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Mar 31, 2020

Service Corp Intl Q1 2020 Earnings Report

Service Corporation International reported mixed results in Q1 2020, with revenue slightly up but earnings down due to COVID-19 impacts and decreased preneed cemetery sales.

Key Takeaways

Service Corporation International (SCI) announced its Q1 2020 financial results, revealing a slight increase in revenue but a decrease in earnings per share due to the COVID-19 pandemic affecting preneed cemetery sales. The company emphasized its strong financial position and commitment to employee safety during the crisis.

Revenue increased slightly to $803 million compared to $798.2 million in Q1 2019.

Diluted earnings per share decreased to $0.45 from $0.43 in the prior year.

Adjusted EPS declined to $0.43 from $0.47 year-over-year, impacted by lower gross profit in preneed cemetery sales.

The company implemented measures to safeguard employment and manage expenses amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Total Revenue
$803M
Previous year: $798M
+0.6%
EPS
$0.43
Previous year: $0.47
-8.5%
Gross Margin
20.5%
Previous year: 21.4%
-4.2%
Preneed Cemetery Sales Growth
-10.5%
Funeral Average Revenue Per Service
$5.12K
Previous year: $5.11K
+0.2%
Gross Profit
$179M
Previous year: $192M
-6.7%
Cash and Equivalents
$176M
Previous year: $154M
+14.7%
Total Assets
$12.7B
Previous year: $13.1B
-2.8%

Service Corp Intl

Service Corp Intl

Service Corp Intl Revenue by Segment

Service Corp Intl Revenue by Geographic Location

Forward Guidance

Due to the uncertainty of current economic conditions, in early April, the company withdrew its full year 2020 guidance. As the company looks forward in 2020, they anticipate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on both our funeral and cemetery segments will result in a decline of adjusted earnings per share, which they hope to minimize as they continue to be vigilant with costs and expenses. They believe that adjusted operating cash flow will be less impacted than adjusted earnings per share as they expect to continue to collect cash from preneed installment sales, defer taxes as allowed by federal and state laws, and temporarily reduce expenses and capital expenditures.

Positive Outlook

  • Company is well-positioned financially to weather the storm.
  • Financial position is strong with very robust liquidity.
  • Continue to expect a significant amount of positive operating cash flow during 2020.
  • No meaningful debt maturities until May 2024.
  • Believe in the strength of liquidity and cash flow position that will allow to return to growth quickly after this crisis passes.

Challenges Ahead

  • Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on both funeral and cemetery segments will result in a decline of adjusted earnings per share.
  • Trends were strong for most of the quarter, experienced a severe decline in the last three weeks of March, primarily due to the social distancing effects of the pandemic.
  • Comparable cemetery gross profit decreased $11.1 million to $75.3 million and the gross profit percentage decreased 300 basis points to 25.3%.
  • Experienced an 8.5% decrease in core funeral locations and 2.0% decrease in preneed production through our non-funeral home channel.
  • Comparable preneed cemetery sales production declined $22.8 million, or 10.5%.

Revenue & Expenses

Visualization of income flow from segment revenue to net income