Company Description
Service Corporation International (NYSE: SCI) is a personal services company in the funeral homes and funeral services industry. According to company disclosures, it is North America's largest provider of deathcare products and services, with a focus on funeral, cemetery and cremation offerings. The company is headquartered in Houston, Texas and operates in the "Other Services (except Public Administration)" sector.
Service Corporation International organizes its activities around two primary business functions: funeral services and cemetery operations. At its funeral service locations, the company provides professional services, facilities, vehicles and merchandise related to funerals and cremations. Its cemetery locations provide cemetery property, memorial markers and graveyard services. Based on available information, the company derives a majority of its revenue from its funeral services segment, with additional contributions from its cemetery business.
The company operates a large network of locations across the United States and Canada. Company reports state that, at various reporting dates in 2025, Service Corporation International owned and operated more than 1,480 funeral service locations and close to 500 cemeteries, including hundreds of combination locations that include both funeral homes and cemeteries. These locations span dozens of U.S. states, multiple Canadian provinces, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, giving SCI broad geographic coverage within North America.
A central element of the company’s strategy is its Dignity Memorial® brand. Through its businesses, Service Corporation International markets the Dignity Memorial brand, which it describes as a network of funeral, cremation and cemetery service providers. Company materials characterize Dignity Memorial as a name families turn to for professionalism, compassion and attention to detail. The brand is used across the company’s diversified portfolio of locations to offer families a range of choices, from simple cremations to full life celebrations and personalized remembrances.
In addition to at-need services provided at the time of a death, Service Corporation International also highlights final-arrangement planning in advance, often referred to as preneed arrangements. Company communications describe cemetery preneed sales production and funeral preneed sales production as important measures, indicating that SCI sells cemetery property and funeral services ahead of need and recognizes revenue as services are performed or property is developed and delivered. The company also notes the use of affiliated trust funds and third-party life insurance companies in connection with these preneed contracts, subject to regulatory and market considerations.
Service Corporation International’s disclosures emphasize that the funeral and cemetery businesses involve significant fixed costs and are affected by factors such as the number of deaths in its markets, consumer preferences (including the number of cremations performed), and broader economic conditions. The company also notes that the funeral and cemetery industry is competitive. Within that context, SCI points to its scale, its portfolio of brands and its extensive network of locations as important characteristics of its business model.
From a corporate and financial perspective, SCI is a Texas corporation with its common stock listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "SCI". The company reports on its results through quarterly and annual financial statements and uses both GAAP and non-GAAP measures, such as earnings excluding special items and net cash provided by operating activities excluding special items. It has also disclosed the use of credit facilities and term loans, as reflected in its senior unsecured credit agreement that includes a term loan facility and a revolving credit facility, subject to leverage covenants and other customary terms.
Service Corporation International also describes various risk factors that can affect its operations and financial performance. These include market conditions affecting the investments held in affiliated trust funds, potential requirements to replenish those funds, the financial condition of life insurance companies that fund preneed contracts, inflation and economic conditions, weather events and natural disasters, public health crises, supply chain risks, and regulatory and compliance obligations. The company notes that changes in the number of deaths, shifts in consumer preferences, and the continuing upward trend in life expectancy and cremation rates can influence revenue, operating profit and cash flows.
Beyond its core commercial activities, SCI highlights initiatives related to supporting grieving families. For example, Dignity Memorial locations offer a 24-hour Compassion Helpline, which provides families with confidential phone access to licensed professionals trained in grief counseling for a defined period after a loss. The company also offers the Dignity Memorial Guidance Series, a collection of grief materials such as booklets, brochures and online resources featuring insights from grief experts, intended to help families understand and process the emotions associated with bereavement.
Service Corporation International has also partnered with nonprofit organizations in the grief support space. Company announcements describe a multi-year partnership with the National Alliance for Children’s Grief, including grants intended to support programs and materials for children and families experiencing grief. These activities are presented as part of SCI’s broader commitment to serving families before, during and after the loss of a loved one.
Business Segments and Services
Funeral services are a primary focus for SCI. At its funeral service locations, the company provides professional services related to planning and conducting funerals and cremations, along with the use of facilities and vehicles. Merchandise associated with these services is also part of the offering. Company disclosures indicate that funeral services represent the majority of the company’s revenue.
Cemetery operations involve the sale of cemetery property, such as burial plots and related spaces, as well as memorial markers and graveyard services. SCI’s cemetery segment includes both standalone cemeteries and combination locations that include funeral homes on the same property. The company reports on cemetery preneed sales production and at-need sales production as key indicators of activity in this segment.
Geographic Footprint
Service Corporation International states that it operates funeral service locations and cemeteries in numerous U.S. states and Canadian provinces, as well as in the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The company has indicated that it serves hundreds of thousands of families each year across this network. Based on company disclosures, SCI derives a majority of its revenue from operations in the United States, with additional contributions from its Canadian business.
Brand Portfolio and Client Focus
The company describes its portfolio as diversified across brands and locations, offering families a range of options for memorialization. The Dignity Memorial brand is central to this portfolio and is used to market funeral, cremation and cemetery services. SCI emphasizes that its brands and locations are intended to provide choices that can accommodate simple arrangements as well as more elaborate life celebrations and personalized remembrances.
Regulatory and Financial Considerations
As a public company, Service Corporation International files reports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including current reports on Form 8-K describing material events such as financial results, amendments to bylaws, changes to credit agreements and dividend declarations. The company notes that its credit agreements contain covenants related to leverage ratios and other matters, and that it uses a combination of insurance, self-insurance and deductibles to manage certain risks.
SCI’s risk disclosures highlight that its results can be influenced by factors beyond its control, such as market volatility affecting trust fund investments, economic conditions, regulatory changes, litigation outcomes, and operational risks including information technology systems and supply chain issues. The company also notes that its Canadian operations expose it to economic and currency risks specific to that market.
Support for Grieving Families
In addition to core funeral and cemetery services, Service Corporation International emphasizes ongoing support for families experiencing loss. The Dignity Memorial Compassion Helpline and Guidance Series are examples of resources described in company communications. SCI also points to partnerships with organizations focused on children’s grief, such as the National Alliance for Children’s Grief, as part of its efforts to provide education, resources and support around bereavement.
SCI Stock and Investor Profile
Service Corporation International’s common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol SCI. The company has disclosed a history of paying quarterly cash dividends on its common stock, with dividend declarations subject to approval by its Board of Directors each quarter after reviewing financial performance. SCI also reports on share repurchase authorizations and other capital allocation decisions through its public filings and press releases.