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Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies | 9 Months Ended
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Sep. 30, 2024
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract] |
BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES | BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES The Company Carriage Services, Inc. (“Carriage,” the “Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is a leading provider of funeral and cemetery services and merchandise in the United States. Our operations are reported in two business segments: Funeral Home Operations, which currently accounts for approximately 65% of our total revenue, and Cemetery Operations, which currently accounts for approximately 35% of our total revenue. At September 30, 2024, we operated 162 funeral homes in 26 states and 31 cemeteries in 11 states. Our funeral home operations are principally service businesses that generate revenue from sales of burial and cremation services and related merchandise, such as caskets and urns. Funeral services include consultation, the removal and preparation of remains, the sale of caskets and related funeral merchandise, the use of funeral home facilities for visitation and memorial services and transportation services. We provide funeral services and products on both an “atneed” (time of death) and “preneed” (planned prior to death) basis. Our cemetery operations generate revenue primarily through sales of cemetery interment rights (primarily grave sites, lawn crypts, mausoleum spaces and niches), related cemetery merchandise (such as memorial markers, outer burial containers and monuments) and services (interments, inurnments and installation of cemetery merchandise). We provide cemetery services and products on both an atneed and preneed basis. Principles of Consolidation and Interim Condensed Disclosures Our unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements include the Company and its subsidiaries. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated. Our interim Consolidated Financial Statements are unaudited, but include all adjustments, which consist of normal, recurring accruals, that are necessary for a fair presentation of our financial position and results of operations as of and for the interim periods presented. There have been no material changes in our accounting policies previously disclosed in Part II, Item 8 “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” in Note 1 in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023. In addition, our unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in a manner consistent with the accounting principles described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 unless otherwise disclosed herein, and should be read in conjunction therewith. Use of Estimates The preparation of our Consolidated Financial Statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our critical estimates and judgments, which include those related to the impairment of goodwill and the fair value measurements used in business combinations. These policies are considered critical because they may result in fluctuations in our reported results from period to period due to the significant judgments, estimates and assumptions about complex and inherently uncertain matters and because the use of different judgments, assumptions or estimates could have a material impact on our financial condition or results of operations. Actual results may differ from these estimates and such estimates may change if the underlying conditions or assumptions change. Historical performance should not be viewed as indicative of future performance because there can be no assurance the margins, operating income and net earnings, as a percentage of revenue, will be consistent from period to period. Cash and Cash Equivalents We consider all highly liquid investments purchased with an original maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents. Inventory Inventory consists primarily of caskets, outer burial containers and cemetery monuments and markers and is recorded at the lower of its cost basis or net realizable value. Inventory is relieved using specific identification in fulfillment of performance obligations on our contracts. Contingent Liability During the nine months ended September 30, 2024, we recorded a $5.0 million contingent liability to reflect our agreement to pay our financial advisor in connection with the review of strategic alternatives. At September 30, 2024, the contingency has been resolved resulting in no change to the liability recorded. Deferred Revenue During the nine months ended September 30, 2023, we withdrew $8.6 million of realized capital gains and earnings from our preneed funeral and cemetery trust investments. We did not withdraw any realized capital gains and earnings from our preneed trust investments during the nine months ended September 30, 2024. In certain states, we are allowed to make these withdrawals prior to the delivery of preneed merchandise and service contracts. The realized capital gains and earnings withdrawn increase our cash flow from operations, but are not recognized as revenue in our Consolidated Statements of Operations, however, they reduce our Preneed funeral trust investments and Preneed cemetery trust investments and increase our Deferred preneed funeral revenue and Deferred preneed cemetery revenue. Additionally, during the nine months ended September 30, 2023, we received a $6.0 million incentive payment from a vendor for entering into a strategic partnership agreement to market and sell prearranged funeral services in the future, which increased our cash flow from operations and Deferred preneed funeral revenue. The incentive payment is subject to partial claw-back if certain preneed funeral sales volumes are not met within the ten-year term of the agreement. As such, we will recognize the incentive payment in proportion to our achieved preneed funeral sales volume per the agreement at each reporting period. Held for Sale At September 30, 2024, we had $0.3 million of assets classified as held for sale on our Consolidated Balance Sheet related to one funeral home. The carrying value of these assets held for sale exceeded their fair value and in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”), we recognized an impairment of $40 thousand related to property, plant and equipment, which was recorded in Net loss on divestitures, disposals and impairment charges on our Consolidated Statements of Operations. Goodwill The excess of the purchase price over the fair value of identifiable net assets of funeral home businesses and cemeteries we acquire is recorded as goodwill. Goodwill has an indefinite life and is not subject to amortization. As such, we test goodwill for impairment on an annual basis as of August 31st each year. Under current guidance, we are permitted to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more-likely-than-not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount as a basis for determining whether it is necessary to perform a quantitative goodwill impairment test. We performed our most recent annual goodwill impairment test as of August 31, 2024. We intend to perform a quantitative impairment test at least once every three years and perform a qualitative assessment during the remaining two years. We conducted a quantitative assessment in 2022 and a qualitative assessment in 2023. In addition to our annual test, we assess the impairment of goodwill whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of a reporting unit may be greater than fair value. Factors that could trigger an interim impairment review include, but are not limited to, significant negative industry or economic trends and significant adverse changes in the business climate, which may be indicated by a decline in our market capitalization or decline in operating results. Our quantitative goodwill impairment test involves estimates and management judgment. In the quantitative analysis, we compare the fair value of each reporting unit to its carrying value, including goodwill. If the fair value of the reporting unit exceeds its carrying amount, the goodwill of that reporting unit is not considered impaired. We determine fair value for each reporting unit using both an income approach, weighted 90%, and a market approach, weighted 10%. Our methodology for determining an income-based fair value is based on discounting projected future cash flows. The projected future cash flows include assumptions concerning future operating performance and economic conditions that may differ from actual future cash flows discounted at our weighted average cost of capital based on market participant assumptions. Our methodology for determining a market approach fair value utilizes the guideline public company method, in which we rely on market multiples of comparable companies operating in the same industry as the individual reporting units. In accordance with the guidance, if the fair value of the reporting unit is less than its carrying amount an impairment charge is recorded in an amount equal to the difference. For our 2024 and 2023 annual qualitative assessments, we determined that there were no factors that would indicate the need to perform an additional quantitative goodwill impairment test. We concluded that it is more-likely-than-not that the fair value of our reporting units is greater than their carrying value and thus there was no impairment to goodwill. When we divest a portion of a reporting unit that constitutes a business in accordance with GAAP, we allocate goodwill associated with that business to be included in the gain or loss on divestiture. The goodwill allocated is based on the relative fair value of the business being divested and the portion of the reporting unit that will be retained. Additionally, after each divestiture, we will test the goodwill remaining in the portion of the reporting unit to be retained for impairment using a qualitative assessment unless we deem a quantitative assessment to be appropriate to ensure the fair value of our reporting units is greater than their carrying value. For the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, after each divestiture, we concluded that it was more-likely-than not that the fair value of our reporting units was greater than their carrying value and thus there was no impairment to goodwill. See Note 4 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included herein for additional information related to our goodwill. Intangible Assets Our intangible assets include tradenames resulting from acquisitions and are included in Intangible and other non-current assets, net on our Consolidated Balance Sheet. Our tradenames are considered to have an indefinite life and are not subject to amortization. As such, we test our intangible assets for impairment on an annual basis as of August 31st each year. Under current guidance, we are permitted to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is more-likely-than-not that the fair value of the tradename is less than its carrying amount as a basis for determining whether it is necessary to perform a quantitative impairment test. We performed our most recent annual intangible assets impairment test as of August 31, 2024. We intend to perform a quantitative impairment test at least once every three years and perform a qualitative assessment during the remaining two years. We conducted a quantitative assessment in 2022 and a qualitative assessment in 2023. In addition to our intangible assets annual test, we assess the impairment of intangible assets whenever certain events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of the intangible asset may be greater than the fair value. Factors that could trigger an interim impairment review include, but are not limited to, significant under-performance relative to historical or projected future operating results and significant negative industry or economic trends. Our quantitative intangible asset impairment test involves estimates and management judgment. Our quantitative analysis is performed using the relief from royalty method, which measures the tradenames by determining the value of the royalties that we are relieved from paying due to our ownership of the asset. We determine the fair value of the asset by discounting the cash flows that represent a savings in lieu of paying a royalty fee for use of the tradename. 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 and the determination and application of an appropriate royalty rate and discount rate. To estimate the royalty rates for the individual tradename, we mainly rely on the profit split method, but also consider the comparable third-party license agreements and the return on asset method. A scorecard is used to assess the relative strength of the individual tradename to further adjust the royalty rates selected under the profit-split method for qualitative factors. In accordance with the guidance, if the fair value of the tradename is less than its carrying amount, then an impairment charge is recorded in an amount equal to the difference. As a result of our 2024 and 2023 qualitative assessments, we determined that there were factors that would indicate the need to perform additional quantitative impairment tests for certain funeral home businesses. As a result of these additional quantitative impairment tests, we recorded an impairment to the tradenames for certain funeral home businesses of $0.6 million and $0.2 million, during the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively, as the carrying amount of these tradenames exceeded their fair value. See Note 10 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included herein for additional information related to our intangible assets. Property, Plant and Equipment Property, plant and equipment is comprised of the following (in thousands):
| September 30, 2024 |  | December 31, 2023
Land | $ | 86,609 |  |  | $ | 87,635 |
Buildings and improvements | 264,836 |  |  | 263,522 |
Furniture, equipment and vehicles | 73,393 |  |  | 74,372 |
Property, plant and equipment, at cost | 424,838 |  |  | 425,529 |
Less: accumulated depreciation | (145,304) |  |  | (138,045) |
Property, plant and equipment, net | $ | 279,534 |  |  | $ | 287,484 |
During the nine months ended September 30, 2024, we sold six funeral homes and one cemetery that had a carrying value of property, plant and equipment of $3.1 million, which was included in the loss on sale and recorded in Net loss on divestitures, disposals and impairment charges on our Consolidated Statements of Operations, more fully described in Note 5 to the Consolidated Financial Statements. Additionally, during the nine months ended September 30, 2024, we sold real property for $1.1 million, with a carrying value of $0.8 million and we recognized an impairment related to property, plant and equipment for assets held for sale of $40 thousand, which was recorded in Net loss on divestitures, disposals and impairment charges on our Consolidated Statements of Operations. During the nine months ended September 30, 2023, we acquired $12.8 million of property, plant and equipment related to our acquisition of a business located in Bakersfield, CA, more fully described in Note 3 to the Consolidated Financial Statements. Additionally, during the nine months ended September 30, 2023, we sold real property for $1.2 million, with a carrying value of $0.6 million, resulting in a gain on the sale of $0.6 million. We also divested one funeral home that had a carrying value of $0.3 million, which was included in the loss on the sale of divestitures and recorded in Net loss on divestitures, disposals and impairment charges on our Consolidated Statements of Operations, more fully described in Note 5 to the Consolidated Financial Statements. Our growth and maintenance capital expenditures totaled $2.9 million and $2.4 million for the three months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively, and $6.4 million and $7.9 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. In addition, we recorded depreciation expense of $3.5 million and $3.8 million for the three months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively, and $10.7 million and $11.0 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Cemetery Property Cemetery property was $113.1 million and $114.6 million, net of accumulated amortization of $70.7 million and $64.6 million at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively. When cemetery property is sold, the value of the cemetery property (interment right costs) is expensed as amortization using the specific identification method in the period in which the sale of the interment right is recognized as revenue. Our growth capital expenditures for cemetery property development totaled $1.7 million and $1.6 million for the three months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively, and $5.3 million and $5.1 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. We recorded amortization expense for cemetery interment rights of $2.0 million and $1.3 million for the three months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively, and $6.3 million and $4.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. During the nine months ended September 30, 2024, we sold one cemetery that had a carrying value of cemetery property of $0.8 million, which was included in the loss on sale and recorded in Net loss on divestitures, disposals and impairment charges on our Consolidated Statements of Operations, more fully described in Note 5 to the Consolidated Financial Statements. During the nine months ended September 30, 2023, we acquired cemetery property for $9.0 million related to our acquisition of a business located in Bakersfield, CA, as more fully described in Note 3 to the Consolidated Financial Statements. We also sold two cemeteries that had a carrying value of cemetery property of $0.8 million, which was included in the loss on sale and recorded in Net loss on divestitures, disposals and impairment charges on our Consolidated Statements of Operations, more fully described in Note 5 to the Consolidated Financial Statements. Income Taxes Income tax expense was $5.0 million and $2.1 million for the three months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively, and $12.9 million and $9.0 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Our operating tax rate before discrete items was 33.2% and 30.4% for the three months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively, and 33.2% and 28.9% for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively. Subsequent Events We have evaluated events and transactions during the period subsequent to September 30, 2024 through the date the financial statements were issued for potential recognition or disclosure in the accompanying financial statements covered by this report.

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