OK, so we have heard it all before. Death and taxes, those are the two things we can count on in life, right? Not really all that much fun to think about, I suppose, but who says you can't at least get something out of the death part while you are alive?
Let me clarify here: I am talking about stocks. Investments. Nothing more. I ran across a little company the other day that caught my interest simply because its market will never die. Or, well, we are actually counting on the fact that its market will die.
Matthews International (Nasdaq: MATW) makes sure that when people pass on that they are remembered. The company has been designing, producing, and selling memorialization products for cemeteries and funeral homes since 1850 and has developed quite a reputation in the process. So why do I make the bull case for Matthews? What exactly is it that catches my eye over competitors Hillenbrand (NYSE: HI), Stewart Enterprises (Nasdaq: STEI), and Costco (Nasdaq: COST)? Well, I like this little small cap for a few reasons. Here are three:
1. Global exposure. Matthews is not just limited to the States. As a matter of fact, in 2009, 36% of the company's revenue came from outside the United States. Europe provides nearly one-third of revenue, and the rest came from Canada, Asia, and Australia.
2. As the cash flows. Something I look for in any business is its ability to generate cash, and Matthews has done pretty well on this front. Over the past 12 months, the company has generated about $80 million in free cash flow, and through the years it has consistently generated ample amounts of free cash flow. This is money the company can use to buy back shares, which it has done, thereby creating shareholder value over time.
3. The market never ends. Matthews has a reputation to protect. As long as it can keep its doors open, it will always have a market to serve. No matter how much healthy food you eat (and I am more of a "live to eat" kind of guy) or how much exercise you get, eventually we all have got to pay the piper.
There you have it: three reasons why I like shares of Matthews International today. Businesses with the ability to produce consistent cash flow are always worth a look, and at less than 15 times trailing earnings and an enterprise value / EBITDA multiple of 8.3, Matthews looks like a pretty good way to cheat death. But maybe not taxes.
