UNITED STATES

 SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D. C. 20549

Form 10‑Q

x	Quarterly report under Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

For The Quarterly Period Ended December 31, 2014

Commission File No. 0‑9115

MATTHEWS INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION

(Exact Name of registrant as specified in its charter)

NOT APPLICABLE

(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15 (d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate website, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer.  See definition of "accelerated filer" and "large accelerated filer" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    

As of December 31, 2014, shares of common stock outstanding were:

Class A Common Stock 32,976,591shares

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PART I ‑ FINANCIAL INFORMATION

MATTHEWS INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Unaudited)

(Dollar amounts in thousands, except per share data)

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

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MATTHEWS INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (Unaudited)

(Dollar amounts in thousands, except per share data)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

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MATTHEWS INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (Unaudited)

(Dollar amounts in thousands, except per share data)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

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MATTHEWS INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY

for the three months ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 (Unaudited)

(Dollar amounts in thousands, except per share data)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

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MATTHEWS INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (Unaudited)

(Dollar amounts in thousands, except per share data)

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MATTHEWS INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited)

December 31, 2014

(Dollar amounts in thousands, except per share data)

Note 1.   Nature of Operations

Matthews International Corporation ("Matthews" or the "Company"), founded in 1850 and incorporated in Pennsylvania in 1902, is a provider principally of brand solutions, memorialization products and industrial products.   Brand solutions includes brand development, deployment and management; printing plates and cylinders; pre-media services and imaging services for consumer packaged goods and retail customers; merchandising display systems; and marketing and design services.  Memorialization products consist primarily of bronze and granite memorials and other memorialization products, caskets and cremation equipment for the cemetery and funeral home industries.  Industrial products include marking and coding equipment and consumables, industrial automation products and order fulfillment systems for identifying, tracking, picking and conveying consumer and industrial products.

The Company has manufacturing and marketing facilities in the United States, Central and South America, Canada, Europe, Australia and Asia.

Note 2.   Basis of Presentation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles for interim financial information for commercial and industrial companies and the instructions to Form 10‑Q and Rule 10‑01 of Regulation S‑X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by generally accepted accounting principles for complete financial statements. The year-end condensed balance sheet data was derived from audited financial statements, but does not include all disclosures required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.  In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for fair presentation have been included. Operating results for the three months ended December 31, 2014 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2015. For further information, refer to the consolidated financial statements and footnotes thereto included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10‑K for the year ended September 30, 2014.  The consolidated financial statements include all domestic and foreign subsidiaries in which the Company maintains an ownership interest and has operating control.  All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated.

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Reclassifications and Revision:

Certain amounts in the consolidated financial statements of the prior year have been revised to conform to the current period's presentation.  These revisions are not material to the prior year presentation.

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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited), Continued

(Dollar amounts in thousands, except per share data)

Note 3.   Fair Value Measurements

Fair value is defined as 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. It establishes a three level fair value hierarchy to prioritize the inputs used in valuations, as defined below:

The fair values of the Company's assets and liabilities measured on a recurring basis are categorized as follows:

Note 4.   Inventories

Inventories consisted of the following:

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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited), Continued

(Dollar amounts in thousands, except per share data)

Note 5.   Debt

The Company has a domestic Revolving Credit Facility with a syndicate of financial institutions.  In connection with the acquisition of Schawk in July 2014, the Company entered into amendments to the Revolving Credit Facility to amend certain terms of the Revolving Credit Facility and increase the maximum amount of borrowings available under the facility from $500,000 to $900,000.  Borrowings under the amended facility bear interest at LIBOR plus a factor ranging from .75% to 2.00% (1.75% at December 31, 2014) based on the Company's leverage ratio.  The leverage ratio is defined as net indebtedness divided by EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization).  The Company is required to pay an annual commitment fee ranging from .15% to .25% (based on the Company's leverage ratio) of the unused portion of the facility.

The Revolving Credit Facility requires the Company to maintain certain leverage and interest coverage ratios.  A portion of the facility (not to exceed $30,000) is available for the issuance of trade and standby letters of credit. Outstanding borrowings on the Revolving Credit Facility at December 31, 2014 and September 30, 2014 were $670,000 and $680,000, respectively.  The weighted-average interest rate on outstanding borrowings at December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2013 was 2.51% and 2.54%, respectively.

The Company has entered into the following interest rate swaps:

The Company enters into interest rate swaps in order to achieve a mix of fixed and variable rate debt that it deems appropriate. The interest rate swaps have been designated as cash flow hedges of the future variable interest payments under the Revolving Credit Facility which are considered probable of occurring.  Based on the Company's assessment, all of the critical terms of each of the hedges matched the underlying terms of the hedged debt and related forecasted interest payments, and as such, these hedges were considered highly effective.

The fair value of the interest rate swaps reflected an unrealized loss, net of unrealized gains, of $1,000 ($610 after tax) at December 31, 2014 and an unrealized gain, net of unrealized losses, of $330 ($201 after tax) at September 30, 2014. The net unrealized gain and loss are included in shareholders' equity as part of accumulated other comprehensive income ("AOCI").  Assuming market rates remain constant with the rates at December 31, 2014, a loss (net of tax) of approximately $859 included in AOCI is expected to be recognized in earnings over the next twelve months.

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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited), Continued

(Dollar amounts in thousands, except per share data)

Note 5.  Debt (continued)

At December 31, 2014 and September 30, 2014, the interest rate swap contracts were reflected in the consolidated balance sheets as follows:

The loss recognized on derivatives was as follows:

The Company recognized the following gains or losses in AOCI:

The Company, through certain of its European subsidiaries, has a credit facility with a European bank.  The maximum amount of borrowings available under this facility is 25.0 million Euros ($30,248).  Outstanding borrowings under the credit facility totaled 21.1 million Euros ($25,589) and 17.5 million Euros ($22,055) at December 31, 2014 and September 30, 2014, respectively.  The weighted-average interest rate on outstanding borrowings under this facility at December 31, 2014 and 2013 was 1.27% and 1.37%, respectively.

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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited), Continued

(Dollar amounts in thousands, except per share data)

Note 5.  Debt (continued)

The Company, through its German subsidiary, Saueressig GmbH & Co. KG ("Saueressig"), has several loans with various European banks.  Outstanding borrowings under these loans totaled 1.5 million Euros ($1,757) and 1.2 million Euros ($1,576) at December 31, 2014 and September 30, 2014, respectively.  The weighted-average interest rate on outstanding borrowings of Saueressig at December 31, 2014 and 2013 was 4.24% and 4.04%, respectively.

The Company, through its German subsidiary, Wetzel GmbH ("Wetzel"), has several loans with various European banks.  Outstanding borrowings on these loans totaled 2.7 million Euros ($3,264) and 2.9 million Euros ($3,624) at December 31, 2014 and September 30, 2014.  The weighted-average interest rate on outstanding borrowings of Wetzel at December 31, 2014 and 2013 was 5.74% and 7.53%, respectively.

The Company, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Matthews International S.p.A., has several loans with various Italian banks.  Outstanding borrowings on these loans totaled 4.5 million Euros ($5,418) and 5.5 million Euros ($6,922) at December 31, 2014 and September 30, 2014, respectively.  Matthews International S.p.A. also has three lines of credit totaling 11.3 million Euros ($13,708) with the same Italian banks.  Outstanding borrowings on these lines were 4.1 million Euros ($4,935) and 4.8 million Euros ($6,063) at December 31, 2014 and September 30, 2014, respectively.  The weighted-average interest rate on outstanding Matthews International S.p.A. borrowings at December 31, 2014 and 2013 was 3.18% and 3.16%, respectively.

As of December 31, 2014 and September 30, 2014 the fair value of the Company's long-term debt, including current maturities, approximated the carrying value included in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet.

Note 6.   Share-Based Payments

The Company maintains an equity incentive plan (the "2012 Equity Incentive Plan") that provides for grants of stock options, restricted shares, stock-based performance units and certain other types of stock-based awards.  The Company also maintains an equity incentive plan (the "2007 Equity Incentive Plan") and a stock incentive plan (the "1992 Incentive Stock Plan") that previously provided for grants of stock options, restricted shares and certain other types of stock-based awards.  Under the 2012 Equity Incentive Plan, which has a ten-year term, the maximum number of shares available for grants or awards is an aggregate of 2,500,000.  There will be no further grants under the 2007 Equity Incentive Plan or the 1992 Incentive Stock Plan.  At December 31, 2014, there were 1,496,798 shares reserved for future issuance under the 2012 Equity Incentive Plan. All plans are administered by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors.

The option price for each stock option granted under any of the plans may not be less than the fair market value of the Company's common stock on the date of grant.  Outstanding stock options are generally exercisable in one-third increments upon the attainment of pre-defined levels of appreciation in the market value of the Company's Class A Common Stock.  In addition, options generally vest in one-third increments after three, four and five years, respectively, from the grant date (but, in any event, not until the attainment of the market value thresholds).  The options expire on the earlier of ten years from the date of grant, upon employment termination, or within specified time limits following voluntary employment termination (with the consent of the Company), retirement or death.  The Company generally settles employee stock option exercises with treasury shares.

With respect to outstanding restricted share grants, for grants made prior to fiscal 2013, generally one-half of the shares vest on the third anniversary of the grant, with the remaining one-half of the shares vesting in one-third increments upon attainment of pre-defined levels of appreciation in the market value of the Company's Class A Common Stock.  For grants made in and after fiscal 2013, generally one-half of the shares vest on the third anniversary of the grant, one-quarter of the shares vest in one-third increments upon the attainment of pre-defined levels of adjusted earnings per share, and the remaining one-quarter of the shares vest in one-third increments upon attainment of pre-defined levels of appreciation in the market value of the Company's Class A Common Stock.  Additionally, restricted shares cannot vest until the first anniversary of the grant date.  Unvested restricted shares generally expire on the earlier of five years from

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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited), Continued

(Dollar amounts in thousands, except per share data)

Note 6.   Share-Based Payments (continued)

the date of grant, upon employment termination, or within specified time limits following voluntary employment termination (with the consent of the Company), retirement or death.  The Company issues restricted shares from treasury shares.

For the three-month periods ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, total stock-based compensation cost totaled $2,525 and $1,574, respectively.  The associated future income tax benefit recognized was $985 and $614 for the three-month periods ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

For the three-month periods ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, the amount of cash received from the exercise of stock options was $3,727 and $1,855, respectively.  In connection with these exercises, the tax benefits realized by the Company for the three-month periods ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 were $315 and $177, respectively.

The transactions for restricted stock for the three months ended December 31, 2014 were as follows:

As of December 31, 2014, the total unrecognized compensation cost related to unvested restricted stock was $13,585 and is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 2.1 years.

The transactions for shares under options for the quarter ended December 31, 2014 were as follows:

No options vested during the three months ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively.  The intrinsic value of options (which is the amount by which the stock price exceeded the exercise price of the options on the date of exercise) exercised during the three-month periods ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 was $841 and $488, respectively.

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 NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited), Continued

(Dollar amounts in thousands, except per share data)

Note 6.   Share-Based Payments (continued)

The transactions for non-vested options for the quarter ended December 31, 2014 were as follows:

The fair value of each restricted stock grant is estimated on the date of grant using a binomial lattice valuation model.  The following table indicates the assumptions used in estimating fair value of restricted stock granted during the periods ended December 31, 2014 and 2013.

The risk-free interest rate is based on United States Treasury yields at the date of grant. The dividend yield is based on the most recent dividend payment and average stock price over the 12 months prior to the grant date.  Expected volatilities are based on the historical volatility of the Company's stock price.  The expected term for grants in the years ended September 30, 2014, 2013 and 2012 represents an estimate of the average period of time for restricted shares to vest.  The option characteristics for each grant are considered separately for valuation purposes.

The Company maintains the 1994 Director Fee Plan, and, after approval by the Company's shareholders in February 2014, the 2014 Director Fee Plan (collectively, the "Director Fee Plans").  After adoption of the 2014 Director Fee Plan, there will be no further fees or share-based awards under the 1994 Director Fee Plan.  Under the 2014 Director Fee Plan, directors (except for the Chairman of the Board) who are not also officers of the Company each receive, as an annual retainer fee for fiscal 2015, either cash or shares of the Company's Class A Common Stock with a value equal to $75.  The annual retainer fee for fiscal 2015, paid to a non-employee Chairman of the Board is $175.  Where the annual retainer fee is provided in shares, each director may elect to be paid these shares on a current basis or have such shares credited to a deferred stock account as phantom stock, with such shares to be paid to the director subsequent to leaving the Board.  The value of deferred shares is recorded in other liabilities.  A total of 17,005 shares had been deferred under the Director Fee Plans at December 31, 2014.  Additionally, directors who are not also officers of the Company each receive an annual stock-based grant (non-statutory stock options, stock appreciation rights and/or restricted shares) with a value of $110 for fiscal 2015.  A total of 22,300 stock options have been granted under the Director Fee Plans.  At December 31, 2014, there were no options outstanding. Additionally, 120,503 shares of restricted stock have been granted under the Director Fee Plans, 37,457 of which were unvested at December 31, 2014.  A total of 150,000 shares have been authorized to be issued under the 2014 Director Fee Plan.

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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited), Continued

(Dollar amounts in thousands, except per share data)

Note 7.   Earnings Per Share Attributable to Matthews Shareholders

The information used to compute earnings per share attributable to Matthews' common shareholders was as follows:

There were no anti-dilutive securities for the three months ended December 31, 2014 or 2013.

Note 8.   Pension and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans

The Company provides defined benefit pension and other postretirement plans to certain employees. Net periodic pension and other postretirement benefit cost for the plans included the following:

Benefit payments under the Company's principal retirement plan are made from plan assets, while benefit payments under the postretirement benefit plan are made from the Company's operating funds.  Under IRS regulations, the Company is not required to make any significant contributions to its principal retirement plan in fiscal year 2015.

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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited), Continued

(Dollar amounts in thousands, except per share data)

Note 8.   Pension and Other Postretirement Benefit Plans (continued)

Contributions made and anticipated for fiscal year 2015 are as follows:

Note 9.   Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income

The change in AOCI by component, net of tax, for the three month periods ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 were as follows:

(a)	Amounts were included in net periodic benefit cost for pension and other postretirement benefit plans (see note 8).

(b)	Amounts were included in interest expense in the periods the hedged item affected earnings (see note 5).

 

 

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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited), Continued

(Dollar amounts in thousands, except per share data)

Note 9.   Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (continued)

Reclassifications out of AOCI for the three month periods ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 were as follows:

(a)	Amounts are included in the computation of pension and other postretirement benefit expense, which is reported in both cost of goods sold and selling and administrative expenses.  For additional information, see Note 8.

(b)	For pre-tax items, positive amounts represent income and negative amounts represent expense.

Note 10.   Income Taxes

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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited), Continued

(Dollar amounts in thousands, except per share data)

Note 11.   Segment Information

In the first quarter of fiscal 2015, the Company changed its segment reporting to reflect a realignment of its operations, and changes in the management of its business.  The Company is now managing and reporting its businesses under three segments: SGK Brand Solutions, Memorialization and Industrial. The SGK Brand Solutions segment is comprised of graphics imaging products and services, including Schawk, Inc. ("Schawk"), merchandising display systems, and marketing and design services. The Memorialization segment is comprised of the Company's cemetery products, funeral home products and cremation operations.  The Industrial segment is comprised of the Company's marking and automation products and fulfillment systems. Prior periods have been restated to conform with the current presentation.  Management evaluates segment performance based on operating profit (before income taxes) and does not allocate non-operating items such as investment income, interest expense, other income (deductions), net and minority interest.

Information about the Company's segments follows:

Note 12.   Acquisitions

On July 29, 2014, the Company acquired Schawk, a leading global brand development, activation and brand deployment company headquartered in Des Plaines, Illinois.  Under the terms of the transaction, Schawk shareholders received $11.80 cash and 0.20582 shares of Matthews' common stock for each Schawk share held.  Based on the closing price of Matthews' stock on July 28, 2014, the transaction represented an implied price of $20.74 per share and a total enterprise value (which included net outstanding debt, net of cash acquired) of $616,686.  Schawk provides comprehensive brand development and brand deployment services to clients primarily in the consumer packaged goods, retail and life sciences markets.  Schawk creates and sells its clients' brands, produces brand assets and protects brand equities to help drive brand performance.  Schawk delivers its services through more than 155 locations in over 20 countries across North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia.  The preliminary purchase price allocation related to the Schawk acquisition is not finalized as of December 31, 2014, and is based upon a preliminary valuation which is subject to change as the Company obtains additional information, including with respect to fixed assets, intangible assets, certain liabilities and related taxes.

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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited), Continued

(Dollar amounts in thousands, except per share data)

Note 12.   Acquisitions (continued)

The following information presents a summary of the consolidated results of Matthews combined with Schawk as if the acquisition had occurred on October 1, 2013:

The unaudited pro forma results for the three months ended December 31, 2013 have been prepared for comparative purposes only and include certain adjustments, such as interest expense on acquisition debt and acquisition related costs.  The pro forma information does not purport to be indicative of the results of operations which actually would have resulted had the acquisition occurred on the date indicated, or which may result in the future.

Note 13.   Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets

Goodwill is not amortized, but is subject to periodic review for impairment.  In general, when the carrying value of a reporting unit exceeds its implied fair value, an impairment loss must be recognized.  For purposes of testing for impairment, the Company uses a combination of valuation techniques, including discounted cash flows.  Intangible assets are amortized over their estimated useful lives, unless such lives are considered to be indefinite.  The Company performs its annual impairment review of goodwill and indefinite lived trade names in the second fiscal quarter.  A significant decline in cash flows generated from these assets may result in a write-down of the carrying values of the related assets.  The Company performed its annual impairment reviews in the second quarters of fiscal 2014 and 2013 and determined that no adjustments to the carrying values of goodwill were necessary.  Recent economic conditions in Europe have unfavorably impacted the operating results of the graphics imaging business within the SGK Brand Solutions segment.  For the graphics imaging reporting unit in 2014, the estimated fair value exceeded its carrying value by less than 10%, resulting in no goodwill impairment for the unit.  While the graphics imaging reporting unit passed the first step of the impairment test, if its operating profits or another significant assumption were to deteriorate in the future, it could adversely affect the estimated fair value of the reporting unit.  Factors that could have a negative impact on the estimated fair value of the graphics imaging reporting unit include a further delay in the recovery of the European market, continued pricing pressure, declines in expected volumes, and an increase in discount rates.  If the Company is unsuccessful in its plans to recover the profitability of this business, the estimated fair value could decline and lead to a potential goodwill impairment in the future.  The graphics imaging reporting unit did not include Schawk at the time of the fiscal 2014 impairment review.  Schawk will be included in the graphics imaging reporting unit for the fiscal 2015 impairment review.

A summary of the carrying amount of goodwill attributable to each segment as well as the changes in such amounts are as follows:

 

 

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NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited), Continued

(Dollar amounts in thousands, except per share data)

Note 13.   Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets (continued)

The following tables summarize the carrying amounts and related accumulated amortization for intangible assets as of December 31, 2014 and September 30, 2014, respectively.

The net change in intangible assets during the three months ended December 31, 2014 included the impact of foreign currency fluctuations during the period and additional amortization.  In addition, the Company completed the sale of a majority ownership in its Schawk Digital Solutions business, which was acquired in 2014 as part of the Schawk acquisition.  Net proceeds from this transaction totaled approximately $10,400, and the sale primarily resulted in the disposal of working capital and intangible assets, and the recognition of a cost-basis investment in this business.  No gain or loss was recognized on the sale.

Amortization expense on intangible assets was $4,650 and $1,174 for the three-month periods ended December 31, 2014 and 2013, respectively.  The remaining amortization expense is estimated to be $14,552 in 2015, $18,308 in 2016, $17,295 in 2017, $16,170 in 2018 and $15,298 in 2019.

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MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF

FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT:

The following discussion should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements of Matthews International Corporation ("Matthews" or the "Company") and related notes thereto included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2014.  Any forward-looking statements contained herein 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 changes in domestic or international economic conditions, changes in foreign currency exchange rates, changes in the cost of materials used in the manufacture of the Company's products, changes in death rates, changes in product demand or pricing as a result of consolidation in the industries in which the Company operates, changes in product demand or pricing as a result of domestic or international competitive pressures, unknown risks in connection with the Company's acquisitions, including the risks associated with the Company's recent acquisition of Schawk, Inc. ("Schawk"), and technological factors beyond the Company's control.  In addition, although the Company does not have any customers that would be considered individually significant to consolidated sales, changes in the distribution of the Company's products or the potential loss of one or more of the Company's larger customers are also considered risk factors.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS:

In the first quarter of fiscal 2015, the Company changed its segment reporting to reflect a realignment of its operations, and changes in the management of its business.  The Company is now managing and reporting its businesses under three segments: SGK Brand Solutions, Memorialization and Industrial. The SGK Brand Solutions segment is comprised of graphics imaging products and services, including Schawk, Inc. ("Schawk"), merchandising display systems, and marketing and design services. The Memorialization segment is comprised of the Company's cemetery products, funeral home products and cremation operations.  The Industrial segment is comprised of the Company's marking and automation products and fulfillment systems. Prior periods have been restated to conform with the current presentation. (Segment information is set forth in this report in Note 11, "Segment Information" in Item 1-"Financial Statements").

The following table sets forth the sales and operating profit for the Company's three reporting segments for the quarters ended December 31, 2014 and 2013.