TORONTO, ON / ACCESS Newswire / December 11, 2025 / Park Lawn Corporation ("Park Lawn" or "PLC"), is pleased to announce that, effective December 1st, it acquired substantially all of the assets of Service Group of Oklahoma (collectively "SGOK"), a group of businesses consisting of eight stand-alone funeral homes with locations spanning the greater Oklahoma City market. "Entering Oklahoma marks an exciting milestone in our growth strategy. ...

Core Insights - The company has reported strong performance in both the funeral and cemetery segments, indicating a positive outlook for these lines of business [2][3] - The funeral segment has seen a normalization of volumes post-COVID, with average prices experiencing inflationary increases over the past several decades, continuing even during the high inflation periods of 2022 and 2023 [2] - The cemetery segment remains robust, with dynamics in pre-need cemetery sales that include both large sales and core consumer sales, although large sales can be inconsistent [3]

Market Overview - Wall Street is experiencing renewed fears, leading to a sell-off of riskier assets as volatility persists in the markets [1] - A slowing economy, indicated by weak economic data, and uncertainty regarding the Federal Reserve's monetary policy are unsettling investors [1][8] Investment Strategy - Investors are advised to focus on low-beta, defensive stocks, particularly in the consumer staples sector, to mitigate market volatility [2][3] - Recommended stocks include The Vita Coco Company, Inc. (COCO), Monster Beverage Corporation (MNST), and Service Corporation International (SCI), all of which have favorable Zacks Ranks [2][10] Company Profiles The Vita Coco Company, Inc. (COCO) - COCO provides a beverage platform with brands such as coconut water and clean energy drinks [9] - Expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 15%, with a Zacks Consensus Estimate improvement of 5.1% over the past 60 days [11] Monster Beverage Corporation (MNST) - MNST is a marketer and distributor of energy drinks, previously known as Hansen Natural Corporation [12] - Expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 22.2%, with a Zacks Consensus Estimate improvement of 3.7% over the past 60 days [13] Service Corporation International (SCI) - SCI focuses on funeral and cemetery services, well-positioned to benefit from the aging Baby Boomer generation [14] - Expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 9.1%, with a Zacks Consensus Estimate improvement of 0.8% over the past 60 days [15]

Core Insights - Rumbu Holdings Ltd. has released its unaudited condensed interim consolidated financial statements for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2025 and 2024, marking the third complete period of operations for the funeral homes acquired by the company [1] Company Overview - Rumbu operates in the funeral home business in Western Canada, providing funeral and cremation services to the public [2] - The company aims to expand its funeral home business through acquisitions and partnerships with existing funeral home owners in the region [2]

Core Points - Service Corporation International (SCI) has donated a total of $1.25 million over five years to support children experiencing grief through its partnership with the National Alliance for Children's Grief (NACG) [1][3] - The latest grant of $250,000 will be used to create new support materials for caregivers of children grieving due to homicide [1] - SCI emphasizes its commitment to supporting grieving families before, during, and after their loss, aiming to guide children toward healing [2] Company Overview - Service Corporation International is North America's largest provider of funeral, cemetery, and cremation services, operating 1,470 funeral service locations and 483 cemeteries across 44 states, eight Canadian provinces, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico [3] - The Dignity Memorial® brand, under SCI, is recognized for its quality, value, and exceptional customer satisfaction in deathcare services [3] Partnership with NACG - The NACG is a nonprofit organization focused on raising awareness and providing resources for children and teens grieving a death, comprising over 1,500 professionals and institutions [4] - The partnership with SCI has been crucial in developing resources and training to enhance community support for grieving children [3][4] Additional Services Offered - Dignity Memorial locations provide a 24-hour Compassion Helpline offering 13 months of free access to licensed grief counseling professionals [5] - The Dignity Memorial Guidance Series includes a suite of grief materials designed to help families navigate the complexities of grief [5]

Group 1 - Kirin Holdings Co. is a notable stock in the Consumer Staples sector, currently ranked 14 in the Zacks Sector Rank, which evaluates 16 different groups based on the average Zacks Rank of individual stocks [2] - The Zacks Rank model, which focuses on earnings estimates and revisions, currently assigns Kirin Holdings Co. a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy), indicating a positive outlook for the stock [3] - Year-to-date, Kirin Holdings Co. has achieved a return of approximately 13.3%, significantly outperforming the average return of -0.3% for the Consumer Staples sector [4] Group 2 - Kirin Holdings Co. operates within the Beverages - Alcohol industry, which consists of 16 stocks and is currently ranked 199 in the Zacks Industry Rank, with the industry showing a loss of about 0.7% year-to-date [6] - In comparison, another stock in the Consumer Staples sector, Service Corp. (SCI), has a year-to-date return of 1.2% and is ranked 2 (Buy) as well [5] - The Funeral Services industry, where Service Corp. operates, has three stocks and is ranked 29, with a year-to-date performance of -0.2% [6]

Group 1 - The article does not provide any specific content related to a company or industry [1]

Core Insights - Carriage Services reported Q3 CY2025 revenue of $102.7 million, exceeding analyst expectations of $101.4 million, representing a 2% year-on-year growth [1][6] - The company’s non-GAAP profit was $0.75 per share, surpassing the consensus estimate of $0.73 by 3% [1][6] - Management reaffirmed full-year revenue guidance of approximately $415 million, aligning with analyst estimates [1][6] Performance Highlights - The third quarter performance was driven by strong preneed cemetery sales and an increase in insurance-funded prearranged funeral sales, despite weaker funeral home volumes in July and August [3][5] - CEO Carlos Quezada noted a mid-single-digit decline in funeral home volumes before a rebound in September, indicating broad-based industry softness affecting both consolidators and independent operators [3][4] - Adjusted EBITDA for the quarter was $32.98 million, with a margin of 32.1%, exceeding analyst estimates of $31.74 million [6] Future Outlook - The company is focusing on technology investments and expanding cemetery and preneed sales, projecting stable funeral volumes supported by demographic trends [4] - Management highlighted the potential for growth through new AI-enabled sales tools and partnerships with insurance providers, aiming for sustainable preneed sales growth through 2026 [4][5] - Full-year Adjusted EPS guidance was slightly raised to $3.28 at the midpoint, while EBITDA guidance for the full year is set at $131 million, below analyst estimates of $132.3 million [6]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Total operating revenue for Q3 2025 grew to $101.3 million, an increase of 5.2% year-over-year, primarily driven by a 21.4% increase in pre-need cemetery sales [5][6] - Total field EBITDA for the quarter was $46.3 million, up $1.4 million, or 3.1% [8] - Adjusted consolidated EBITDA grew to $33 million, up $2.2 million, or 7.3% year-over-year, with an adjusted EBITDA margin of 32.1%, compared to 30.5% in the same quarter last year [10][13] - Adjusted diluted earnings per share were $0.75, an increase of 17.2% from $0.64 in the same quarter last year [10][14] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Funeral operating revenue decreased by $753,000, or 1.3%, primarily due to a 2.1% reduction in funeral volume [6] - Cemetery segment operating revenue reached $35.6 million, an increase of $4 million, or 12.6% year-over-year [6][9] - General agency commission revenue tied to insurance-funded pre-arranged funeral sales grew to $2.6 million, up 61% from the previous year [5][6] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company experienced lower funeral home volumes in July and August, with a return to normal volume in September and positive trends in October [21][22] - The company anticipates a normalized growth rate of 1-2% for funeral home volume in 2026 [23] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focused on disciplined capital allocation, relentless improvement, and purposeful growth to create sustainable results [4][11] - The launch of Sales Edge 2.0 and Titan, an AI-powered sales agent, aims to enhance sales capabilities and drive growth in pre-need cemetery sales [9][10] - The company is committed to a long-term growth strategy, having systematically divested non-core assets to focus on strategic markets [15][16] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in the momentum heading into Q4 2025, with expectations for record highs in revenue, adjusted consolidated EBITDA, and adjusted diluted EPS [19] - The company anticipates revenues in the range of $413-$417 million and adjusted consolidated EBITDA between $130-$132 million for the full year [19] Other Important Information - The company completed the sale of several non-core assets, which represented about $2.4 million in EBITDA and $9 million in revenue [61] - The leverage ratio improved to 4.1 times, down from 4.2 times in the previous quarter, with a focus on managing debt [17] Q&A Session Summary Question: Can you quantify the contract weakness seen in July and August? - Management noted a middle-digit percentage decline in volume for both months, with a strong recovery in September and positive trends in October [21] Question: What is the expected growth for 2026? - Management indicated a reasonable expectation of 1-2% growth on the funeral home side related to volume [23] Question: Was the strong pre-need cemetery business related to specific CapEx projects? - Management confirmed that delays in permitting affected earlier growth, but they expect continued strong performance in the fourth quarter [24][26] Question: Are there any other expenses affecting funeral home margins? - Management clarified that lower margins were primarily due to volume leverage, as the funeral home segment has high fixed costs [32][36] Question: What is the status of the insurance-funded pre-need progress? - Management stated that the rollout has been completed across the network, with expectations for continued growth into 2026 [40][42] Question: What is the competitive landscape for M&A? - Management highlighted two categories of sourcing: internal opportunities with less competition and broker-led businesses that are more competitive, with average multiples around 7-8 times [56][57]

Company Highlights - Carriage Services, Inc. reported a third-quarter adjusted diluted EPS of $0.75, a 17.2% increase from $0.64 in the previous year [3][7] - The company experienced total operating revenue growth of 5.2% year-over-year, driven by a 21.4% increase in cemetery preneed sales and a 27.2% rise in financial revenue [5][7] - The company expanded its footprint through strategic acquisitions, serving over 2,600 families and generating more than $15 million in annual revenue last year [4][5] Financial Performance - Total revenue for the third quarter of 2025 was $102.7 million, compared to $100.7 million in the same quarter of 2024 [6] - Operating income decreased to $17.5 million from $22.9 million year-over-year, resulting in an operating income margin of 17.0% [6][7] - Net income for the quarter was $6.6 million, down from $9.9 million in the prior year [6][7] Cemetery and Funeral Metrics - Preneed interment rights sold increased to 3,569 from 3,511 year-over-year, with an average price per preneed interment right sold rising to $6,257 from $5,360 [6][8] - Cemetery operating revenue grew by 12.6%, driven by a 4.6% increase in the number of preneed interment rights sold and a 15.1% increase in average price [7][8] - The average revenue per funeral contract increased to $5,651 from $5,540, while the burial rate was 31.5% and the cremation rate was 61.3% [8] Outlook and Strategic Initiatives - The company revised its 2025 outlook, projecting total revenue between $413 million and $417 million, with adjusted diluted EPS expected to be between $3.25 and $3.30 [12] - The company aims to reduce its leverage ratio to 4.1x following the divestiture of non-core assets and strategic acquisitions [7][11] - Carriage Services operates 159 funeral homes and 28 cemeteries across the United States, focusing on delivering premier experiences through innovation and elevated service [15]