CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS AND NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES:



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 fiscal year ended
September 30, 2020.  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
mortality and cremation 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, ability to achieve cost-reduction objectives, unknown risks in
connection with the Company's acquisitions, cybersecurity concerns,
effectiveness of the Company's internal controls, compliance with domestic and
foreign laws and regulations, technological factors beyond the Company's
control, impact of pandemics or similar outbreaks, or other disruptions to our
industries, customers or supply chains, and other factors described in Item 1A -
"Risk Factors" in this Form 10-Q and Item 1A - "Risk Factors" in the Company's
Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2020.  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. Matthews cautions that the foregoing list of
important factors is not all inclusive. Readers are also cautioned not to place
undue reliance on any forward looking statements, which reflect management's
analysis only as of the date of this report, even if subsequently made available
by Matthews on its website or otherwise. Matthews does not undertake to update
any forward looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from
time to time by or on behalf of Matthews to reflect events or circumstances
occurring after the date of this report.

Included in this report are measures of financial performance that are not
defined by generally accepted accounting principles in the United States
("GAAP"). These non-GAAP financial measures assist management in comparing the
Company's performance on a consistent basis for purposes of business
decision-making by removing the impact of certain items that management believes
do not directly reflect the Company's core operations. For additional
information and reconciliations from the consolidated financial statements
see "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" below.


RESULTS OF OPERATIONS:



The Company manages its businesses under three segments: SGK Brand Solutions,
Memorialization and Industrial Technologies. The SGK Brand Solutions segment
consists of brand management, pre-media services, printing plates and cylinders,
engineered products (including energy solutions), imaging services, digital
asset management, merchandising display systems, and marketing and design
services primarily for the consumer goods and retail industries. The
Memorialization segment consists primarily of bronze and granite memorials and
other memorialization products, caskets, and cremation and incineration
equipment primarily for the cemetery and funeral home industries. The Industrial
Technologies segment includes 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's primary measure of segment profitability is adjusted earnings
before interest, income taxes, depreciation and amortization ("adjusted
EBITDA"). Adjusted EBITDA is defined by the Company as earnings before interest,
income taxes, depreciation, amortization and certain non-cash and/or
non-recurring items that do not contribute directly to management's evaluation
of its operating results. These items include stock-based compensation, the
non-service portion of pension and postretirement expense, acquisition costs,
ERP integration costs, and strategic initiatives and other charges. This
presentation is consistent with how the Company's chief operating decision maker
(the "CODM") evaluates the results of operations and makes strategic decisions
about the business. For these reasons, the Company believes that adjusted EBITDA
represents the most relevant measure of segment profit and loss.
                                       22


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Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, Continued



In addition, the CODM manages and evaluates the operating performance of the
segments, as described above, on a pre-corporate cost allocation basis.
Accordingly, for segment reporting purposes, the Company does not allocate
corporate costs to its reportable segments. Corporate costs include management
and administrative support to the Company, which consists of certain aspects of
the Company's executive management, legal, compliance, human resources,
information technology (including operational support) and finance departments.
These costs are included within "Corporate and Non-Operating" in the following
table to reconcile to consolidated adjusted EBITDA and are not considered a
separate reportable segment. Management does not allocate non-operating items
such as investment income, other income (deductions), net and noncontrolling
interest to the segments.

The following table sets forth the sales and adjusted EBITDA for the Company's
three reporting segments for the three and nine-month periods ended June 30,
2021 and 2020. Refer to Note 13, "Segment Information" in Item 1 - "Financial
Statements" for the Company's financial information by segment.
                                 Three Months Ended              Nine Months Ended
                                      June 30,                        June 30,
                                2021           2020            2021             2020
Sales:                                      (Dollar amounts in thousands)
SGK Brand Solutions          $ 199,715      $ 165,780      $   538,879      $   513,515
Memorialization                184,337        162,118          573,068          478,342
Industrial Technologies         44,328         31,524          120,244          107,309
Consolidated Sales           $ 428,380      $ 359,422      $ 1,232,191      $ 1,099,166


Adjusted EBITDA:
SGK Brand Solutions              $ 33,258      $ 20,846      $  75,426      $  61,808
Memorialization                    36,402        37,734        132,080        103,020
Industrial Technologies             5,940         4,679         15,242         15,205

Corporate and Non-Operating (15,585) (13,862) (47,030)

(41,009)

Total Adjusted EBITDA (1) $ 60,015 $ 49,397 $ 175,718 $ 139,024

(1) Total Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure. See the "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" section below.



Sales for the nine months ended June 30, 2021 were $1.23 billion, compared to
$1.10 billion for the nine months ended June 30, 2020, representing an increase
of $133.0 million.  The increase in fiscal 2021 sales reflected higher sales in
all of the Company's segments. Changes in foreign currency exchange rates were
estimated to have a favorable impact of $27.4 million on fiscal 2021
consolidated sales compared to a year ago. Fiscal 2021 sales continued to be
impacted by the global outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 ("COVID-19"), which
has caused some commercial impacts in certain of the Company's segments and
geographic locations. These impacts have included higher sales volumes for
memorialization products and services, but have also included temporary business
disruptions and customer project delays for certain of the Company's businesses.
While substantially all of the Company's operations have remained open during
the COVID-19 pandemic, management expects COVID-19 to continue to impact its
sales and results of operations in the short-term as the pandemic subsides (see
"Forward Looking Information" below).

In the SGK Brand Solutions segment, sales for the first nine months of fiscal
2021 were $538.9 million, compared to $513.5 million for the first nine months
of fiscal 2020.  The increase primarily resulted from higher sales of
purpose-built engineered products (primarily in support of the electric vehicle
and energy storage industries) and higher brand sales in the Europe and
Asia-Pacific markets. These increases were partially offset by lower
retail-based sales (principally merchandising solutions and private label brand
market sales), decreased brand sales in the U.S., and reduced sales of surfaces
products in Europe, all of which were unfavorably impacted by COVID-19. Changes
in foreign currency exchange rates had a favorable impact of $21.0 million on
the segment's sales compared to the prior year. Memorialization segment sales
for the first nine months of fiscal 2021 were $573.1 million, compared to $478.3
million for the first nine months of fiscal 2020. The increase in sales
predominantly resulted from increased unit sales of caskets due to COVID-19. The
segment also reported higher sales of bronze and granite memorial products,
mausoleums, and cremation equipment. The increase in sales also reflected
improved price realization and benefits from a recently completed acquisition of
a small cemetery products business. Changes in foreign currency exchange rates
had a favorable impact of $4.0 million on the segment's sales compared to the
prior year. Industrial Technologies segment sales were $120.2 million for the
first nine months of fiscal 2021, compared to $107.3 million for the first nine
months of fiscal 2020. The sales increase primarily reflected higher sales of
warehouse automation systems and increased product identification sales. Changes
in foreign currency exchange rates had a favorable impact of $2.4 million on the
segment's sales compared to the prior year.
                                       23


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Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, Continued



Gross profit for the nine months ended June 30, 2021 was $403.8 million,
compared to $361.4 million for the same period a year ago.  Consolidated gross
profit as a percent of sales was 32.8% and 32.9% for the first nine months of
fiscal 2021 and fiscal 2020, respectively.  The increase in gross profit
primarily reflected higher sales, benefits from the realization of productivity
improvements and other cost-reduction initiatives, and improved margins for
cylinders and engineered products within the SGK Brand Solutions segment. These
improvements were partially offset by the impact of higher material and
transportation costs, particularly in the Memorialization segment, and lower
margins on U.K. based cremation and incineration projects. Gross profit also
included acquisition integration costs and other charges primarily in connection
with cost-reduction initiatives totaling $15.5 million and $6.6 million for the
nine months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively.

Selling and administrative expenses for the nine months ended June 30, 2021 were
$308.0 million, compared to $302.2 million for the first nine months of fiscal
2020.  Consolidated selling and administrative expenses, as a percent of sales,
were 25.0% for the nine months ended June 30, 2021, compared to 27.5% for the
same period last year.  The increase in selling and administrative expenses
reflected higher performance-based compensation compared to fiscal 2020,
partially offset by benefits from ongoing cost-reduction initiatives, and
reduced travel and entertainment ("T&E") costs resulting from the pandemic.
Selling and administrative expenses also included acquisition integration and
related systems-integration costs, and other charges primarily in connection
with cost-reduction initiatives totaling $13.0 million in fiscal 2021, compared
to $25.6 million in fiscal 2020. Fiscal 2020 selling and administrative expenses
also included an $11.2 million gain on the sale of an ownership interest in a
Memorialization business and a $10.6 million charge for a legal matter involving
a letter of credit for a customer in Saudi Arabia. Intangible amortization for
the nine months ended June 30, 2021 was $61.2 million, compared to $53.6 million
for the nine months ended June 30, 2020. The increase in intangible amortization
reflected $10.1 million of incremental amortization resulting from a reduction
in useful lives for certain customer relationships. Refer to Note 15, "Goodwill
and Other Intangible Assets" in Item 1 - "Financial Statements" for further
details. Intangible amortization also included accelerated amortization
resulting from the fiscal 2019 reduction in useful lives for certain trade names
that are being discontinued. Amortization for these trade names totaled $26.0
million and $28.1 million for the nine months ended June 30, 2021 and June 30,
2020, respectively. During the second quarter of fiscal 2020, the Company
recorded a goodwill write-down totaling $90.4 million related to its two
reporting units within the SGK Brand Solutions segment (Graphics Imaging and
Cylinders, Surfaces and Engineered Products).

Adjusted EBITDA was $175.7 million for the nine months ended June 30, 2021 and
$139.0 million for the nine months ended June 30, 2020. Adjusted EBITDA for the
SGK Brand Solutions segment was $75.4 million for the first nine months of
fiscal 2021 compared to $61.8 million for the same period a year ago. The
increase in segment adjusted EBITDA primarily reflected the impact of higher
sales, benefits from cost-reduction initiatives, reduced T&E costs resulting
from COVID-19, and improved margins for cylinders and engineered products.
Changes in foreign currency exchange rates had a favorable impact of $2.0
million on the segment's adjusted EBITDA compared to the prior year. These
increases were partially offset by increased performance-based compensation
compared to fiscal 2020. Memorialization segment adjusted EBITDA was $132.1
million for the first nine months of fiscal 2021 compared to $103.0 million for
the first nine months of fiscal 2020. The increase in segment adjusted EBITDA
primarily reflected the impact of higher sales, benefits from productivity
initiatives, and lower T&E costs. These increases were partially offset by the
impact of higher material and transportation costs, increased performance-based
compensation compared to fiscal 2020, and lower margins on U.K. based cremation
and incineration projects. Adjusted EBITDA for the Industrial Technologies
segment was $15.2 million for the nine months ended June 30, 2021 and the nine
months ended June 30, 2020. Industrial Technologies segment adjusted EBITDA
primarily reflected the impact of higher warehouse automation and product
identification sales, benefits from cost-reduction initiatives, and reduced T&E
costs, which were offset by increased performance-based compensation expense and
higher product development costs. Changes in foreign currency exchange rates had
a favorable impact of $512,000 on the segment's adjusted EBITDA compared to the
prior year.

Investment income was $3.0 million for the nine months ended June 30, 2021 and
$1.4 million for the nine months ended June 30, 2020. Investment income for both
periods primarily reflected changes in the value of investments (primarily
marketable securities) held in trust for certain of the Company's benefit
plans.  Interest expense for the first nine months of fiscal 2021 was $21.7
million, compared to $26.9 million for the same period last year.  The decrease
in interest expense reflected a decrease in average borrowing levels and lower
average interest rates in the current fiscal year.  Other income (deductions),
net, for the nine months ended June 30, 2021 represented a decrease in pre-tax
income of $6.8 million, compared to a decrease in pre-tax income of $7.4 million
for the same period last year.  Other income (deductions), net includes the
non-service components of pension and postretirement expense, which totaled $5.7
million and $6.7 million for the nine months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020,
respectively. Other income (deductions), net also includes banking-related fees
and the impact of currency gains and losses on certain intercompany debt and
foreign denominated cash balances.


                                       24


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Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, Continued



Income tax provisions for the Company's interim periods are based on the
effective income tax rate expected to be applicable for the full year. The
Company's consolidated income taxes for the nine months ended June 30, 2021 were
an expense of $2.6 million, compared to a benefit of $22.7 million for the first
nine months of fiscal 2020. The difference between the Company's consolidated
income taxes for the first nine months of fiscal 2021 compared to the same
period for fiscal 2020 primarily resulted from consolidated pre-tax income in
fiscal 2021 compared to a pre-tax loss in fiscal 2020. Additionally, fiscal 2021
included discrete tax expenses related to foreign operating losses, discrete tax
benefits related to the resolution of uncertain tax liabilities, a net operating
loss ("NOL") carryback to tax years where the U.S. federal statutory rate was
35%, and additional foreign tax credits. Fiscal 2020 included discrete tax
benefits resulting from the closure of several tax audits. The Company's fiscal
2021 nine-month effective tax rate varied from the U.S. statutory tax rate of
21.0% primarily due to discrete tax expenses related to foreign operating
losses, discrete tax benefits related to the resolution of uncertain tax
liabilities, a NOL carryback to tax years where the U.S. federal statutory rate
was 35%, and additional foreign tax credits. Additionally, state taxes, foreign
statutory rate differentials, and tax credits all affected the fiscal 2021
effective tax rate. The Company's fiscal 2020 nine-month effective tax rate
varied from the U.S. statutory tax rate of 21.0% primarily due to state taxes,
foreign statutory rate differentials, tax credits, the goodwill write-down, the
expected NOL carryback, and discrete tax benefits recognized in fiscal 2020.

Net losses attributable to noncontrolling interests were $60,000 for the nine months ended June 30, 2021 and $491,000 for the nine months ended June 30, 2020. The net losses attributable to noncontrolling interests primarily reflected losses in less than wholly-owned businesses.

NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES:



Included in this report are measures of financial performance that are not
defined by GAAP. The Company uses non-GAAP financial measures to assist in
comparing its performance on a consistent basis for purposes of business
decision-making by removing the impact of certain items that management believes
do not directly reflect the Company's core operations including acquisition
costs, ERP integration costs, strategic initiative and other charges (which
includes non-recurring charges related to operational initiatives and exit
activities), stock-based compensation and the non-service portion of pension and
postretirement expense. Management believes that presenting non-GAAP financial
measures is useful to investors because it (i) provides investors with
meaningful supplemental information regarding financial performance by excluding
certain items that management believes do not directly reflect the Company's
core operations, (ii) permits investors to view performance using the same tools
that management uses to budget, forecast, make operating and strategic
decisions, and evaluate historical performance, and (iii) otherwise provides
supplemental information that may be useful to investors in evaluating the
Company's results. The Company believes that the presentation of these non-GAAP
financial measures, when considered together with the corresponding GAAP
financial measures and the reconciliations to those measures, provided herein,
provides investors with an additional understanding of the factors and trends
affecting the Company's business that could not be obtained absent these
disclosures.

The Company believes that adjusted EBITDA provides relevant and useful
information, which is used by the Company's management in assessing the
performance of its business. Adjusted EBITDA is defined by the Company as
earnings before interest, income taxes, depreciation, amortization and certain
non-cash and/or non-recurring items that do not contribute directly to
management's evaluation of its operating results. These items include
stock-based compensation, the non-service portion of pension and postretirement
expense, acquisition costs, ERP integration costs, and strategic initiatives and
other charges. Adjusted EBITDA provides the Company with an understanding of
earnings before the impact of investing and financing charges and income taxes,
and the effects of certain acquisition and ERP integration costs, and items that
do not reflect the ordinary earnings of the Company's operations. This measure
may be useful to an investor in evaluating operating performance. It is also
useful as a financial measure for lenders and is used by the Company's
management to measure business performance. Adjusted EBITDA is not a measure of
the Company's financial performance under GAAP and should not be considered as
an alternative to net income or other performance measures derived in accordance
with GAAP, or as an alternative to cash flow from operating activities as a
measure of the Company's liquidity. The Company's definition of adjusted EBITDA
may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies.
                                       25


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Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, Continued

The reconciliation of net income to adjusted EBITDA is as follows:


                                                      Three Months Ended                     Nine Months Ended
                                                           June 30,                              June 30,
                                                    2021               2020               2021               2020
                                                                    (Dollar amounts in thousands)
Net income (loss)                               $    3,366          $  1,849          $   6,526          $ (95,052)
Income tax (benefit) provision                      (2,325)           (6,209)             2,627            (22,672)
Income (loss) before income taxes                    1,041            (4,360)             9,153           (117,724)
Net (income) loss attributable
to noncontrolling interests                            (11)              420                 60                491
Interest expense                                     6,748             8,082             21,709             26,935
Depreciation and amortization *                     35,389            30,168             97,919             88,418
Acquisition related items (1)**                        398               355                 38              2,576
ERP integration costs (2)**                            118               745                477              2,160
Strategic initiatives and other charges: (3)**
Workforce reductions and related costs               1,826               776             10,644              4,425
Other cost-reduction initiatives                     4,871             4,743             12,339             20,951
Gain on sale of ownership interest in a
subsidiary (4)                                           -           (11,208)                 -            (11,208)
Legal matter reserve (5)                                 -            10,566                  -             10,566
Non-recurring / incremental COVID-19 costs (6)       1,993             1,871              4,689              2,534
Goodwill write-down (7)                                  -                 -                  -             90,408
Joint Venture depreciation, amortization,
interest expense and other charges (8)                   -             2,473                  -              4,732
Stock-based compensation                             5,713             2,539             12,960              7,078

Non-service pension and postretirement expense
(9)                                                  1,929             2,227              5,730              6,682
Total Adjusted EBITDA                           $   60,015          $ 49,397          $ 175,718          $ 139,024


(1) Includes certain non-recurring items associated with recent acquisition activities.
(2) Represents costs associated with global ERP system integration efforts.
(3) Includes certain non-recurring costs associated with productivity and cost-reduction
initiatives intended to result in improved operating performance, profitability and working
capital levels.
(4) Represents a gain on the sale of an ownership interest in a subsidiary within the
Memorialization segment.
(5) Represents a reserve established for a legal matter involving a letter of credit for a
customer in Saudi Arabia within the Memorialization segment.
(6) Includes certain non-recurring direct incremental costs (such as costs for purchases of
computer peripherals and devices to facilitate working-from-home, additional personal
protective equipment and cleaning supplies and services, etc.) incurred in response to
COVID-19. This amount does not include the impact of any lost sales or underutilization due
to COVID-19.
(7) Represents the goodwill write-down for two reporting units within the SGK Brand
Solutions segment.
(8) Represents the Company's portion of depreciation, intangible amortization, interest
expense, and other non-recurring charges incurred by non-consolidated subsidiaries accounted
for as equity-method investments within the Memorialization segment.
(9) Non-service pension and postretirement expense includes interest cost, expected return
on plan assets, amortization of actuarial gains and losses, and curtailment gains and
losses. These benefit cost components are excluded from adjusted EBITDA since they are
primarily influenced by external market conditions that impact investment returns and
interest (discount) rates. Curtailment gains and losses are excluded from adjusted EBITDA
since they generally result from certain non-recurring events, such as plan amendments to
modify future benefits. The service cost and prior service cost components of pension and
postretirement expense are included in the calculation of adjusted EBITDA, since they are
considered to be a better reflection of the ongoing service-related costs of providing these
benefits. Please note that GAAP pension and postretirement expense or the adjustment above
are not necessarily indicative of the current or future cash flow requirements related to
these employee benefit plans.


* Depreciation and amortization was $26.8 million and $21.8 million for the SGK
Brand Solutions segment, $5.8 million and $5.5 million for the Memorialization
segment, $1.4 million and $1.5 million for the Industrial Technologies segment,
and $1.3 million and $1.3 million for Corporate and Non-Operating, for the three
months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively. Depreciation and amortization
was $72.7 million and $65.3 million for the SGK Brand Solutions segment, $17.0
million and $15.0 million for the Memorialization segment, $4.2 million and $4.3
million for the Industrial Technologies segment, and $4.0 million and $3.8
million for Corporate and Non-Operating, for the nine months ended June 30, 2021
and 2020, respectively.
** Acquisition costs, ERP integration costs, and strategic initiatives and other
charges were $3.8 million and $1.8 million for the SGK Brand Solutions segment,
income of $484,000 and charges of $697,000 for the Memorialization segment, and
charges of $2.9 million and $4.1 million for Corporate and Non-Operating, for
the three months ended June 30, 2021 and 2020, respectively. Acquisition costs,
ERP integration costs, and strategic initiatives and other charges were $14.1
million and $9.1 million for the SGK Brand Solutions segment, $1.3 million and
$1.8 million for the Memorialization segment, and $8.1 million and $19.0 million
for Corporate and Non-Operating, for the nine months ended June 30, 2021 and
2020, respectively. Acquisition costs, ERP integration costs, and strategic
initiatives and other charges were $268,000 for the Industrial Technologies
segment, for the nine months ended June 30, 2020.

                                       26


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Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, Continued

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES:



Net cash provided by operating activities was $106.9 million for the first nine
months of fiscal 2021, compared to $123.6 million for the first nine months of
fiscal 2020.  Operating cash flow for both periods principally included net
income (loss) adjusted for deferred taxes, depreciation and amortization,
stock-based compensation expense, net gains (losses) related to investments,
non-cash pension expense, other non-cash adjustments, and changes in working
capital items. Fiscal 2021 operating cash flow also reflected a $15.0 million
discretionary contribution to fund the Company's principal retirement plan. Net
changes in working capital items decreased operating cash flow by $7.5 million
in fiscal 2021, and contributed $41.7 million to operating cash flow in fiscal
2020. The fiscal 2021 change in working capital reflected payments of certain
payroll tax amounts that were deferred due to COVID-19, an increase in inventory
due to higher material costs, and delayed refunds of federal taxes.

Cash used in investing activities was $22.9 million for the nine months ended
June 30, 2021, compared to cash provided by investing activities of $7.4 million
for the nine months ended June 30, 2020.  Investing activities for the first
nine months of fiscal 2021 reflected capital expenditures of $24.5 million,
acquisitions payments (net of cash acquired and holdback amounts) totaling $15.6
million, proceeds from the sale of investments of $15.0 million, and proceeds
from the sale of assets of $2.2 million.  Investing activities for the first
nine months of fiscal 2020 primarily reflected capital expenditures of $25.5
million, proceeds of $42.2 million from the sale of an ownership interest in a
Memorialization business, and investments and advances of $9.7 million.

Capital expenditures reflected reinvestment in the Company's business segments
and were made primarily for the purchase of new production machinery, equipment,
software and systems, and facilities designed to improve product quality,
increase manufacturing efficiency, lower production costs and meet regulatory
requirements.  Capital expenditures for the last three fiscal years were
primarily financed through operating cash.  Capital spending for property, plant
and equipment has averaged $38.6 million for the last three fiscal years.
Capital spending for fiscal 2021 is currently estimated to be approximately $40
million.  The Company expects to generate sufficient cash from operations to
fund all anticipated capital spending projects.

Cash used in financing activities for the nine months ended June 30, 2021 was
$79.8 million, primarily reflecting repayments, net of proceeds, on long-term
debt of $49.0 million, treasury stock purchases of $6.1 million, dividends of
$20.9 million to the Company's shareholders, and $1.6 million of holdback and
deferred payments related to acquisitions from prior years. Cash used in
financing activities for the nine months ended June 30, 2020 was $123.1 million,
primarily reflecting repayments, net of proceeds, on long-term debt of $92.1
million, treasury stock purchases of $2.4 million, dividends of $19.8 million to
the Company's shareholders, $4.7 million of holdback and contingent
consideration payments related to acquisitions from prior years, and payment of
deferred financing fees of $2.0 million.

The Company has a domestic credit facility with a syndicate of financial
institutions that includes a $750.0 million senior secured revolving credit
facility, which matures in March 2025, and a $35.0 million senior secured
amortizing term loan. The senior secured amortizing term loan was paid in full
in March 2021. A portion of the revolving credit facility (not to exceed $350.0
million) can be drawn in foreign currencies. Borrowings under the revolving
credit facility bear interest at LIBOR (Euro LIBOR for balances drawn in Euros)
plus a factor ranging from 0.75% to 2.00% (1.00% at June 30, 2021) based on the
Company's secured leverage ratio.  The secured leverage ratio is defined as net
secured indebtedness divided by EBITDA (earnings before interest, income taxes,
depreciation and amortization) as defined within the domestic credit facility
agreement. The Company is required to pay an annual commitment fee ranging from
0.15% to 0.30% (based on the Company's leverage ratio) of the unused portion of
the revolving credit facility. The Company incurred debt issuance costs in
connection with the domestic credit facility. Unamortized costs were $2.4
million and $2.7 million at June 30, 2021 and September 30, 2020, respectively.

The domestic credit facility requires the Company to maintain certain leverage
and interest coverage ratios. A portion of the facility (not to exceed $35.0
million) is available for the issuance of trade and standby letters of credit.
Outstanding U.S. dollar denominated borrowings on the revolving credit facility
at June 30, 2021 and September 30, 2020 were $259.2 million and $257.4 million,
respectively. Outstanding Euro denominated borrowings on the revolving credit
facility at June 30, 2021 and September 30, 2020 were €97.0 million ($115.2
million) and €117.0 million ($137.2 million), respectively. There were no
outstanding borrowings on the term loan as of June 30, 2021. Outstanding
borrowings on the term loan at September 30, 2020 were $22.4 million. The
weighted-average interest rate on outstanding borrowings for the domestic credit
facility (including the effects of interest rate swaps and Euro denominated
borrowings) at June 30, 2021 and 2020 was 1.94% and 2.44%, respectively.

                                       27


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Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, Continued



The Company has $300.0 million of 5.25% senior unsecured notes due December 1,
2025 (the "2025 Senior Notes"). The 2025 Senior Notes bear interest at a rate of
5.25% per annum with interest payable semi-annually in arrears on June 1 and
December 1 of each year. The Company's obligations under the 2025 Senior Notes
are guaranteed by certain of the Company's direct and indirect wholly-owned
domestic subsidiaries. The Company is subject to certain covenants and other
restrictions in connection with the 2025 Senior Notes. The Company incurred
direct financing fees and costs in connection with the 2025 Senior Notes.
Unamortized costs were $2.3 million and $2.7 million at June 30, 2021 and
September 30, 2020, respectively.

The Company has a $115.0 million accounts receivable securitization facility
(the "Securitization Facility") with certain financial institutions which
matures in March 2022 and the Company intends to extend this facility. Under the
Securitization Facility, the Company and certain of its domestic subsidiaries
sell, on a continuous basis without recourse, their trade receivables to
Matthews Receivables Funding Corporation, LLC ("Matthews RFC"), a wholly-owned
bankruptcy-remote subsidiary of the Company. Matthews RFC in turn assigns a
collateral interest in these receivables to certain financial institutions, and
then may borrow funds under the Securitization Facility. The Securitization
Facility does not qualify for sale treatment. Accordingly, the trade receivables
and related debt obligations remain on the Company's Consolidated Balance Sheet.
Borrowings under the Securitization Facility bear interest at LIBOR plus 0.75%.
The Company is required to pay an annual commitment fee ranging from 0.25% to
0.35% of the unused portion of the Securitization Facility. Outstanding
borrowings under the Securitization Facility at June 30, 2021 and September 30,
2020 were $90.7 million and $67.7 million, respectively. At June 30, 2021 and
2020, the interest rate on borrowings under this facility was 0.85% and 0.91%
respectively.

The following table presents information related to interest rate contracts entered into by the Company and designated as cash flow hedges (dollar amounts in thousands):


                                                 June 30, 2021       September 30, 2020
Pay fixed swaps - notional amount               $     250,000       $       

312,500


Net unrealized loss                             $      (2,982)      $       

(7,792)


Weighted-average maturity period (years)                     2.5            

2.6


Weighted-average received rate                           0.10  %                 0.15  %
Weighted-average pay rate                                1.34  %                 1.34  %



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 future variable interest payments, 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 of $3.0
million ($2.3 million after tax) at June 30, 2021 and an unrealized loss of $7.8
million ($5.9 million after tax) at September 30, 2020 that is included in
shareholders' equity as part of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)
("AOCI").  Assuming market rates remain constant with the rates at June 30,
2021, a loss (net of tax) of approximately $1.8 million included in AOCI is
expected to be recognized in earnings over the next twelve months.

The Company, through certain of its European subsidiaries, has a credit facility
with a European bank, which is guaranteed by Matthews. The maximum amount of
borrowing available under this facility is €25.0 million ($29.7 million), which
includes €8.0 million ($9.5 million) for bank guarantees.  The credit facility
matures in December 2021 and the Company intends to continue to extend this
facility. Outstanding borrowings under the credit facility totaled €6.6 million
($7.8 million) and €18.9 million ($22.2 million) at June 30, 2021 and
September 30, 2020, respectively. The weighted-average interest rate on
outstanding borrowings under this facility at June 30, 2021 and 2020 was 2.25%
and 1.25%, respectively.

The Company uses certain foreign currency debt instruments as net investment
hedges of foreign operations. Currency losses of $6.0 million (net of income
taxes of $1.9 million) and currency losses of $4.4 million (net of income taxes
of $1.4 million), which represent effective hedges of net investments, were
reported as a component of AOCI within currency translation adjustment at
June 30, 2021 and September 30, 2020, respectively.





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Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, Continued



The Company has a stock repurchase program.  The Company's Board of Directors
had authorized the repurchase of a total of 5,000,000 shares of Matthews' common
stock under the program, of which 324,861 shares remained available for
repurchase as of June 30, 2021.  On July 28, 2021, the Company's Board of
Directors authorized an additional 2,500,000 shares for repurchase under the
program. The buy-back program is designed to increase shareholder value, enlarge
the Company's holdings of its common stock, and add to earnings per share.
Repurchased shares may be retained in treasury, utilized for acquisitions, or
reissued to employees or other purchasers, subject to the restrictions set forth
in the Company's Restated Articles of Incorporation.

Consolidated working capital of the Company was $291.3 million at June 30, 2021,
compared to $258.7 million at September 30, 2020.  Cash and cash equivalents
were $46.2 million at June 30, 2021, compared to $41.3 million at September 30,
2020.  The Company's current ratio was 1.9 at June 30, 2021 and 1.8 at
September 30, 2020.


REGULATORY MATTERS:

The Company's operations are subject to various federal, state and local laws
and regulations requiring strict compliance, including, but not limited to, the
protection of the environment. The Company has established numerous internal
compliance programs to further ensure lawful satisfaction of the applicable
regulations. In addition, the Company is party to specific environmental matters
which include obligations to investigate and mitigate the effects on the
environment of certain materials at operating and non-operating sites. The
Company is currently performing environmental assessments and remediation at
certain sites, as applicable.


ACQUISITIONS:

Refer to Note 14, "Acquisitions" in Item 1 - "Financial Statements" for further details on the Company's acquisitions.

FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION:



The Company's current strategy to attain annual operating growth primarily
consists of the following: internal growth - which includes organic growth, cost
structure and productivity improvements, new product development and the
expansion into new markets with existing products - and acquisitions and related
integration activities to achieve strategic and synergy benefits.

The significant factors (excluding acquisitions) influencing sales growth in the
SGK Brand Solutions segment are global economic conditions, brand innovation,
the level of marketing spending by the Company's clients, and government
regulation. Due to the global footprint of this segment, currency fluctuations
can also be a significant factor. For the Memorialization segment, sales growth
will be influenced by North America death rates, and the impact of the
increasing trend toward cremation on the segment's product offerings, including
caskets, cemetery memorial products and cremation-related products. For the
Industrial Technologies segment, sales growth drivers include
economic/industrial market conditions, new product development, and the
e-commerce trend.

During fiscal 2019, the Company initiated a strategic evaluation to improve
profitability and reduce the Company's cost structure. These actions leveraged
the benefit of the Company's new global ERP platform, primarily targeted at the
SGK Brand Solutions segment, both operational and commercial structure, and the
Company's shared financial services and other administrative functions. This
evaluation identified opportunities for significant cost structure improvements,
which the Company expects to achieve through at least fiscal 2022.  The
Company's recent strategic review has also resulted in improvements to the
commercial structure within the SGK Brand Solutions segment.

On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization declared an outbreak of
COVID-19 to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, and
subsequently recognized COVID-19 as a global pandemic in March 2020. Widespread
efforts have been deployed by multiple countries around the world to prevent the
virus from spreading, including temporary closures of non-essential businesses,
event cancellations, travel restrictions, quarantines, and other disruptive
actions. Substantially all of the Company's operations have remained open during
the COVID-19 pandemic, as they have been considered "essential" businesses
during this time. However, the Company has experienced some commercial impact
and business disruptions in certain segments and geographic locations as a
result of COVID-19.


                                       29


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Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, Continued



Considerable judgment is necessary to assess and predict the potential financial
impacts of COVID-19 on the Company's future operating results. Management
expects that each of its business segments will experience some level of impacts
in the short-term, potentially due to customer business disruptions, supply
chain disruptions, facilities shut-downs, changing global economic conditions,
and customer project delays. Additionally, recent increases in the cost of
certain raw materials and other inflationary impacts are expected to impact the
Company's results for the near future. The Company expects to partially mitigate
these cost increases through price realization and the cost-reduction
initiatives discussed above. Longer-term financial impacts will depend on global
economic conditions eventually resulting from COVID-19.


CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES:



The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP 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.  Therefore, the determination of estimates
requires the exercise of judgment based on various assumptions and other factors
such as historical experience, economic conditions, and in some cases, actuarial
techniques.  Actual results may differ from those estimates. A discussion of
market risks affecting the Company can be found in Item 7A - "Quantitative and
Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk" in the Company's Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2020.

A summary of the Company's significant accounting policies are included in the
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements and in the critical accounting
policies in Management's Discussion and Analysis included in the Company's
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2020.  Management
believes that the application of these policies on a consistent basis enables
the Company to provide useful and reliable financial information about the
Company's operating results and financial condition.
The Company performed its annual impairment review of goodwill and
indefinite-lived intangible assets in the second quarter of fiscal 2021 (January
1, 2021) and determined that the estimated fair values for all goodwill
reporting units exceeded their carrying values, therefore no impairment charges
were necessary. The estimated fair value of the Company's Graphics Imaging
reporting unit, within the SGK Brand Solutions segment, exceeded the carrying
value (expressed as a percentage of carrying value) by approximately 5%. If
current projections are not achieved or specific valuation factors outside the
Company's control (such as discount rates and continued economic and industry
impacts of COVID-19) significantly change, goodwill write-downs may be necessary
in future periods.


LONG-TERM CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS AND COMMITMENTS:



The following table summarizes the Company's contractual obligations at June 30,
2021, and the effect such obligations are expected to have on its liquidity and
cash flows in future periods.
                                                                                Payments due in fiscal year:
                                                                      2021             2022 (1) to                                  After
                                                  Total             Remainder             2023              2024 to 2025             2025
Contractual Cash Obligations:                                                  (Dollar amounts in thousands)
Revolving credit facilities                    $ 382,253          $        -          $    7,786          $     374,467          $       -
Securitization Facility                           90,710                   -              90,710                      -                  -

2025 Senior Notes                                368,536                   -              31,500                 31,500            305,536

Finance lease obligations (2)                     11,024               1,232               5,967                  1,780              2,045
Non-cancelable operating leases (2)               89,820               7,096              45,950                 24,926             11,848
Other                                             20,609                 984              11,459                  2,132              6,034
Total contractual cash obligations             $ 962,952          $    

9,312 $ 193,372 $ 434,805 $ 325,463

(1) The Company maintains certain debt facilities with maturity dates of twelve months or less that it intends and has the ability to extend beyond twelve months totaling $98.5 million. These balances have been classified as non-current on the Company's Consolidated Balance Sheet. (2) Lease obligations have not been discounted to their present value.



A significant portion of the loans included in the table above bear interest at
variable rates.  At June 30, 2021, the weighted-average interest rate was 1.94%
on the Company's domestic credit facility, 0.85% on the Company's Securitization
Facility and 2.25% on the credit facility through the Company's European
subsidiaries.
                                       30


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Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, Continued



Benefit payments under the Company's principal retirement plan are made from
plan assets, while benefit payments under the supplemental retirement plan and
postretirement benefit plan are funded from the Company's operating cash. During
the nine months ended June 30, 2021 contributions of $15.0 million, $607,000 and
$436,000 were made under the principal retirement plan, supplemental retirement
plan and postretirement plan, respectively. Under IRS regulations, no further
contributions are required to be made to the Company's principal retirement plan
during fiscal 2021. The Company currently anticipates contributing an additional
$298,000 and $395,000 under the supplemental retirement plan and postretirement
plan, respectively, for the remainder of fiscal 2021.

During the third quarter of fiscal 2021, the Compensation Committee of the
Company's Board of Directors approved a resolution to freeze all future benefit
accruals for all participants in the Company's supplemental retirement plan and
the defined benefit portion of the officers retirement restoration plan,
effective April 30, 2021. Consequently, participants in these plans will no
longer earn additional benefits after April 30, 2021.

Unrecognized tax benefits are positions taken, or expected to be taken, on an
income tax return that may result in additional payments to tax authorities.  If
a tax authority agrees with the tax position taken, or expected to be taken, or
the applicable statute of limitations expires, then additional payments will not
be necessary.  As of June 30, 2021, the Company had unrecognized tax benefits,
excluding penalties and interest, of approximately $8.1 million.  The timing of
potential future payments related to the unrecognized tax benefits is not
presently determinable. The Company believes that its current liquidity sources,
combined with its operating cash flow and borrowing capacity, will be sufficient
to meet its capital needs for the foreseeable future.


RECENTLY ISSUED ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS:

Refer to Note 2, "Basis of Presentation" in Item 1 - "Financial Statements," for further details on recently issued accounting pronouncements.

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