10  Storage and Transportation (S&T): Overview  11  Energy Services Overview  12  Financial Review  13  Review of Fiscal 2023 NFE Changes  14  Capital Plan  15  Projected Cash Flows  16  Investment Grade Profile  17  Debt Maturities: Well Positioned in a Rising Rate Environment  18  Growth Strategy and Key Highlights  Appendix: Financial Statements and Additional Information – 19  20  Reconciliation of NFE and NFEPS to Net Income  21  Other Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures  22  Reconciliation of Adjusted Funds from Operations to Cash Flow from Operations  23  Fiscal 2023 Fourth Quarter and Year NFE by Business Unit  24  Review of Fiscal 2023 Q4 NFE Changes  25  NJR's Business Portfolio  26  NJNG: Supportive Regulatory Construct  27  CEV: SREC Hedging Strategy Stabilizes Revenue  28  Capital Plan Table  29  Dividend Growth: Committed to Building Shareholder Value  30  Environmental, Social and Governance Efforts  31  Shareholder and Contact Information 
 

 1  FY 2023 Highlights  Steve Westhoven | President and CEO  2  Financial Highlights  Roberto Bel | SVP and CFO  3  Q&A Session  FY 2023 Fourth Quarter  And Year End  Conference Call Agenda  4 
 

 Fiscal 2023 Accomplishments  Executing on our Strategic Plan to Drive Continued, Organic Growth  NJNG  CEV  S&T  Energy  Services  $2.73  FY 2023 EPS  $2.70  FY 2023 NFEPS1  (up 8.0% YoY)  NJNG had a strong year driven by the addition of 8,800 customers   Named one of Cogent  Syndicated 2023 "Most  Trusted Utility Brands”  Invested a record $60 million in energy efficiency through its SAVEGREEN program   Increased capacity by ~82MW in fiscal 2023 (a record for CEV in any FY)  Project pipeline of ~749MW as of September 2023  Year-over-year revenue growth and NFEPS contribution in line with expectations  Continued contribution from AMA  Solid performance from long-option strategy  Raised NFEPS Guidance by $0.20 During Fiscal 2023;   Finished Fiscal 2023 in the Higher End of Revised Range  A reconciliation from NFE to net income can be found in the Appendix. 
 

 Fiscal 2024 NFEPS Guidance of $2.70 to $2.85  Net Financial Earnings per Share  NFEPS long-term annual growth projections are based on the midpoint of the $2.20 - $2.30 initial guidance range for fiscal 2022, provided on February 1, 2021.   Initial 2023 NFEPS guidance of $2.42 - $2.52.  Represents 12.3% Increase from Midpoint of FY 2023 Initial Guidance Range; Maintains 7%-9% long-term annual growth  Guidance Range  $2.70 - $2.85  7-9%  LONG-TERM  ANNUAL GROWTH1  $2.50  $2.70  Outperformance Above Long-Term Growth Rate and Initial Guidance Range1  $2.20 - $2.301  $2.42 - $2.522  Strong energy prices(NJNG, CEV, ES)  Winter Storm Elliot  Initial guidance range above 7%-9% long-term projected growth due to large contracted revenues from ES’ AMA   Initial Guidance Range1 
 

 NFEPS Guidance by Segment  Energy Services to Represent a Larger Portion of NFEPS Guidance in 2024 Due to AMA; Long-term NJNG Remains the Largest Component  Fiscal 2024 NFEPS Guidance  by Segment  New Jersey Natural Gas  40% - 45%  Energy Services  35% - 40%  Home Services  0% - 1%  S&T  4% - 8%  CEV  13% - 18%  Long-term NFEPS Composition  New Jersey Natural Gas  60% - 70%  Energy Services  6% - 10%  Home Services  0% - 1%  S&T  5% - 10%  CEV  20% - 25%  Energy Services will represent a higher than normal % of NFEPS due to contributions from the AMAs for fiscal 2024  NJNG and CEV will make up the predominate portion of NJR’s total business mix 
 

 New Jersey Natural Gas  Strong Trend of Favorable Customer Growth  Total change in PP&E (cash spent, capex accrued and AFUDC). Includes SAVEGREEN investments, which for GAAP purposes are included as part of cash flows from operations.   Facilities included in “Other”.   The sum of actual amounts may not equal due to rounding.  ~40% of capital expenditures earning a near real-time return  NJNG Customers  (in thousands)  Fiscal 2023 Capital Expenditures1,2,3  ~$454M  Added 8,800 new customers in fiscal 2023, compared to 7,808 in fiscal 2022  What to Expect in Fiscal 2024  Customer Growth Rate Returning to   Pre-pandemic Levels  Rate Filing Expected in Fiscal 2024 
 

 Clean Energy Ventures (CEV): Pipeline of Investment Opportunities  CEV owns and operates solar projects with approximately 469MW of capacity  Total  ~1.2 GW  MWs  Pipeline of ~749MW including projects under construction, contract, or exclusivity (through September 2023)  ~469MW of projects in-service  ~58% of pipeline located in NJ  ~42% located outside of NJ  New In-Service in Fiscal 2023  ~82MW  Record in Any Given Fiscal Year (previously 60MW in 2020)  What to Expect in Fiscal 2024  Continued Pipeline Growth   and Geographic Diversification 
 

 Storage and Transportation (S&T): Overview  Stable Contribution from Leaf River (storage), Steckman Ridge (storage), and Adelphia Gateway (transportation)  32.2 mmdth high deliverability salt cavern storage facility in southeastern Mississippi  Acquired October 2019  100% owner & operator  Serving Gulf Coast/Southeast the fastest growing natural gas market in North America with a growing reliance on regional supply imports  12.6 mmdth reservoir storage facility in southern PA.  Placed in service April 2009  50% ownership interest  Serving the Northeast Region with a high dependence on storage and increasingly constrained pipeline capacity  0.9 mmdth/d interstate pipeline from NE PA to greater Philadelphia area  Acquired January 2020 / Placed in-service September 2022  100% owner & operator  Serving the Northeast region, where the current pipeline grid is constrained  What to Expect in Fiscal 2024  Maximize capabilities at existing assets as constrained pace of pipeline and storage expansions increases value proposition to customers  Continued organic service enhancements at Leaf River Energy Center that satisfy customers' growing need for greater flexibility and higher reliability  
 

 Energy Services: Overview  Managing a Diversified Portfolio of Physical Natural Gas Transportation and Storage Assets to Serve Customers Across North America;  Fee-based Revenue through Asset Management Agreements   Asset Management Agreements  De-risked Energy Services business by securing 10 years of contracted cash payments with minimal counterparty credit risk  Long Option Strategy  Proven track record of success over 28 years of existence leveraging natural gas market volatility to drive value  Minimal long-term capital commitments and significant cash generation during outperformance years has significantly reduced NJR equity needs  NJR expects to recognize the majority of the fiscal 2024 AMA revenues in the fiscal fourth quarter 
 

 Financial Review  Roberto Bel  SVP and Chief Financial Officer  12  12 
 

 Fiscal 2022 – Consolidated NFE ($ in millions)  $ 240.3   NJNG  $ (8.7)  Utility Gross Margin1  $ 24.5   O&M  $ (28.2)  Depreciation & Amortization (D&A)  $ (7.7)  Interest expense, AFUDC, Income Tax  $ 2.7   Clean Energy Ventures  $ 5.1   Revenue  $ (4.1)  D&A and Interest Expense  $ (10.5)  Other  $ 19.7   Storage & Transportation  $ (9.6)  Revenue  $ 25.1   D&A and Interest Expense  $ (25.6)  O&M, AFUDC & Other  $ (9.1)  Energy Services  $ 29.4   Financial Margin1  $ 24.3   Interest Expense, Income Tax and Other  $ 5.1   Home Services and Other  $ 5.4   Fiscal 2023 – Consolidated NFE ($ in millions)2  $ 261.8   Review of Fiscal 2023 NFE Changes  ($ in Millions)  A reconciliation of these non-GAAP measures can be found in the Appendix  The sum of fiscal 2023 actual amounts may not equal to total due to rounding 
 

 Capital Plan1,2   Includes SAVEGREEN Investments. Total change in PP&E (cash spent, capex accrued and AFUDC). For GAAP purposes, SAVEGREEN investments are included as part of cash flows from operations  The sum of actual amounts may not equal due to rounding.  $622  $596  $608 - $743  $578 - $742  ($ in Millions)  Capital plan supports long-term NFEPS growth targets of 7 – 9%  $435 - $492  $410 - $462  $140 - $204  $33 - $47  $8 - $16  $160 - $264 
 

 FY 2023A  FY 2024E  FY 2025E  Cash Flow from Operations  $479  $450  -  $490  $450  -  $490  Uses of Funds  Capital Expenditures1  $539  $490  -  $580  $495  -  $675  Dividends2  $151  $161  -  $165  $174  -  $178  Total Uses of Funds  $690  $651  -  $745  $669  -  $853  Financing Activities  Common Stock Proceeds – DRIP  $58  $17  -  $19  $17  -  $19  Debt Proceeds/Other  $153  $184  -  $236  $202  -  $344  Total Financing Activities  $211  $201  -  $255  $219  -  $363  Projected Cash Flows  ($ in Millions)  Excludes accrual for AFUDC and SAVEGREEN investments (for GAAP purposes, SAVEGREEN investments are included in Cash Flow from Operations)  Dividend growth for fiscal 2023 and fiscal 2024 are based upon the midpoint of forecasted 7-9% growth rate 
 

 Investment Grade Profile  1) Internal estimates based on Fitch Ratings methodology. Ratio represents inverse of FFO-adjusted leverage ratio. A reconciliation from adjusted funds from operations to cash flows from operating activities and adjusted debt to long-term and short-term debt can be found in the Appendix. Adjusted funds from operations is cash flows from operating activities, plus components of working capital, cash paid for interest (net of amounts capitalized), capitalized interest, the incremental change in SAVEGREEN loans, grants, rebates, and related investments, and operating lease expense. Adjusted debt is total long-term and short-term debt, net of cash and cash equivalents, excluding solar asset financing obligations but including solar contractually committed payments for sale lease-backs, debt issuance costs, and other Fitch credit metric adjustments.  NJR Adjusted FFO / Adjusted Debt1  NJNG  (Secured Rating)  NJR  (Unsecured Rating)  NAIC  NAIC-1.E  NAIC-2.A  Moody's  A1 (Stable)  Fitch  A+ (Stable)  Current Credit Ratings  Strong Credit Ratings Supported by Stable Cash Flows  19.0%  17% - 18%  Strong Cash Flows with No Block Equity Needs 
 

 Well Positioned in a Rising Interest Rate Environment  Manageable debt repayment schedule with no significant maturity towers in any particular year  Term debt only (excludes short-term debt of $252.1 million, capital leases of $31.4 million and solar financing obligations of $278.4 million).   Term Debt1 Maturity Schedule   as of September 30, 2023 / $ in Millions, unless otherwise noted  Impact of high interest rate environment included in FY2024 and long-term NFEPS guidance  Percent of NJR Holding Company Term Debt Maturing in the Next Three Years: <18%  $1.2B  NJR Unsecured Senior Notes  FY Maturity  Principal  3.48%  2025   $100,000   3.54%  2026   $100,000   4.38%  2027   $110,000   3.96%  2028   $100,000   3.29%  2029   $150,000   3.50%  2030   $130,000   3.13%  2031   $120,000   3.60%  2032   $130,000   3.25%  2033   $80,000   6.14%  2033   $50,000   3.64%  2034   $50,000   Total NJR LT Debt   $1,120,000   NJNG First Mortgage Bonds  FY Maturity  Principal  3.58%  2024   $70,000   2.82%  2025   $50,000   3.15%  2028   $50,000   5.56%  2033   $50,000   4.37%  2037   $50,000   3.38%  2038   $10,500   2.75%  2039   $9,545   3.00%  2041   $46,500   3.50%  2042   $10,300   3.00%  2043   $41,000   4.61%  2044   $55,000   3.66%  2045   $100,000   3.63%  2046   $125,000   4.01%  2048   $125,000   3.76%  2049   $100,000   3.13%  2050   $50,000   3.13%  2050   $50,000   2.87%  2050   $25,000   2.97%  2052   $50,000   4.71%  2052   $50,000   5.47%  2053   $125,000   2.45%  2059   $15,000   3.86%  2059   $85,000   3.33%  2060   $25,000   2.97%  2060   $50,000   3.07%  2062   $50,000   Total NJNG LT Debt   $1,467,845   Substantial liquidity at both NJNG and NJR - $900M of credit facilities available through FY2027 
 

 Growth Strategy and Key Highlights  7% - 9%  Long-term expected NFEPS and Dividend Growth  Highest in peer group1  1  Maximize the value of existing assets to   produce “Utility-like” Returns  2  3  Thoughtful capital allocation with a defined capital plan of between $1.2 - $1.5 Billion in the next 2 years   Use diversified strategy to deliver   outsized returns for shareholders  11 - 13%  Expected Shareholder Return2  Peer group includes: ATO, AVA, BKH, CMS, CNP, CPK, MDU, NFG, NI, NWE, NWN, OGS, SWX, UGI, UTL  Expected shareholder return includes projected NFEPS long-term growth rate of 7 – 9% in addition to an annualized dividend yield of 3.9%, based on dividend per share of $1.68 and closing share price of $42.56 on November 15, 2023 
 

 Appendix:  Financial Statements and Additional Information  19  20  Reconciliation of NFE and NFEPS to Net Income  21  Other Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures  22  Reconciliation of Adjusted Funds from Operations to Cash Flow from Operations  23  Fiscal 2023 Fourth Quarter and Year NFE by Business Unit  24  Review of Fiscal 2023 Q4 NFE Changes  25  NJR's Business Portfolio  26  NJNG: Supportive Regulatory Construct  27  CEV: SREC Hedging Strategy Stabilizes Revenue  28  Capital Plan Table  29  Dividend Growth: Committed to Building Shareholder Value  30  Environmental, Social and Governance Efforts  31  Shareholder and Contact Information 
 

 Reconciliation of NFE and NFEPS to Net Income  ($ in 000s)  NFE is a measure of earnings based on the elimination of timing differences to effectively match the earnings effects of the economic hedges with the physical sale of natural gas, Solar Renewable Energy Certificates (SRECs) and foreign currency contracts. Consequently, to reconcile net income and NFE, current-period unrealized gains and losses on the derivatives are excluded from NFE as a reconciling item. Realized derivative gains and losses are also included in current-period net income. However, NFE includes only realized gains and losses related to natural gas sold out of inventory, effectively matching the full earnings effects of the derivatives with realized margins on physical natural gas flows. NFE also excludes certain transactions associated with equity method investments, including impairment charges, which are non-cash charges, and return of capital in excess of the carrying value of our investment. These are not indicative of the Company's performance for its ongoing operations. Included in the tax effects are current and deferred income tax expense corresponding with the components of NFE.  NFE eliminates the impact of volatility to GAAP earnings associated with unrealized gains and losses on derivative instruments in the current period  (Unaudited)  Three Months Ended  September 30,  Twelve Months Ended  September 30,  2023  2022  2023  2022  NEW JERSEY RESOURCES  A reconciliation of net income, the closest GAAP financial measure, to net financial earnings is as follows:  Net income  $ 37,024   $ 54,522   $ 264,724   $ 274,922   Add:  Unrealized gain on derivative instruments and related transactions   (7,579)   (1,846)   (38,081)   (59,906)  Tax effect   1,800    439    9,050    14,248   Effects of economic hedging related to natural gas inventory   (2,186)   (5,221)   34,699    19,939   Tax effect   520    1,241    (8,246)   (4,738)  Gain on equity method investment   —    (1,500)   (300)   (5,521)  Tax effect   (93)   374    (19)   1,377   NFE tax adjustment   77    (113)   —    —   Net financial earnings  $ 29,563   $ 47,896   $ 261,827   $ 240,321   Weighted Average Shares Outstanding  Basic   97,568    96,235    97,028    96,100   Diluted   98,192    96,630    97,627    96,488   A reconciliation of basic earnings per share, the closest GAAP financial measure, to basic net financial earnings per share is as follows:  Basic earnings per share  $ 0.38   $ 0.57   $ 2.73   $ 2.86   Add:  Unrealized gain on derivative instruments and related transactions   (0.08)   (0.02)   (0.39)   (0.62)  Tax effect   0.02    0.01    0.09    0.15   Effects of economic hedging related to natural gas inventory   (0.02)   (0.05)   0.36    0.21   Tax effect   —    0.01    (0.09)   (0.05)  Gain on equity method investment   —    (0.02)   —    (0.06)  Tax effect   —    —    —    0.01   Basic net financial earnings per share  $ 0.30   $ 0.50   $ 2.70   $ 2.50  
 

 Other Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measures  NJNG Utility Gross Margin  NJNG's utility gross margin is defined as operating revenues less natural gas purchases, sales tax, and regulatory rider expenses. This measure differs from gross margin as presented on a GAAP basis as it excludes certain operations and maintenance expense and depreciation and amortization.  Energy Services Financial Margin  Financial margin removes the timing differences associated with certain derivative and hedging transactions. Financial margin differs from gross margin as defined on a GAAP basis as it excludes certain operations and maintenance expense and depreciation and amortization expenses as well as the effects of derivatives instruments on earnings.   (Unaudited)  Three Months Ended  Twelve Months Ended  September 30,  September 30,  2023  2022  2023  2022  A reconciliation of gross margin, the closest GAAP financial measurement, to utility gross margin is as follows:  Operating revenues  $ 108,741   $ 190,488   $ 1,012,633   $ 1,128,767   Less:  Natural gas purchases   37,323    114,791    425,457    557,232   Operating and maintenance (1)   31,605    30,805    115,292    93,164   Regulatory rider expense   3,017    3,496    50,542    59,437   Depreciation and amortization   26,292    24,391    102,326    94,579   Gross margin   10,504    17,005    319,016    324,355   Add:  Operating and maintenance (1)   31,605    30,805    115,292    93,164   Depreciation and amortization   26,292    24,391    102,326    94,579   Utility gross margin  $ 68,401   $ 72,201   $ 536,634   $ 512,098   A reconciliation of gross margin, the closest GAAP financial measurement, to financial margin is as follows:  Operating revenues  $ 102,932   $ 439,568   $ 691,616   $ 1,529,272   Less:  Natural Gas purchases   87,932    413,805    558,932    1,394,405   Operating and maintenance (1)   5,833    10,281    20,199    23,709   Depreciation and amortization   51    54    221    148   Gross margin   9,116    15,428    112,264    111,010   Add:  Operating and maintenance (1)   5,833    10,281    20,199    23,709   Depreciation and amortization   51    54    221    148   Unrealized (gain) loss on derivative instruments and related transactions   (8,559)   1,671    (48,251)   (60,000)  Effects of economic hedging related to natural gas inventory   (2,186)   (5,221)   34,699    19,939   Financial margin  $ 4,255   $ 22,213   $ 119,132   $ 94,806   (1) Excludes selling, general and administrative expenses  ($ in 000s) 
 

 Reconciliation of Adjusted Funds from Operations to Cash Flow from Operations  Adjusted funds from operations is cash flows from operating activities, plus components of working capital, cash paid for interest (net of amounts capitalized), capitalized interest, the incremental change in SAVEGREEN loans, grants, rebates, and related investments, and operating lease expense  Adjusted debt is total long term and short-term debt, net of cash and cash equivalents, excluding solar asset financing obligations but including solar contractually committed payments for sale lease backs, debt issuance costs, and other Fitch credit metric adjustments  Cash Flow from Operations   $479.0   Subtract   Components of working capital   ($61.5)  Add back  Cash paid for interest (net of amounts capitalized)   $108.2   Capitalized Interest   $3.9   SAVEGREEN loans, grants, rebates and related investments   $59.8   Operating cash flows from operating leases   $8.9   Adjusted FFO (Non-GAAP)   $598.3   Long-Term Debt (including current maturities)   $2,884.2   Short-Term Debt   $252.1   Exclude  Cash on Hand   ($1.5)  CEV Sale-Leaseback Debt   ($278.4)  Include  CEV Sale lease-back Contractual Commitments    $206.3   Debt Issuance Costs   $13.4   Operating Lease Debt estimate (8x lease expense)   $74.7   Adjusted Debt (Non-GAAP)   $3,150.8   Adjusted Debt, FY2023   (Millions)  Adjusted Funds from Operations, FY2023  (Millions) 
 

 Fiscal 2023 Q4 and Fiscal Year NFE by Business Unit  ($ in 000s)   (Thousands)  Three Months Ended September 30,  Twelve Months Ended September 30,  2023  2022  Change  2023  2022  Change  New Jersey Natural Gas  $(24,838)  $(16,387)  $(8,451)  $131,414  $140,124  $(8,710)  Clean Energy Ventures  $50,152  $57,813  $(7,661)  $44,458  $39,403  $5,055  Storage and Transportation  $1,784  $11,341  $(9,557)  $12,835  $22,454  $(9,619)  Energy Services  $(3,537)  $(3,383)  $(154)  $68,517  $39,121  $29,396  Home Services and Other  $6,002  $(1,488)  $7,490  $4,603  $(781)  $5,384  Total  $29,563  $47,896  $(18,333)  $261,827  $240,321  $21,506  NFEPS  $0.30  $0.50  $(0.20)  $2.70  $2.50  $0.20 
 

 Review of Fiscal 2023 Q4   ($ in Millions)  A reconciliation of these non-GAAP measures can be found in the Appendix  The sum of fiscal 4Q23 actual amounts may not equal to total due to rounding  Fiscal 4Q22 – Consolidated NFE ($ in millions)  $ 47.9   NJNG  $ (8.5)  Utility Gross Margin1  $ (3.8)  O&M  $ (2.8)  Depreciation & Amortization (D&A)  $ (1.9)  Interest expense, AFUDC, Income Tax  $ —   Clean Energy Ventures  $ (7.7)  Revenue  $ (8.7)  D&A and Interest Expense  $ (3.0)  Other  $ 4.0   Storage & Transportation  $ (9.6)  Revenue  $ (2.9)  D&A and Interest Expense  $ (3.4)  O&M, AFUDC & Other  $ (3.3)  Energy Services  $ (0.2)  Financial Margin1  $ (18.0)  Interest Expense, Income Tax and Other  $ 17.8   Home Services and Other  $ 7.5   Fiscal 4Q23 – Consolidated NFE ($ in millions)2  $ 29.6  
 

 NJR’s Business Portfolio  Natural Gas and Renewable Fuel Distribution; Solar Investments, Wholesale Energy Markets; Storage & Transportation Infrastructure; Retail Operations  Operates and maintains Natural Gas transportation and distribution infrastructure serving approximately 576,000 customers in New Jersey  New Jersey Natural Gas  (NJNG)  Clean Energy Ventures  (CEV)  Storage and Transportation  (S&T)  Energy Services  (ES)  New Jersey Resources Home Services  (NJRHS)  CEV develops, invests in, owns and operates energy projects that generate clean power, provide low carbon energy solutions and help our customers save energy and money in a sustainable way  Invests in, owns and operates midstream assets including natural gas pipeline and storage facilities. Our companies provide transportation and storage services to a broad range of customers in the natural gas market  Provides unregulated, wholesale natural gas to consumers across the Gulf Coast, Eastern Seaboard, Southwest, Mid-continent and Canada. In addition to energy supply, NJRES provides a full-range of customized energy management services   NJR Home Services offers customers home comfort solutions, including equipment sales and installations; solar lease and purchase plans; and a service contract product line, including heating, cooling, water heating, electric and standby generator contracts  Demonstrated leadership as a premier energy infrastructure and environmentally-forward thinking company  Recognized as a Top 20 Ruud® National Pro Partner™ for 6 Consecutive Years 
 

 ~$60M Invested   in Fiscal 2023  Highlight:  NJNG completed a commercial energy efficiency project under SAVEGREEN at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, NJ. Payback on this $6 million project from net energy savings is 4 years.  NJNG: Supportive Regulatory Construct  26  Stable Rate Case Results  Rate case results are stable  Current ROE of 9.60% with a common equity ratio of 54%  Full recovery of plant investments to date  Rate cases are settled (generally not litigated)  Resolution of cases have been timely  Last case filed in March 2021 and rates effective on December 1, 2021  Decoupled Rates for majority of customers  Volume risk due to weather or energy conservation mitigated through the Conservation Incentive Program (CIP). This decoupling mechanism allows NJNG to earn a fix margin per customer1.  NJNG’s natural gas commodity price is a pass-through cost the Basic Gas Supply Service (BGSS) program  Minimization of Regulatory Lag  Investments in customer growth and Infrastructure Investment Program (IIP) earn real-time recovery or accelerated recovery through annual mechanisms  Through the SAVEGREEN program, energy efficiency investments also have an annual cost recovery mechanism that accelerate recovery of investments and returns  Margin Sharing Incentives  Like other utilities, NJNG contracts for supply and transportation to meet customer needs  NJNG’s BPU-approved “BGSS Incentive Programs” allow temporary release of capacity or supply when not needed  NJNG shares margin generated with customers (85% for customers/15% for NJNG)  BGSS Incentive margin is not counted in NJNG’s ROE calculation for overearning  For residential and small commercial customers, which make the vast majority of NJNG’s customers.  
 

 CEV: SREC Hedging Strategy Stabilizes Revenue  Based on Energy Year1, as of September 30, 2023  Energy Years run from June 1 of the prior year to May 31 of the respective year; for example, Energy Year 2024 began on June 1, 2023 and ends on May 31, 2024  Based on Fiscal Year, as of September 30, 2023  75% hedged through   Fiscal Year 2025  72% hedged through   Fiscal Year 2026  89% hedged through   Energy Year 2025  80% hedged through   Energy Year 2026  Percent Hedged  Average Price  Current Price (EY)  100%  $200  $213  89%  $190  $202  80%  $181  $188  24%  $154  $176  Percent Hedged  Average Price  Current Price (FY)  100%  $199  $209  75%  $190  $197  72%  $179  $184  25%  $154  $169 
 

 Capital Plan Table1,2  ($ in Millions)  Total change in PP&E (cash spent, capex accrued and AFUDC). For GAAP purposes, SAVEGREEN investments are included as part of cash flows from operations  The sum of actual amounts may not equal due to rounding     FY2022A  FY2023A  FY2024E  FY2025E  Near Real Time Return?  New Jersey Natural Gas  New Customer  $54  $77  $75  -  $80  $85  -  $90  Yes  IIP  $32  $43  $26  -  $30  $26  -  $30  Yes  SAVEGREEN  $53  $60  $48  -  $52  $48  -  $52  Yes  Clean Fuels  $1  $1  $40  -  $50  $45  -  $55  IT  $42  $61  $60  -  $65  $20  -  $25  System Integrity  $104  $126  $150  -  $170  $150  -  $165  Cost of Removal   $40  $42  $36  -  $40  $36  -  $40  Facilities / Other  $9  $45  $—  -  $5  $—  -  $5  $335  $454  $435  -  $492  $410  -  $462  Clean Energy Ventures  Sunlight Advantage  $13  $11  $10  -  $14  $10  -  $14  Commercial Solar  $132  $99  $130  -  $190  $150  -  $250  $145  $110  $140  -  $204  $160  -  $264  Storage and Transportation  Adelphia Gateway  $124  $19  $8  -  $12  $4  -  $8  Leaf River  $18  $12  $25  -  $35  $4  -  $8  $142  $31  $33  -  $47  $8  -  $16  Total  $622  $596  $608  -  $743  $578  -  $742 
 

 Dividend Growth: Committed to Building Shareholder Value  Strong Track Record of Dividend Growth  $1.68  FY 2024 Dividend   (up 7.7%)  7.4%   DPS CAGR  Dividend History  Dividends per Share  7.7 percent increase in the quarterly dividend rate to $1.68 per share from $1.56 per share  Ex-Dividend Date  Record Date  Payable Date  Amount Per Share  9/19/2023  9/20/2023  10/02/2023  $0.42*  6/13/2023  6/14/2023  7/03/2023  $0.39  3/14/2023  3/15/2023  4/03/2023  $0.39  12/13/2022  12/14/2022  1/03/2023  $0.39  9/23/2022  9/26/2022  10/03/2022  $0.39  6/14/2022  6/15/2022  7/01/2022  $0.3625  3/15/2022  3/16/2022  4/01/2022  $0.3625  12/14/2021  12/15/2021  1/03/2022  $0.3625  9/17/2021  9/20/2021  10/01/2021  $0.3625  6/15/2021  6/16/2021  7/01/2021  $0.3325  3/16/2021  3/17/2021  4/01/2021  $0.3325  12/15/2020  12/16/2020  1/04/2021  $0.3325  9/21/2020  9/22/2020  10/01/2020  $0.3325  Highlighted Rows Reflect Changes in Quarterly Cash Dividends 
 

 Environmental, Social and Governance Efforts  Focus on Definable Accomplishments   Social  Established $20 million endowment fund for NJR’s charities to support continued community giving long into the future  Robust structure and initiatives to promote DEI at NJR including Executive DEI Council to ensure accountability  Employee-led Business Resource Groups (BRGs) bring together employees with common background to promote engagement and inclusiveness – 21% of NJR workforce belongs to one or more BRGs  Achieved NJ operational emissions reductions over 55% since 2006 with goal of 60% by 2030 and net zero by 2050  One of the largest owner-operators of solar assets in New Jersey, we have invested over $1 billion over the last decade building clean, emissions-free power for homes and businesses  Plans to invest up to $2 million over the next five years through its Coastal Climate Initiative, which has expanded to a multi-faceted environmental stewardship program  Environmental  Our board of directors (Board) has a broad range of skills and industry knowledge, as well as a diversity of perspectives that align with our company’s long-term strategy  The Board is responsible for oversight of NJR’s overall strategy, including all Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) issues  NJR includes sustainability considerations in the performance metrics of our Commitment to Stakeholders. Actual results of these goals and metrics directly impact the compensation of corporate officers year-to-year and ensure accountability  Governance  Reports to Expect in Fiscal 2024  January 2024  15th Consecutive Year of our Sustainability Report  February 2024  Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Report 
 

 The Transfer Agent and Registrar for the company’s common stock is Broadridge Corporate Issuer Solutions, Inc. (Broadridge).  Shareowners with questions about account activity should contact Broadridge investor relations representatives between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, by calling toll-free 800-817-3955.  General written inquiries and address changes may be sent to:  Broadridge Corporate Issuer Solutions  P.O. Box 1342, Brentwood, NY 11717  or  For certified and overnight delivery:  Broadridge Corporate Issuer Solutions, ATTN: IWS   1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717  Shareowners can view their account information online at  shareholder.broadridge.com/NJR.   Website: www.njresources.com  Investor Relations: New Jersey Resources Investor Relations  Contact Information  Adam Prior – Director, Investor Relations   732-938-1145  aprior@njresources.com  1415 Wyckoff Road  Wall, NJ 07719  (732) 938-1000  www.njresources.com  Corporate Headquarters  Online Information  Shareholder and Online Information  Stock Transfer Agent and Registrar 
 


v3.23.3
Document and Entity Information
Nov. 15, 2023
Cover [Abstract]  
Document Type 8-K
Amendment Flag false
Document Period End Date Nov. 15, 2023
Entity File Number 001-08359
Entity Registrant Name NEW JERSEY RESOURCES CORPORATION
Entity Central Index Key 0000356309
Entity Incorporation, State or Country Code NJ
Entity Tax Identification Number 22-2376465
Entity Address, Address Line One 1415 Wyckoff Road
Entity Address, City or Town Wall
Entity Address, State or Province NJ
Entity Address, Postal Zip Code 07719
City Area Code 732
Local Phone Number 938-1480
Title of 12(b) Security Common Stock - $2.50 par value
Trading Symbol NJR
Security Exchange Name NYSE
Entity Emerging Growth Company false
Written Communications false
Soliciting Material false
Pre-commencement Tender Offer false
Pre-commencement Issuer Tender Offer false

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