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Fountain S.A.

FOU.BR
59
Business Equipment & Supplies · Industrials
Exchange
Euronext Brussels
Winston Score
59
Winston is curious
A decent business — some strong pillars, some weaker.
Data as of Aug 23, 2026 · filings through Dec 31, 2025
How the score breaks down
Quality
Good
Growth
Good
Cash Flow
Strong
Stability
Good
Valuation
Good

Winston Score History

The full picture

Fountain S.A. is a Belgian company that makes and sells writing instruments, primarily pens and related stationery products. Its core products include ballpoint pens, rollerball pens, and fountain pens, sold to retailers, schools, and office supply distributors across Europe and beyond. The company operates in the broader business equipment and supplies industry, competing in a mature market for everyday writing tools.

Fountain earns revenue mainly through product sales to wholesale and retail channels rather than subscriptions or licensing. The company is relatively small, with most of its business concentrated in European markets. Its high gross margin of around 65% suggests some pricing power or a focus on branded or higher-quality products, but the thin operating margin of under 5% points to significant overhead or competitive pricing pressure. The key risk the company faces is the long-term structural decline in demand for physical writing instruments as digital tools continue to replace pen-and-paper habits in schools and offices.

Growth Profile

When traditional metrics don't capture the full picture, these are the signals growth stock investors use instead.

Revenue Growth

+1.8% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Slow revenue growth

EPS Growth

-82.3% YoY

YoY Growth Rate

Earnings declining

Insider Activity

68.7%ownership

Insiders own a meaningful stake in the company

Cash Position

Cash flow positive

€1M cash & investments

Quarterly Free Cash Flow

↑ Burn rate improving

Company generates more cash than it spends — no dilution risk from fundraising

Growth context

Fountain S.A. is growing revenue at 2% year-over-year. The Winston Score measures business quality today — these growth metrics show what could matter tomorrow.

The Winston Score above measures business quality today. Growth stocks often score lower because they invest in the future rather than maximising current profits. These metrics show what matters most for evaluating that future.

Score breakdown

Every number that matters to educated investors.

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Quality

Profit per sale
Gross Margin
64.1%
Premium pricing power — 64.1% gross margin
Profit after running costs
Operating Margin
2.9%
Thin — 2.9% operating margin
Return on the money invested
ROCE
19.0%
Strong — 19.0% return on capital

ROIC between 15% and 25%. Every dollar invested in the business earns 15 to 25 cents back per year.

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Growth

Sales growth
Sales YoY
+1.1%
Nearly flat sales (+1.1% YoY)
Profit growth
EPS YoY
-51.0%
Earnings shrinking (-51.0% YoY)

Earnings per share down more than 10%. Either a bad year, or a real decline.

How steady the profit is
EPS Consistency
7/8 quarters
Every recent quarter grew earnings vs last year

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Cash Flow

Profit that turns into cash
Cash Conversion
371%
Turns 371% of profit into real cash
Spare cash per sale
FCF Margin
8.4%
Modest free cash flow (8.4%)

FCF margin between 0% and 10%. Some cash from sales, but not a lot.

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Stability

What it owes vs what it owns
Debt / Equity
0.73
Moderate — manageable debt (0.73)
Covers its interest
Interest Cover
6.68x
Adequate interest coverage (6.7x)

Interest coverage between 3 and 8. Profits cover interest several times over.

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Valuation

Price vs profit
P/E Ratio (TTM)
9.8x
no trend
Attractive valuation — P/E 9.8

P/E under 10. The price tag is small relative to last year's profit.

Cheaper or dearer next year
P/E vs Forward
N/A
not available
Data not available

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Dividends

Not applicable for this business.
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