Document


UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 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): February 20, 2020 (February 19, 2020)
 
Carriage Services, Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
 
Delaware
 
1-11961
 
76-0423828
   (State or other jurisdiction
   of incorporation)
 
   (Commission
   File Number)
 
   (IRS Employer
   Identification No.)
3040 Post Oak Boulevard, Suite 300
Houston, Texas 77056
(Address, including zip code, of principal executive offices)

Registrant's telephone number, including area code:
(713) 332-8400
 

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 (see General Instruction A.2. below):

¨
Written communication 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))


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. ¨
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class
Trading Symbol
Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, par value $.01 per share
CSV
New York Stock Exchange
 
 
 





ITEM 2.02    RESULTS OF OPERATIONS AND FINANCIAL CONDITION.
In the press release dated February 19, 2020, the Company announced and commented on its financial results for its year ended December 31, 2019. A copy of the press release issued by the Company is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and incorporated by this reference. The information being furnished under Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits, including the press release attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1, shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or otherwise subject to liabilities of that Section.
The Company’s press release dated February 19, 2020, contains non-GAAP financial measures. Generally, a non-GAAP financial measure is a numerical measure of a company’s performance, financial position, or cash flows that either excludes or includes amounts that are not normally excluded or included in the most directly comparable measure calculated and presented in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP. Pursuant to the requirements of Regulation G, the Company has provided quantitative reconciliations within the press release of the non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures.
ITEM 9.01    FINANCIAL STATMENTS AND EXHIBITS.
    The following are furnished as part of this Current Report on Form 8-K:
    
99.1 Press Release dated February 19, 2020





SIGNATURE

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

 
CARRIAGE SERVICES, INC.
 
 
 
 
Dated: February 20, 2020
By:
 
/s/ Viki K. Blinderman
 
 
 
Viki K. Blinderman
 
 
 
Senior Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer, Principal Financial Officer and Secretary
 
 
 
 






INDEX TO EXHIBITS

Exhibit 
  
Description
 
 
99.1

  



Exhibit


https://cdn.kscope.io/d419313f3f291d520fc570027ba57ae2-csvlogoa09.jpg
 
CARRIAGE SERVICES ANNOUNCES 2019 ANNUAL RESULTS AND
INTRODUCES THREE YEAR ROUGHLY RIGHT SCENARIO
HOUSTON – February 19, 2020 – Carriage Services, Inc. (NYSE: CSV) today announced results for the year ended December 31, 2019.
Mel Payne, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, stated, “Our performance in the fourth quarter and full year of 2019 was dramatically better than 2018, as we reversed the broadly declining performance trends in our funeral and cemetery portfolios. While we still have much work to do to achieve the optimum performance potential in our existing portfolio, we made two bold and strategic moves in the last quarter of 2019 by recruiting Bill Goetz as President and COO and acquiring four large high quality businesses in great strategic markets with about $50 million in new high margin revenue once fully integrated into Carriage’s operating model framework.
We believe that in 2019 we positioned Carriage for unprecedented performance and valuation success over the next five years. But no doubt the continuing work to improve performance in our existing portfolio combined with the year-end acquisition and integration of four large businesses in new markets has intensely focused our Operational Leadership and Houston Support Center Leadership Teams on Execution, Execution, Execution. We have therefore determined that the proper way to present our company over the next 3 years is as follows:
1.
January 1, 2020 - June 30, 2020 - Integration & Transition.
Integrate new acquisitions;
Improve funeral and cemetery portfolio performance;
Recruit dedicated senior leadership to build and support a high performance cemetery preneed sales culture and system;
Divest low performing funeral homes; and
Reduce debt from increasing Adjusted Free Cash Flow and divestment proceeds.
2.
July 1, 2020 - June 30, 2021 - Normalize increased earnings and Adjusted Free Cash Flow, reducing debt and improving credit profile.
Leadership of new acquisitions (existing and newly recruited) fully integrated into high performance framework of Standards Operating Model;
Increase Revenue and Total Field and Adjusted Consolidated EBITDA Margin growth trends;
Divest any low performing businesses that no longer fit Carriage’s future growth performance profile and apply proceeds to reduction of debt;
Refinance our $400 million of 6.625% eight year senior notes that are callable after June 1, 2021 at 104.969; and
Optimize our capital structure and Adjusted Free Cash Flow earning power by issuing new eight to ten year senior notes at a coupon rate in the range around 5% based on current rate environment, saving an estimated $7 million in annual cash interest expense equivalent to an additional 28¢ of EPS.
3.
July 1, 2021 - December 31, 2022 and thereafter - Optimize performance potential within existing portfolio.
Achieve annual company milestones in Total Revenue of over $325 million, Adjusted Consolidated EBITDA of over $100 million, Adjusted Diluted EPS of over $2.25 per share and Adjusted Free Cash Flow of over $60 million; and
Achieve leverage ratio of approximately 4 times Total Debt/Adjusted Consolidated EBITDA and return to growth by highly selective acquisitions financed primarily with increasing Adjusted Free Cash Flow.

                            1



Reflecting back on Carriage’s performance decline in 2018, the performance turnaround we have already achieved, and the performance milestones we will achieve over the next three years, our company will have executed what we believe in hindsight will be viewed as a complete Carriage Leadership, Portfolio High Performance, Balance Sheet, Earnings and Free Cash Flow Transformation as a Value Creation Platform.
Shown below is an expanded Milestone Three Year Roughly Right Scenario demonstrating the shareholder value creation opportunity as we enter into the next five year timeframe of our Good To Great Journey, beginning with:
Carriage Services 2020: Transformative High Performance - Good To Great Journey Part II
The scenario below includes our best “roughly right” estimates regarding our performance in the three distinct time periods as explained above. We will update Carriage’s Rolling Four Quarter Outlook when we report our first quarter 2020 performance results”, concluded Mr. Payne.
MILESTONE THREE YEAR SCENARIO
Performance Outlook Scenario
 
Roughly Right Ranges
 
 
Years Ending December 31 (millions)
 
 
2020
 
2021
 
2022
Total Revenue
 
$315 - $319
 
$320 - $324
 
$328 - $332
Total Field EBITDA
 
$127 - $131
 
$133 - $137
 
$139 - $144
Total Field EBITDA Margin
 
40% - 41%
 
41% - 42%
 
42% - 43%
Adjusted Consolidated EBITDA
 
$92 - $96
 
$97 - $101
 
$102 - $106
Adjusted Consolidated EBITDA Margin
 
29% - 30%
 
30% - 31%
 
31% - 32%
Adjusted Diluted EPS
 
$1.55 - $1.65
 
$1.92 - $2.10
 
$2.25 - $2.40
Adjusted Free Cash Flow
 
$42 - $45
 
$53 - $56
 
$60 - $63
Total Debt Outstanding
 
$480 - $490
 
$440 - $450
 
$390 - $440
Total Debt to EBITDA Multiple
 
5.0 - 5.2
 
4.3 - 4.5
 
3.8 - 4.0

                            2



The Pro Forma Adjusted results for the comparative periods of year end December 31, 2019 versus year ended December 31, 2018 and fourth quarter 2019 versus fourth quarter 2018 are shown below:
Year Ended December 31, 2019 versus Year Ended December 31, 2018
Total Revenue increased $11.0 million or 4.2% to $273.3 million;
Total Field EBITDA increased $7.4 million or 7.2% to $110.3 million;
Total Field EBITDA Margin increased 120 basis points to 40.4%;
Total Overhead decreased $0.8 million or 2.3% to $33.8 million;
Total Overhead Margin decreased 80 basis points to 12.4%;
Consolidated EBITDA increased $8.2 million or 12.0% to $76.5 million;
Consolidated EBITDA Margin increased 200 basis points to 28.0%; and
Diluted Earnings Per Share increased $0.27 or 29.0% to $1.20.
Fourth Quarter 2019 versus Fourth Quarter 2018
Total Revenue increased $4.8 million or 7.3% to $71.1 million;
Total Field EBITDA increased $2.9 million or 11.4% to $28.7 million;
Total Field EBITDA Margin increased 150 basis points to 40.4%;
Total Overhead increased $0.1 million or 0.5% to $9.5 million;
Total Overhead Margin decreased 90 basis points to 13.4%;
Consolidated EBITDA increased $2.9 million or 17.7% to $19.2 million;
Consolidated EBITDA Margin increased 240 basis points to 27.0%; and
Diluted Earnings Per Share increased $0.06 or 26.1% to $0.29.
GAAP highlights are shown below:
Year Ended December 31, 2019 versus Year Ended December 31, 2018
• Total Revenue of $274.1 million, an increase of 2.3%;
• Net Income of $14.5 million, an increase of 24.8%; and
• GAAP Diluted Earnings Per Share of $0.80, an increase of 27.0%.
Fourth Quarter 2019 versus Fourth Quarter 2018
• Total Revenue of $71.1 million, an increase of 7.0%;
• Net Income of $2.6 million, an increase of 196.7%; and
• GAAP Diluted Earnings Per Share of $0.14, an increase of 200.0%.

                            3



HIGH PERFORMANCE HEROES
Carriage 2019 Pinnacle of Service Award Winners
I am delighted to announce that we had 39 businesses (36 funeral homes and 3 cemeteries) which earned Pinnacle Awards and Being The Best Standards Achievement Incentive Bonuses for the Managing Partners and employees of each business. This group of winners represented the Company’s High Performance Culture well as their businesses contributed $82.0 million in revenue (30% of Total of $274.1 million), $36.1 million in Field EBITDA (33% of Company Total of $109.8 million) and a EBITDA Margin of 44.1% (Total Company Field EBITDA Margin of 40.0%).
The 39 Pinnacle Award winners included 34 businesses (33 funeral homes and 1 cemetery) which averaged 70% Standards Achievement over the 3 year period 2017-2019 (5 of these businesses also achieved 100% in 2019 under the updated/rebooted Performance Standards), and 5 businesses (3 funeral homes and 2 cemeteries) which had 100% Standards Achievement in 2019.
As an important part of our High Performance Culture tradition and language, and because we have a passionate conviction that RECOGNITION is the highest form of motivation, listed below are Carriage’s Being The Best Pinnacle Of Service Award winners for 2019:
“Being The Best” Pinnacle of Service Award
Courtney Charvet
North Brevard Funeral Home
Patrick Schoen
Jacob Schoen & Son
Matthew Simpson
Fry Memorial Chapel
Justin Luyben
Evans-Brown Mortuaries & Crematory
Alan Kerrick
Dakan Funeral Chapel
Jeff Hardwick
Bryan & Hardwick Funeral Home
James Bass
Emerald Coast/McLaughlin Mortuary
Randy Valentine
Dieterle Memorial Home & Cremation
Sue Keenan
Byron Keenan Funeral Home & Cremation
Todd Muller
All Cremation Options
Jason Cox
Lane Funeral Home - South Crest
Jeff Seaman
Dwayne R. Spence Funeral Homes
Dan Simons
Everly Community Funeral Care
Mike Conner
Conner-Westbury Funeral Home
Ashley Vella
Deegan Funeral Chapels
Jason Higginbotham
Lakeland Funeral Home
Joseph Newkirk
Civic Center Chapel
Robert Maclary
Kent-Forest Lawn Funeral Home
Ken Duffy
John E. Day Funeral Home
Scott Sanderford
Everly Wheatley Funeral Home
Phil Appell
Keenan Funeral Home
Joseph Waterwash
Baird-Case Jordan-Fannin Funeral Home & Cremation Center
Jeff Steadman
Sansone Funeral Home
Tom O’Brien
O’Brien Funeral Home
Chris Chetsas
Cataudella Funeral Home
*Nicholas Welzenbach
Darling & Fischer Funeral Homes
Los Gatos Memorial Park
*Tim Hauck
Harvey-Engelhardt/Fuller Metz
Lee County Cremation
 
 
*Qualified for 2 Businesses
 


                            4



“Being The Best” Pinnacle of Service Award & 100% of Standards Award
Ken Summers
P.L. Fry & Son Funeral Home
Steven Mora
Conejo Mountain Funeral Home
Brian Binion
Steen Funeral Homes
James Terry
James J. Terry Funeral Homes
Cyndi Hoots
Schmidt Funeral Homes
“Being The Best” 100% of Standards Award
JoAnna DiSibio
Oak View Memorial Park
Anthony Rodriguez
Higgins Mortuary
Ben Friberg
Heritage Funeral Home & Crematory
David Keller
Lane Funeral Home - Coulter Chapel
Michael Page
Sterling-White Cemetery
Carriage Good to Great Award Winners
Our five year incentive award, called the Good To Great Award, is directly linked to our annual Being The Best Pinnacle Award which itself is linked to High Funeral Standards Achievement over a full year, i.e. our Good To Great Awards require high and sustained Being The Best Standards Achievement over a full five years. We have had many wonderful performances since the start of our Good To Great Journey in 2012 by High Performance Hero Funeral and Cemetery Managing Partners and Sales Managers and their teams of winning employees, so I am more than honored to announce our fourth group of Good To Great Award winners that sustained a high level of Standards Achievement and Financial Performance while compounding revenue at 3.1% for the five year timeframe that began in 2015 and ended at year end 2019, as listed below:
Todd Muller
Muller-Thompson Funeral Chapel & Cremation Services
Alan Kerrick
Dakan Funeral Chapels
Nicholas Welzenbach
Darling Fischer Funeral Homes
Scott Sanderford
Everly Wheatley Funeral Home
Patrick Schoen
Jacob Schoen & Son
Charlie Eagan
Greenwood Funeral Home


                            5



TRUST FUND PERFORMANCE
Shown below are consolidated performance metrics for the combined trust fund portfolios (preneed funeral, preneed cemetery and cemetery perpetual care) at key dates.
Investment Performance
 
 
Investment Performance(1)
 
Index Performance
 
 
Discretionary
Total Trust
 
S&P 500 Stock Index
High Yield Index
70/30 index
Benchmark(2)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1 year ended 12/31/19
 
25.9%
23.6%
 
31.5%
14.3%
19.5%
2 years ended 12/31/19
 
15.4%
14.5%
 
25.7%
11.9%
16.1%
3 years ended 12/31/19
 
30.5%
28.6%
 
53.1%
20.3%
30.2%
4 years ended 12/31/19
 
56.2%
52.1%
 
71.4%
41.0%
50.1%
5 years ended 12/31/19
 
51.4%
48.0%
 
73.8%
34.7%
46.4%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(1) Investment performance includes realized income and unrealized appreciation (depreciation).
(2) The 70/30 Benchmark is 70% weighted to the High Yield Index and 30% weighted to the S&P 500 Stock Index.
Asset Allocation as of December 31, 2019
(in thousands)
 
 
 
 
Discretionary
Trust Funds
 
Total
Trust Funds
Asset Class
 
 
 
MV

%

 
MV

%

Equities
 
 
 
$
94,404

43
%
 
$
96,844

38
%
Fixed Income
 
 
 
104,894

49
%
 
117,637

46
%
Cash
 
 
 
15,454

7
%
 
39,059

15
%
Other/Insurance
 
 
 
2,722

1
%
 
2,906

1
%
Total Portfolios
 
 
 
$
217,474

100
%
 
$
256,446

100
%
The performance of our Discretionary Trust Fund Portfolio was 25.9% for 2019 compared to 31.5% for the S&P 500 and 19.5% for our 70% High Yield/30% S&P 500 benchmark. The outperformance versus our benchmark is attributable to asset allocation decisions made in the back half of 2018 and the first part of this year along with individual security selections made throughout 2019.
We also added approximately $27 million of Discretionary Trust Assets through the four previously announced acquisitions. 
The performance of our Discretionary Trust Fund Portfolio in 2019 compares favorably to our long term 11 year compound average annual return of approximately 13.5% since Carriage took over the management of these trust assets in the fall of 2008. This long-term track record of performance will continue to accrue to benefit Carriage through the increased value of the underlying preneed funeral and cemetery contracts and the recurring income generated through our cemetery perpetual care trusts.



                            6



ADJUSTED FREE CASH FLOW
We produced Adjusted Free Cash Flow from operations for the three months and years ended December 31, 2019 of $5.8 million and $37.4 million, respectively, compared to Adjusted Free Cash Flow from operations of $10.2 million and $42.7 million for the corresponding periods in 2018. A reconciliation of Cash Flow Provided by Operations to Adjusted Free Cash Flow for the three months and years ended December 31, 2018 and 2019 is as follows (in thousands):
 
For the Three Months Ended December 31,
 
For the Years Ended December 31,
 
 
2018

 
2019

 
2018

 
2019

Cash flow provided by operations
$
10,416

 
$
759

 
$
49,133

 
$
36,820

Cash used for maintenance capital expenditures
(3,070
)
 
(2,614
)
 
(9,266
)
 
(8,795
)
Free Cash Flow
$
7,346

 
$
(1,855
)
 
$
39,867

 
$
28,025

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Plus: Incremental Special Items:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Down Payment for Potential Acquisition

 
5,000

 

 
5,000

Acquisition and Divestiture Costs

 
2,083

 

 
2,083

Severance and Retirement Costs
1,435

 
79

 
1,435

 
1,205

Litigation Reserve
1,000

 
175

 
1,000

 
750

Natural Disaster Costs
437

 

 
437

 

Other Special Items

 
336

 

 
336

Adjusted Free Cash Flow
$
10,218

 
$
5,818

 
$
42,739

 
$
37,399

Adjusted Free Cash Flow decreased $5.3 million to $37.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. We paid $5.0 million more of cash interest plus we had other working capital changes. The increase in cash interest paid primarily relates to a full year of interest paid on the Senior Notes versus seven months in 2018. Additionally we paid $3.2 million less cash taxes in 2019.
Adjusted Free Cash Flow decreased $4.4 million to $5.8 million for the three months ended December 31, 2019. The decrease is primarily due to the timing of working capital payments in conjunction with $2.6 million of additional tax refund after filing our 2018 tax return.
ROUGHLY RIGHT SCENARIO
The Roughly Right Scenario (“Scenario”) (or also called Rolling Four Quarter Outlook for the immediate rolling twelve months) reflects management’s opinion on the performance of the portfolio of existing businesses, including performance of existing trusts, and excludes size and timing of acquisitions unless we have a signed Letter of Intent (LOI) and high likelihood of a closing within 90 days. This Scenario is not intended to be management estimates or forecasts of our future performance, as we believe precise estimates will be precisely wrong all the time. Rather our intent and goal are to reflect a “Roughly Right Range” most of the time of future Scenario performance as we execute our Standards Operating, Strategic Acquisition and 4E Leadership Models over time.
Factors affecting our analysis include, among others, funeral contract volumes, average revenue per funeral service, cemetery interment volumes, preneed cemetery sales, capital expenditures and the execution of our funeral and our cemetery Standards Operating Model. Adjusted Net Income and hence, Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share have been adjusted for accretion on our convertible notes.
The Scenario on Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share does not include any changes to our fully diluted share count that could occur related to additional share repurchases or a stock price increase and EPS dilution calculations related to our convertible notes and outstanding and exercisable stock options.
CONFERENCE CALL AND INVESTOR RELATIONS CONTACT
Carriage Services has scheduled a conference call for tomorrow, February 20, 2020 at 9:30 a.m. central time. To participate in the call, please dial 866-516-3867 (ID-2874313) and ask for the Carriage Services conference call. A replay of the conference call will be available through February 25, 2020 and may be accessed by dialing 855-859-2056 (ID-2874313). The conference call will also be available at www.carriageservices.com. For any investor relations questions, please contact Viki Blinderman at 713-332-8568 or Ben Brink at 713-332-8441 or email InvestorRelations@carriageservices.com.

                            7



CARRIAGE SERVICES, INC.
OPERATING AND FINANCIAL TREND REPORT
(IN THOUSANDS - EXCEPT PER SHARE AMOUNTS)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Three Months Ended December 31,
 
Years Ended December 31,
 
2018
2019
% Change
 
2018
2019
% Change
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Same Store Contracts
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Atneed Contracts
6,287

6,647

5.7
%
 
25,117

25,844

2.9
%
Preneed Contracts
1,415

1,466

3.6
%
 
5,721

5,700

(0.4
%)
Total Same Store Funeral Contracts
7,702

8,113

5.3
%
 
30,838

31,544

2.3
%
Acquisition Contracts
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Atneed Contracts
1,021

1,753

71.7
%
 
3,404

4,896

43.8
%
Preneed Contracts
151

154

2.0
%
 
450

586

30.2
%
Total Acquisition Funeral Contracts
1,172

1,907

62.7
%
 
3,854

5,482

42.2
%
Total Funeral Contracts
8,874

10,020

12.9
%
 
34,692

37,026

6.7
%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Funeral Operating Revenue
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Same Store Revenue
$
41,648

$
42,410

1.8
%
 
$
166,934

$
167,246

0.2
%
Acquisition Revenue
7,846

9,886

26.0
%
 
26,835

33,146

23.5
%
Total Funeral Operating Revenue
$
49,494

$
52,296

5.7
%
 
$
193,769

$
200,392

3.4
%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cemetery Operating Revenue
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Same Store Revenue
$
10,907

$
12,122

11.1
%
 
$
45,135

$
49,455

9.6
%
Acquisition Revenue

295

%
 

295

%
Total Cemetery Operating Revenue
$
10,907

$
12,417

13.8
%
 
$
45,135

$
49,750

10.2
%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Total Financial Revenue
$
3,975

$
4,179

5.1
%
 
$
15,977

$
16,022

0.3
%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Other Revenue
$

$
748

 
 
$

$
748

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Total Divested/Planned Divested Revenue
$
2,141

$
1,509

 
 
$
13,111

$
7,195

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Total Revenue
$
66,517

$
71,149

7.0
%
 
$
267,992

$
274,107

2.3
%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Field EBITDA
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Same Store Funeral EBITDA
$
15,487

$
16,335

5.5
%
 
$
63,119

$
63,938

1.3
%
Same Store Funeral EBITDA Margin
37.2
%
38.5
%
130 bp

 
37.8
%
38.2
%
40 bp

Acquisition Funeral EBITDA
3,108

3,733

20.1
%
 
9,732

12,547

28.9
%
Acquisition Funeral EBITDA Margin
39.6
%
37.8
%
(180 bp)

 
36.3
%
37.9
%
160 bp

Total Funeral EBITDA
$
18,595

$
20,068

7.9
%
 
$
72,851

$
76,485

5.0
%
Total Funeral EBITDA Margin
37.6
%
38.4
%
80 bp

 
37.6
%
38.2
%
60 bp

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Same Store Cemetery EBITDA
$
3,127

$
4,147

32.6
%
 
$
13,880

$
17,055

22.9
%
Same Store Cemetery EBITDA Margin
28.7
%
34.2
%
550 bp

 
30.8
%
34.5
%
370 bp

Acquisition Cemetery EBITDA

73

%
 

73

%
Acquisition Cemetery EBITDA Margin
%
24.7
%
2,470 bp

 
%
24.7
%
2,470 bp

Total Cemetery EBITDA
$
3,127

$
4,220

35.0
%
 
$
13,880

$
17,128

23.4
%
Total Cemetery EBITDA Margin
28.7
%
34.0
%
530 bp

 
30.8
%
34.4
%
360 bp

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Total Financial EBITDA
$
3,597

$
3,774

4.9
%
 
$
14,427

$
14,419

(0.1
%)
Total Financial EBITDA Margin
90.5
%
90.3
%
(20 bp)

 
90.3
%
90.0
%
(30 bp)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Other EBITDA

$
298

 
 

$
298

 
Other EBITDA Margin
%
39.8
%


 
%
39.8
%


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Total Divested/Planned Divested EBITDA
$
517

$
253

 
 
$
3,155

$
1,437

 
Total Divested/Planned Divested EBITDA Margin
24.1
%
16.8
%
 
 
24.1
%
20.0
%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Total Field EBITDA
$
25,836

$
28,613

10.7
%
 
$
104,313

$
109,767

5.2
%
Total Field EBITDA Margin
38.8
%
40.2
%
140 bp

 
38.9
%
40.0
%
110 bp


                            8



OPERATING AND FINANCIAL TREND REPORT
(IN THOUSANDS - EXCEPT PER SHARE AMOUNTS)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Three Months Ended December 31,
 
Years Ended December 31,
 
2018
2019
% Change
 
2018
2019
% Change
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Total Overhead
$
11,913

$
12,103

1.6
%
 
$
36,993

$
37,554

1.5
%
Overhead as a percentage of Revenue
17.9
%
17.0
%
(90 bp)

 
13.8
%
13.7
%
(10 bp)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Consolidated EBITDA
$
13,923

$
16,510

18.6
%
 
$
67,320

$
72,213

7.3
%
Consolidated EBITDA Margin
20.9
%
23.2
%
230 bp

 
25.1
%
26.3
%
120 bp

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Other Expenses and Interest
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Depreciation & Amortization
$
4,330

$
4,416

2.0
%
 
$
17,430

$
17,771

2.0
%
Non-Cash Stock Compensation
3,659

537

(85.3
%)
 
6,583

2,153

(67.3
%)
Interest Expense
6,346

6,615

4.2
%
 
21,109

25,522

20.9
%
Accretion of Discount on Convertible Subordinated Notes
231

63

(72.7
%)
 
2,192

241

(89.0
%)
Net Loss on Early Extinguishment of Debt
(434
)

 
 
502


 
Other, Net
893

196

 
 
1,238

4,110

 
Pre-Tax Income (Loss)
$
(1,102
)
$
4,683

525.0
%
 
$
18,266

$
22,416

22.7
%
Provision for Income Taxes
331

1,845

 
 
5,754

7,395

 
Tax Adjustment Related to Certain Discrete Items
1,225

269

 
 
867

488

 
Net Tax Provision
1,556

2,114

 
 
6,621

7,883

 
GAAP Net Income (Loss)
$
(2,658
)
$
2,569

196.7
%
 
$
11,645

$
14,533

24.8
%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Special Items, Net of Tax, except for **
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Acquisition and Divestiture Expenses
$

$
1,646

 
 
$

$
1,646

 
Severance and Retirement Costs
1,134

62

 
 
1,134

951

 
Performance Awards Cancellation Write-off
2,594


 
 
2,594


 
Accretion of Discount on Convertible Subordinated Notes **
231

63

 
 
2,192

241

 
Net Loss (Gain) on Early Extinguishment of Debt
(343
)

 
 
397


 
Loss on Sale of Business and Other Costs
162

188

 
 
439

3,331

 
Goodwill and Other Impairments
805

184

 
 
805

761

 
Litigation Reserve
790

138

 
 
790

592

 
Natural Disaster Costs
345


 
 
345


 
Tax Expense Related to Divested Business**

51

 
 

911

 
Gain on Insurance Reimbursements

(195
)
 
 

(699
)
 
Other Special Items

265

 
 

265

 
Tax Adjustment Related to Certain Discrete Items**
1,225


 
 
1,225


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Adjusted Net Income
$
4,285

$
4,971

16.0
%
 
$
21,566

$
22,532

4.5
%
Adjusted Net Profit Margin
6.4
%
7.0
%
60 bp

 
8.0
%
8.2
%
20 bp

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Adjusted Basic Earnings Per Share
$
0.23

$
0.28

21.7
%
 
$
1.19

$
1.26

5.9
%
Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share
$
0.23

$
0.28

21.7
%
 
$
1.17

$
1.25

6.8
%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
GAAP Basic Earnings (Loss) Per Share
$
(0.14
)
$
0.14

200.0
%
 
$
0.64

$
0.81

26.6
%
GAAP Diluted Earnings (Loss) Per Share
$
(0.14
)
$
0.14

200.0
%
 
$
0.63

$
0.80

27.0
%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Weighted Average Basic Shares Outstanding
18,772

17,760

 
 
17,971

17,877

 
Weighted Average Diluted Shares Outstanding
18,838

17,901

 
 
18,374

18,005

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Adjusted Consolidated EBITDA
$
16,795

$
19,183

14.2
%
 
$
70,192

$
76,587

9.1
%
Adjusted Consolidated EBITDA Margin
25.2
%
27.0
%
180 bp

 
26.2
%
27.9
%
170 bp





                            9



CARRIAGE SERVICES, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET
(in thousands)
 
December 31,
 
2018
 
2019
ASSETS
 
 
 
Current assets:
 
 
 
Cash and cash equivalents
$
644

 
$
716

Accounts receivable, net
18,897

 
21,478

Inventories
6,751

 
6,989

Prepaid and other current assets
3,011

 
10,667

Total current assets
29,303

 
39,850

Preneed cemetery trust investments
62,432

 
72,382

Preneed funeral trust investments
82,074

 
96,335

Preneed cemetery receivables, net
18,441

 
20,173

Receivables from preneed trusts
17,073

 
18,024

Property, plant and equipment, net
260,838

 
279,200

Cemetery property, net
74,958

 
87,032

Goodwill
303,887

 
398,292

Intangible and other non-current assets, net
24,425

 
32,116

Operating lease right-of-use assets

 
22,304

Cemetery perpetual care trust investments
44,071

 
64,047

Total assets
$
917,502

 
$
1,129,755

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
 
 
 
Current liabilities:
 
 
 
Current portion of long-term debt
$
2,015

 
$
1,306

Current portion of finance lease obligations
312

 
290

Current portion of operating lease obligations

 
1,554

Accounts payable
9,987

 
8,413

Accrued and other liabilities
22,644

 
24,026

Total current liabilities
34,958

 
35,589

Long-term debt, net of current portion
6,925

 
5,658

Credit facility
26,145

 
82,182

Convertible subordinated notes due 2021
5,732

 
5,971

Senior notes due 2026
319,108

 
395,447

Obligations under finance leases, net of current portion
6,143

 
5,854

Obligations under operating leases, net of current portion

 
21,533

Deferred preneed cemetery revenue
45,997

 
46,569

Deferred preneed funeral revenue
28,606

 
29,145

Deferred tax liability
31,263

 
41,368

Other long-term liabilities
3,133

 
1,737

Deferred preneed cemetery receipts held in trust
62,432

 
72,382

Deferred preneed funeral receipts held in trust
82,074

 
96,335

Care trusts’ corpus
43,494

 
63,416

Total liabilities
696,010

 
903,186

Commitments and contingencies


 


Stockholders’ equity:
 
 
 
Common stock
257

 
259

Additional paid-in capital
243,849

 
242,147

Retained earnings
71,680

 
86,213

Treasury stock
(94,294
)
 
(102,050
)
Total stockholders’ equity
221,492

 
226,569

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity
$
917,502

 
$
1,129,755





                            10



CARRIAGE SERVICES, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(in thousands, except per share data)
 
(unaudited)
 
 
 
 
 
Three Months Ended December 31,
 
Years Ended December 31,
 
2018
 
2019
 
2018
 
2019
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Revenue:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Service revenue
34,944

 
37,110

 
138,604

 
142,554

Property and merchandise revenue
27,512

 
29,056

 
112,253

 
114,514

Other revenue
4,061

 
4,983

 
17,135

 
17,039

 
66,517

 
71,149

 
267,992

 
274,107

Field costs and expenses:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cost of service
18,092

 
18,928

 
72,123

 
72,991

Cost of merchandise
22,212

 
22,750

 
90,008

 
89,294

Cemetery property amortization
839

 
995

 
3,602

 
3,985

Field depreciation expense
3,090

 
3,120

 
12,015

 
12,370

Regional and unallocated funeral and cemetery costs
4,087

 
3,819

 
12,749

 
13,827

Other expenses
377

 
858

 
1,548

 
2,055

 
48,697

 
50,470

 
192,045

 
194,522

Gross profit
17,820

 
20,679

 
75,947

 
79,585

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Corporate costs and expenses:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
General, administrative and other
11,485

 
8,821

 
30,827

 
25,880

Home office depreciation and amortization
401

 
301

 
1,813

 
1,416

 
11,886

 
9,122

 
32,640

 
27,296

Operating income
5,934

 
11,557

 
43,307

 
52,289

Interest expense
(6,346
)
 
(6,615
)
 
(21,109
)
 
(25,522
)
Accretion of discount on convertible subordinated notes
(231
)
 
(63
)
 
(2,192
)
 
(241
)
Loss on early extinguishment of debt
434

 

 
(502
)
 

Other, net
(893
)
 
(196
)
 
(1,238
)
 
(4,110
)
Income (loss) before income taxes
(1,102
)
 
4,683

 
18,266

 
22,416

Provision for income taxes
(331
)
 
(1,845
)
 
(5,754
)
 
(7,395
)
Tax adjustment related to certain discrete items
(1,225
)
 
(269
)
 
(867
)
 
(488
)
Total provision for income taxes
(1,556
)
 
(2,114
)
 
(6,621
)
 
(7,883
)
Net income (loss)
$
(2,658
)
 
$
2,569

 
$
11,645

 
$
14,533

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Basic earnings (loss) per common share
$
(0.14
)
 
$
0.14

 
$
0.64

 
$
0.81

Diluted earnings (loss) per common share
$
(0.14
)
 
$
0.14

 
$
0.63

 
$
0.80

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Dividends declared per share:
$
0.075

 
$
0.075

 
$
0.300

 
$
0.300

Weighted average number of common and common equivalent shares outstanding:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Basic
18,772

 
17,760

 
17,971

 
17,877

Diluted
18,838

 
17,901

 
18,374

 
18,005











                            11



CARRIAGE SERVICES, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(in thousands)
 
For the Years Ended December 31,
 
2018
 
2019
Cash flows from operating activities:
 
 
 
Net income
$
11,645

 
$
14,533

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
 
 
 
Depreciation and amortization
17,430

 
17,771

Provision for losses on accounts receivable
1,841

 
1,618

Stock-based compensation expense
6,583

 
2,153

Deferred income tax expense
3,823

 
10,117

Amortization of deferred financing costs
532

 
392

Amortization of capitalized commissions on preneed contracts
599

 
558

Accretion of discount on convertible subordinated notes
2,192

 
241

Accretion of discount on senior notes
272

 
492

Net loss on early extinguishment of debt
502

 

Net loss on sale of businesses and disposal of other assets
1,052

 
4,096

Goodwill and other Impairments
1,019

 
963

Gain on insurance reimbursements

 
(879
)
Other

 
121

Changes in operating assets and liabilities that provided (required) cash:
 
 
 
Accounts and preneed receivables
(5,061
)
 
(5,801
)
Inventories and other current assets
(159
)
 
(7,762
)
Intangible and other non-current assets
(390
)
 
(251
)
Preneed funeral and cemetery trust investments
488

 
(6,500
)
Accounts payable
2,044

 
(1,976
)
Accrued and other liabilities
3,990

 
1,271

Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery revenue
6,546

 
168

Deferred preneed funeral and cemetery receipts held in trust
(5,954
)
 
5,495

Net cash provided by operating activities
48,994

 
36,820

 
 
 
 
Cash flows from investing activities:
 
 
 
Acquisitions and land for new construction
(37,970
)
 
(140,907
)
Proceeds from insurance reimbursements

 
1,433

Net proceeds from sale of businesses and other assets

 
967

Capital expenditures
(13,526
)
 
(15,379
)
Net cash used in investing activities
(51,496
)
 
(153,886
)
 
 
 
 
Cash flows from financing activities:
 
 
 
Payments against the term loan
(127,500
)
 

Borrowings from the credit facility
124,500

 
174,961

Payments against the credit facility
(189,400
)
 
(118,261
)
Payment of debt issuance costs related to the credit facility
(1,751
)
 
(891
)
Acquisition of 2.75% convertible subordinated notes
(98,266
)
 
(27
)
Transaction costs related to the acquisition of 2.75% convertible subordinated notes
(885
)
 

Proceeds from the issuance of the 6.625% senior notes
320,125

 
76,688

Payment of debt issuance costs related to the 6.625% senior notes
(1,367
)
 
(980
)
Payments on long-term debt and obligations under capital leases
(1,940
)
 
(2,287
)
Payments on contingent consideration recorded at acquisition date
(138
)
 
(162
)
Proceeds from the exercise of stock options and employee stock purchase plan contributions
1,246

 
1,445

Taxes paid on restricted stock vestings and exercises of non-qualified options
(651
)
 
(194
)
Dividends paid on common stock
(5,513
)
 
(5,398
)
Purchase of treasury stock
(16,266
)
 
(7,756
)
Net cash provided by financing activities
2,194

 
117,138

 
 
 
 
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
(308
)
 
72

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year
952

 
644

Cash and cash equivalents at end of year
$
644

 
$
716



                            12



NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES
This press release uses Non-GAAP financial measures to present the financial performance of the Company. Our non-GAAP reporting provides a transparent framework of our operating and financial performance that reflects the earning power of the Company as an operating and consolidation platform.
Non-GAAP financial measures should be viewed in addition to, and not as an alternative for, the Company’s reported operating results or cash flow from operations or any other measure of performance as determined in accordance with GAAP. We believe the Non-GAAP results are useful to investors to compare our results to previous periods, to provide insight into the underlying long-term performance trends in our business and to provide the opportunity to differentiate ourselves as the best consolidation platform in the industry against the performance of other funeral and cemetery companies.
The Company’s GAAP financial statements accompany this press release. Reconciliations of the Non-GAAP financial measures to GAAP measures are also provided in this press release.
The Non-GAAP financial measures include “Special Items”, “Adjusted Net Income”, “Consolidated EBITDA”, “Adjusted Consolidated EBITDA”, “Adjusted Consolidated EBITDA Margin”, “Adjusted Free Cash Flow”, “Funeral, Cemetery and Financial EBITDA”, “Total Field EBITDA”, “Total Field EBITDA Margin”, “Divested/Planned Divested Revenue”, “Divested/Planned Divested EBITDA”, “Divested/Planned Divested EBITDA Margin”, “Adjusted Basic Earnings Per Share”, “Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share”, and “Total Debt to EBITDA Multiple” in this press release. These financial measurements are defined as similar GAAP items adjusted for Special Items and are reconciled to GAAP in this press release. In addition, the Company’s presentation of these measures may not be comparable to similarly titled measures in other companies’ reports. The definitions used by the Company for our internal management purposes and in this press release are as follows:
Special Items are defined as charges or credits included in our GAAP financial statements that can vary from period to period and are not reflective of costs incurred in the ordinary course of our operations. Special Items are typically taxed at the federal statutory rate, except for the accretion of the discount on Convertible Subordinated Notes, as this is a non-tax deductible item and the Tax Expense Related to a Divested Business.
Adjusted Net Income is defined as net income plus adjustments for Special Items and other expenses or gains that we believe do not directly reflect our core operations and may not be indicative of our normal business operations.
Consolidated EBITDA is defined as net income before income taxes, interest expenses, non-cash stock compensation, depreciation and amortization, and interest income and other, net.
Adjusted Consolidated EBITDA is defined as Consolidated EBITDA plus adjustments for Special Items and other expenses or gains that we believe do not directly reflect our core operations and may not be indicative of our normal business operations.
Adjusted Consolidated EBITDA Margin is defined as Adjusted Consolidated EBITDA as a percentage of revenue.
Adjusted Free Cash Flow is defined as net cash provided by operations, adjusted by Special Items as deemed necessary, less cash for maintenance capital expenditures.
Funeral Field EBITDA is defined as Funeral Gross Profit, excluding depreciation and amortization, regional and unallocated costs and Financial EBITDA related to the Funeral Home segment.
Cemetery Field EBITDA is defined as Cemetery Gross Profit, excluding depreciation and amortization, regional and unallocated costs and Cemetery Financial EBITDA related to the Cemetery segment.
Funeral Financial EBITDA is defined as Funeral Financial Revenue less Funeral Financial Expenses.
Cemetery Financial EBITDA is defined as Cemetery Financial Revenue less Cemetery Financial Expenses.
Total Field EBITDA is defined as Gross Profit, excluding field depreciation, cemetery property amortization and regional and unallocated funeral and cemetery costs.
Total Field EBITDA Margin is defined as Total Field EBITDA as a percentage of revenue.
Divested/Planned Divested Revenue is defined as revenues from three cemetery businesses that we divested as a result of a management agreement that expired in 2018 and five funeral home businesses that we divested as of December 31, 2019. Additionally, it includes fourteen funeral home businesses we intend to divest.
Divested/Planned Divested EBITDA is defined as Divested Revenue, less field level and financial expenses related to the divested/planned divested businesses noted above.

                            13



Divested/Planned Divested EBITDA Margin is defined as Divested/Planned Divested EBITDA as a percentage of Divested/Planned Divested Revenue.
Adjusted Basic Earnings Per Share is defined as GAAP Basic Earnings Per Share, adjusted for Special Items.
Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share is defined as GAAP Diluted Earnings Per Share, adjusted for Special Items.
Total Debt to EBITDA Multiple is defined as Long Term Debt (net of current portion), indebtedness under our bank credit facility, indebtedness under our Convertible Subordinated Notes due 2021 and indebtedness under our Senior Notes due 2026, to Adjusted Consolidated EBITDA.
Funeral Field EBITDA and Cemetery Field EBITDA
Our operations are reported in two business segments: Funeral Home Operations and Cemetery Operations. Our Field level results highlight trends in volumes, Revenue, Field EBITDA (the individual business’ cash earning power/locally controllable business profit) and Field EBITDA Margin (the individual business’ controllable profit margin).
Funeral Field EBITDA and Cemetery Field EBITDA are defined above. Gross Profit is defined as Revenue less “Field costs and expenses” - a line item encompassing these areas of costs: i) Funeral and cemetery field costs, ii) Field depreciation and amortization expense, and iii) Regional and unallocated funeral and cemetery costs. Funeral and cemetery field costs include cost of service, funeral and cemetery merchandise costs, operating expenses, labor and other related expenses incurred at the business level.
Regional and unallocated funeral and cemetery costs presented in our GAAP statement consist primarily of salaries and benefits of our Regional leadership, incentive compensation opportunity to our Field employees and other related costs for field infrastructure. These costs, while necessary to operate our businesses as currently operated within our unique, decentralized platform, are not controllable operating expenses at the Field level as the composition, structure and function of these costs are determined by Executive leadership in the Houston Support Center. These costs are components of our overall overhead platform presented within Consolidated EBITDA and Adjusted Consolidated EBITDA. We do not openly or indirectly “push down” any of these expenses to the individual business’ field level margins.
We believe that our “Regional and unallocated funeral and cemetery costs” are necessary to support our decentralized, high performance culture operating framework, and as such, are included in Consolidated EBITDA and Adjusted Consolidated EBITDA, which more accurately reflects the cash earning power of the Company as an operating and consolidation platform.
Consolidated EBITDA and Adjusted Consolidated EBITDA
Consolidated EBITDA and Adjusted Consolidated EBITDA are defined above. Our Adjusted Consolidated EBITDA include adjustments for Special Items and other expenses or gains that we believe do not directly reflect our core operations and may not be indicative of our normal business operations.
How These Measures Are Useful
When used in conjunction with GAAP financial measures, our Field EBITDA, Consolidated EBITDA and Adjusted Consolidated EBITDA are supplemental measures of operating performance that we believe are useful measures to facilitate comparisons to our historical consolidated and business level performance and operating results.
We believe our presentation of Adjusted Consolidated EBITDA, key metric used internally by our management, provides investors with a supplemental view of our operating performance that facilitates analysis and comparisons of our ongoing business operations because they exclude items that may not be indicative of our ongoing operating performance.
Limitations of the Usefulness of These Measures
Our Field EBITDA, Consolidated EBITDA and Adjusted Consolidated EBITDA are not necessarily comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies due to different methods of calculation. Our presentation is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for, or superior to, the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP. Funeral Field EBITDA and Cemetery Field EBITDA are not consolidated measures of profitability.
Field EBITDA excludes certain costs presented in our GAAP statement that we do not allocate to the individual business’ field level margins, as noted above. A reconciliation of Field EBITDA to Gross Profit, the most directly comparable GAAP measure, is set forth below.

                            14



Consolidated EBITDA excludes certain items that we believe do not directly reflect our core operations and may not be indicative of our normal business operations. A reconciliation of Consolidated EBITDA to Net Income, the most directly comparable GAAP measure, is set forth below.
Therefore, these measures may not provide a complete understanding of our performance and should be reviewed in conjunction with our GAAP financial measures. Carriage Services strongly encourages investors to review the Company's consolidated financial statements and publicly filed reports in their entirety and not rely on any single financial measure.
Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures:
This press release includes the use of certain financial measures that are not GAAP measures. The Non-GAAP financial measures are presented for additional information and are reconciled to their most comparable GAAP measures, all of which are reflected in the tables below.
Reconciliation of Net Income (Loss) to Adjusted Net Income for the three months ended and years ended December 31, 2018 and 2019 (in thousands):
 
For the Three Months Ended December 31,
 
For the Years Ended December 31,
 
2018
 
2019
 
2018
 
2019
Net Income (Loss)
$
(2,658
)
 
$
2,569

 
$
11,645

 
$
14,533

Special Items, Net of Tax, except for **
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Acquisition and Divestiture Expenses

 
1,646

 

 
1,646

Severance and Retirement Costs
1,134

 
62

 
1,134

 
951

Performance Awards Cancellation Write-off
2,594

 

 
2,594

 

Accretion of Discount on Convertible Subordinated Notes **
231

 
63

 
2,192

 
241

Net Loss (Gain) on Early Extinguishment of Debt
(343
)
 

 
397

 

Loss on Sale of Business and Other Costs
162

 
188

 
439

 
3,331

Goodwill and Other Impairments
805

 
184

 
805

 
761

Litigation Reserve
790

 
138

 
790

 
592

Natural Disaster Costs
345

 

 
345

 

Tax Expense Related to Divested Business**

 
51

 

 
911

Gain on Insurance Reimbursements

 
(195
)
 

 
(699
)
Other Special Items

 
265

 

 
265

Tax Adjustment Related to Certain Discrete Items **
1,225

 

 
1,225

 

Adjusted Net Income
$
4,285

 
$
4,971

 
$
21,566

 
$
22,532

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ** Special items are typically taxed at the federal statutory rate, except for the Accretion of the Discount on Convertible Subordinated Notes, as this is a non-tax deductible item and the Tax Expense Related to a Divested Business and the Tax Adjustment Related to Certain Discrete Items.

                            15



Reconciliation of Net Income (Loss) to Consolidated EBITDA and Adjusted Consolidated EBITDA for the three months ended and years ended December 31, 2018 and 2019 (in thousands):
 
For the Three Months Ended December 31,
 
For the Years Ended December 31,
 
2018
 
2019
 
2018
 
2019
Net Income (Loss)
$
(2,658
)
 
$
2,569

 
$
11,645

 
$
14,533

Total Provision for Income Taxes
1,556

 
2,114

 
6,621

 
7,883

Income (Loss) Before Income Taxes
(1,102
)
 
4,683

 
18,266

 
22,416

Interest Expense
6,346

 
6,615

 
21,109

 
25,522

Accretion of Discount on Convertible Subordinated Notes
231

 
63

 
2,192

 
241

Net Loss on Early Extinguishment of Debt
(434
)
 

 
502

 

Non-Cash Stock Compensation
3,659

 
537

 
6,583

 
2,153

Depreciation & Amortization
4,330

 
4,416

 
17,430

 
17,771

Other, Net
893

 
196

 
1,238

 
4,110

Consolidated EBITDA
$
13,923

 
$
16,510

 
$
67,320

 
$
72,213

Adjusted For:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Acquisition and Divestiture Expenses

 
2,083

 

 
2,083

Severance and Retirement Costs
1,435

 
79

 
1,435

 
1,205

Litigation Reserve
1,000

 
175

 
1,000

 
750

Natural Disaster Costs
437

 

 
437

 

Other Special Items

 
336

 

 
336

Adjusted Consolidated EBITDA
$
16,795

 
$
19,183

 
$
70,192

 
$
76,587

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Revenue
$
66,517

 
$
71,149

 
$
267,992

 
$
274,107

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Adjusted Consolidated EBITDA Margin
25.2
%
 
27.0
%
 
26.2
%
 
27.9
%
Reconciliation of Funeral and Cemetery Gross Profit to Field EBITDA for the three months ended and years ended December 31, 2018 and 2019 (in thousands):
 
For the Three Months Ended December 31,
 
For the Years Ended December 31,
 
2018
 
2019
 
2018
 
2019
Funeral Gross Profit (GAAP)
$
14,919

 
$
16,778

 
$
60,881

 
$
63,602

Depreciation & Amortization
2,790

 
2,806

 
10,726

 
11,128

Regional & Unallocated Costs
3,291

 
2,919

 
10,547

 
11,007

Funeral Financial EBITDA
(1,888
)
 
(1,884
)
 
(7,524
)
 
(7,517
)
Other Funeral EBITDA

 
(298
)
 

 
(298
)
Funeral Divested/Planned Divested EBITDA
(517
)
 
(253
)
 
(1,779
)
 
(1,437
)
Funeral Field EBITDA
$
18,595

 
$
20,068

 
$
72,851

 
$
76,485

 
For the Three Months Ended December 31,
 
For the Years Ended December 31,
 
2018
 
2019
 
2018
 
2019
Cemetery Gross Profit (GAAP)
$
2,901

 
$
3,901

 
$
15,066

 
$
15,983

Depreciation & Amortization
1,139

 
1,309

 
4,891

 
5,227

Regional & Unallocated Costs
796

 
900

 
2,202

 
2,820

Cemetery Financial EBITDA
(1,709
)
 
(1,890
)
 
(6,903
)
 
(6,902
)
Cemetery Divested/Planned Divested EBITDA

 

 
(1,376
)
 

Cemetery Field EBITDA
$
3,127

 
$
4,220

 
$
13,880

 
$
17,128


                            16



Components of Total Field EBITDA for the three months ended and years ended December 31, 2018 and 2019 (in thousands):
 
For the Three Months Ended December 31,
 
For the Years Ended December 31,
 
2018
 
2019
 
2018
 
2019
Funeral Field EBITDA
$
18,595

 
$
20,068

 
$
72,851

 
$
76,485

Cemetery Field EBITDA
3,127

 
4,220

 
13,880

 
17,128

Funeral Financial EBITDA
1,888

 
1,884

 
7,524

 
7,517

Cemetery Financial EBITDA
1,709

 
1,890

 
6,903

 
6,902

Other Funeral EBITDA

 
298

 

 
298

Funeral Divested/Planned Divested EBITDA
517

 
253

 
1,779

 
1,437

Cemetery Divested/Planned Divested EBITDA

 

 
1,376

 

Total Field EBITDA
$
25,836

 
$
28,613

 
$
104,313

 
$
109,767

Reconciliation of GAAP Basic Earnings (Loss) Per Share to Adjusted Basic Earnings Per Share for the three months ended and years ended December 31, 2018 and 2019:
 
For the Three Months Ended December 31,
 
For the Years Ended December 31,
 
2018
 
2019
 
2018
 
2019
GAAP Basic Earnings (Loss) Per Share
$
(0.14
)
 
$
0.14

 
$
0.64

 
$
0.81

Special Items
0.37

 
0.14

 
0.55

 
0.45

Adjusted Basic Earnings Per Share
$
0.23

 
$
0.28

 
$
1.19

 
$
1.26

Reconciliation of GAAP Diluted Earnings (Loss) Per Share to Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share for the three months ended and years ended December 31, 2018 and 2019:
 
For the Three Months Ended December 31,
 
For the Years Ended December 31,
 
2018
 
2019
 
2018
 
2019
GAAP Diluted Earnings (Loss) Per Share
$
(0.14
)
 
$
0.14

 
$
0.63

 
$
0.80

Special Items
0.37

 
0.14

 
0.54

 
0.45

Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share
$
0.23

 
$
0.28

 
$
1.17

 
$
1.25




                            17



Reconciliation of Pro Forma Adjusted Financial Measures:
This press release includes the use of certain financial measures that are not GAAP measures. The Pro Forma Adjusted results presented earlier in this press release are reconciled to their most comparable GAAP measures, all of which are reflected in the tables below.
Reconciliation of Net Income (Loss) to Pro Forma Adjusted Net Income for the three months ended and years ended December 31, 2018 and 2019 (in thousands):
 
For the Three Months Ended December 31,
 
For the Years Ended December 31,
 
2018
 
2019
 
2018
 
2019
Net Income (Loss)
$
(2,658
)
 
$
2,569

 
$
11,645

 
$
14,533

Total Provision for Income Taxes
1,556

 
2,114

 
6,621

 
7,883

Income (Loss) Before Income Taxes
(1,102
)
 
4,683

 
18,266

 
22,416

Adjusted For:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Interest Expense

 

 
(4,000
)
 

Acquisition Expense

 
2,083

 

 
2,083

Recruiting Expense

 
336

 

 
336

Severance and Retirement Costs
1,435

 
79

 
1,435

 
1,205

Non-Cash Stock Compensation
3,283

 

 
3,283

 

Litigation Reserve
1,000

 
175

 
1,000

 
750

Divestiture of Funeral Home Business

 

 

 
3,840

Divested EBITDA
(28
)
 
32

 
(1,422
)
 
(56
)
Pro Forma Adjusted Income Before Income Taxes
$
4,588

 
$
7,388

 
$
18,562

 
$
30,574

Pro Forma Adjusted Total Provision for Income Taxes
2,670

 
2,404

 
6,714

 
9,324

Pro Forma Adjusted Net Income
$
1,918

 
$
4,984

 
$
11,848

 
$
21,250

Reconciliation of Field EBITDA to Pro Forma Adjusted Field EBITDA and Pro Forma Adjusted Consolidated EBITDA for the three months ended and years ended December 31, 2018 and 2019 (in thousands):
 
For the Three Months Ended December 31,
 
For the Years Ended December 31,
 
2018
 
2019
 
2018
 
2019
Field EBITDA
$
25,836

 
$
28,613

 
$
104,313

 
$
109,767

Adjusted For:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Litigation Reserve
 
 
100

 
 
 
581

Divested EBITDA
(28
)
 
32

 
(1,422
)
 
(56
)
Pro Forma Adjusted Field EBITDA
$
25,808

 
$
28,745

 
$
102,891

 
$
110,292

Total Overhead Costs
11,913

 
12,103

 
36,993

 
37,554

Adjusted For:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Litigation Reserve
(1,000
)
 
(75
)
 
(1,000
)
 
(170
)
Severance and Retirement Costs
(1,435
)
 
(79
)
 
(1,435
)
 
(1,205
)
Acquisition Expense

 
(2,083
)
 

 
(2,083
)
Recruiting Expense

 
(336
)
 

 
(336
)
Natural Disaster Costs
(437
)
 

 
(437
)
 

Pro Forma Adjusted Consolidated EBITDA
$
16,767

 
$
19,215

 
$
68,770

 
$
76,532

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Revenue
$
66,517

 
$
71,149

 
$
267,992

 
$
274,107

Adjusted For:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Divested Revenue
(249
)
 
(63
)
 
(5,677
)
 
(805
)
Pro Forma Adjusted Revenue
$
66,268

 
$
71,086

 
$
262,315

 
$
273,302

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Pro Forma Adjusted Field EBITDA Margin
38.9
%
 
40.4
%
 
39.2
%
 
40.4
%
Pro Forma Adjusted Consolidated EBITDA Margin
25.3
%
 
27.0
%
 
26.2
%
 
28.0
%

                            18



Reconciliation of GAAP Diluted Earnings (Loss) Per Share to Pro Forma Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share for the three months ended and years ended December 31, 2018 and 2019:
 
For the Three Months Ended December 31,
 
For the Years Ended December 31,
 
2018
 
2019
 
2018
 
2019
GAAP Diluted Earnings (Loss) Per Share
$
(0.14
)
 
$
0.14

 
$
0.63

 
$
0.80

Special Items
0.37

 
0.14

 
0.54

 
0.45

Pro Forma Adjustments

 
0.01

 
(0.24
)
 
(0.05
)
Pro Forma Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share
$
0.23

 
$
0.29

 
$
0.93

 
$
1.20

Supplemental Information:
Funeral homes and cemeteries purchased after December 31, 2014 are referred to as “Acquired” in our Trend Report. This classification of acquisitions has been important to management and investors in monitoring the results of these businesses and to gauge the leveraging performance contribution that a selective acquisition program can have on total company performance.
The presentation below highlights the impact of our 2014 Acquired Portfolio that moved from Acquired to Same Store beginning January 1, 2019 (in thousands):
 
For the Three Months Ended December 31, 2018
 
For the Year Ended December 31, 2018
 
Revenue
 
EBITDA
 
Revenue
 
EBITDA
2014 Acquired Portfolio
$
3,310

 
$
1,339

 
$
12,989

 
$
5,254

Reconciliation of Performance Outlook Scenario
Earlier in this press release, we present the Performance Outlook Scenario which reflects management’s opinion on the performance of the portfolio of existing businesses, including performance of existing trusts, and excludes size and timing of acquisitions unless we have a signed Letter of Intent with a high likelihood of a closing within 90 days. This Performance Outlook Scenario is not intended to be management estimates or forecasts of our future performance, as we believe precise estimates will be precisely wrong all the time. The following reconciliations are presented at the approximate midpoint of the range in this Performance Outlook Scenario.
Reconciliation of Net Income to Consolidated EBITDA and Field EBITDA for the Estimated Years Ending December 31, 2020, 2021 and 2022 (in thousands):
 
Years Ending December 31,
 
2020E

 
2021E

 
2022E

Net Income
$
28,600

 
$
37,200

 
$
44,000

Total Tax Provision
11,100

 
14,500

 
17,100

Pretax Income
39,700

 
51,700

 
61,100

Net Interest Expense, including Accretion of Discount on Convertible Subordinated Notes
32,000

 
24,200

 
23,500

Depreciation & Amortization, including Non-cash Stock Compensation
22,900

 
23,900

 
19,700

Consolidated EBITDA
$
94,600

 
$
99,800

 
$
104,300

Overhead
35,400

 
36,000

 
37,900

Total Field EBITDA
$
130,000

 
$
135,800

 
$
142,200

 
 
 
 
 
 
Revenue
$
317,000

 
$
323,000

 
$
331,000

Total Field EBITDA Margin
41.0
%
 
42.0
%
 
43.0
%


                            19



Reconciliation of Consolidated EBITDA to Adjusted Consolidated EBITDA for the Estimated Years Ending December 31, 2020, 2021 and 2022 (in thousands):
 
Years Ending December 31,
 
2020E

 
2021E

 
2022E

Consolidated EBITDA
$
94,600

 
$
99,800

 
$
104,300

Special Items

 

 

Adjusted Consolidated EBITDA
$
94,600

 
$
99,800

 
$
104,300

 
 
 
 
 
 
Revenue
$
317,000

 
$
323,000

 
$
331,000

Adjusted Consolidated EBITDA Margin
29.8
%
 
30.9
%
 
31.5
%
Reconciliation of Net Income to Adjusted Net Income for the Estimated Years Ending December 31, 2020, 2021 and 2022 (in thousands):
 
Years Ending December 31,
 
2020E

 
2021E

 
2022E

Net Income
$
28,600

 
$
37,200

 
$
44,000

Special Items

 

 

Adjusted Net Income
$
28,600

 
$
37,200

 
$
44,000

Reconciliation of GAAP Diluted Earnings Per Share to Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share for the Estimated Years Ending December 31, 2020, 2021 and 2022 (in thousands):
 
Years Ending December 31,
 
2020E

 
2021E

 
2022E

GAAP Diluted Earnings Per Share
$
1.59

 
$
2.07

 
$
2.44

Special Items

 

 

Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share
$
1.59

 
$
2.07

 
$
2.44

Reconciliation of Cash Flow Provided by Operating Activities to Adjusted Free Cash Flow for the Estimated Years December 31, 2020, 2021 and 2022 (in thousands):
 
Years Ending December 31,
 
2020E

 
2021E

 
2022E

Cash Flow Provided by Operating Activities
$
52,000

 
$
63,000

 
$
71,000

Cash used for Maintenance Capital Expenditures
(9,000
)
 
(9,000
)
 
(9,000
)
Adjusted Free Cash Flow
$
43,000

 
$
54,000

 
$
62,000



                            20



CAUTIONARY STATEMENT ON FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Certain statements made herein or elsewhere by, or on behalf of, the Company that are not historical facts are intended to be forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. In addition to historical information, this Press Release contains certain statements and information that may constitute forward-looking statements within the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical information, should be deemed to be forward-looking statements. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding any projections of earnings, revenues, asset sales, cash flow, debt levels or other financial items; any statements of the plans, strategies and objectives of management for future operations; any statements of the plans, timing and objectives of management for acquisition and divestiture activities; any statements of the plans, timing, expectations and objectives of management for future financing activities; any statements regarding future economic and market conditions or performance; any statements of belief; and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing and are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effect on us. The words “may”, “will”, “estimate”, “intend”, “believe”, “expect”, “seek”, “project”, “forecast”, “foresee”, “should”, “would”, “could”, “plan”, “anticipate” and other similar words or expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, which are generally not historical in nature. While management believes that these forward-looking statements are reasonable as and when made, there can be no assurance that future developments affecting us will be those that we anticipate. All comments concerning our expectations for future revenues and operating results are based on our forecasts for our existing operations and do not include the potential impact of any future acquisitions. Our forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from our historical experience and our present expectations or projections. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, those summarized below:
our ability to find and retain skilled personnel;
our ability to execute our growth strategy;
the effects of competition;
the execution of our Standards Operating, 4E Leadership and Strategic Acquisition Models;
changes in the number of deaths in our markets;
changes in consumer preferences;
our ability to generate preneed sales;
the investment performance of our funeral and cemetery trust funds;
fluctuations in interest rates;
our ability to obtain debt or equity financing on satisfactory terms to fund additional acquisitions, expansion projects, working capital requirements and the repayment or refinancing of indebtedness;
our ability to consummate the divestiture of low performing businesses as currently expected, if at all;
our ability to meet the timing, objectives and cost saving expectations related to anticipated financing activities;
the timely and full payment of death benefits related to preneed funeral contracts funded through life insurance contracts;
the financial condition of third-party insurance companies that fund our preneed funeral contracts;
increased or unanticipated costs, such as insurance or taxes;
our level of indebtedness and the cash required to service our indebtedness;
changes in federal income tax laws and regulations and the implementation and interpretation of these laws and regulations by the Internal Revenue Service;
effects of the application of other applicable laws and regulations, including changes in such regulations or the interpretation thereof;
consolidation of the funeral and cemetery industry; and
other factors and uncertainties inherent in the funeral and cemetery industry.
For additional information regarding known material factors that could cause our actual results to differ from our projected results, please see “Risk Factors” in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements after the date they are made, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. A copy of the Company’s Form 10-K, other Carriage Services information and news releases are available at www.carriageservices.com.

                            21