Matthews International is a company that in 2025 received over 50% of its revenue from what they call their “Memorialization” segment.  That segment consists of Aurora Casket, Matthews cremation products, and a complete line of cemetery products and markers.  During the past calendar year Matthews International also acquired Death-care oriented Dodge Company to add to its group of operating companies in that segment.

It’s also fair to say that they are a company that has seen transformation in 2025.  Of their three operating units at the beginning of the year, we already told you that they acquired Dodge Company for the Memorialization segment, but they also divested or sold a second operating unit described as the SGK Branding unit, and have seen their Industrial Technologies segment caught up in a lawsuit which has probably diminished sales in that segment.

The results of all of that transformation during their fiscal year resulted in Revenues for the 2025 Fiscal Year which ended on September 30, 2025, coming in at $1.497 billion as compared to the prior fiscal year’s (2024) total Revenue of $1.795 billion — a drop of over 16%.  Of course, the SGK unit did not operate all year, however, Memorialization and Industrial Technology segments also had lower Revenues in FY25 than they did in FY24.

Specific to the Memorialization segment, which we are most interested in, Revenues for FY25 came in at $809.5 million for the year as compared to $829.7 million in FY24 — a drop of about 2.5%.  One positive sign we noticed was that for the company’s 4th Quarter (July, August, and September) Memorialization segment Revenues came in at $209.6 million as compared to FY24’s 4th Quarter of $196.8 million — showing growth of 6.5%.  However, in relation to that increase, we must remember that Matthews International had the Dodge Company product revenue in 4Q25 and not in 4Q24.

Here are some prepared comments from Matthews International CEO and President Joseph C. Bartolacci in the press release (that you can access here) that relate to the Memorializion segment:

“I am pleased to report that we had a strong finish to fiscal 2025 as our consolidated results were ahead of our initial expectations for the fiscal 2025 fourth quarter.  Sales for the Memorialization segment and warehouse automation business outperformed their levels from the same quarter a year ago, and we continued to lower our corporate and other non-operating costs.  Please note that the divestiture of the SGK business was a significant factor in the year-over-year comparability of the Company’s financial results.”

“The Memorialization segment reported higher sales for the current quarter compared to a year ago, primarily reflecting the benefit of its recent acquisition of The Dodge Company.  Higher sales volumes for bronze memorials and inflationary price realization also contributed to the sales increase for the quarter.”

“For fiscal 2026, we expect continued growth in the Memorialization segment, particularly with the full year contribution from the acquisition of The Dodge Company.”

 

Tom Anderson
Funeral Director Daily

Funeral Director Daily take:  Matthews International has been in business for 175 years so the time that they are taking in re-positioning who they are is a small time in that space.  However, for those of us that follow the stock, the re-positioning and strategic moves that coincide with that effort seem to be taking an eternity.

From my point of view the company in Fiscal Year 2025 derived about 54% of its revenues from the Memorialization segment, and with the SGK segment going away, you would think that percentage would increase next year unless the Industrial Technology segment grows rapidly — which they are waiting for.

However, I sometimes wonder if the company is missing the boat by not being more aggressive in the rapidly expanding technology segment of Death Care.  Much of their Memorialization segment revenue comes from “old, historic” Death Care revenue streams such as caskets and monuments.  I think in addition to those streams, a couple of new, faster growing, Death Care revenue streams – such as technology companies might bring – would fit this company very well.

Oh well. . . that is just my opinion.

More news from the world of Death Care:

• What’s it like to be a funeral director in Aberdeen?  Watertown Public Opinion (SD)
• Massive sinkhole exposes 300-year old underground crypt in middle of United Kingdom church graveyard.  The Sun (Great Britain)
• Appalachian Bluebird: Old Appalachian funeral traditions.  Williamson Daily News (WV)

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