EARNINGS PER SHARE (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, except Share data |
12 Months Ended | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Sep. 30, 2011 |
Sep. 30, 2010 |
Sep. 30, 2009 |
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| EARNINGS PER SHARE [Abstract] | |||
| Net income attributable to Matthews shareholders | $ 72,372 | $ 69,057 | $ 57,732 |
| Less: dividends and undistributed earnings allocated to participating securities | 1,420 | 1,016 | 522 |
| Net income attributable to Matthews shareholders | $ 70,952 | $ 68,041 | $ 57,210 |
| Weighted-average shares outstanding: | |||
| Basic shares (in shares) | 28,775 | 29,656 | 30,245 |
| Effect of dilutive securities: | |||
| Stock options (in shares) | 17 | 25 | 37 |
| Phantom stock units (in shares) | 20 | 25 | 36 |
| Diluted shares (in shares) | 28,812 | 29,706 | 30,318 |
Stock Options [Member] |
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| Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items] | |||
| Anti-dilutive securities excluded from computation of earnings per share (in shares) | 289,502 | 802,189 | 764,650 |
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- Definition Securities (including those issuable pursuant to contingent stock agreements) that could potentially dilute basic earnings per share (EPS) or earnings per unit (EPU) in the future that were not included in the computation of diluted EPS or EPU because to do so would increase EPS or EPU amounts or decrease loss per share or unit amounts for the period presented. Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
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- Definition Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.
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- Definition Additional shares included in the calculation of diluted EPS as a result of the potentially dilutive effect of equity unit purchase agreements using the treasury stock method. Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
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- Definition Additional shares included in the calculation of diluted EPS as a result of the potentially dilutive effect of share based payment arrangements using the treasury stock method. Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
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- Definition The portion of profit or loss for the period, net of income taxes, which is attributable to the parent. Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
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- Definition Net income after adjustments for dividends on preferred stock (declared in the period) and/or cumulative preferred stock (accumulated for the period). Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
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- Definition Aggregate of earnings distributed and earnings allocated to participating securities under the two-class method to the extent that participating securities may share in earnings as if all of the earnings for the period had been distributed.
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- Definition The average number of shares or units issued and outstanding that are used in calculating diluted EPS or earnings per unit (EPU), determined based on the timing of issuance of shares or units in the period. Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
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- Definition Number of [basic] shares or units, after adjustment for contingently issuable shares or units and other shares or units not deemed outstanding, determined by relating the portion of time within a reporting period that common shares or units have been outstanding to the total time in that period. Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
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