One-glance verdict
Undervalued
$75.27 our estimate vs market $39.16
48% below our estimate, below the bear case
Fundamentals snapshot
Société BIC SA
BICEY · PNK · Consumer Defensive · Household & Personal Products
Current price
$39.16
52-week range
$26.56 - $40.26
Market cap
$3.18B
Balance sheet
Healthy
16.09x Strong cushion
Net cash $118.90M. Interest coverage shows how many times profit covers the interest bill.
What stands out
3 Rewards
2 Risks
3 rewards · 2 risks
- Reward Returns 6.9% on equity, ahead of 50% of its peers.
- Reward Free cash flow was positive in 4/10 years.
- Risk Stock trades 34.6% above its 5-year average P/E.
- Risk Insider ownership is only 0.0% (peer median: 1.4%).
What this company does
Société BIC SA
Société BIC makes the well-known BIC pens, lighters, and shavers found in stores all over the world. The company's business model is based on selling massive quantities of these affordable, everyday items, which means its revenue (the total money it brings in from sales) tends to be stable even when people are spending less. To keep growing, BIC has also expanded into newer products like smart notebooks and temporary tattoo markers.
How the company got here
BIC's story began in 1944 when Marcel Bich and Édouard Buffard started making parts for writing instruments near Paris. Believing in the potential of the ballpoint pen, Marcel Bich improved upon an existing design and launched the iconic BIC Cristal pen in 1950. This affordable and reliable pen was a huge success, and the company, officially named Société BIC in 1953, quickly expanded across Europe and then to North and South America. Over the decades, BIC diversified its products, introducing its first disposable lighter in 1973 and its first one-piece razor in 1975, establishing itself as a global leader in these categories as well. The company continued to grow by acquiring other brands like Conté and Tipp-Ex, and innovating with new products like the 4-Color pen.
What it actually does
You've almost certainly used a BIC product without even realizing it. The company makes simple, affordable, and reliable everyday items that are found in homes, schools, and offices worldwide. Their most famous products are disposable ballpoint pens, pocket lighters, and razors. Beyond these, they also sell a wide variety of other stationery like markers, pencils, and correction fluid (the white stuff you use to cover up mistakes), as well as other personal care items. Essentially, BIC focuses on mass-produced consumer goods that people use regularly and often repurchase.
Human Expression
This is BIC's largest business area and includes all of their well-known stationery products. Think of the classic BIC Cristal pen, but also mechanical pencils, markers, highlighters, and coloring products under brands like BIC Kids and Conté. This segment, which used to be called Stationery, makes money by selling these writing and drawing tools to students, families, and office workers through supermarkets, office supply stores, and other retailers. It represents the biggest piece of the company's sales.
Flame For Life
This segment is all about BIC's iconic lighters. They produce and sell billions of pocket lighters each year in various sizes and colors, including the well-known Maxi and Mini lighters. They also make multi-purpose lighters for things like lighting candles or grills. This part of the business generates a significant portion of BIC's revenue by selling to a wide range of retailers, from convenience stores to large supermarkets.
Blade Excellence
This is BIC's shaver business, which focuses on disposable razors for both men and women. They offer a variety of razors, from single-blade classics to multi-blade options under brand names like BIC Soleil and BIC Flex. This segment makes money by selling affordable shaving products to consumers through drugstores, grocery stores, and other mass-market retailers. It is a major contributor to the company's overall sales.
What management is betting on now
BIC is focused on a plan they call their "Horizon" strategy, which emphasizes sustainable growth. A big part of this is their commitment to sustainability, with goals to use more recycled materials in their products and packaging, and to run their facilities on renewable energy. They are also investing in innovation to create products that are more environmentally friendly and meet the changing needs of consumers. This includes developing products with a better environmental footprint and streamlining their supply chain (the entire process of making and delivering their products) to be more efficient.
Price history
How the share price has moved
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Is it cheap or expensive?
Fair value $75.27 vs current price $39.16
Our most-likely fair value is $75.27 a share — about 92.2% above today's price of $39.16, so the stock currently looks cheap (undervalued).
Is it drowning in debt?
Healthy
Net cash $118.9M - more cash than debt. Interest coverage 16.1x.
Net debt
$-118.90M
Interest coverage
16.09x
Société BIC SA's profit covers its interest bill about 16.1 times over. which is stronger than every peer shown here.
Healthy
Worse cushion
Baseline
Better cushion
BICEY
BASELINE
Société BIC SA
Total debt $387.32M Interest coverage 16.09x This is the baseline the peer rows are being compared against.
Total debt $5.71B Interest coverage 1.47x -91% vs BICEY Carries about 11.0x less debt cushion than BICEY.
Total debt $1.28B Interest coverage 2.67x -83% vs BICEY Carries about 6.0x less debt cushion than BICEY.
Total debt $748.20M Interest coverage 4.98x -69% vs BICEY Carries about 3.2x less debt cushion than BICEY.
Total debt $5.60B Interest coverage 6.82x -58% vs BICEY Carries about 2.4x less debt cushion than BICEY.
Total debt $2.43B Interest coverage 11.32x -30% vs BICEY Carries about 1.4x less debt cushion than BICEY.
What you should know
The case for and against BICEY
3 Rewards
2 Risks
Rewards
-
Returns 6.9% on equity, ahead of 50% of its peers.
-
Free cash flow was positive in 4/10 years.
-
Trades at 24.0x P/E vs peer median 26.7x (10.1% cheaper).
Risks
-
Stock trades 34.6% above its 5-year average P/E.
-
Insider ownership is only 0.0% (peer median: 1.4%).
The numbers
All the key metrics, grouped by purpose
Tap any ? icon to learn what it means.
Valuation
How expensive the stock looks
P/E (TTM)
24.02x
Forward P/E
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P/B
1.59x
P/S
1.55x
EV/EBITDA
8.59x
PEG ratio
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Profitability
How much profit each dollar creates
Gross margin
50.1%
Operating margin
14.8%
Net margin
5.7%
ROE
6.9%
ROA
6.2%
Health
Liquidity and balance-sheet strength
Debt / equity
0.19x
Current ratio
2.21x
Quick ratio
1.42x
Total debt
$387.32M
Total cash
$506.22M
Growth
How the business has been compounding
Revenue TTM
$2.38B
Revenue 5Y CAGR
-2.2%
EPS TTM
1.63
EPS 5Y CAGR
-22.5%
Cash flow
How much cash the business throws off
Operating CF TTM
$358.54M
Free CF TTM
$257.84M
FCF margin
10.8%
Dividend
Shareholder payout
Yield
3.5%
Payout ratio
82.5%
Last ex-div date
2026-06-01