Digital Transformation And Acquisitions Will Fuel Funeral And Cemetery Demand

Key Takeaways

• Growth in preneed sales and advance planning trends is expected to boost recurring revenue, cash flow stability, and earnings predictability.
  
• Investments in expansion, digital transformation, and acquisitions support long-term revenue growth and market consolidation.
  
• Shifting customer preferences, acquisition dependence, volatile sales, high debt, and demographic shifts threaten stable revenue, margin growth, and long-term market opportunities.

Catalysts

Provides deathcare products and services in the United States and Canada.

• Anticipated growth in preneed funeral and cemetery sales, especially as the transition to a new insurance marketing agreement and sales force licensing/training is completed, is expected to drive incremental, recurring revenue and improved near-term earnings visibility as production momentum accelerates into 2026.
  
• The strong and rising installment receipts and stable consumer payment behavior for prearranged cemetery services, in a context of increasing societal engagement with advance planning, supports continued robust cash flows and improves operating cash flow conversion and predictability.
  
• SCI's ability to maintain and expand average revenue per service-supported by favorable demographic trends in the aging U.S. population, higher wealth transfer, and a moderating cremation rate shift-positions the company for top-line revenue growth and stable to rising net margins, especially as headwinds from low-margin cremations lessen.
  
• Continued investments in greenfield expansions, digital transformation, and strategic acquisitions (with a robust acquisition pipeline exceeding guidance targets) are expected to support long-term revenue growth, operating leverage, and higher earnings through market consolidation and digital up-selling of services.
  
• Recently enacted federal tax legislation enabling ongoing accelerated depreciation and software amortization is anticipated to provide a sustainable $30 million annual benefit to cash taxes, enhancing free cash flow available for reinvestment, M&A, and shareholder returns, thereby bolstering overall earnings growth.

Service Corporation International Future Earnings and Revenue Growth

Assumptions

• Analysts are assuming Service Corporation International's revenue will grow by 3.5% annually over the next 3 years.
• Analysts assume that profit margins will increase from 12.6% today to 13.9% in 3 years time.
• Analysts expect earnings to reach $656.4 million (and earnings per share of $4.66) by about August 2028, up from $534.9 million today.
• In order for the above numbers to justify the analysts price target, the company would need to trade at a PE ratio of 22.3x on those 2028 earnings, up from 20.7x today. This future PE is greater than the current PE for the US Consumer Services industry at 17.4x.
• Analysts expect the number of shares outstanding to decline by 2.88% per year for the next 3 years.
• To value all of this in today's terms, we will use a discount rate of 8.0%, as per the Simply Wall St company report.

Service Corporation International Future Earnings Per Share Growth

Risks

• Accelerating shift toward cremation: SCI continues to experience an increase in the core cremation rate, and management acknowledges even a moderated pace of 50–80 basis points annually will still constitute a long-term headwind, as cremation services are lower-margin than traditional burials. This will put structural pressure on top-line revenue growth and compress net margins over time.
  
• Uncertain sustainability of post-pandemic preneed and large sale volumes: Management repeatedly refers to preneed volumes and "large sales" of cemetery property as being strong but acknowledges the lumpy, non-recurring nature of such sales and the challenge of comping elevated post-pandemic volumes, making consistent organic revenue growth more uncertain and potentially volatile in future periods.
  
• Heavy reliance on acquisition-driven growth: SCI highlights ongoing aggressive capital allocation to M&A, with expectations to reach $75–$125 million in acquisition investments annually. This continual acquisition strategy exposes the company to integration risks, potential overpayment, and eventually diminishing returns, which could negatively affect overall earnings quality and return on invested capital if attractive deals become scarce.
  
• Significant debt load amid changing rate environment: SCI's net debt to EBITDA remains elevated at 3.68x-squarely within management's long-term target range, but still a risk if interest rates rise or if macroeconomic downturns reduce cash flow. Higher debt service costs could erode net earnings and reduce financial flexibility for future investments or shareholder returns.
  
• Longer-term demographic risks following the baby boomer curve: While current volumes benefit from an aging population, the company does not address the risk that, following the baby boomer cohort's peak, there could be a long-term decline in death rates and, therefore, the addressable market for SCI's services. This secular trend could result in shrinking revenues and increased competition for fewer service opportunities in the years ahead.

Valuation

• The analysts have a consensus price target of $90.8 for Service Corporation International based on their expectations of its future earnings growth, profit margins and other risk factors.
  
• In order for you to agree with the analyst's consensus, you'd need to believe that by 2028, revenues will be $4.7 billion, earnings will come to $656.4 million, and it would be trading on a PE ratio of 22.3x, assuming you use a discount rate of 8.0%.
  
• Given the current share price of $79.14, the analyst price target of $90.8 is 12.8% higher.
  
• We always encourage you to reach your own conclusions though. So sense check these analyst numbers against your own assumptions and expectations based on your understanding of the business and what you believe is probable.