Service Corp International: Form 10-K for the period ended Dec 31, 2019

General

We are North America’s largest provider of deathcare products and services, with a network of funeral service locations and cemeteries unequaled in geographic scale. At December 31, 2019, we operated 1,471 funeral service locations and 482 cemeteries (including 290 funeral service/cemetery combination locations), which are geographically diversified across 44 states, eight Canadian provinces, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

We are well known for our Dignity Memorial® brand, North America's first transcontinental brand of deathcare products and services. Our other brands include Dignity Planning™, National Cremation Society®, Advantage® Funeral and Cremation Services, Funeraria del Angel™, Making Everlasting Memories®, Neptune Society™ and Trident Society™. Our funeral service and cemetery operations consist of funeral service locations, cemeteries, funeral service/cemetery combination locations, crematoria, and other related businesses, which enable us to serve a wide array of customer needs. We sell cemetery property and funeral and cemetery merchandise and services at the time of need and on a preneed basis.

History

We were incorporated in Texas in July of 1962. Our original business plan was based on efficiencies of scale, specifically reducing overhead costs by sharing resources such as preparation services, back office administration support, transportation, and personnel among funeral service locations in a business “cluster.” After proving the plan’s effectiveness in Houston in the early 1960s, we set out to apply this operating strategy through the acquisition of deathcare businesses in other markets over the next three decades. Beginning in 1993, we expanded beyond North America, acquiring major deathcare companies in Australia, the United Kingdom, and France, plus smaller holdings in other European countries and South America.

During the mid to late 1990s, acquisitions of deathcare facilities became extremely competitive, resulting in increased prices for acquisitions and substantially reduced returns on invested capital. In 1999, we significantly reduced our level of acquisition activity and over the next several years implemented various initiatives to pay down debt, increase cash flow, reduce overhead costs, increase efficiency, and leverage our scale. We divested our international businesses and many North American funeral service locations and cemeteries that were either underperforming or did not fit within our long-term strategy. At the same time, we began to capitalize on the strength of our network by introducing to North America the first transcontinental brand of deathcare services and products — Dignity Memorial® (see www.dignitymemorial.com (http://www.dignitymemorial.com)). Information contained on our website is not part of this report.

In late 2006, having arrived at a position of financial stability and improved operating efficiency, we acquired the then second largest company in the North American deathcare industry, Alderwoods Group. In early 2010, we acquired the then fifth largest company in the North American deathcare industry, Keystone North America. In June of 2011, we acquired 70% of the outstanding shares of The Neptune Society, Inc. (Neptune), which is the nation's largest direct cremation organization, now known as SCI Direct. Subsequently, in 2013 and 2014, we acquired the remaining 30% of the outstanding shares of Neptune. In December 2013, we purchased Stewart Enterprises, Inc. (Stewart), the then second largest operator of funeral service locations and cemeteries in North America. We continue to pursue strategic acquisitions, some of which can be meaningful, such as the fifteen funeral homes and seven cemeteries we acquired in June of 2018.

Funeral and Cemetery Operations

Our funeral service and cemetery operations consist of funeral service locations, cemeteries, funeral service/cemetery combination locations, crematoria, and other related businesses. See Note 13 in Part II, Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, for financial information about our business segments and geographic areas.

We have the largest number of combination locations in North America. Funeral service/cemetery combination locations are businesses in which a funeral service location is physically located within or adjoining a cemetery that we own. Combination locations allow certain facility, personnel, and equipment costs to be shared between the funeral service location and cemetery locations. Such combination facilities typically can be more cost competitive and have higher gross margins than funeral and cemetery operations that are operated separately. Combination locations also create synergies between funeral and cemetery preneed sales force personnel and give families added convenience to purchase both funeral and cemetery merchandise and services at a single location.

Funeral service locations provide all professional services related to funerals and cremations, including the use of funeral home facilities and motor vehicles, arranging and directing services, removal, preparation, embalming, cremations, memorialization, and catering. Funeral merchandise, including burial caskets and related accessories, urns and other cremation receptacles, outer burial containers, flowers, online and video tributes, stationery products, casket and cremation memorialization products, travel protection, and other ancillary merchandise, is sold at funeral service locations.

Our cemeteries provide cemetery property interment rights, including developed lots, lawn crypts, mausoleum spaces, niches, and other cremation memorialization and interment options. Cemetery merchandise and services, including memorial markers and bases, outer burial containers, flowers and floral placement, other ancillary merchandise, graveside services, merchandise installation, and interments, are sold at our cemeteries.

We also sell cemetery property interment rights and funeral and cemetery merchandise and services whereby a customer contractually agrees to the terms of certain products and services to be delivered and performed in the future. We define these sales as preneed sales. As a result of such preneed sales, our preneed backlog of unfulfilled funeral and cemetery contracts was $12.0 billion and $11.1 billion at December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

The following table at December 31, 2019 provides the number of our funeral service locations and cemeteries by country, and by state, territory, or province:

6 Service Corporation International

PART I

FORM 10-K 7

We believe we have satisfactory title to the properties owned and used in our business, subject to various liens, encumbrances, and easements that are incidental to ownership rights and uses and do not materially detract from the value of the property. At December 31, 2019, we owned approximately 87% of the real estate and buildings used at our facilities, and the remainder of the facilities were leased under both finance and operating leases. At December 31, 2019, our 482 cemeteries contained a total of approximately 35,500 acres, of which approximately 66% was developed.

Our corporate headquarters are located at 1929 Allen Parkway, Houston, Texas 77019. The property consists of approximately 160,000 square feet of office space and 185,000 square feet of parking space on approximately seven acres. We also lease approximately 35,000 square feet of office space in Houston, Texas, which we utilize for corporate activities. We own a building in Jefferson, Louisiana with approximately 96,200 square feet of office space that we use, in part, for corporate activities.

A map of our locations in North America is presented below:

Competition

Although there are several public companies that own funeral service locations and cemeteries, the majority of deathcare businesses in North America are locally-owned, independent operations. We estimate that our funeral and cemetery market share in North America is approximately 15%-16% based on estimated total industry revenue. The position of a single funeral service location or cemetery in any community is a function of the name, reputation, and location of that funeral service location or cemetery, although competitive pricing, professional service and attention, and well-maintained locations are also important.

We believe we have an unparalleled network of funeral service locations and cemeteries that offer high quality products and services at prices that are competitive with local competing funeral service locations, cemeteries, and retail locations. Within this network, the funeral service locations and cemeteries operate under various names as most operations were acquired as existing businesses. We have co-branded the majority of our operations under the name Dignity Memorial®. We believe our branding strategy gives us a strategic advantage and identity in the industry. While this branding process is intended to emphasize our seamless national network of funeral service locations and cemeteries, the original names associated with acquired operations, and their inherent goodwill and heritage, generally remain the same. For example, Geo. H. Lewis & Sons Funeral Directors is now Geo. H. Lewis & Sons Funeral Directors, a Dignity Memorial® provider.

8 Service Corporation International

Strategies for Growth

We are the largest consolidated deathcare company in North America and believe we are well positioned for long-term profitable growth. Over the next several years, our industry will be largely shaped by the aging of the Baby Boomer generation in the deathcare space and we are poised to benefit from the aging of this North American population. In each stage of life, Baby Boomers have set new trends, transformed society and redefined norms, and we believe the impact will be the same for our industry. We have already begun to see the impact of the Baby Boomers through the growth in our preneed cemetery sales program. We anticipate seeing a similar impact on our preneed funeral results and ultimately our atneed results as these preneed contracts mature. In every aspect of our business, we are listening and responding to our customer’s changing needs and leveraging our scale to deliver unparalled experiences - both digitally and in person - to meet those changing needs.

Our three core strategies continue to grow the Company and enhance shareholder value and while we see a changing consumer, we believe these strategies are still the core of our foundation: 1) grow revenue, 2) leverage our unparalled scale, and 3) deploy capital.

Grow Revenue

We plan to grow revenue by remaining relevant to our customers as their preferences evolve through a combination of price, product, and service differentiation strategies. We also believe that growing our preneed sales will drive future revenue growth.

Remaining Relevant to the Customer. Remaining relevant to our customer is key to generating revenue growth in a changing customer environment. We are constantly evolving to meet the varying preferences and needs of our customers. Whether a customer chooses burial or cremation, a population of Baby Boomers are redefining the traditional funeral by transitioning away from mourning the death to a personalized celebration of life ceremony. In certain markets, we are responding to this trend by repurposing traditional casket selection rooms to event rooms designed for a celebration. We have replaced the casket selection process by offering a digital presentation of options that allows the customer to choose merchandise and services including unique celebration, catering, and celebrant services.

In our funeral business, we focus on memorialization merchandise and services that will be meaningful to both our burial and cremation customers. The trend towards cremation requires us to be much more flexible in providing products and services. We have developed cremation service packages, which may or may not include a celebratory memorialization.

In our cemetery business, we continue to grow revenue by responding to the customer’s desire for personalized and unique options by expanding our tiered product and cemetery property options. Over the past several years, we have substantially increased our property options to offer many unique choices. From high-end family estates, which capture incredible views, to nicely landscaped hedge estates, we continue to develop property selections that resonate with our customers. For cemetery merchandise, we have developed innovative products such as recurring floral placements, customized cemetery property offerings, and specialized graveside service options. We continue to embrace cremation opportunities for customers in our cemetery segment by offering an increased variety of cremation property options, including niches and scattering gardens.

As we evolve to meet ever-changing customer preferences, we will continue to cater to the religious, ethnic, and cultural traditions important to many of our customers.

Growing Preneed Sales. Our preneed sales program drives current and future revenue growth. We believe Baby Boomers have been impacting our cemetery preneed sales for several years and are beginning to positively impact the growth of our preneed funeral sales programs. Our sales organization is supported by a highly trained sales force of approximately 4,000 counselors, who provide customers informed guidance about various service and merchandise options tailored to fit the needs of today’s consumers. Utilizing our scale our counselors are reaching out to consumers through multiple lead channels, which drive future revenue growth. We sponsor community events and seminars to help educate and provide guidance around preplanning both funeral and cemetery services and merchandise. In 2019, we adopted a more sophisticated direct mail approach and we continue to increase our digital presence through search engine optimization and other marketing channels. We believe we have a unique competitive advantage to continue growing preneed sales benefiting from our size and scale. Our preneed program provides us with an opportunity to develop greater brand awareness, gives consumers peace of mind about their end of life arrangements, and secures future market share.

Leverage Our Unparalleled Scale

As the largest deathcare company in North America, we are able to leverage our scale by developing our sales organization and optimizing the use of our network through the use of technology and for the benefit of our preneed backlog. Our large scale enables us to achieve cost efficiencies through the maximization of purchasing power and utilizing economies of scale through our supply chain channel.

Developing Our Sales Organization. Over the last several years, we have continued to invest significantly in the development of our sales organization with best in class tools and technologies. These investments include a customer relationship management system, Salesforce, which drives improvements in productivity and sales production by leveraging data analytics, rigorous lead tracking and effective follow up campaigns. We continue to diversify our sales force to understand and cater to the religious, ethnic, and cultural traditions important to our customers. Our premier combination locations and other large and recognizable cemeteries and funeral homes attract high-quality sales talent. Our scale allows us to operate and expand our sales organization in a manner that our competitors can not replicate.

Optimizing Our Network and Deploying Customer-Facing Technology. We continue to drive operating discipline and leverage our scale through standardizing processes and capitalizing on new technologies to improve the customer experience. Our advancements in technology are changing the way we present our product and service offerings to customers. Our atneed point of sale system, HMIS+, uses a digital platform enabled with high resolution video and photographs to create a seamless presentation of our products and service offerings. Our newly implemented and mobile preneed sales system, Beacon, provides customers with a full digital presentation experience in their home or other place of their choosing.

In 2018, we completed a redesign of almost 2,000 Dignity Memorial® location websites. Featuring a modern and user-friendly design, these location-specific websites have been optimized for mobile use and updated with enhanced search engine optimization capability. In addition to the contemporary and sophisticated design, client families now enjoy new features such as a streamlined obituary completion process, social media sharing capabilities, and the ability to create and share personalized content in memory of their loved one. In 2019, our websites experienced significant growth in number of visits, which reached nearly 130 million visits.

During 2019, we took significant steps to improve the quality of customer feedback and elevate our online reputation. We engaged a third party to increase the response rate from customers for online reviews and we have seen a significant increase in the number of reviews over the past year. Online reviews provide visibility of customer engagement down to the location level and increase our response time to address customer concerns. We collaborated with a leading technology partner to deliver the J.D. Power surveys digitally, which has increased the quantity and quality of customer feedback and reduced the time it takes to receive customer feedback. In late 2019, we established a social media presence for a number of our funeral and cemetery businesses. These digital efforts have resulted in favorable customer satisfaction ratings and increased digital sales leads.

Growing Our Preneed Backlog. Our preneed backlog, which includes both insurance and trust-funded merchandise and service products, allows us the opportunity to grow future revenue in a more stable and efficient manner than selling at the time of need. The scale of our multi-billion dollar trust portfolios allows us to leverage access to preeminent money managers with favorable fee structures generating above average returns. Our blended funding approach between insurance and trust-funded merchandise and service products allows us to combine the positive cash flow and predictability of the insurance product with the potential upside of future returns from our trusted merchandise and service products. This blended approach results in our ability to grow our preneed backlog in a cash flow neutral manner. Additionally, we are experiencing contracts coming out of the backlog today to be serviced with growth rates that are superior to inflationary at-need pricing.

Deploy Capital

We continue maximizing capital deployment opportunities in a disciplined and balanced manner to the highest relative return opportunity. Our strong liquidity, favorable debt maturity profile, and robust cash flow generation enables us to continue our long-standing commitment to use capital deployment to opportunistically grow our business and enhance shareholder value. Our priorities for capital deployment are: 1) investing in acquisitions and building new funeral service locations, 2) paying dividends, 3) repurchasing shares, and 4) managing debt.

Investing in Acquisitions and Building New Funeral Service Locations. We manage our footprint by focusing on strategic acquisitions and building new funeral service locations where the expected returns are attractive and exceed our weighted average cost of capital. We target businesses with favorable customer dynamics and/or where we can achieve additional economies of scale. In 2019, we increased our growth capital spend on new funeral service locations to grow our footprint into new communities as well as expansions of existing locations to remain relevant with our customers. For our cemetery businesses, we plan to pursue strategic acquisitions to create more opportunities to serve Baby Boomers through our tiered cemetery options. During 2019, we acquired land that will be developed for future cemetery use in some of our largest

10 Service Corporation International markets to remain relevant with our customer. This investment in our future will allow us to continue to create cemetery offerings that appeal to varying preferences in those markets for many years to come.

Paying Dividends. Our quarterly dividend rate has steadily grown from $0.025 per common share in 2005 to $0.18 per common share at the end of 2019. We target a payout ratio of 30% to 40% of after tax earnings excluding special items and intend to grow our cash dividend commensurate with the growth in our business.

Repurchasing Shares. Absent opportunities for strategic acquisitions, we expect to continue to repurchase shares of our common stock in the open market or through privately negotiated transactions, subject to market conditions, debt covenants, and normal trading restrictions. The volume and timing of our purchases is determined as we evaluate the opportunity to capture value for our shareholders. Since 2010, we have reduced the number of shares outstanding by 25%. In August 2019, our Board of Directors increased our repurchase authorization to $400.0 million. The remaining dollar value of shares authorized to be purchased under the share repurchase program was $312.0 million at December 31, 2019. Subsequent to December 31, 2019, we repurchased 475,476 shares for $22.2 million at an average cost per share of $46.69.

Managing Debt. We continue to focus on maintaining optimal levels of liquidity and financial flexibility. Our flexible capital strategy allows us to make open market debt repurchases when it is opportunistic to do so to manage our debt maturity profile. During 2019, we had an opportunity to reduce our debt by repurchasing $46.5 million of certain senior notes through open market repurchases. We viewed these transactions as strategic and attractive from a valuation perspective.

Associates

At December 31, 2019, we employed 16,320 individuals on a full-time basis and 8,274 individuals on a part-time basis. Of the full-time associates, 14,029 were employed in the funeral and cemetery operations and 2,291 were employed in corporate or other overhead activities and services. All eligible associates in the United States who so elect are covered by our group health and life insurance plans. Associates covered by a collective bargaining agreement are typically covered by union health plans and therefore do not participate in our health insurance plan. At December 31, 2019 and 2018, there were 9,528 and 9,362 associates, respectively, who had elected to participate in our group health insurance plans. Eligible associates in the United States are covered by retirement plans of SCI or various subsidiaries, while international associates are covered by other SCI (or SCI subsidiary) defined contribution or government-mandated benefit plans. Approximately 2.5% of our associates are represented by unions. Although labor disputes occur from time to time, relations with associates are generally considered favorable.

Regulation

Our funeral operations are regulated by the Federal Trade Commission (the “FTC”) under the FTC’s Trade Regulation Rule on Funeral Industry Practices (the “Funeral Rule”), which went into effect in 1984. The Funeral Rule defines certain acts or practices as unfair or deceptive and contains certain requirements to prevent these acts or practices. The preventive measures require a funeral provider to give consumers accurate, itemized price information and various other disclosures about funeral merchandise and services and prohibit a funeral provider from: 1) misrepresenting legal, crematory, and cemetery requirements; 2) embalming for a fee without permission; 3) requiring the purchase of a casket for direct cremation; and 4) requiring consumers to buy certain funeral merchandise or services as a condition for furnishing other funeral merchandise or services.

Our operations are also subject to regulation, supervision, and licensing under numerous federal, state, and local laws and regulations as well as Canadian and provincial laws and regulations. For example, state laws impose licensing requirements for funeral service locations and funeral directors and regulate preneed sales including our preneed trust activities. Our facilities are subject to environmental, health, and safety regulations. We take various measures to comply with the Funeral Rule and all laws and regulations. For example, we have established and maintain policies, procedures, and business practices; we engage in training of our personnel; and we carry out ongoing reviews of our compliance efforts. We believe that we are in substantial compliance with the Funeral Rule and all laws and regulations.

Federal, state, and local legislative bodies and regulatory agencies (including Canadian legislative bodies and agencies) frequently propose new laws and regulations, some of which could have a material effect on our operations and on the deathcare industry in general. We cannot accurately predict the outcome of any proposed legislation or regulation or the effect that any such legislation or regulation might have on us.

Other

We make available free of charge, on or through our website, our annual, quarterly, and current reports and any amendments to those reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after electronically filing such reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Our website is http://www.sci-corp.com and our telephone number is (713) 522-5141. We also post announcements, updates, events and investor information and presentations on our website in addition to copies of all recent news releases. We may use the Investors section of our website to communicate with investors. It is possible that the financial and other information posted there could be deemed material information. Each of our Board of Directors’ standing committee charters, our Corporate Governance Guidelines, our Code of Ethics for Board Members, and our Code of Conduct for Officers and Employees are available, free of charge, through our website or, upon request, in print. We will post on our internet website all waivers to or amendments of our Code of Conduct for Officers and Employees, which are required to be disclosed by applicable law and rules of the New York Stock Exchange listing standards. Information contained on our website is not part of this report. The SEC also maintains an internet site at http://www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically.

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Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Statements

The statements in this Form 10-K that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements made in reliance on the safe harbor protections provided under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements may be accompanied by words such as “believe”, “estimate”, “project”, “expect”, “anticipate”, or “predict” that convey the uncertainty of future events or outcomes. These statements are based on assumptions that we believe are reasonable; however, many important factors could cause our actual consolidated results in the future to differ materially from the forward-looking statements made herein and in any other documents or oral presentations made by, or on behalf of, the Company. These factors are discussed below. We assume no obligation and make no undertaking to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements made herein or any other forward-looking statements made by the Company, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

RISKS RELATED TO OUR BUSINESS

Our affiliated trust funds own investments in securities, which are affected by market conditions that are beyond our control.

In connection with our preneed merchandise and service sales and our cemetery property sales, most affiliated trust funds own investments in equity securities, fixed income securities, commingled funds, money market funds, and mutual funds. The fair value of these investments and our earnings and investment gains and losses on these securities and funds are affected by financial market conditions that are beyond our control. Additionally, we may not choose the optimal mix of securities for any particular market condition.

The following table summarizes our investment returns (realized and unrealized), excluding certain fees, on our trust funds:

Generally, earnings or gains and losses on our trust investments are recognized and we withdraw cash when the underlying merchandise is delivered, service is performed, or upon contract cancellation. Our cemetery perpetual care trusts recognize earnings, and in certain states, capital gains and losses or fixed percentage distributions. We withdraw allowable cash when we incur qualifying cemetery maintenance costs.

If the investments in our trust funds experience significant declines in 2020 or subsequent years, there could be insufficient funds in the trusts to cover the costs of delivering merchandise and services or maintaining cemeteries in the future. We may be required to cover any such shortfall with cash flows from operations, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows. For more information related to our trust investments, see Note 3 in Part II, Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.

If the fair value of these trusts, plus any other amount due to us upon delivery of the associated contracts, were to decline below the estimated costs to deliver the underlying products and services, we would record a charge to earnings to record a liability for the expected losses on the delivery of the associated contracts. As of December 31, 2019, no such charge was required in any reported period.

We may be required to replenish our affiliated funeral and cemetery trust funds to meet minimum funding requirements, which would have a negative effect on our earnings and cash flow.

In certain states and provinces, we have withdrawn allowable distributable earnings, including unrealized gains, prior to the maturity or cancellation of the related contract. Additionally, some states have laws that either require replenishment of investment losses under certain circumstances or impose various restrictions on withdrawals of future earnings when trust fund values drop below certain prescribed amounts. In the event of market declines that result in a severe decrease in trust fund value, we may be required to replenish amounts in the respective trusts in some future period. As of December 31, 2019, we had unrealized losses of $12.0 million in the various trusts within these states. See Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements, Contractual Obligations, and Commercial and Contingent Commitments in Part II, Item 7.

Our ability to execute our strategic plan depends on many factors, some of which are beyond our control.

Our strategic plan is focused on growing our revenue, leveraging our scale, and deploying our capital. Many of the factors that impact our ability to execute our strategic plan, such as the number of deaths and general economic conditions, are beyond our control. Changes in operating conditions, such as supply disruptions and labor disputes, could negatively impact our operations. Our inability to leverage scale to drive cost savings, productivity improvements, preneed production, or earnings growth anticipated by management could affect our financial performance. Our inability to identify acquisition candidates and to complete acquisitions, divestitures, or strategic alliances as planned or to successfully integrate acquired businesses and realize expected synergies and strategic benefits could impact our financial performance. Our inability to deploy capital to maximize shareholder value could impact our financial performance. We cannot give assurance that we will be able to execute any or all of our strategic plan. Failure to execute any or all of our strategic plan could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

Our credit agreements contain covenants that may prevent us from engaging in certain transactions.

Our Bank Credit Facility contains, among other things, various affirmative and negative covenants that may prevent us from engaging in certain transactions that might otherwise be considered beneficial to us. The covenants limit, among other things, our and our subsidiaries’ ability to:

• Incur additional indebtedness (including guarantee obligations);
• Create liens on assets;
• Engage in certain transactions with affiliates;
• Enter into sale-leaseback transactions;
• Engage in mergers, liquidations, and dissolutions;
• Sell assets;
• Pay dividends, distributions, and other payments in respect of our capital stock;
• Purchase our capital stock in the open market;
• Make investments, loans, or advances;
• Repay indebtedness or amend the agreements relating thereto;
• Create restrictions on our ability to receive distributions from subsidiaries; and
• Change our lines of business.

Our Bank Credit Facility requires us to maintain certain leverage and interest coverage ratios. These covenants and coverage ratios may require us to take actions to reduce our indebtedness or act in a manner contrary to our strategic plan and business objectives. In addition, events beyond our control, including changes in general economic and business conditions, may affect our ability to satisfy these covenants. A breach of any of these covenants could result in a default of our indebtedness. If we breach certain affirmative covenants or any negative covenants contained in our Bank Credit Facility, then, immediately upon notice from the administrative agent, an event of default will have occurred and the lenders could elect to declare all amounts outstanding thereunder, together with accrued interest, immediately due and payable. If we breach any of the other affirmative covenants contained in our Bank Credit Facility, and such breach continues unremedied for 30 days after receipt of notice thereof, then an event of default will have occurred and the lenders party thereto could elect to declare all amounts outstanding thereunder, together with accrued interest, immediately due and payable. Any such declaration would also result in an event of default under our Senior Indenture governing our various senior notes. For additional information, see Financial Condition, Liquidity and Capital Resources in Part II, Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and Note 6 in Part II, Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.

If we lost the ability to use surety bonding to support our preneed activities, we may be required to make material cash payments to fund certain trust funds.

We have entered into arrangements with certain surety companies whereby such companies agree to issue surety bonds on our behalf as financial assurance or as required by existing state and local regulations. The surety bonds are used for various business purposes; however, the majority of the surety bonds issued and outstanding have been issued to support our preneed funeral and cemetery activities. In the event all of the surety companies canceled or did not renew our surety bonds, which generally have twelve-month renewal periods, we would be required to either obtain replacement coverage or fund approximately $153.8 million into state-mandated trust accounts as of December 31, 2019. There can be no assurance that we would be able to obtain replacement coverage at a similar cost or at all.

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Increasing death benefits related to preneed contracts funded through life insurance or annuity contracts may not cover future increases in the cost of providing a price-guaranteed service.

We sell price-guaranteed preneed contracts through various programs providing for future services at prices prevailing when the agreements are signed. For preneed contracts funded through life insurance or annuity contracts, we receive in cash a general agency commission from a third-party insurance company that typically averages approximately 25% of the total sale. Additionally, we receive an increasing death benefit associated with the contract of approximately 1% per year in cash at the time the service is performed. There is no guarantee that the increasing death benefit will cover future increases in the cost of providing a price-guaranteed service, and any such excess cost could be materially adverse to our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

The financial condition of third-party insurance companies that fund our preneed contracts may impact our future revenue.

Where permitted by state law, customers may arrange their preneed contract by purchasing a life insurance or annuity policy from third-party insurance companies. The customer/policy holder assigns the policy benefits to us as payment for their preneed contract at the time of need. If the financial condition of the third-party insurance companies were to deteriorate materially because of market conditions or otherwise, there could be an adverse effect on our ability to collect all or part of the proceeds of the life insurance policy, including the annual increase in the death benefit, if we fulfill the preneed contract at the time of need. Failure to collect such proceeds could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

Unfavorable results of litigation could have a material adverse impact on our financial statements.

As discussed in Note 9 of Part II, Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, we are subject to a variety of claims and lawsuits in the ordinary course of our business. Adverse outcomes in some or all of the pending cases may result in significant monetary damages or injunctive relief against us, as litigation and other claims are subject to inherent uncertainties. Any such adverse outcomes, in pending cases or other lawsuits that may arise in the future, could have a material adverse impact on our financial position, results of operations, and cash flows.

Unfavorable publicity could affect our reputation and business.

Since our operations relate to life events involving emotional stress for our client families, our business is dependent on customer trust and confidence. Unfavorable publicity about our business generally or in relation to any specific location could affect our reputation and customers’ trust and confidence in our products and services, thereby having an adverse impact upon our sales and financial results.

We use a combination of insurance, self-insurance, and large deductibles in managing our exposure to certain inherent risks; therefore, we could be exposed to unexpected costs that could negatively affect our financial performance.

Our insurance coverage is subject to deductibles, self-insured retentions, limits of liability, and similar provisions that we believe are prudent based on our operations. Because we self-insure a significant portion of expected losses under our workers' compensation, auto, and general and professional liability insurance programs, unanticipated changes in any applicable actuarial assumptions, trends and interpretations, or management estimates underlying our recorded liabilities for these losses, including potential increases in costs, could result in materially different amounts of expense than expected under these programs. These unanticipated changes could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows.

Changes in taxation as well as the inherent difficulty in quantifying potential tax effects of business decisions could have a material adverse effect on the results of our operations, financial condition, or cash flows.

We make judgments regarding the utilization of existing income tax credits and the potential tax effects of various financial transactions and results of operations to estimate our obligations to taxing authorities. Tax obligations include income, franchise, real estate, sales and use, and employment-related taxes. These judgments include reserves for potential adverse outcomes regarding tax positions that have been taken. Changes in federal, state, or local tax laws, adverse tax audit results, or adverse tax rulings on positions taken could have a material adverse effect on the results of our operations, financial condition, or cash flows.

Declines in overall economic conditions beyond our control could reduce future potential earnings and cash flows and could result in future impairments to goodwill and/or other intangible assets.

In addition to an annual review, we assess the impairment of goodwill and/or other intangible assets whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may be greater than fair value. Factors that could trigger an interim impairment review include, but are not limited to, a significant decline in our stock price, significant underperformance relative to historical or projected future operating results, and significant negative industry or economic trends. If any of these factors occur, we may have a triggering event, which could result in an impairment of our goodwill and/or other intangible assets. If economic conditions worsen causing deterioration in our operating revenue, operating margins, and cash flows, we may have a triggering event that could result in an impairment of our goodwill and/or other intangible assets. Our cemetery segment, which has a goodwill balance of $328.9 million as of December 31, 2019, is more sensitive to market conditions and goodwill impairments because it is more reliant on preneed sales, which are impacted by customer discretionary spending. For additional information, see Critical Accounting Policies, Recent Accounting Pronouncements, and Accounting Changes in Part II, Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

Any failure to maintain the security of the information relating to our customers, their loved ones, our associates, and our vendors could damage our reputation, could cause us to incur substantial additional costs and to become subject to litigation, and could adversely affect our operating results, financial condition, or cash flow.

In the ordinary course of our business, we and our vendors receive and retain certain personal information, in both physical and electronic formats, about our customers, their loved ones, our associates, and our vendors, and there is an expectation that we will adequately protect that information. In addition, our online operations at our websites depend upon the secure transmission of confidential information over public networks, including information permitting electronic payments. The U.S. regulatory environment surrounding information security and privacy is increasingly demanding. New laws and regulations governing data privacy, security, cybersecurity and the unauthorized disclosure of confidential information, including recent California legislation, pose increasingly complex compliance challenges and potentially elevate our costs. Any failure by us to comply with these laws and regulations, including as a result of a security or privacy breach, could result in significant penalties and liabilities for us. A significant theft, loss or fraudulent use of the personally identifiable information we maintain or failure of our vendors to use or maintain such data in accordance with contractual provisions could result in significant costs, fines, litigation. Additionally, if we acquire a company that has violated or is not in compliance with applicable data protection laws, we may incur significant liabilities and penalties as a result.

We maintain substantial security measures and data backup systems to protect, store, and prevent unauthorized access to such information. Nevertheless, it is possible that computer hackers and others (through cyberattacks, which are rapidly evolving and becoming increasingly sophisticated, or by other means) might defeat our security measures in the future and obtain the personal information of customers, their loved ones, our associates, and our vendors that we hold. Further, our associates, contractors, or third parties with whom we do business may attempt to circumvent our security measures to misappropriate such information and may purposefully or inadvertently cause a breach, corruption, or data loss involving such information. A breach of our security measures or failure in our backup systems could adversely affect our reputation with our customers and their loved ones, our associates, and our vendors; as well as our operations, results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows; and could result in litigation against us or the imposition of penalties. Moreover, a security breach could require that we expend significant additional resources to upgrade further the security measures that we employ to guard such important personal information against cyberattacks and other attempts to access such information and could result in a disruption of our operations.

Our Canadian business exposes us to operational, economic, and currency risks.

Our Canadian operations represent a significant portion of our revenue. Our ability to successfully conduct operations in Canada is affected by many of the same risks we face in our U.S. operations, as well as unique costs and difficulties of managing Canadian operations. Our Canadian operations may be adversely affected by local laws, customs, and regulations, as well as political and economic conditions. Significant fluctuations in exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and the Canadian dollar may adversely affect our results of operations and cash flows.

Our level of indebtedness could adversely affect our ability to raise additional capital to fund our operations, limit our ability to react to changes in the economy or our industry, and may prevent us from fulfilling our obligations under our indebtedness.

We have a significant amount of indebtedness, which could have important consequences, including the following:

• It may limit our ability to obtain additional debt or equity financing for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, and general corporate or other purposes.

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• A portion of our cash flows from operations will be dedicated to the payment of principal and interest on our indebtedness, including indebtedness we may incur in the future, and may not be available for other purposes, including to finance our working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions, and general corporate costs or other purposes.
• It could limit our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and the industry in which we operate and place us at a competitive disadvantage compared to our competitors that have less debt.
• It could make us more vulnerable to downturns in general economic or industry conditions or in our business, or prevent us from carrying out activities that are important to our growth.
• It could increase our interest expense if interest rates in general increase because a portion of our indebtedness, including all of our indebtedness under our senior credit facilities, bears interest at floating rates.
• It could make it more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations with respect to our indebtedness, and any failure to comply with the obligations of any of our debt instruments, including any financial and other restrictive covenants, could result in an event of default under the agreements governing our other indebtedness which, if not cured or waived, could result in the acceleration of our indebtedness.

Any of the above listed factors could materially affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

In addition to our high level of indebtedness, we also have significant rental and other obligations under our operating and finance leases for funeral service locations, cemetery operating and maintenance equipment, and transportation equipment. These obligations could further increase the risks described above.

A failure of a key information technology system or process could disrupt and adversely affect our business.

We rely extensively on information technology systems, some of which are managed or provided by third-party service providers, to analyze, process, store, manage, and protect transactions and data. In managing our business, we also rely heavily on the integrity of, security of, and consistent access to this data for information such as sales, merchandise ordering, inventory replenishment, and order fulfillment. For these information technology systems and processes to operate effectively, we or our service providers must periodically maintain and update them. Our systems and the third-party systems on which we rely are subject to damage or interruption from a number of causes, including power outages; computer and telecommunications failures; computer viruses; security breaches; cyber-attacks, including the use of ransomware; catastrophic events such as fires, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, or hurricanes; acts of war or terrorism; and design or usage errors by our associates, contractors, or third-party service providers. Although we and our third-party service providers seek to maintain our respective systems effectively and to successfully address the risk of compromise of the integrity, security, and consistent operations of these systems, such efforts may not be successful. As a result, we or our service providers could experience errors, interruptions, delays, or cessations of service in key portions of our information technology infrastructure, which could significantly disrupt our operations and be costly, time consuming, and resource-intensive to remedy.

Failure to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting could adversely affect our results of operations, investor confidence, and our stock price.

The accuracy of our financial reporting depends on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting. Internal control over financial reporting can provide only reasonable assurance with respect to the preparation and fair presentation of financial statements and may not prevent or detect misstatements because of its inherent limitations. If we do not maintain effective internal control over financial reporting or implement controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance with respect to the preparation and fair presentation of our financial statements, we could be unable to file accurate financial reports on a timely basis, and our results of operations, investor confidence, and stock price could be materially adversely affected.

The application of unclaimed property laws by certain states to our preneed funeral and cemetery backlog could have a material adverse impact on our liquidity, cash flows, and financial results.

In the ordinary course, our businesses have sold preneed funeral and cemetery contracts for decades. To the extent these contracts will not be funded with the assignment of the proceeds of life insurance policies, depending on applicable state laws, we could be responsible for escheatment of the portion of the funds paid that relate to contracts which we are unlikely to fulfill. For additional information, see Unclaimed Property Audit in Note 9 in Item 1 of Part 1 of this Form 10-K. The application of unclaimed property laws could have a material adverse effect on our liquidity, cash flows, and financial results.

RISKS RELATED TO OUR INDUSTRY

The funeral and cemetery industry is competitive.

In North America, the funeral and cemetery industry is characterized by a large number of locally-owned, independent operations. To compete successfully, our funeral service locations and cemeteries must maintain good reputations and high professional standards, as well as offer attractive products and services at competitive prices. In addition, we must market ourselves in such a manner as to distinguish us from our competitors. We have historically experienced price competition from independent funeral service location and cemetery operators, monument dealers, casket retailers, low-cost funeral providers, and other nontraditional providers of merchandise and services. If we are unable to successfully compete, our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows could be materially adversely affected.

If the number of deaths in our markets declines, our cash flows and revenue may decrease. Changes in the number of deaths are not predictable from market to market or over the short term.

If the number of deaths in our markets declines, the number of funeral services and interments performed by us could decrease and our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows could be materially adversely affected. Changes in the number of deaths may vary from quarter to quarter and across local markets, and those variations are not predictable. Variations in the death rate and seasonality of deaths throughout each year may also cause revenue to fluctuate between quarters or years.

If we are not able to respond effectively to changing consumer preferences, our market share, revenue, and/or profitability could decrease.

Future market share, revenue, and profit will depend in part on our ability to anticipate, identify, and respond to changing consumer preferences. We may not correctly anticipate or identify trends in consumer preferences, or we may identify them later than our competitors do. In addition, any strategies we may implement to address these trends may prove incorrect or ineffective.

The continuing upward trend in the number of cremations performed in North America could result in lower revenue, operating profit, and cash flows.

There is a continuing upward trend in the number of cremations performed in North America as an alternative to traditional funeral service dispositions. In our operations during 2019, 56.8% of the comparable services we performed were cremation cases compared to 55.1% and 53.5% performed in 2018 and 2017, respectively. Our average revenue for cremations is lower than that for traditional burials. If we are unable to continue to expand our cremation memorialization products and services, and cremations remain or increase as a significant percentage of our services, our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows could be materially adversely affected.

Our funeral and cemetery businesses are high fixed-cost businesses.

The majority of our operations are managed in groups called “markets”. Markets are geographical groups of funeral service locations and cemeteries that share common resources such as operating personnel, preparation services, clerical staff, motor vehicles, and preneed sales personnel. We must incur many of these costs regardless of the number of services or interments performed. Because we cannot immediately decrease these costs when we experience lower sales volumes, a sales decline may cause our margin percentages to decline at a greater rate than the decline in revenue.

REGULATORY AND LEGAL RISKS

Regulation and compliance could have a material adverse impact on our financial results.

Our operations are subject to regulation, supervision, and licensing requirements under numerous foreign, federal, state, and local laws, ordinances, and regulations, including extensive regulations concerning trust funds, preneed sales of funeral and cemetery merchandise and services, and various other aspects of our business. For example, the funeral industry is regulated at the federal level by the FTC, which requires funeral service locations to take actions designed to protect consumers. State law regulates preneed sales and imposes licensing requirements. Accordingly, we are subject to audits of preneed sales practices and state trust funds. Our facilities are also subject to stringent health, safety and environmental regulations. In particular, cremation and embalming facilities are subject to stringent health and environmental regulations, compliance with which is burdensome, and there are associated risks of costly and burdensome investigations from regulatory authorities or incidental non-compliance with such regulations. Our pay practices, including wage and hour overtime pay, are subject to federal and state regulations. Violations of applicable laws could result in fines or sanctions against us.

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In addition, from time to time, governments and agencies propose to amend or add regulations or reinterpret existing regulations, which could increase costs and decrease cash flows. For example, foreign, federal, state, local, and other regulatory agencies have considered and may enact additional legislation or regulations that could affect the deathcare industry. These include regulations that require more liberal refund and cancellation policies for preneed sales of products and services, limit or eliminate our ability to use surety bonding, require the escheatment of trust funds, increase trust requirements, require the deposit of funds or collateral to offset unrealized losses of trusts, and/or prohibit the common ownership of funeral service locations and cemeteries in the same market. Similarly, more stringent permitting or other environmental regulations, if adopted, could increase our costs. If adopted by the regulatory authorities of the jurisdictions in which we operate, these and other possible proposals could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

Compliance with laws, regulations, industry standards, and customs concerning burial procedures and the handling and care of human remains is critical to the continued success of our business and any operations we may acquire. Litigation and regulatory proceedings regarding these issues could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

*Cemetery burial practice claims could have a material adverse impact on our financial results.*Most of our cemeteries have been operating for decades and, therefore, may have used practices and procedures that are outdated in comparison to today's standards. When cemetery disputes occur, we may be subjected to litigation and liability for improper burial practices, including (1) burial practices of a different era that are judged today in hindsight as being outdated and (2) alleged violations of our practices and procedures by one or more of our associates. In addition, since most of our cemeteries were acquired through various acquisitions, we may be subject to litigation and liability based upon actions or events that occurred before we acquired or managed the cemeteries. Claims or litigation based upon our cemetery burial practices could have a material adverse impact on our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.

Information regarding legal proceedings is set forth in Note 9 of Part II, Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.

The Company

We are North America’s largest provider of deathcare products and services, with a network of funeral service locations and cemeteries unequaled in geographic scale and reach. At December 31, 2019, we operated 1,471 funeral service locations and 482 cemeteries (including 290 funeral service/cemetery combination locations), which are geographically diversified across 44 states, eight Canadian provinces, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Our funeral and cemetery operations consist of funeral service locations, cemeteries, funeral service/cemetery combination locations, crematoria, and other related businesses, which enable us to serve a wide array of customer needs. We sell cemetery property and funeral and cemetery merchandise and services at the time of need and on a preneed basis.

Our financial position is enhanced by our $12.0 billion backlog of future revenue from both trust and insurance-funded preneed sales at December 31, 2019. Preneed selling provides us with a strategic opportunity to gain future market share. We also believe it adds to the stability and predictability of our revenue and cash flows. While revenue on the majority of preneed merchandise and service sales is deferred until the time of need, sales of preneed cemetery property provide opportunities for full current revenue recognition to the extent that the property is developed and available for use.

We have adequate liquidity and a favorable debt maturity profile, which allow us to return capital to shareholders through share repurchases and dividends.

Factors affecting our operating results include: demographic trends in terms of population growth and average age, which impact death rates and number of deaths; establishing and maintaining leading market share positions supported by strong local heritage and relationships; effectively responding to increasing cremation trends by selling complementary services and merchandise; controlling salary and merchandise costs; and exercising pricing leverage related to our atneed revenue. The average revenue per funeral contract is influenced by the mix of traditional and cremation services because our average revenue for cremations is lower than that for traditional burials. To further enhance revenue opportunities, we continue to focus on our cremation customer’s preferences and remaining relevant by developing additional memorialization merchandise and services that specifically appeal to cremation customers. We believe the presentation of these additional merchandise and services through our customer-facing technology enhances our customer’s experience by reducing administrative burdens and allowing them to visualize the product offerings and services, which will help drive increases in the average revenue for a cremation in future periods.

For further discussion of our key operating metrics, see our "Cash Flow" and “Results of Operations” sections below. For a discussion of our results of operations and liquidity and capital resources for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017, see Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition, Liquidity and Capital Resources and Results of Operations in Part II, Item 7 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 20, 2019.

Financial Condition, Liquidity, and Capital Resources

Capital Allocation Considerations

We rely on cash flow from operations as a significant source of liquidity. Our cash flow from operating activities provided $628.8 million in 2019. In addition, as of December 31, 2019, we have $671.0 million in excess borrowing capacity under our Bank Credit Facility. As of December 31, 2019, we have $69.8 million in long-term debt current maturities, which primarily consist of current amounts due on the term loan and finance leases.

Our Bank Credit Facility requires us to maintain certain leverage and interest coverage ratios. As of December 31, 2019, we were in compliance with all of our debt covenants. Our financial covenant requirements and actual ratios as of December 31, 2019 are as follows:

We believe we have the financial strength and flexibility to reward shareholders through share repurchases and dividends while maintaining a prudent capital structure and pursuing new opportunities for profitable growth.

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We believe that our unencumbered cash on hand, future operating cash flows, and the available capacity under our bank credit agreement will give us adequate liquidity to meet our short-term needs as well as our long-term financial obligations. Due to cash balances residing in Canada and minimum operating cash requirements, a portion of our cash on hand is encumbered.

We consistently evaluate the best uses of our cash flow that will yield the highest value and return on capital. Our capital deployment strategy is prioritized as follows:

Investing in Acquisitions and Building New Funeral Service Locations. We manage our footprint by focusing on strategic acquisitions and building new funeral service locations where the expected returns are attractive and exceed our weighted average cost of capital by a meaningful margin. We target businesses with favorable customer dynamics and/or where we can achieve additional economies of scale. We continue to pursue strategic acquisitions and build new funeral service locations in areas that provide us with the potential for scale. In 2019, we increased our growth capital spend on new funeral service locations and expansions of existing locations to expand our footprint into desirable markets and to remain relevant with our customers. For our cemetery businesses, we plan to pursue strategic acquisitions to create more opportunities to serve Baby Boomers through our tiered cemetery options. During 2019, we acquired land that will be developed for future cemetery use in some of our largest markets to remain relevant with our customer. This investment in our future will allow us to continue to create cemetery offerings that appeal to varying preferences in those markets for many years to come.

Paying Dividends. Our quarterly dividend rate has steadily grown from $0.025 per common share in 2005 to $0.18 per common share at the end of 2019. We target a payout ratio of 30% to 40% of after tax earnings excluding special items and intend to grow our cash dividend commensurate with the growth in our business. While we intend to pay regular quarterly cash dividends for the foreseeable future, all future dividends are subject to limitations in our debt covenants and final determination by our Board of Directors each quarter upon review of our financial performance.

Repurchasing Shares. Absent opportunities for strategic acquisitions, we expect to continue to repurchase shares of our common stock in the open market or through privately negotiated transactions, subject to market conditions, debt covenants, and normal trading restrictions. The volume and timing of our purchases is determined as we evaluate the opportunity to capture value for our shareholders. Since 2010, we have reduced the number of shares outstanding by 25%. In August 2019, our Board of Directors increased our repurchase authorization to $400.0 million. The remaining dollar value of shares authorized to be purchased under the share repurchase program was $312.0 million at December 31, 2019. Subsequent to December 31, 2019, we repurchased 475,476 shares for $22.2 million at an average cost per share of $46.69.

Managing Debt. We continue to focus on maintaining optimal levels of liquidity and financial flexibility. Our flexible capital strategy allows us to make open market debt repurchases when it is opportunistic to do so to manage our debt maturity profile. During 2019, we had an opportunity to reduce our debt by repurchasing $46.5 million of certain senior notes through open market repurchases. We viewed these transactions as strategic and attractive from a valuation perspective.

Cash Flow

We believe our ability to generate strong operating cash flow is one of our fundamental financial strengths and provides us with substantial flexibility in meeting operating and investing needs.

Operating Activities

Net cash provided by operating activities was $628.8 million, and $615.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2019, and 2018, respectively.

Included in operating cash flows are the following:

(1) See discussion regarding the IRS tax settlement in Note 5 in Part II, Item 8. Financial Statements.

Excluding the above items, cash flow from operations increased $25.0 million for 2019 versus 2018. The 2019 increase over 2018 comprises:

• a $96.0 million increase in cash receipts from customers, and
• a $15.4 million increase in General Agency (GA) and other receipts; partially offset by
• a $26.7 million increase in net trust deposits,
• a $22.7 million increase in employee compensation,
• a $17.7 million increase in vendor and other payments.
• a $10.8 million increase in cash interest payments, and
• a $8.5 million increase in cash tax payments,

Investing Activities

Cash flows from investing activities used $278.5 million, and $414.6 million, in 2019, and 2018, respectively. The $136.1 million decrease from 2019 over 2018 is primarily due to the following:

• a $120.6 million decrease in cash spent on business acquisitions,
• a $39.8 million increase in cash receipts from divestitures and asset sales
• a $14.9 million decrease primarily for the purchase of corporate land, and
• a $0.9 million decrease in payments for Company-owned life insurance policies, net of proceeds, partially offset by
• a $32.8 million increase in cash spent on real estate acquisitions for cemetery development,
• a $4.4 million increase in capital expenditures, primarily due to construction of new funeral homes, and
• a $2.9 million decrease in proceeds from sale of other investments.

Financing Activities

Financing activities used $319.1 million in 2019 compared to using $329.2 million in 2018. The $10.1 million decrease from 2019 over 2018 is primarily due to:

• a $162.3 million increase in debt payments, net of proceeds, and
• a $7.6 million increase in payments of dividends; partially offset by
• a $148.0 million decrease in purchase of Company common stock,
• a $16.4 million increase in proceeds from exercises of stock options, and
• a $15.6 million change in bank overdrafts and acquisition related financing.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements, Contractual Obligations, and Commercial and Contingent Commitments

We have assumed various financial obligations and commitments in the ordinary course of conducting our business. We have contractual obligations requiring future cash payments under existing contractual arrangements, such as debt maturities, interest on long-term debt, operating lease agreements, and employment, consulting, and non-competition agreements. We also have commercial and contingent obligations that result in cash payments only if certain events occur requiring our performance pursuant to a funding commitment.

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The following table details our known future cash payments (on an undiscounted basis) related to various contractual obligations as of December 31, 2019.

(In millions)

(1) Our outstanding indebtedness contains standard provisions, such as payment delinquency default clauses and change of control clauses. In addition, our Bank Credit Facility contains a maximum leverage ratio and a minimum interest coverage ratio. See “Capital Allocation Considerations” and Note 6 in Part II, Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, for additional details related to our long-term debt.

(2) Excludes non-cash net premiums and original issuance discounts recorded on the debt. The unamortized balance of the net premiums and original issuance discounts at December 31, 2019 is $5.6 million.

(3) Excludes non-cash debt issuance costs on the debt. The unamortized balance of debt issuance costs at December 31, 2019 is $34.9 million.

(4) Approximately 69% of our total debt is fixed rate debt for which the interest obligation was calculated at the stated rate. Future interest obligations on our floating rate debt are based on the current forward rate curve of the underlying index. See Note 6 in Part II, Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data for additional information related to our future interest obligations.

(5) Our operating leases primarily include funeral service real estate and office equipment for funeral service locations, cemetery locations, and administrative offices. See Note 8 in Part II, Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data for additional details related to our leases.

(6) We have entered into employment and management, consulting, and non-competition agreements that require us to make cash payments over the contractual period. The agreements have been primarily entered into with certain officers and associates and former owners of businesses acquired. Agreements with contractual periods less than one year are excluded. See Note 9 in Part II, Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data for additional details related to these agreements.

(7) See Note 12 in Part II, Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data for discussion of our pension plans.

(8) We have entered into a purchase commitment for certain merchandise for resale. The agreement is through 2021 and includes annual minimum volume purchase commitments.

The following table details our known potential or possible future cash payments (on an undiscounted basis) related to various commercial and contingent obligations as of December 31, 2019.

(In millions)

(1) Represents the aggregate funding obligation associated with our surety bond arrangements assuming our surety partners did not renew any of our surety obligations and we could not find replacement surety assurance. See the section titled “Financial Assurances” following this table in this Form 10-K for more information related to our surety bonds.

(2) We have recorded a liability for unrecognized tax benefits and related interest and penalties of $2.0 million as of December 31, 2019. See Note 5 in Part II, Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data for additional information related to our uncertain tax positions.

(3) We are occasionally required to post letters of credit, issued by a financial institution, to secure certain insurance programs or other obligations. Letters of credit generally authorize the financial institution to make a payment to the beneficiary upon the satisfaction of a certain event or the failure to satisfy an obligation. The letters of credit are generally posted for one-year terms and are usually automatically renewed upon maturity until such time as we have satisfied the commitment secured by the letter of credit. We are obligated to reimburse the issuer only if the beneficiary collects on the letter of credit. We believe it is unlikely we will be required to fund a claim under our outstanding letters of credit. As of December 31, 2019, $34.0 million of our letters of credit were supported by our Bank Credit Facility, which expires in May 2024.

Not included in the above table are potential funding obligations related to our merchandise and service trusts. In certain states and provinces, we have withdrawn allowable distributable earnings including unrealized gains prior to the maturity or cancellation of the related contract. Additionally, some states have laws that either require replenishment of investment losses under certain circumstances or impose various restrictions when trust fund values drop below certain prescribed amounts. In the event that our trust investments do not recover from market declines, we may be required to deposit portions or all of these amounts into the respective trusts in some future period. As of December 31, 2019, we had unrealized losses of $12.0 million in the various trusts within these states.

Financial Assurances

In support of our operations, we have entered into arrangements with certain surety companies whereby such companies agree to issue surety bonds on our behalf as financial assurance and/or as required by existing state and local regulations. The surety bonds are used for various business purposes; however, the majority of the surety bonds issued and outstanding have been used to support our preneed sales activities. The obligations underlying these surety bonds are recorded on our Consolidated Balance Sheet as Deferred revenue, net. The breakdown of surety bonds between funeral and cemetery preneed arrangements, as well as surety bonds for other activities, is described below.

(In millions)

When selling preneed contracts, we may post surety bonds where allowed by state law. We post the surety bonds in lieu of trusting a certain amount of funds received from the customer. The $262.5 million in bonds supporting preneed funeral and cemetery obligations differs from the $153.8 million potential funding obligation disclosed in our “Commercial and Contingent Obligations” table above because the amount of the bond posted is generally determined by the total amount of the preneed contract that would otherwise be required to be trusted, in accordance with applicable state law, at the time we enter into the contract. We would only be required to fund the trust for the portion of the preneed contract for which we have received payment from the customer, less any applicable retainage, in accordance with state law. For the years ended December 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017, we had $24.2 million, $23.4 million, and $22.6 million, respectively, of cash receipts from sales attributable to bonded contracts. These amounts do not consider reductions associated with taxes, obtaining costs, or other costs.

Surety bond premiums are paid annually and the bonds are automatically renewable until maturity of the underlying preneed contracts, unless we are given prior notice of cancellation. Except for cemetery pre-construction bonds (which are irrevocable), the surety companies generally have the right to cancel the surety bonds at any time with appropriate notice. In the event a surety company were to cancel the surety bond, we are required to obtain replacement surety assurance from another surety company or fund a trust for an amount generally less than the posted bond amount. Management does not expect that we will be required to fund material future amounts related to these surety bonds due to a lack of surety capacity or surety company non-performance.

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Preneed Activities and Backlog of Contracts

In addition to selling our products and services to client families at the time of need, we enter into price-guaranteed preneed contracts, which provide for future funeral or cemetery merchandise and services. Because preneed funeral and cemetery merchandise or services will generally not be provided until sometime in the future, most states and provinces require that all or a portion of the funds collected from customers on preneed contracts be deposited into merchandise and service trusts until the merchandise is delivered or the service is performed. In certain situations, as described above, where permitted by state or provincial laws, we may post a surety bond as financial assurance for a certain amount of the preneed contract in lieu of placing funds into trust accounts. Alternatively, we may sell a life insurance or annuity policy from third-party insurance companies.

Insurance-Funded Preneed Contracts: Where permitted by state or provincial law, we may sell a life insurance or annuity policy from third-party insurance companies, for which we earn a commission as general sales agent for the insurance company. These general agency commissions (GA revenue) are based on a percentage per contract sold and are recognized as funeral revenue when the insurance purchase transaction between the preneed purchaser and third-party insurance provider is completed. All selling costs incurred pursuant to the sale of insurance-funded preneed contracts are expensed as incurred. We do not reflect the unfulfilled insurance-funded preneed contract amounts in our Consolidated Balance Sheet. The proceeds of the life insurance policies or annuity contracts will be reflected in funeral revenue as we perform these funerals.

The table below details our results of insurance-funded preneed production and maturities.

(Dollars in millions)

(1) Amounts are not included in our Consolidated Balance Sheet

Trust-Funded Preneed Contracts: The funds collected from customers and required by state or provincial law are deposited into trusts. We retain any funds above the amounts required to be deposited into trust accounts and use them for working capital purposes, generally to offset the selling and administrative costs of our preneed programs. Although this represents cash flow to us, the associated revenues are deferred until the merchandise is delivered or services are performed (typically at maturity). The funds in trust are then invested by professional money managers with oversight by independent trustees in accordance with state and provincial laws.

The tables below detail our results of preneed production and maturities, excluding insurance contracts, for years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018.

(Dollars in millions)

Backlog of Preneed Contracts: The following table reflects our backlog of trust-funded deferred preneed contract revenue, including amounts related to Deferred receipts held in trust at December 31, 2019 and 2018. Additionally, the table reflects our backlog of unfulfilled insurance-funded contracts (which are not included in our Consolidated Balance Sheet) at December 31, 2019 and 2018. The backlog amounts presented include amounts due from customers for undelivered performance obligations on cancelable preneed contracts to arrive at our total backlog of deferred revenue. The table does not include the backlog associated with businesses that are held for sale.

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The table also reflects our preneed receivables and trust investments associated with the backlog of deferred preneed contract revenue including the amounts due from customers for undelivered performance obligations on cancelable preneed contracts. We believe that the table below is meaningful because it sets forth the aggregate amount of future revenue we expect to recognize as a result of preneed sales, as well as the amount of funds associated with this revenue. Because the future revenue exceeds the assets, future revenue will exceed the cash distributions actually received from the associated trusts and future collections from the customer.

(In billions)

(1) Prior to adoption of "Revenue from Contracts with Customers" on January 1, 2018, amounts due from customers for unfulfilled performance obligations on cancelable preneed contracts were included in Preneed receivables, net and trust investments.

(2) Amounts are not included in our Consolidated Balance Sheet.

The fair value of our trust investments was based on a combination of quoted market prices, observable inputs such as interest rates or yield curves and appraisals. As of December 31, 2019, the difference between the backlog and asset market amounts represents $0.23 billion related to contracts for which we have posted surety bonds as financial assurance in lieu of trusting, $0.07 billion collected from customers that were not required to be deposited into trusts, and $0.22 billion in allowable cash distributions from trust assets. As of December 31, 2019, the fair value of the total backlog comprised $3.17 billion related to cemetery contracts and $8.82 billion related to funeral contracts. As of December 31, 2019, the fair value of the assets associated with the backlog of trust-funded deferred revenue comprised $2.93 billion related to cemetery contracts and $2.17 billion related to funeral contracts.

Trust Investments

In addition to selling our products and services to client families at the time of need, we enter into price-guaranteed preneed funeral and cemetery contracts, which provide for future funeral or cemetery merchandise and services. Since preneed funeral and cemetery merchandise or services will generally not be provided until sometime in the future, most states and provinces require that all or a portion of the funds collected from customers on preneed funeral and cemetery contracts be paid into trusts and/or escrow accounts until the merchandise is delivered or the service is performed. Investment earnings associated with the trust investments are expected to mitigate the inflationary costs of providing the preneed funeral and cemetery merchandise and services in the future at the prices that were guaranteed at the time of sale.Also, we are required by state and provincial law to pay a portion of the proceeds from the preneed or atneed sale of cemetery property interment rights into perpetual care trusts. For these investments, the original corpus generally remains in the trust in perpetuity and the earnings or elected distributions are withdrawn as allowed to defray the expense to maintain the cemetery property. While many states require that net capital gains or losses be retained and added to the corpus, certain states allow the net realized capital gains and losses to be included in the earnings that are distributed. Additionally, some states allow a total return distribution that may contain elements of income, capital appreciation, and principal.

Independent trustees manage and invest the majority of the funds deposited into the funeral and cemetery merchandise and services trusts as well as the cemetery perpetual care trusts. The majority of the trustees are selected based on their respective geographic footprint and qualifications per state and provincial regulations. Most of the trustees engage the same independent investment managers. These trustees, with input from SCI's wholly-owned registered investment advisor, establish an investment policy that serves as an operating document to guide the investment activities of the trusts including asset allocation and manager selection. The investments are also governed by state and provincial guidelines. All of the trusts seek to control risk and volatility through a combination of asset classes, investment styles, and a diverse mix of investment managers.

Asset allocation is based on the liability structure of each funeral, cemetery, and perpetual care trust. Based on the various criteria set forth in the investment policy, the investment advisor recommends investment managers to the trustees. The primary investment objectives for the funeral and cemetery merchandise and service trusts include 1) preserving capital within acceptable levels of volatility and risk and 2) achieving growth of principal over time sufficient to preserve and increase the purchasing power of the assets. Preneed funeral and cemetery contracts generally take several years to mature; therefore, the funds associated with these contracts are often invested through several market cycles.

Historically, the cemetery perpetual care trusts' investment objectives, in accordance with state and provincial regulations, have emphasized providing a steady stream of current investment income with some capital appreciation in order to provide for the maintenance and beautification of cemetery properties. However, during 2016, SCI worked with several state legislatures to adjust laws and regulations to allow for a fixed distribution rate from cemetery perpetual care trusts' assets regardless of the level of ordinary income, similar to university endowments. As a result, beginning in 2017, a significant portion of our cemetery perpetual care trust assets were liquidated and reinvested in a more growth-oriented asset allocation with investment objectives similar to the funeral and cemetery merchandise and service trusts. As of December 31, 2019, the asset allocation is almost evenly split between income and growth orientations. We expect this asset allocation shift to enhance asset growth and provide further protection to our customers. Additionally, we expect more states to adopt total return distribution legislation in the coming years.

As of December 31, 2019 approximately 88% of our trusts were under the control and custody of three large financial institutions. The U.S. trustees primarily use four managed limited liability companies (LLCs), one for each merchandise and service trust type and two for the cemetery perpetual care trust type, each with an independent trustee as custodian. Each financial institution acting as trustee manages its allocation of trust assets in accordance with the investment policy through the purchase of the appropriate LLCs' units. For those accounts not eligible for participation in the LLCs or where a particular state's regulations contain other investment restrictions, the trustee utilizes institutional mutual funds that comply with our investment policy or with such state restrictions. The U.S. trusts include a modest allocation to alternative investments. These alternative investments are held in vehicles structured as LLCs and are managed by certain trustees. The trusts that are eligible to allocate a portion of their investments to alternative investments purchase units of the respective alternative investment LLCs.

Investment Structures

Each financial institution, acting as trustee, manages its allocation of trust assets in compliance with the investment policy primarily through the purchase of one of four managed LLCs, matched to their trust type and each with a different, independent trustee acting as custodian. The managed LLCs use the following structures for investments:

Commingled Funds. These funds allow the trusts to access, at a reduced cost, some of the same investment managers and strategies used elsewhere in the portfolios.

Mutual Funds. The trust funds employ institutional share class mutual funds where operationally or economically efficient. These mutual funds are utilized to invest in various asset classes including U.S. equities, non-U.S. equities, corporate bonds, government bonds, high yield bonds, and commodities, all of which are governed by guidelines outlined in their individual prospectuses.

Separately Managed Accounts. To reduce the costs to the investment portfolios, the trusts utilize separately managed accounts where appropriate.

Asset Classes

Fixed income investments are intended to preserve principal, provide a source of current income, and reduce overall portfolio volatility. The majority of the fixed income allocation for the trusts is invested in institutional share class mutual funds. Where the trusts have direct investments in individual fixed income securities, these are primarily in government and corporate instruments.

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Canadian government fixed income securities are investments in Canadian federal and provincial government instruments. In many cases, regulatory restrictions mandate that the funds from the sales of preneed funeral and cemetery contracts sold in certain Canadian jurisdictions must be invested in these instruments.

Equity investments have historically provided long-term capital appreciation in excess of inflation. The trusts have direct investments in individual equity securities primarily in domestic equity portfolios that include large, mid, and small capitalization companies of different investment styles (i.e., growth and value). The majority of the equity allocation is managed by institutional investment managers that specialize in an objective-specific area of expertise. Our equity securities are exposed to market risk; however, we believe these securities are well-diversified. As of December 31, 2019, the largest single equity position represented less than 1% of the total securities portfolio.

Private equity fund investments serve to provide high rates of return with reduced volatility and lower correlation. These investments are typically long term in duration. These investments are diversified by strategy, sector, manager, and vintage year. The investments consist of numerous limited partnerships, including but not limited to private equity, real estate, energy, infrastructure, transportation, distressed debt, and mezzanine financing. The trustees that have oversight of their respective alternative LLCs work closely with the investment advisor in making all investment decisions.

Trust Performance

During the year ended December 31, 2019, the Standard and Poor’s 500 Index increased 31.5% and the Barclay’s Aggregate Index increased 8.7%. This compares to the SCI trusts that increased 19.2% during the same year-end period, which have a diversified allocation of approximately 55% equities, 30% fixed income securities, 10% alternative and other investments with remaining 5% available in cash.

SCI, the trustees, and the investment advisor monitor the capital markets and the trusts on an on-going basis. The trustees, with input from the investment advisor, take prudent action as needed to achieve the investment goals and objectives of the trusts.

Results of Operations — Years Ended December 31, 2019 and 2018

Management Summary

In 2019, we reported consolidated net income attributable to common stockholders of $369.6 million ($1.99 per diluted share) compared to net income attributable to common stockholders in 2018 of $447.2 million ($2.39 per diluted share). These results were impacted by certain significant items including:

(In millions)

(1) See Note 5 in Part II, Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, for additional information related to change in uncertain tax reserves and other.

In addition to the above items, the 2019 growth can be attributed to higher expenses in the prior year for our long-term incentive compensation plan that is tied to increases in total shareholder return. Increased interest expense related to refinancing activities were offset by the favorable impact from a lower share count in 2019. We also had a favorable tax rate compared to the prior year.

Funeral Results

(Dollars in millions, except average revenue per service)

(1) We define comparable (or same store) operations as those funeral locations owned by us for the entire period beginning January 1, 2018 and ending December 31, 2019.

(2) We calculate comparable average revenue per service by dividing comparable funeral revenue, excluding general agency revenue, recognized preneed revenue, and other revenue to avoid distorting our average of normal funeral services revenue, by the comparable number of services performed during the period. Recognized preneed revenue is preneed sales of merchandise that are delivered at the time of sale, including memorial merchandise and travel protection, net, and excluded from our calculation of comparable average revenue per service because the associated service has not yet been performed.

Funeral Revenue

Consolidated revenue from funeral operations was $1,923.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, compared to $1,898.0 million for the same period in 2018. This increase is primarily attributable to the $25.8 million increase in revenue contributed by acquired and newly constructed properties and the $7.6 million increase in comparable revenue as described below, partially offset by the loss of $7.5 million in revenue contributed by properties that have been subsequently divested.

Comparable revenue from funeral operations was $1,877.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2019 compared to $1,869.6 million for the same period in 2018. This increase was primarily attributable to the $12.7 million increase in recognized preneed revenue and a $4.8 million increase in comparable general agency revenue. These increases helped mitigate against flat comparable services performed and a slight decline in the average revenue per funeral service compared to the prior year.

Average revenue per funeral service decreased 0.6% for the year ended December 31, 2019 compared to the same period in 2018. Organic growth at the customer level of 1.6% was largely offset by the increase in our cremation mix. Our total comparable cremation rate increased to 56.8% in 2019 from 55.1% in 2018 as a result of an increase in both direct cremations and cremations with service.

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Funeral Gross Profit

Consolidated funeral gross profit increased $3.0 million, or 0.8%, in 2019 compared to 2018. This increase is primarily attributable to a $3.3 million increase in gross profit contributed by acquired and newly constructed properties and a $1.5 million increase in gross profit contributed by properties that have been subsequently divested, partially offset by a decrease in comparable funeral gross profit of $1.8 million. Comparable funeral gross profit decreased $1.8 million to $371.2 million and the gross profit percentage decreased 20 basis points to 19.8% primarily as a result of the revenue increases described above that were more than offset by investments in our preneed sales program in support of growing our backlog to secure future revenue.

Cemetery Results

(In millions)

(1) We define comparable (or same store) operations as those cemetery locations owned by us for the entire period beginning January 1, 2018 and ending December 31, 2019.

Cemetery Revenue

Consolidated revenue from our cemetery operations increased $14.7 million, or 1.1%, in 2019 compared to 2018 primarily attributable to the $9.3 million in revenue contributed by acquired properties and $6.3 million increase in comparable revenue. The comparable revenue growth over the prior year is due to increased recognized preneed property revenue from sales into existing developed cemetery property projects and higher other revenue (primarily endowment care trust fund income) partially offset by lower recognized preneed merchandise revenue.

Cemetery Gross Profit

Consolidated cemetery gross profit decreased $2.8 million, or 0.7%, in 2019 compared to 2018 which is primarily attributable to the decrease in comparable gross profit of $2.2 million, or 0.6%. Comparable cemetery gross profit decreased $2.2 million to $385.8 million and the gross profit percentage decreased 30 basis points to 30.0% driven by the increase in revenue described above more than offset by expected increases in our maintenance and field administrative expenses.

Other Financial Statement Items

Corporate General and Administrative Expenses

Corporate General and administrative expenses were $126.9 million in 2019 compared to $145.6 million in 2018. Excluding a $6.4 million legal settlement in 2019, corporate general and administrative expenses, decreased $25.1 million in 2019 compared to 2018 due to lower pension termination costs, long-term incentive compensation, and self-insurance reserves.

Gains (Losses) on Divestitures and Impairment Charges, Net

We recognized a $32.9 million and a $15.9 million net pre-tax gain on asset divestitures and impairments in 2019 and 2018, respectively, primarily as the result of asset divestitures associated with non-strategic funeral and cemetery locations in the United States and Canada, partially offset by impairment losses.

Interest Expense

Interest expense increased $4.2 million to $185.8 million in 2019 compared to $181.6 million in 2018 due to interest on the new 2029 notes partially offset by the payoff of 2020 and 2022, purchases of our 2027 senior notes, and lower balances on the credit facility.

Losses on Early Extinguishment of Debt, Net

During 2019, we made aggregate debt payments of $1.2 billion for scheduled and early extinguishment payments. During 2018, we made aggregate debt payments of $293.7 million for scheduled and early extinguishment payments. Certain of these transactions resulted in the recognition of losses of $16,6 million and $10.1 million in 2019 and 2018, respectively, recorded in Losses on early extinguishment of debt, net in our Consolidated Statement of Operations.

Provision for Income Taxes

The 2019 consolidated effective tax rate was a tax expense of 20.4%, compared to a tax benefit of 1.3% in 2018. The effective tax rate for the twelve months ended December 31, 2019 was lower than the federal statutory tax rate of 21% primarily due to the reduction in tax liability as a result of the expiration of statute of limitations and higher excess tax benefits on the increased exercises of stock options, The effective tax rate for the twelve months ended December 31, 2018 was lower than the federal statutory tax rate of 21% primarily due to the reduction in uncertain tax positions as a result of the expiration of statutes of limitations. For further information on the impacts of the Tax Act, see Note 5 in Part II, Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.

Weighted Average Shares

The diluted weighted average number of shares outstanding was 185.5 million in 2019, compared to 187.0 million in 2018, The decrease in all years primarily reflects the impact of shares repurchased under our share repurchase program.

Critical Accounting Policies, Recent Accounting Pronouncements, and Accounting Changes

Our consolidated financial statements are impacted by the accounting policies used and the estimates and assumptions made by management during their preparation. See Note 2 in Part II, Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, for more information. Estimates and assumptions affect the carrying values of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the balance sheet date. Actual results could differ from such estimates due to uncertainties associated with the methods and assumptions underlying our critical accounting measurements. The following is a discussion of our critical accounting policies pertaining to revenue recognition, valuation of goodwill, valuation of intangible assets, fair value measurements, and the use of estimates.

Revenue Recognition

Revenue is recognized when control of the merchandise or services is transferred to the customer. Our performance obligations include the delivery of funeral and cemetery merchandise and services and cemetery property interment rights. Control transfers when merchandise is delivered or services are performed. For cemetery property interment rights, control transfers to the customer when the property is developed and the interment right has been sold and can no longer be marketed or sold to another customer.

On our atneed contracts, we generally deliver the merchandise and perform the services at the time of need. Personalized marker merchandise and marker installation services sold on atneed contracts are recognized when control is transferred to the customer, generally when the marker is delivered and installed in the cemetery.

We also sell price-guaranteed preneed contracts through various programs providing for future merchandise and services at prices prevailing when the agreements are signed. Revenue associated with sales of preneed contracts is deferred until control of the merchandise or the services is transferred to the customer, which is upon delivery of the merchandise or as services are performed, generally at the time of need. On certain preneed contracts, we sell memorialization merchandise, which consists of urns and urn-related products, that we deliver to the customer at the time of sale. Revenue is recognized at the time of delivery when control of the memorialization merchandise is transferred.

For personalized marker merchandise sold on a preneed contract, we will:

• purchase the merchandise from vendors,
• personalize such merchandise in accordance with the customer's specific written instructions,

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• either store the merchandise at a third-party bonded storage facility or install the merchandise, based on the customer's instructions, and
• transfer title to the customer.

We recognize revenue and record the cost of sales when control is transferred for the merchandise, which occurs upon delivery to the third-party storage facility or installation of the merchandise at the cemetery.

Pursuant to state or provincial law, all or a portion of the proceeds from funeral and cemetery merchandise or services sold on a preneed basis may be required to be paid into trust funds. We defer investment earnings related to these merchandise and service trusts until the associated merchandise is delivered or services are performed. Fees charged by our wholly-owned registered investment advisor are also included in revenue in the period in which they are earned.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of cemetery property interment rights is required by state or provincial law to be paid by us into perpetual care trust funds to maintain the cemetery. This portion of the proceeds is not recognized as revenue. Investment earnings from these trusts are distributed to us regularly and recognized in current cemetery revenue.

For more information related to revenue, see Notes 2, 3, and 12 in Part II, Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.

Valuation of Goodwill

We record the excess of purchase price over the fair value of identifiable net assets acquired in business combinations as goodwill. Goodwill is tested annually during the fourth quarter for impairment by assessing the fair value of each of our reporting units.

Our goodwill impairment test involves certain estimates and management judgment. In the first step of our goodwill impairment test, we compare the fair value of a reporting unit to its carrying amount, including goodwill. We determine fair value of each reporting unit using both a market and income approach. The income approach, which is a discounted cash flow method, uses projections of future cash flows and includes assumptions concerning future operating performance and economic conditions that may differ from actual future cash flows. We do not record an impairment of goodwill in instances where the fair value of a reporting unit exceeds its carrying amount. If the aggregate fair value is less than the related carrying amount for a reporting unit, we compare the implied fair value of goodwill to the carrying amount of goodwill. If the carrying amount of reporting unit goodwill exceeds the implied fair value of that goodwill, an impairment loss is recognized in an amount equal to that excess.

For more information related to goodwill, see Notes 2 and 4 in Part II, Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.

Valuation of Intangible Assets

Our intangible assets include covenants-not-to-compete, customer relationships, trademarks and tradenames, and other intangible assets primarily resulting from acquisitions. Certain of our trademark and tradenames and other intangible assets are considered to have an indefinite life and are not subject to amortization. We test for impairment of intangible assets annually during the fourth quarter.

Our intangible asset impairment tests involve estimates and management judgment. For trademark and tradenames, our test uses the relief from royalty method whereby we determine the fair value of the assets by discounting the cash flows that represent a savings over having to pay a royalty fee for use of the trademark and tradenames. The discounted cash flow valuation uses projections of future cash flows and includes assumptions concerning future operating performance and economic conditions that may differ from actual future cash flows.

For more information related to intangible assets, see Notes 2 and 4 in Part II, Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.

Fair Value Measurements

We measure the securities held by our funeral merchandise and service, cemetery merchandise and service, and cemetery perpetual care trusts at fair value on a recurring basis. Fair value is the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. We utilize a three-level valuation hierarchy for disclosure of fair value measurements. The valuation hierarchy is based upon the transparency of inputs to the valuation of an asset or liability as of the measurement date. The three levels are defined as follows:

• Where quoted prices are available in an active market, securities held by the trusts are classified as Level 1 investments.
• Where quoted market prices are not available for the specific security, fair values are estimated by using either quoted prices of securities with similar characteristics or an income approach fair value model with observable inputs that include a combination of interest rates, yield curves, credit risks, prepayment speeds, ratings, and tax-exempt status. These securities are classified as Level 2 investments.
• The valuation of other investments requires management judgment due to the absence of quoted market prices, inherent lack of liquidity, and the long-term nature of such assets. These securities are classified as Level 3 investments.

An asset’s or liability’s categorization within the valuation hierarchy is based upon the lowest level of input that is significant to the fair value measurement. Certain available-for-sale securities held by our funeral merchandise and service, cemetery merchandise and service, and cemetery perpetual care trusts have been classified as Level 3 of the hierarchy due to the significant management judgment required as a result of the absence of quoted market prices, inherent lack of liquidity, or the long-term nature of the securities. For more information related to our fair value measurements, see Notes 2, 3, and 7 in Part II, Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles in the United States (GAAP) requires management to make certain estimates and assumptions. These estimates and assumptions affect the carrying values of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the balance sheet date. Actual results could differ from such estimates due to uncertainties associated with the methods and assumptions underlying our critical accounting measurements. Key estimates used by management include:

Allowances. We provide various allowances and/or cancellation reserves for our receivables. These allowances are based on an analysis of historical trends and include, where applicable, collection and cancellation activity. We also record an estimate of general agency revenue that may be canceled in its first year and revenue would be charged back by the insurance company. These estimates are impacted by a number of factors, including changes in economy, relocation, and demographic or competitive changes in our areas of operation.

Valuation of trust investments. The trust investments include marketable securities that are classified as available-for-sale. When available, we use quoted market prices for specific securities. When quoted market prices are not available for the specific security, fair values are estimated by using either quoted market prices for securities with similar characteristics or a fair value model with observable inputs that include a combination of interest rates, yield curves, credit risks, prepayment terms, rating, and tax exempt status. The valuation of certain investments requires significant management judgment due to the absence of quoted market prices, inherent lack of liquidity, and the long-term nature of such assets.

Legal liability reserves. Contingent liabilities, principally for legal matters, are recorded when it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. Liabilities accrued for legal matters require judgments regarding projected outcomes and a range of loss based on historical experience and recommendations of legal counsel. However, litigation is inherently unpredictable and excessive verdicts do occur. As disclosed in Note 8 in Part II, Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, our legal exposures and the ultimate outcome of these legal proceedings could be material to operating results or cash flows in any given quarter or year.

Depreciation of long-lived assets. We depreciate our long-lived assets ratably over their estimated useful lives. These estimates of useful lives may be affected by such factors as changing market conditions, changes in our expected use, or changes in regulatory requirements.

Amortization of certain intangible assets. We amortize certain intangible assets ratably over their estimated useful lives. These estimates of useful lives may be affected by such factors as contractual terms, changing market conditions, or changes in regulatory requirements.

Valuation of assets acquired and liabilities assumed. Tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed are recorded at their fair value and goodwill is recognized for any difference between the price of acquisition and our fair value determination. We have customarily estimated our purchase costs and other related transactions known to us at closing of the acquisition. To the extent that information not available to us at the closing date subsequently became available during the measurement period, we have adjusted our goodwill, assets, or liabilities associated with the acquisition.

Income taxes. We compute income taxes using the liability method. Our ability to realize the benefit of our deferred tax assets requires us to achieve certain future earnings levels. We have established a valuation allowance against a portion of our deferred tax assets, and we could be required to further adjust that valuation allowance in the near term if market conditions change materially and future earnings are, or are projected to be, significantly different than our current estimates. An increase in the valuation allowance would result in additional income tax expense in such period.

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As of December 31, 2019, foreign withholding taxes have not been provided on the estimated $259.8 million of undistributed earnings and profits ("E&P") of our foreign subsidiaries as we intend to permanently reinvest these foreign E&P in those businesses outside the U.S. However, if we were to repatriate such foreign E&P, the foreign withholding tax liability is estimated to be $13.4 million.

We file income tax returns, including tax returns for our subsidiaries, with federal, state, local, and foreign jurisdictions. We consider the United States to be our most significant jurisdiction; however, all tax returns are subject to routine compliance review by the taxing authorities in the jurisdictions in which we file tax returns in the ordinary course of business.

In March 2017, we received from the IRS Office of Appeals the fully executed Form 870-AD for the years 1999-2005, which effectively settled the issues under audit for those years. The federal statutes of limitations have expired for all tax years prior to 2016 and we are not currently under audit by the IRS. Various state jurisdictions are auditing years 2013 through 2017. There are currently no federal or provincial audits in Canada; however years subsequent to 2014 remain open and could be subject to examination. It is reasonably possible that the amount of unrecognized tax benefits may change within the next twelve months. However, given the number of years that remain subject to examination and the number of matters being examined, an estimate of the range of the possible increase or decrease cannot be made.

Retirement plans. Certain retirement plans are frozen with no benefits accruing to participants except interest. Benefit costs and liabilities are actuarially determined based on certain assumptions, including the discount rate used to compute future benefit obligations. Weighted-average discount rates used to determine net periodic benefit cost were 4.15% and 3.26% as of December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. We verify the reasonableness of the discount rate by comparing our rate to the rate earned on high-quality fixed income investments, such as the Moody’s Aa index. See Note 12 in Part II, Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data for more information.

Insurance loss reserves. We purchase comprehensive general liability, morticians and cemetery professional liability, automobile liability, and workers’ compensation insurance coverages structured with high deductibles. This high-deductible insurance program means we are primarily self-insured for claims and associated costs and losses covered by these policies. Historical insurance industry experience indicates a high degree of inherent variability in assessing the ultimate amount of losses associated with casualty insurance claims. This is especially true with respect to liability and workers’ compensation exposures due to the extended period of time that transpires between when the claim might occur and the full settlement of such claim, which is often many years. We continually evaluate loss estimates associated with claims and losses related to these insurance coverages falling within the deductible of each coverage. Assumptions based on factors such as claim settlement patterns, claim development trends, claim frequency and severity patterns, inflationary trends, and data reasonableness will generally affect the analysis and determination of the “best estimate” of the projected ultimate claim losses. The results of these evaluations are used to both analyze and adjust our insurance loss reserves.

As of December 31, 2019 reported losses for workers' compensation, general liability, and auto liability incurred during the period May 1, 1991 through December 31, 2019 were approximately $609.8 million over 28.7 years. The selected fully developed ultimate settlement value estimated was $674.3 million for the same period. Paid losses were $590.0 million indicating a reserve requirement of $84.3 million.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements and Accounting Changes

For discussion of recent accounting pronouncements and accounting changes, see Note 2 in Part II, Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.

The market risk inherent in our financial instruments and positions includes the price risk associated with the marketable equity and debt securities included in our portfolio of trust investments, the interest rate risk associated with our floating rate debt, and the currency risk associated with our Canadian operations. Our market-sensitive instruments and positions are considered to be “other-than-trading”. Our exposure to market risk as discussed below includes forward-looking statements and represents an estimate of possible changes in fair value or future earnings that might occur, assuming hypothetical changes in equity markets, interest rates, and currencies. Our views on market risk are not necessarily indicative of actual results that may occur, and they do not represent the maximum possible gains or losses that may occur. Actual fair value movements related to changes in equity markets, interest rates, and currencies, along with the timing of such movements, may differ from those estimated.

Marketable Equity and Debt Securities — Price Risk

In connection with our preneed funeral operations and preneed cemetery merchandise and service sales, the related funeral and cemetery trust funds own investments in equity and debt securities and mutual funds, which are sensitive to current market prices.

Cost and market values as of December 31, 2019 are presented in Note 3 in Part II, Item 8, Financial Statements and Supplementary Data. Also, see Item 7, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, Financial Conditions, Liquidity, and Capital Resources, for discussion of trust investments.

Market-Rate Sensitive Instruments — Interest Rate Risk

At December 31, 2019 and 2018, approximately 69% and 66%, respectively, of our total debt consisted of fixed rate debt at a weighted average rate of 4.72% and 4.99%, respectively. A hypothetical 10% increase in interest rates associated with our floating rate debt would increase our interest expense by $3.5 million. See Notes 6 and 7 in Part II, Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data, for additional information.

Market-Rate Sensitive Instruments — Currency Risk

At December 31, 2019 and 2018, our foreign currency exposure was primarily associated with the Canadian dollar. A hypothetical 10% adverse change in the strength of the U.S. dollar relative to our foreign currency instruments would have negatively affected our income from our continuing operations, on an annual basis, by $3.3 million and $5.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

At December 31, 2019, approximately 5% of our stockholders’ equity and debt and 6% of our operating income was denominated in the Canadian dollar. Approximately 4% of our stockholders’ equity and debt and 10% of our operating income was denominated in foreign currencies, primarily the Canadian dollar, at December 31, 2018. We do not have an investment in foreign operations considered to be in highly inflationary economies.

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Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

We have established disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that the information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports that it files or submits under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in SEC rules and forms and that such information is accumulated and communicated to management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer (who are our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, respectively) as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. In designing and evaluating our disclosure controls and procedures, management recognized that disclosure controls and procedures can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the disclosure controls and procedures are met.

In connection with the preparation of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, an evaluation was performed under the supervision and with the participation of management, including the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the Company's disclosure controls and procedures. Based on that evaluation, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that the Company's disclosure controls and procedures as defined in Rules 13a-15(c) and 15d-15(e) were effective as of December 31, 2019 to provide reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed by the Company in reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is (i) recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC rules and forms and (ii) accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management, including its principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f). The Company's internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of assets of the Company; (ii) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the Company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the Company; and (iii) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the Company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements prepared for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

96 Service Corporation International

Our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2019 using the criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). Based on this assessment and those criteria, management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2019.

The effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2019, has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report, which is included in Item 8, "Financial Statements and Supplementary Data" of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

No changes in our internal control over financial reporting occurred during the quarter ended December 31, 2019 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.