Service Corporation International · Houston, TX United States ·(NYSE: SCI)

Service Corporation International (SCI) is to death what H&R Block is to taxes. SCI, the largest funeral and cemetery services company in North America, operates some 1,300 funeral homes and about 370 cemeteries in 40-plus US states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Canada, and Germany. The company's primary services include embalming, burial, and cremation. As part of its business, SCI also sells traditional funeral necessities, including prearranged funeral services, caskets, burial vaults, cremation receptacles, flowers, and burial garments. The company expanded significantly in late 2006 by acquiring its chief rival, Alderwoods Group. To read the full description, subscribe now.