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GENERAL (Policies)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2020

Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements [Abstract]

The Company is a provider of funeral and cemetery products and services in the death care industry in the United States. As of September 30, 2020, the Company operated 318 cemeteries in 27 states and Puerto Rico, of which 288 were owned and 30 were operated under lease, management or operating agreements. The Company also owned and operated 86 funeral homes, including 40 located on the grounds of cemetery properties that the Company owned, in 17 states and Puerto Rico.

The Company’s cemeteries provide cemetery property interment rights, such as burial lots, lawn and mausoleum crypts, and cremation niches. Cemetery merchandise is comprised of burial vaults, caskets, grave markers and memorials. Cemetery services include the installation of this merchandise and other service items. The Company sells these products and services both at the time of death, which is referred to as at-need, and prior to the time of death, which is referred to as pre-need.

The Company’s funeral home services include family consultation, the removal and preparation of remains, insurance products and the use of funeral home facilities for visitation and memorial services.

C-Corporation Conversion

On December 31, 2019, pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, the Company completed the following series of reorganization transactions (which the Company sometimes refer to collectively as the “C-Corporation Conversion”):

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GP Holdings contributed its entire equity interest in the Partnership to StoneMor GP and, in exchange, ultimately received an aggregate of 5,099,969 shares of the Company’s common stock;

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StoneMor GP contributed the common units in the Partnership it received from GP Holdings to StoneMor LP Holdings, LLC (“LP Sub”), a Delaware limited liability company and wholly-owned subsidiary of StoneMor GP;

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Merger Sub merged with and into the Partnership, with the Partnership surviving as a Delaware limited partnership, and pursuant to which each outstanding Series A Convertible Preferred Unit (defined within) and Common Unit (defined within) (other than the common units held by LP Sub) was converted into the right to receive one share of the Company’s common stock; and

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StoneMor GP converted from a Delaware limited liability company to a Delaware corporation called StoneMor Inc.

As a result of the C-Corporation Conversion, the Company remains the general partner of the Partnership and LP Sub is the sole limited partner of the Partnership such that, directly or indirectly, the Company owns 100% of the interests in the Partnership.

The C-Corporation Conversion represented a transaction between entities under common control and was accounted for similarly to pooling of interests in a business combination. The common stock of the Company issued to the holders of the common units and preferred units of the Partnership and to GP Holdings for its general partner interest in the Partnership was recognized by the Company at the carrying value of the equity interests in the Partnership. In addition, the Company became the successor and the Partnership the predecessor for the purposes of financial reporting.

Basis of Presentation and Principles of Consolidation

The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements, which are unaudited, have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”) for interim reporting. They do not include all disclosures normally made in financial statements contained in Annual Reports on Form 10-K. In management’s opinion, all adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of the Company’s financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the periods disclosed have been made. The balance sheet at December 31, 2019 has been derived from the audited consolidated financial statement as of December 31, 2019, as presented in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, which was filed with Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") on April 7, 2020 (the “Annual Report”). The interim unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements and the related notes thereto presented in the Annual Report. The results of operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 may not necessarily be indicative of the results of operations for the full year ending December 31, 2020.

The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of each of the Company’s 100% owned subsidiaries. These statements also include the accounts of the merchandise and perpetual care trusts in which the Company has a variable interest and is the primary beneficiary. The Company operates 30 cemeteries under long-term leases, operating agreements and management agreements. The operations of 16 of these managed cemeteries have been consolidated.

The Company operates 14 cemeteries under long-term leases and other agreements that do not qualify as acquisitions for accounting purposes. As a result, the Company did not consolidate all of the existing assets and liabilities related to these cemeteries. The Company has consolidated the existing assets and liabilities of the merchandise and perpetual care trusts associated with these cemeteries as variable interest entities, since the Company controls and receives the benefits and absorbs any losses from operating these trusts. Under the long-term leases, and other agreements associated with these properties, which are subject to certain termination provisions, the Company is the exclusive operator of these cemeteries and earns revenues related to sales of merchandise, services and interment rights and incurs expenses related to such sales, including the maintenance and upkeep of these cemeteries. Upon termination of these agreements, the Company will retain all of the benefits and related contractual obligations incurred from sales generated during the agreement period. The Company has also recognized the existing customer contract-related performance obligations that it assumed as part of these agreements.

COVID-19 and Business Interruption

The outbreak of COVID-19, which has reached pandemic proportions (“COVID-19 Pandemic”), poses a significant threat to the health and economic wellbeing of the Company’s employees, customers and vendors. The Company’s operations have been deemed essential by the state and local governments in which it operates, with the exception of Puerto Rico, and the Company is actively working with federal, state and local government officials to ensure that it continues to satisfy their requirements for offering the Company’s essential services. The operation of all of the Company’s facilities is critically dependent on the Company’s employees who staff these locations. To ensure the wellbeing of the Company’s employees and their families, the Company provided every employee of the Company with detailed health and safety literature on COVID-19, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (the “CDC”)’s industry-specific guidelines for working with the deceased who were or may have been infected with COVID-19. In addition, the Company’s procurement and safety teams have updated and developed new safety-oriented guidelines to support daily field operations and continue to provide personal protection equipment to those employees whose positions necessitate it. The Company implemented work from home policies at the Company’s corporate office consistent with the CDC’s guidance to reduce the risks of exposure to COVID-19 while still supporting the families that we serve. The Company has not experienced any significant disruptions to its business as a result of the work from home policies in its corporate office.

The Company’s marketing and sales team quickly responded to the sales challenges presented by the COVID-19 Pandemic by implementing virtual meeting options using a variety of web-based tools to ensure that the Company’s sales personnel can continue to connect with and meet the needs of the Company’s customers in a safe, effective and productive manner. Some of the Company’s locations are providing live video streaming of their funeral and burial services to customers or providing other alternatives that respect social distancing, so that family and friends can connect during their time of grief.

Like most businesses world-wide, the COVID-19 Pandemic has impacted the Company financially. During the last two weeks of the first quarter and into beginning of the second quarter of 2020, the Company saw its pre-need sales and at-need sales activity decline as Americans practiced social distancing and crowd size restrictions were put in place. However, during the last two months of the second quarter and during the third quarter, the Company experienced at-need sales growth. While the Company expects that its pre-need sales could continue to be challenged during the continued COVID-19 Pandemic, the Company believes the implementation of its virtual meeting tools is one of several key steps to mitigate this disruption. In addition, throughout this disruption the Company’s cemeteries and funeral homes have largely remained open and available to serve its families in all the locations in which it operates to the extent permitted by local authorities, with the exception of Puerto Rico, and the Company expects that this will continue.

The Company expects the COVID-19 Pandemic could have an adverse effect on its future results of operations and cash flows, however the Company cannot presently predict, with certainty, the scope and severity of that impact. The Company may incur additional costs related to the implementation of prescribed safety protocols related to the COVID-19 Pandemic. In the event there are confirmed diagnoses of COVID-19 within a significant number of the Company’s facilities, the Company may incur costs related to the closing and subsequent cleaning of these facilities and the ability to adequately staff the impacted sites. In addition, the Company’s pre-need customers with installment contracts could default on their installment contracts due to lost work or other financial stresses arising from the COVID-19 Pandemic. As a result of the implications of COVID-19, the Company assessed long-lived assets for impairment and concluded no assets were impaired as of September 30, 2020.

On May 5, 2020, the Company’s Board of Directors, at the recommendation of its Compensation, Nominating and Governance Committee (the “CNG Committee”), approved certain voluntary temporary reductions in base salaries implemented by the Company’s senior management as part of measures being taken to reduce expenses given the uncertainty regarding the extent and potential duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the Company’s financial condition. These voluntary base salary reductions, which began on April 20, 2020 and continued for ten weeks, did not modify other rights under any agreements or employee benefits that are determined by reference to base salary and did not give rise to any “good reason” resignation rights or any breach under the affected employees’ applicable arrangements with the Company.

At the CNG Committee’s recommendation, the Board also approved reductions of 50% of the quarterly retainer fee and additional Board committee chair fees payable to non-employee directors for a ten-week period of the third quarter of 2020.

Axar Proposal

On May 27, 2020, the Company announced that it had received an unsolicited proposal letter (the “Proposal”), dated May 24, 2020, from Axar Capital Management L.P. (“Axar”) proposing to acquire all of the outstanding shares of common stock of the Company not owned by Axar or its affiliates for $0.67 per share in cash, subject to certain conditions. On May 26, 2020, the Company’s Board of Directors formed a special committee (the “Special Committee”) consisting of independent directors to consider and evaluate the transaction contemplated by the Proposal. The Special Committee retained independent legal and financial advisors to assist in its review and evaluation of the proposed transaction and had been authorized by the Board to reject the proposed transaction or to recommend that the Board of Directors approve the terms of the proposed transaction. On June 16, 2020, the Company announced that the Special Committee sent a letter to Axar informing it that, after reviewing the Proposal, it had rejected the price proposed by Axar as inadequate.

On July 31, 2020, the Company announced that the Special Committee had received an amended proposal (the “Amended Proposal”) from Axar proposing to acquire all of the outstanding shares of common stock of the Company not owned by Axar or its affiliates for $0.80 per share in cash, subject to certain conditions. The key terms of the Amended Proposal were set forth in a letter dated July 28, 2020. On September 8, 2020, the Company announced that Axar, after determining that it would not be able to reach an agreement with the Special Committee on terms that would be satisfactory to Axar, had withdrawn its proposal to acquire all of the outstanding shares of common stock of the Company not owned by Axar or its affiliates. Axar currently owns approximately 62% of the Company’s outstanding common stock.

Strategic Partnership Agreement

On April 2, 2020, the Company entered into two multi-year Master Services Agreements (the “MSAs”) with Moon Landscaping, Inc. and its affiliate, Rickert Landscaping, Inc. (collectively “Moon”), which are being implemented in a phased approach. Under the terms of the MSAs, Moon agreed to provide all grounds and maintenance services at most of the funeral homes, cemeteries and other properties the Company owns or manages including, but not limited to, landscaping, openings and closings, burials, installations, routine maintenance and janitorial services. Moon also agreed to hire all of the Company’s grounds and maintenance employees at the serviced locations upon transition and perform all functions handled by those employees.

The Company agreed to pay a total of approximately $241.0 million over the term of the contracts, which run through December 31, 2024, based upon an initial annual cost of $49.0 million and annual increases of 2%. The first year cost will be prorated based upon exact implementation and roll-out schedule for each location. As part of the MSAs, the Company agreed to sublease to Moon the landscaping and maintenance equipment that it leases and to lease the landscaping and maintenance equipment to Moon that it owns for the duration of the agreements. The Company agreed to transfer title to any such equipment it owns at the end of the term to Moon, in each case without any additional payment by Moon. As of September 30, 2020, the net book value of the equipment the Company was leasing to Moon was approximately $5.1 million.

Each party has the right to terminate the MSAs at any time on six months’ prior written notice, provided that if the Company terminates the MSAs without cause, it will be obligated to pay Moon an equipment credit fee in the amount of $1.0 million for each year remaining in the term, prorated for the portion of the year in which any such termination occurs. The MSAs also contain representations, covenants and indemnity provisions that are customary for agreements of this nature.

Amendments to Indenture and Capital Raise

On April 1, 2020, the Partnership and CFS West Virginia (collectively, the “Issuers”) and Wilmington Trust, National Association, as trustee, entered into the Third Supplemental Indenture (the “Supplemental Indenture”) to the Indenture. Pursuant to the terms of the Supplemental Indenture, the following financial covenants were amended:

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The Interest Coverage Ratio measurements at March 31, June 30 and September 30, 2020 were eliminated and replaced with a Minimum Operating Cash Flow covenant of $(25.0 million), $(35.0 million) and $(35.0 million), respectively;

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The required Interest Coverage Ratios at December 31, 2020, March 31, 2021 and June 30, 2021 were reduced to 0.00x, 0.75x and 1.10x, respectively, from 1.15x, 1.25x and 1.30x; and

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The Asset Coverage tests at March 31, June 30, September 30 and December 31, 2020 were reduced to 1.40x from 1.60x.

In addition, the premium payable upon voluntary redemption of the 9.875%/11.500% Senior Secured PIK Toggle Notes due 2024 (the “Senior Secured Notes”) on or after June 27, 2021 and before June 27, 2022 was increased from 4.0% to 5.0% and the premium payable upon any such voluntary redemption on or after June 27, 2022 and before June 27, 2023 was increased from 2.0% to 3.0%.

The Issuers also agreed in the Supplemental Indenture to use their best efforts to cause the Company to effectuate a rights offering on the terms described below as promptly as practicable with an expiration date no later than July 24, 2020 and to receive proceeds of not less than $8.2 million therefrom (in addition to the $8.8 million capital raise described below).

Concurrently with the execution of the Supplemental Indenture, the Company entered into a letter agreement (the “Axar Commitment”) with Axar pursuant to which Axar committed to (a) purchase shares of our Series A Preferred Stock with an aggregate purchase price of $8.8 million on April 3, 2020, (b) exercise its basic rights in the rights offering by tendering the shares of Series A Preferred Stock so purchased for shares of Common Stock and (c) purchasing any shares offered in the rights offering for which other stockholders do not exercise their rights, up to a maximum of an additional $8.2 million of such shares. The Company did not pay Axar any commitment, backstop or other fees in connection with the Axar Commitment.

On April 3, 2020, as contemplated by the Axar Commitment, the Company and Axar CL SPV LLC, Star V Partners LLC and Blackwell Partners LLC –Series E. (the “2020 Purchasers”) entered into a Series A Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement (the “2020 Preferred Purchase Agreement”) pursuant to which the Company sold 176 shares of its Series A Preferred Stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Preferred Shares”), for a cash price of $50,000 per share, an aggregate of $8.8 million. The Company offered and sold the Preferred Shares in reliance upon the exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) thereof. The Company relied on this exemption from registration based in part on representations made by the 2020 Purchasers in the 2020 Preferred Purchase Agreement.

Under the terms of the Supplemental Indenture and the Axar Commitment, the Company agreed to undertake an offering to holders of its Common Stock of transferable rights to purchase their pro rata share of shares of Common Stock with an aggregate exercise price of at least $17.0 million at a price of $0.73 per share. The rights offering period, during which the rights will be transferable, will be no less than 20 calendar days and no more than 45 calendar days. The Company agreed to use its best efforts to complete the rights offering with an expiration date no later than July 24, 2020.

On May 27 2020, the Company entered into a Common Stock Purchase Agreement (the “Common Stock Purchase Agreement”) with Axar, the accounts managed by Axar set forth on Schedule B thereto and one or more accounts managed by Axar to be designated by it (collectively, the “Purchasers”) pursuant to which the Company agreed to sell an aggregate of 23,287,672 shares of its Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share to the Purchasers at a price of $0.73 per share, an aggregate of $17.0 million. Because the Company’s common stock had been trading at a price less than the $0.73 subscription price for the rights offering described above, the Company’s Board of Directors determined and Axar agreed in the Common Stock Purchase Agreement to amend the Axar Commitment to provide for a direct purchase of the 23,287,672 shares of common stock and avoid the expense of proceeding with the rights offering while obtaining the same per share and aggregate purchase price contemplated by the Axar Commitment.

On June 19, 2020, the Company completed the sale of the aggregate of 23,287,672 shares of its Common Stock (the “New Common Shares”) as contemplated by the Common Stock Purchase Agreement. The Company issued and sold to the Purchasers, and the Purchasers acquired and purchased from the Company, (a) 12,054,795 New Common Shares in exchange for the surrender of 176 shares of Preferred Shares of the Company purchased on April 3, 2020, with a stated value of $8.8 million (an exchange ratio of 68,493.15 New Common Shares for each share of Series A Preferred Stock surrendered), and (b) 11,232,877 New Common Shares for a cash purchase price of $0.73 per share, an aggregate of $8.2 million. The Company offered and sold the New Common Shares in reliance upon the exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) thereof. The Company relied on this exemption from registration based in part on representations made by the Purchasers in the Purchase Agreement.

Sources and Uses of Liquidity

The Company’s primary sources of liquidity are cash generated from operations and proceeds from asset sales. The Company’s primary cash requirements, in addition to normal operating expenses, are for capital expenditures, net contributions to the merchandise and perpetual care trust funds and debt service. In general, as part of its operating strategy, the Company expects to fund:

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working capital deficits through available cash, cash generated from operations, proceeds from asset sales and proceeds from equity offerings;

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expansion capital expenditures, net contributions to the merchandise and perpetual care trust funds and debt service obligations through available cash, cash generated from operations or proceeds from asset sales. Amounts contributed to the merchandise trust funds will be withdrawn at the time of the delivery of the product or service sold to which the contribution related (see "Summary of Significant Accounting Policies" section below regarding revenue recognition), which will reduce the amount of additional borrowings or asset sales needed; and

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any maintenance capital expenditures through available cash and cash flows from operating activities.

While the Company relies heavily on its available cash and cash flows from operating activities to execute its operational strategy and meet its financial commitments and other short-term financial needs, the Company cannot be certain that sufficient capital will be generated through operations or be available to the Company to the extent required and on acceptable terms. The Company has experienced negative financial trends, including use of cash in operating activities, which, when considered in the aggregate, could raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. These negative financial trends include:

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the Company has incurred net losses for the past several years and generated negative cash flow from operating activities for the year ended December 31, 2019 and the three months ended March 31, 2020, due to an increased competitive environment and increases in professional fees and compliance costs; and

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a decline in billings coupled with the increase in professional, compliance and consulting expenses that tightened the Company's liquidity position and increased reliance on long-term financial obligations.

During 2019 and 2020, the Company implemented (and will continue to implement) various actions to improve profitability and cash flows to fund operations. A summary of these actions is as follows:

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sold an aggregate of 52,083,333 Preferred Units for an aggregate purchase price of $57.5 million and completed a private placement of $385.0 million of the Senior Secured Notes in June 2019. The net proceeds of both transactions were used to fully repay the then-outstanding 7.875% senior notes due in June 2021 (the “Senior Notes”) and retire the Company’s revolving credit facility that was due in May 2020;

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manage recurring operating expenses, seek to limit non-recurring operating expenses and implement cost reduction initiatives to minimize the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Company;

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identify and complete sales of select assets to de-leverage the balance sheet; and

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raised $17.0 million in equity capital from the sale of 176 Preferred Shares and the subsequent exchange of such Preferred Shares for 12,054,795 shares of its Common Stock and the sale of an additional 11,232,877 shares of its Common Stock.

In addition, there is no certainty that the Company's actual operating performance and cash flows will not be substantially different from forecasted results or that the Company will not need amendments to the Indenture in the future or that any such amendments will be available on terms acceptable to the Company or at all. Factors that could impact the significant assumptions used by the Company in assessing its ability to satisfy its financial covenants include the following:

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operating performance not meeting reasonably expected forecasts, including the effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Company’s operations;

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failing to generate profitable sales;

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investments in the Company's trust funds experiencing significant declines due to factors outside its control;

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being unable to compete successfully with other cemeteries and funeral homes in the Company's markets;

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the number of deaths in the Company's markets declining; and

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an adverse change in the mix of funeral and cemetery revenues between burials and cremations.

If the Company's planned, implemented and not yet implemented actions are not successful in generating sustainable cash savings for the Company, or the Company fails to improve its operating performance and cash flows or the Company is not able to comply with the covenants under the Indenture, the Company may be forced to limit its business activities, limit its ability to implement further modifications to its operations or limit the effectiveness of some actions that are included in its forecasts, amend its Indenture and/or seek other sources of capital, and the Company may be unable to continue as a going concern. Additionally, a failure to generate additional liquidity could negatively impact the Company's access to inventory or services that are important to the operation of the Company's business. Any of these events may have a material adverse effect on the Company's results of operations and financial condition, and limit the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern.

Based on the Company's forecasted operating performance, planned actions to improve the Company’s profitability and cash flows, the execution of the Supplemental Indenture and the Axar Commitment and the completion of the transactions contemplated thereby, including the receipt of $17.0 million in gross proceeds, together with plans to file its financial statements on a timely basis consistent with the debt covenants and commitment to filing its periodic reports on a timely basis consistent with the debt covenants, the Company does not believe it is probable that it will breach the covenants under the Indenture or be unable to continue as a going concern for the next twelve-month period. As such, the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 were prepared on the basis of a going concern, which contemplates that the Company will be able to realize assets and discharge liabilities in the normal course of business. Accordingly, they do not give effect to adjustments, if any, that would be necessary should the Company be required to liquidate its assets.

NYSE Delisting Notification

On April 14, 2020, the Company received notice from the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) stating that upon its review of the Company’s financial condition, the NYSE has concluded that the Company is not in compliance with the NYSE’s continued listing requirements (the “NYSE Notification”), since as of April 13, 2020, the 30-trading day average closing price of the Company’s Common Stock had fallen below $1.00 per share over a consecutive 30 trading-day period, which is the minimum average share price for continued listing on the NYSE under Rule 802.01C of the NYSE Listed Company Manual (the “NYSE Listed Manual”). As of April 13, 2020, the Company’s 30 trading-day average closing share price of its security was $0.97.

The Company has a period of six months following the receipt of the NYSE Notification to regain compliance with the minimum share price requirement, which was tolled from April 21, 2020 through June 30, 2020. In order to regain compliance, on the last trading day of any calendar month during the cure period or at the end of the cure period, the Common Stock must have (i) a closing price of at least $1.00 per share and (ii) an average closing price of at least $1.00 per share over the 30-trading day period ending on the last trading day of such month. As required, the Company notified the NYSE, within 10 business days of receipt of the NYSE Notification, of its intent to cure this deficiency in order to avoid immediate suspension and delisting procedures. In the event that as of December 23, 2020, both a $1.00 share price and a $1.00 average share price over the 30 trading day period then ended are not attained, the NYSE will commence suspension and delisting procedures.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of the Company’s unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions as described in its Annual Report. These estimates and assumptions may affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting periods. As a result, actual results could differ from those estimates.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all highly liquid investments purchased with an original maturity of three months or less from the time they are acquired to be cash equivalents. Cash and Cash Equivalents was $44.0 million and $34.9 million as of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively.

Restricted Cash

Cash that is restricted from withdrawal or use under the terms of certain contractual agreements is recorded as restricted cash. Restricted cash was $20.6 million and $21.9 million as of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively, which primarily related to cash collateralization of the Company’s letters of credit and surety bonds, and at December 31, 2019 also included a $5.0 million refundable deposit received in connection with the sale of one of the Company’s properties.

Revenues and Deferred Revenues

Revenue

The Company's revenues are derived from contracts with customers through sale and delivery of death care products and services. Primary sources of revenue are derived from (1) cemetery and funeral home operations generated both at-need and pre-need, which are classified on the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations as Interments, Merchandise and Services, (2) investment income, which includes income earned on assets maintained in perpetual care and merchandise trusts related to pre-need sales of cemetery and funeral home merchandise and services that are required to be maintained in the trust by state law and (3) interest earned on pre-need installment contracts. Investment income is presented within Investment and other for Cemetery revenue and Services for Funeral home revenue. Revenue is measured based on the consideration specified in a contract with a customer and is net of any sales incentives and amounts collected on behalf of third parties. Pre-need contracts are price guaranteed, providing for future merchandise and services at prices prevailing when the agreements are signed.

Investment income is earned on certain payments received from customers on pre-need contracts, which are required by law to be deposited into the merchandise and service trusts. Amounts are withdrawn from the merchandise trusts when the Company fulfills the performance obligations. Earnings on these trust funds, which are specifically identifiable for each performance obligation, are also included in total transaction price. Pre-need contracts are generally subject to financing arrangements on an installment basis, with a contractual term not to exceed 60 months. Interest income is recognized utilizing the effective interest method. For those contracts that do not bear a market rate of interest, the Company imputes such interest based upon the prime rate at the time of origination plus 375 basis points in order to segregate the principal and interest component of the total contract value. The Company has elected to not adjust the transaction price for the effects of a significant financing component for contracts that have payment terms under one year.

At the time of a non-cancellable pre-need sale, the Company records an account receivable in an amount equal to the total contract value less unearned finance income and any cash deposit paid. The revenue from both the sales and interest income from trusted funds are deferred until the merchandise is delivered or the services are performed. For a sale in a cancellable state, an account receivable is only recorded to the extent control has transferred to the customer for interment rights, merchandise or services for which the Company has not collected cash. The amounts collected from customers in states in which pre-need contracts are cancellable may be subject to refund provisions. The Company estimates the fair value of its refund obligation under such contracts on a quarterly basis and records such obligations within other long-term liabilities line item on its consolidated balance sheets.

In accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASC 606”), the Company recognizes revenue in the amount to which the Company expect to be entitled to when it satisfies a performance obligation by transferring control over a product or service to a customer. The Company only recognizes amounts due from a customer for unfulfilled performance obligations on a cancellable pre-need contract to the extent that control has transferred to the customer for interments, merchandise or services for which the Company has not collected cash. The Company defers the recognition of any nonrefundable up-front fees and incremental direct selling costs associated with its sales contracts with a customer (i.e., commissions and bonuses) until the underlying goods or services have been delivered to the customer if the amortization period associated with the deferred nonrefundable up-front fees and incremental direct selling is greater than a year; otherwise, these nonrefundable up-front fees and incremental direct selling costs are expensed immediately. Incremental direct selling costs are recognized by specific identification. The Company calculates the deferred selling costs asset by dividing total deferred selling and obtaining expenses by total deferrable revenues and multiplying such percentage by the periodic change in gross deferred revenues. Such costs are recognized when the associated performance obligation is fulfilled based upon the net change in deferred revenues. All other selling costs are expensed as incurred.

In addition, the Company maintains a reserve representing the fair value of the refund obligation that may arise due to state law provisions that include a guarantee of customer funds collected on unfulfilled performance obligations and maintained in trust to the extent that the funds are refundable upon a customer’s exercise of any cancellation rights.

Sales taxes assessed by governmental authorities are excluded from revenue. Any shipping and handling costs that are incurred after control over a product has transferred to a customer are accounted for as a fulfillment cost and are included in cost of goods sold.

Nature of Goods and Services

The following is a description of the principal activities within the Company’s two reportable segments from which the Company generates its revenue.

Cemetery Operations

The Company generates revenues in its Cemetery Operations segment principally from (1) providing rights to inter remains in a specific cemetery property inventory space such as burial lots and constructed mausoleum crypts (“Interments”), (2) sales of cemetery merchandise which includes markers (i.e., method of identifying a deceased person in a burial space, crypt or niche), base (i.e., the substrate upon which a marker is placed), vault (i.e., a container installed in the burial lot in which the casket is placed), caskets, cremation niches and other cemetery related items and (3) service revenues, including opening and closing, a service of digging and refilling burial spaces to install the burial vault and place the casket into the vault, cremation services and fees for installation of cemetery merchandise. Products and services may be sold separately or in packages. For packages, the Company accounts for individual products and services separately as they are distinct (i.e., the product or service is separately identifiable from other items in the package and the customer can benefit from it on its own or with other resources that are readily available to the customer). The consideration (including any discounts) is allocated among separate products and services in a package based on their relative stand-alone selling prices. The stand-alone selling price is determined by management based upon local market conditions and reasonable ranges for both merchandise and services which is the best estimate of the stand-alone price. For items that are not sold separately (e.g., second interment rights), the Company estimates stand-alone selling prices using the best estimate of market value, using inputs such as average selling price and list price broken down by each geographic location. Additionally, the Company considers typical sales promotions that could have impacted the stand-alone selling price estimates.

Interments revenue is recognized when control transfers, which is when the property is available for use by the customer. For pre-construction mausoleum contracts, the Company only recognizes revenue once the property is constructed and the customer has obtained substantially all of the remaining benefits of the property.

Merchandise revenue and deferred investment earnings on merchandise trusts are recognized when a customer obtains control of the product. This usually occurs when the customer takes possession of the product (title has transferred to the customer and the merchandise is either installed or stored, at the direction of the customer, at the vendor’s warehouse or a third-party warehouse at no additional cost to the Company). The amount of revenue recognized is adjusted for expected refunds, which are estimated based on applicable law, general business practices and historical experience observed specific to the respective performance obligation. The estimate of the refund obligation is reevaluated on a quarterly basis. In addition, the Company is entitled to retain, in certain jurisdictions, a portion of collected customer payments when a customer cancels a pre-need contract; these amounts are also recognized in revenue at the time the contract is cancelled.

Service revenue is recognized when the services are performed, and the performance obligation is thereby satisfied.

The cost of goods sold related to merchandise and services reflects the actual cost of purchasing products and performing services and the value of cemetery property depleted through the recognized sales of interment rights. The costs related to the sales of lots and crypts are determined systematically using a specific identification method under which the total value of the underlying cemetery property and the lots available to be sold at the location are used to determine the cost per lot.

Funeral Home Operations

The Company generates revenues in its Funeral Home Operations segment principally from (1) sales of funeral home merchandise which includes caskets and other funeral related items and (2) service revenues, which includes services such as family consultation, the removal of and preparation of remains and the use of funeral home facilities for visitation and services of remembrance. The Funeral Home Operations segment also include revenues related to the sale of term and whole life insurance on an agency basis, in which the Company earns a commission from the sales of these policies. Insurance commission revenue is reported within service revenues. Products and services may be sold separately or in packages. For packages, the Company accounts for individual products and services separately as they are distinct (i.e., the product or service is separately identifiable from other items in the package and the customer can benefit from it on its own or with other resources that are readily available to the customer). The consideration (including any discounts) is allocated among separate products and services based on their relative stand-alone selling prices. The relative stand-alone selling price is determined by management's best estimate of the stand-alone price based upon the list price at each location. The revenue generated by the Company through its Funeral Home Operations segment is principally derived from at-need sales.

Merchandise revenue is recognized when a customer obtains control of the product. This usually occurs when the customer takes possession of the product (title has transferred to the customer and the merchandise is either installed or stored, at the direction of the customer, at the vendor’s warehouse or a third-party warehouse). The amount of revenue recognized is adjusted for expected refunds, which are estimated based on applicable law, general business practices and historical experience observed specific to the respective performance obligations. The estimate of the refund obligation is reevaluated on a quarterly basis.

Service revenue is recognized when the services are performed and the performance obligation is thereby satisfied.

Costs related to the delivery or performance of merchandise and services are charged to expense when merchandise is delivered or services are performed.

Deferred Revenues

Revenues from the sale of services and merchandise as well as any investment income from the merchandise trusts is deferred until such time that the services are performed or the merchandise is delivered. In addition, for amounts deferred on new contracts and investment income and unrealized gains on our merchandise trusts, deferred revenues include deferred revenues from pre-need sales that were entered into by entities prior to the Company’s acquisition of those entities or the assets of those entities. The Company provides for a profit margin for these deferred revenues to account for the projected future costs of delivering products and providing services on pre-need contracts that the Company acquired through acquisition. These revenues and their associated costs are recognized when the related merchandise is delivered or services are performed and are presented on a gross basis on the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations.

Accounts Receivable, Net of Allowance

The Company sells pre-need cemetery contracts whereby the customer enters into arrangements for future pre-need merchandise and services. These sales are usually made using interest-bearing installment contracts not to exceed 60 months. The interest income is recorded as revenue when the interest amount is considered realizable and collectible, which typically coincides with cash payment. Interest income is not recognized until payments are collected in accordance with the contract. At the time of a pre-need sale, the Company records an account receivable in an amount equal to the total contract value less unearned finance income, unfulfilled performance obligations on cancellable contracts and any cash deposit paid. The Company recognizes an allowance for doubtful accounts by applying a cancellation rate to amounts included in accounts receivable, which is recorded as a reduction in accounts receivable and a corresponding offset to deferred revenues. The cancellation rate is based on a five year average rate by each specific location. Management evaluates customer receivables for impairment based upon historical experience, including the age of the receivables and customers’ payment histories.

Leases

The Company leases a variety of assets throughout its organization, such as office space, funeral homes, warehouses and equipment. The Company has both operating and finance leases. The Company’s operating leases primarily include office space, funeral homes and equipment. The Company’s finance leases primarily consist of vehicles and certain IT equipment. The Company determines whether an arrangement is or contains a lease at the inception of the arrangement based on the facts and circumstances in each contract. Leases with an initial term of 12 months or less are not recorded on the balance sheet, and the Company recognizes lease expense for these leases on a straight-line basis over the lease term. For lease agreements with an initial term in excess of 12 months, the Company records the lease liability and Right of Use (“ROU”) asset at commencement date based upon the present value of the sum of the remaining minimum rental payments, which exclude executory costs. Certain adjustments to the ROU asset may be required for items such as initial direct costs paid or incentives received.

Certain leases provide the Company with the option to renew for additional periods, with renewal terms that can extend the lease term for periods ranging from 1 to 30 years. Where leases contain escalation clauses, rent abatements and/or concessions, the Company applies them in the determination of lease expense. The exercise of lease renewal options is at the Company’s sole discretion, and the Company is only including the renewal option in the lease term when the Company can be reasonably certain that the Company will exercise the additional options.

As most of the Company’s leases do not provide an implicit rate, the Company uses its incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at the commencement date in determining the present value of lease payments. The Company evaluates the term of the lease, type of asset and its weighted average cost of capital to determine its incremental borrowing rate used to measure the ROU asset and lease liability.

The Company calculates operating lease expense ratably over the lease term plus any reasonably assured renewal periods. The Company considers reasonably assured renewal options, fixed escalation provisions and residual value guarantees in its calculation. Leasehold improvements are amortized over the shorter of the lease term or asset life, which may include renewal periods where the renewal is reasonably assured, and are included in the determination of straight-line rent expense. The depreciable life of assets and leasehold improvements are generally limited by the expected lease term.

The Company’s leases also typically have lease and non-lease components, which are generally accounted for separately and not included in the measurement of the ROU asset and lease liability.

Stock-Based Compensation

The Company has a long-term incentive plan under which it is authorized to grant stock-based compensation awards, such as restricted stock or restricted units to be settled in common stock and non-qualified stock options (“stock options”). The Company recognizes compensation expense in an amount equal to the fair value of the stock-based awards on the date of grant over the requisite service period. The fair value of restricted stock awards and restricted stock unit awards is determined based on the number of restricted stock or restricted stock units granted and the closing price of the Company’s common stock on the date of grant. The fair value of stock options is determined by applying the Black-Scholes model to the grant-date market value of the underlying common stock of the Company. The Company has elected to recognize forfeiture credits for these stock-based compensation awards as they are incurred, as this method best reflects actual stock-based compensation expense.

Tax deductions on the stock-based compensation awards are not realized until the stock-based compensation awards are vested or exercised. The Company recognizes deferred tax assets for stock-based compensation awards that will result in future deductions on its income tax returns, based on the amount of stock-based compensation recognized at the statutory tax rate in the jurisdiction in which the Company will receive a tax deduction. If the tax deduction for a stock-based compensation award is greater than the cumulative GAAP compensation expense for that stock-based compensation award upon realization of a tax deduction, an excess tax benefit will be recognized and recorded as a favorable impact on the effective tax rate. If the tax deduction for a stock-based compensation award is less than the cumulative GAAP compensation expense for that stock-based compensation award upon realization of the tax deduction, a tax shortfall will be recognized and recorded as an unfavorable impact on the effective tax rate. Any excess tax benefits or shortfalls will be recorded discretely in the period in which they occur. The cash flows resulting from any excess tax benefit will be classified as financing cash flows in the Company’s consolidated statements of cash flows.

The Company provides its employees with the election to settle the income tax obligations arising from the vesting of their restricted stock-based compensation awards by the Company withholding stock equal to such income tax obligations. However, employees who are subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act are required to have stock withheld to satisfy such income tax obligations unless the Company’s Compensation, Nominating and Governance Committee provides that the employee must pay cash in lieu of having stock withheld. Shares of stock acquired from employees in connection with the settlement of the employees’ income tax obligations on these stock-based compensation awards are accounted for as treasury shares that are subsequently retired. Restricted stock awards, restricted stock units and stock options are not considered issued and outstanding for purposes of earnings per share calculations until vested.

Net Income (Loss) per Common Share (Basic and Diluted)

Basic net income (loss) per common share is computed by dividing net income (loss) attributable to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted net income (loss) per common share is calculated by dividing net income (loss) attributable to common shares by the sum of the weighted-average number of outstanding common shares and the dilutive effect of share-based awards, as calculated by the treasury stock or if converted methods, as applicable. These awards consist of common shares that are contingently issuable upon the satisfaction of certain vesting conditions for stock awards granted under the Company’s long-term incentive plan.

The following table sets forth the reconciliation of the Company’s weighted-average number of outstanding common shares for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020 and common limited partner units for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 used to compute basic net income (loss) attributable to common shares and common limited partners per unit, respectively, to those used to compute diluted net loss per common share and per common limited partners unit, respectively, (in thousands):

	Three Months Ended September 30,				Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2020		2019		2020		2019
Weighted average number of outstanding common shares—basic⁽¹⁾		117,819		38,916		103,341		38,438
Plus effect of dilutive incentive awards⁽²⁾:
Restricted shares		—		—		—		—
Stock options		—		—		—		—
Weighted average number of outstanding common shares—diluted⁽¹⁾		117,819		38,916		103,341		38,438

⁽¹⁾

For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, represents common shares (basic and diluted), and for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, represents limited partner units (basic and diluted).

⁽²⁾

For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2020, the diluted weighted-average number of outstanding common shares does not include 4,343,201 and 3,667,425 shares issuable upon the exercise of outstanding options, respectively, and 375,000 restricted common shares, as their effects would have been anti-dilutive. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, the diluted weighted-average number of outstanding common limited partner units does not include 563,183 units as their effects would have been anti-dilutive.

Recently Issued Accounting Standard Updates

Recently Adopted Accounting Standards

Variable Interest Entities

In October 2018, FASB issued ASU No. 2018-17, Consolidation (Topic 810): Targeted Improvements to Related Party Guidance for Variable Interest Entities (“ASU 2018-17”). The core principle of ASU 2018-17 is that indirect interests held through related parties in common control arrangements should be considered on a proportional basis for determining whether fees paid to decision makers and service providers are variable interests. ASU 2018-17 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019. The Company adopted the requirements of this amendment upon its effective date of January 1, 2020 retrospectively. The adoption of this standard did not impact the Company’s consolidated financial statements or related disclosures upon adoption, because the Company did not, and currently does not, have any indirect interests through related parties under common control for which it receives decision-making fees.

Fair Value Measurement

In August 2018, FASB issued ASU No. 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Disclosure Framework - Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement (“ASU 2018-13”). This standard removed, modified and added disclosure requirements from ASC 820, Fair Value Measurements. ASU 2018-13 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019. The adoption of this standard is not expected to have a significant impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2020, as this standard primarily addresses disclosure requirements for Level 3 fair value measurements. Currently, the Company does not have any fair value instruments that would be classified as Level 3 on the fair value hierarchy.

Internal-Use Software

In August 2018, FASB issued ASU No. 2018-15, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other - Internal-Use Software: Customer's Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement that is a Service Contract. The amendments in this standard aligned the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred in a hosting arrangement that is a service contract with the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred to develop or obtain internal-use software (and hosting arrangements that include an internal-use software license). ASU No. 2018-15 is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2019. The Company adopted the requirements of this amendment on a prospective basis upon its effective date of January 1, 2020. The Company is applying the requirements of this amendment to the implementation costs incurred in connection with its new procurement software.

Recently Issued Accounting Standard Updates - Not Yet Effective

Credit Losses

In June 2016, FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, Credit Losses (Topic 326) ("ASU 2016-13"). The core principle of ASU 2016-13 is that all assets measured at amortized cost basis should be presented at the net amount expected to be collected using historical experience, current conditions and reasonable and supportable forecasts as a basis for credit loss estimates, instead of the probable initial recognition threshold used under current GAAP. In November 2018, FASB issued ASU No. 2018-19, Codification Improvements to Topic 326, Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (“ASU 2018-09”), which clarified that receivables arising from operating leases are not within the scope of Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 326-20, Financial Instruments-Credit Losses-Measured at Amortized Cost, and should be accounted for in accordance with ASC 842, Leases. In April 2019, FASB issued ASU No. 2019-04, Codification Improvements to Topic 326, Financial Instruments-Credit Losses, Topic 815, Derivatives and Hedging, and Topic 825, Financial Instruments (“ASU 2019-04”), which includes clarifications to the amendments issued in ASU 2016-13. In May 2019, FASB issued ASU No. 2019-05, Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (Topic 326), which provides entities that have certain instruments within the scope of ASC 326-20 with an option to irrevocably elect the fair value option in ASC 825, Financial Instruments, upon adoption of ASU 2016-13. In November 2019, FASB issued ASU No. 2019-10, Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (Topic 326), Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815), and Leases (Topic 842) (“ASU 2019-10”), which modifies the effective dates for ASU 2016-13, ASU 2017-12 and ASU 2016-02 to reflect the FASB’s new policy of staggering effective dates between larger public companies and all other companies. With the issuance of ASU 2019-10, the Company’s effective date for adopting all amendments related to the new credit loss standard has been extended to January 1, 2023. In November 2019, FASB issued ASU No. 2019-11, Codification Improvements to Topic 326, Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (“ASU 2019-11”), which includes clarifications to and addresses specific stakeholders’ issues concerning the amendments issued in ASU 2016-13. In February 2020, FASB issued ASU No, 2020-02, Financial Instruments-Credit Losses (Topic 326) and Leases (Topic 842) and in March 2020 issued ASU No. 2020-03, Codification Improvements to Financial Instruments, both of which also provide updates and clarification. The Company plans to adopt the requirements of these amendments upon their effective date of January 1, 2023, using the modified-retrospective method and is evaluating the potential impact of the adoption on its financial position, results of operations and related disclosures.

Taxes

In December 2019, FASB issued ASU No. 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic 340) (“ASU 2019-12”), with the intent to simplify the accounting for income taxes. ASU 2019-12 removes certain exceptions for recognizing deferred taxes for investments, performing intraperiod allocation and calculating income taxes in interim periods. ASU 2019-12 also adds guidance to reduce complexity in certain tax accounting areas, including recognizing deferred taxes for tax goodwill and allocating taxes to members of a consolidated group. ASU 2019-12 is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2021. The Company plans to adopt the requirements of this amendment upon its effective date of January 1, 2022 retrospectively, except where required to be adopted prospectively, and is evaluating the potential impact of the adoption on its financial position, results of operations and related disclosures.

Reference Rate Reform

In March 2020, FASB issued ASU No. 2020-04, Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848): Facilitation of the Effects of Reference Rate Reform on Financial Reporting (“ASU 2020-04”). In order to ease the potential burden in accounting for reference rate reform, ASU 2020-04 provides optional expedients and exceptions for applying GAAP to contracts, hedging relationships and other transactions that reference the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) or another reference rate expected to be discontinued because of reference rate reform, if certain criteria are met. ASU 2020-04 applies only to contracts, hedging relationships and other transactions that reference LIBOR or another reference rate expected to be discontinued. The amendment is effective immediately and may be applied prospectively through December 31, 2022. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of reference rate reform and the optional expedients provided by this amendment on its contracts.