The Globe and Mail reports in its Saturday edition that one of 2023's poor performers was Park Lawn. The Globe's Tim Shufelt writes that Park Lawn is one of the largest funeral services providers in North America. During the pandemic, the line outside of Park Lawn's cemeteries got considerably longer. Excess mortality through the worst of the COVID-19 crisis effectively pulled a lot of demand forward. As mortality rates have subsequently normalized, Park Lawn's quarterly results have suffered from some tough comparisons. The company is also fairly aggressive with mergers and acquisitions, using strategic acquisitions as a means to expand the business. Serial acquirers tend to thrive on cheap credit. When interest rates rise, it gets tougher to make the math work. However, analysts are still bullish on the stock, in no small part because of aging demographics in North America. Until some mixture of artificial intelligence and Ozempic can make us immortal, we will have to depend on the likes of Park Lawn to tidy things up.