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<SEC-DOCUMENT>0000063296-04-000041.txt : 20041117
<SEC-HEADER>0000063296-04-000041.hdr.sgml : 20041117
<ACCEPTANCE-DATETIME>20041117143920
ACCESSION NUMBER:		0000063296-04-000041
CONFORMED SUBMISSION TYPE:	8-K
PUBLIC DOCUMENT COUNT:		2
CONFORMED PERIOD OF REPORT:	20041116
ITEM INFORMATION:		Results of Operations and Financial Condition
FILED AS OF DATE:		20041117
DATE AS OF CHANGE:		20041117

FILER:

	COMPANY DATA:	
		COMPANY CONFORMED NAME:			MATTHEWS INTERNATIONAL CORP
		CENTRAL INDEX KEY:			0000063296
		STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION:	NONFERROUS FOUNDRIES (CASTINGS) [3360]
		IRS NUMBER:				250644320
		STATE OF INCORPORATION:			PA
		FISCAL YEAR END:			0930

	FILING VALUES:
		FORM TYPE:		8-K
		SEC ACT:		1934 Act
		SEC FILE NUMBER:	000-09115
		FILM NUMBER:		041151895

	BUSINESS ADDRESS:	
		STREET 1:		TWO NORTHSHORE CENTER
		CITY:			PITTSBURGH
		STATE:			PA
		ZIP:			15212-5851
		BUSINESS PHONE:		4124428200

	MAIL ADDRESS:	
		STREET 1:		TWO NORTHSHORE CENTER
		CITY:			PITTSBURGH
		STATE:			PA
		ZIP:			15212-5851

	FORMER COMPANY:	
		FORMER CONFORMED NAME:	MATTHEWS JAMES H & CO
		DATE OF NAME CHANGE:	19780823
</SEC-HEADER>
<DOCUMENT>
<TYPE>8-K
<SEQUENCE>1
<FILENAME>form8k-fourthqtr2004.txt
<TEXT>
<PAGE> 1
               UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                           Washington, D.C.  20549

                                  Form 8-K

                               CURRENT REPORT

                      Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of
                      the Securities Exchange Act of 1934


               Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported):
                                 November 16, 2004



                      MATTHEWS INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION
            ------------------------------------------------------
            (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)



           Pennsylvania                   0-9115               25-0644320
   ----------------------------     ------------------        ------------
   (State or other jurisdiction        (Commission           (IRS Employer
        of incorporation)              File Number)       Identification No.)



   Two NorthShore Center, Pittsburgh, PA                       15212-5851
  ----------------------------------------                     ----------
  (Address of principal executive offices)                     (Zip Code)



  Registrant's telephone number, including area code:       (412) 442-8200
                                                            --------------



<PAGE> 2

Item 2.02  Results of Operations and Financial Condition

On November 16, 2004, Matthews International Corporation issued a press
release announcing its earnings for fiscal year 2004.  A copy of the press
release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1.


<PAGE> 3


                                 SIGNATURES

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


                                           MATTHEWS INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION
                                                      (Registrant)


                                       By  Steven F. Nicola
                                           ----------------------------------
                                           Steven F. Nicola
                                           Chief Financial Officer,
                                            Secretary and Treasurer




Date: November 17, 2004







































<PAGE> 4

              MATTHEWS INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
                                   EXHIBITS
                                    INDEX
                                  ----------


The following Exhibit to this report is filed herewith.



     Exhibit
       No.        Description
     -------      -----------
      99.1        Press release, dated November 16, 2004, issued by
                  Matthews International Corporation.


















































</TEXT>
</DOCUMENT>
<DOCUMENT>
<TYPE>EX-99
<SEQUENCE>2
<FILENAME>exhibit99-fourthqtr2004.txt
<TEXT>
    <PAGE> 1                                  Exhibit 99.1


November 16, 2004                          Steven F. Nicola
                                           Chief Financial Officer, Secretary
                                           & Treasurer
                                            412:442-8262

                     MATTHEWS INTERNATIONAL ANNOUNCES
                         EARNINGS FOR FISCAL 2004


PITTSBURGH, PA, NOVEMBER 16, 2004 -- Matthews International Corporation
(NASDAQ NMS: MATW) today announced financial results for the fiscal year
ended September 30, 2004.  The Company reported net income for fiscal 2004
of $56,195,000 compared to $44,893,000 for fiscal 2003.  Earnings per share
for fiscal 2004 were $1.72 per share, representing an increase of 23.7
percent over $1.39 per share for fiscal 2003.  Sales for the year ended
September 30, 2004 were $508,801,000, representing an increase of
$49,936,000, or 10.9 percent over sales of $458,865,000 in fiscal 2003.
The improvement in consolidated operating results for the year reflected
higher profitability in all of the Company's business segments, the impact
of acquisitions completed during the past 16 months and an increase in the
value of foreign currency exchange rates compared to the U.S. dollar.

For the fiscal 2004 fourth quarter, net income was $16,631,000, or $0.51
per share compared to $11,719,000 or $0.36 per share for the fourth quarter
a year ago.  Net income for the fiscal 2004 fourth quarter represented an
increase of 41.9 percent over the same period last year.  Net income for
the fiscal 2004 fourth quarter was favorably impacted by the Company's
recent acquisitions and changes in foreign currency exchange rates.  Net
income for the fiscal 2003 fourth quarter and year included a pre-tax gain
of $2.6 million on the sale of the Company's Graphics Imaging facility in
Southern California and a pre-tax charge of $3.6 million for goodwill
impairment in the Graphics Imaging segment. Sales in the fourth quarter
were $146,277,000 compared to $118,066,000 in the same quarter last year.


Matthews International Corporation   - 2 of 3 -            November 16, 2004

David M. Kelly, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, stated:  "Matthews
finished the fiscal year very strong despite some significant challenges.
On a consolidated level, our operating results benefited from recent
acquisitions and an increase in the value of foreign currencies against the
U.S. dollar.  However, the dramatic rise in metal costs (bronze and steel)
effected several of our businesses, particularly in the fourth quarter.

We also continued to see the positive effects of productivity improvements in
our operations.  These cost structure improvements and some price recovery
allowed our Bronze segment to report another year of improved results.
Unfortunately, our York Casket segment was unable to mitigate the impact of
rising steel costs in the fourth quarter.  Our other business segments
performed well during the year and we are pleased with the early results of
our Merchandising Solutions (Cloverleaf Group) business."

Mr. Kelly also noted that the quarter ended September 30, 2004 represented
the thirty-first consecutive quarter of double-digit earnings growth for the
Corporation and that the Company's ten-year average increase in earnings per
share since becoming a publicly traded stock in July 1994 is 16.1 percent.
For the twelve months ended September 30, 2004, the Company repurchased
approximately 498,000 shares of its common stock during fiscal 2004.

Due to the continued high level of bronze and steel costs, the Company
remains cautious about earnings growth in fiscal 2005.  The results of its
European Graphics business were unusually strong in 2004 and we do not
anticipate similar growth in fiscal 2005 in this cyclical business.  The
Company is also adding a new lower cost casket manufacturing facility in
Mexico and the costs associated with this expansion will negatively affect
short-term operating results.

Matthews International Corporation, headquartered in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, is a designer, manufacturer and marketer of memorialization
products, caskets and cremation equipment for the cemetery and funeral home
industries; merchandising solutions; and custom made products which are used
to identify people, places, products and events.  The Company's products and
services include cast bronze memorials and other memorialization products;
caskets; merchandising display systems; marketing and design services; cast
and etched architectural products; cremators and cremation-related products;
mausoleums; printing plates, pre-press services, and imaging systems for the
corrugated and flexible packaging industries; and marking equipment and
consumables for identifying various consumer and industrial products,
components and containers.


Matthews International Corporation    	- 3 of 3 -          November 16, 2004

                   MATTHEWS INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
                        CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF INCOME
                                      (Unaudited)
                            (In Thousands, except Share Data)

                                Three Months Ended           Year Ended
                              --------------------      --------------------
                              9/30/04     9/30/03       9/30/04     9/30/03(1)
                              --------    --------      -------     --------
Sales                         $146,277    $118,066     $508,801     $458,865
Operating Profit                28,563      21,199       97,794       80,084
Income before Taxes             27,185      19,143       91,833       73,354
Income Taxes                    10,554       7,424       35,638       28,461
Net Income                     $16,631     $11,719   $   56,195    $  44,893

Earnings per Share               $0.51       $0.36   $     1.72    $    1.39

Weighted Average Shares     32,759,810  32,738,289   32,688,643   32,314,696

(1) Fiscal 2003 included a net pre-tax charge of $1,000 from special items
which consisted of a goodwill impairment charge of $3.6 million, net of a pre-
tax gain of $2.6 million on the sale of a facility.

Any forward-looking statements contained in this release are included pursuant
to the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform
Act of 1995.  Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks
and uncertainties that may cause the Company's actual results in future
periods to be materially different from management's expectations.  Although
the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking
statements are reasonable, no assurance can be given that such expectations
will prove correct.  Factors that could cause the Company's results to differ
materially from the results discussed in such forward-looking statements
principally include economic, competitive, and technological factors beyond
the Company's control.






</TEXT>
</DOCUMENT>
</SEC-DOCUMENT>
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