Things are not getting any better for funeral parlour and crematoria owner Dignity (LON:DTY) as first quarter operating profit falls by two-fifths.
Peel Hunt has cut its 2019 pre-tax profit forecast from £44.5m to £41m. This is happening before the CMA enquiry is completed.
Declining death rate
The mild winter meant that the number of deaths in the first quarter was lower than normal. First quarter deaths were 12% lower at 159,000. Full year deaths are forecast to be down by 3% this year to 580,000.
Funerals profit slumped by one-third, due to price reductions, while crematoria profit ...
