A.E.SMITH,COGGINS LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
00196691 · ltd · incorporated 1924-03-25
Investment thesis
Looks cheap but ownership + security both unclear — probable value trap.
Why interesting: Headline metrics may be attractive.
Why risky: No PSC visibility combined with multiple live charges; transacting likely slow and expensive.
Opportunity decay
approaching window · 12-months
Approaching a transaction window — refinance or sale event plausible in the next 12 months.
- · Oldest live charge 45.1y old — refinance window within 12 months
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
63/100
Worth a look
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 7499
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
Pass (distressed without resilience)Distressed admin-neglect survivor — structural issues outweigh the discount.
Opportunity 63/100 (worth a look), bankability 45/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 81). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: File overdue accounts. Clears statutory overdue flag — immediate bankability uplift for refinance conversations. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (45/100). Current lenders should be on monthly review.
🏦
Refinance opportunity
2 live charges · oldest 45.1y
65/100
clean up first
Refinance viable after a tidy-up — address the highlighted items first.
- · Oldest live charge is 45.1 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Legal-friction score 25/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.
Data confidence
Overall: low (49/100)Sparse data coverage. Treat AI-generated outputs as preliminary. Manual diligence essential.
Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
2 charges (2/2 with lender, 2/2 with type)
90
Directors & officers
5 officers (3 active, 5 linked, 3 with DOB)
82
Ownership & PSC
No PSCs filed (unusual — worth investigating)
35
Director network
3 connected companies via shared directors
54
Filing history
25 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
63/100Worth a look
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Mixed signal. Worth opening the full target workup before deciding to pursue.
Business quality
45
Concerning — overdue filings or status flags present.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
49
Multiple red flags — proceed with caution.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (32 events)Click to expand
- 2012-04-18📄restoration-order-of-courtrestoration · AC92
- 2011-08-23📄gazette-dissolved-compulsarygazette · GAZ2
- 2011-05-10📄gazette-notice-compulsarygazette · GAZ1
- 2009-01-27📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2009-01-26📄court-ordermiscellaneous · OC-DV
- 1995-01-01📄selection-of-documents-registered-before-January-1995historical · PRE95
- 1993-07-20📄gazette-dissolved-compulsarygazette · GAZ2
- 1993-03-30📄gazette-notice-compulsarygazette · GAZ1
- 1992-03-16📄legacyofficers · 288
- 1992-02-28➕SMITH, Ruth Hilary appointedsecretary
- 1992-02-28➕SMITH, Ruth Hilary appointeddirector
- 1992-02-28➖YOUNG, Walter resignedsecretary
- 1992-01-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 1992-01-30📄legacyannual-return · 363s
- 1991-11-29📄legacyofficers · 288
- 1991-11-21➖SMITH, Donald Rylandes resigneddirector
- 1991-11-06📍legacyaddress · 287
- 1991-02-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 1991-02-12📄legacyannual-return · 363a
- 1990-01-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 1990-01-29📄legacyannual-return · 363
- 1988-11-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 1988-11-28📄legacyannual-return · 363
- 1987-11-25📄accounts-with-made-up-dateaccounts · AA
- 1987-11-25📄legacyannual-return · 363
- 1987-02-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 1987-01-20📄legacyannual-return · 363
- 1987-01-01📄selection-of-documents-registered-before-January-1987historical · PRE87
- 1986-11-04📄legacyofficers · 288
- 1981-06-09🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 1981-06-09🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 1924-03-25🏢Company incorporatedAs A.E.SMITH,COGGINS LIMITED
Owner dependency
100/100
Critical — business is the founderThe business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
FACTORS
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "SMITH" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 34 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 81 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
91/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 81 years old. Natural succession window is now.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 34 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 102 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
Red flags
2 high ·Accounts overdue
highStatutory accounts have not been filed by their due date. Can indicate admin breakdown, cash preservation, or deliberate delay.
Evidence: Next due: 1999-01-31
Confirmation statement overdue
highAnnual confirmation statement not filed on time. Required statutory filing — overdue is a strong discipline signal.
Evidence: Next due: 2017-01-14
🔒Co-director network graph
Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Similar companies
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| APEX LEADERSHIP LTD→ 07094271 · est 2009 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | — | — |
| APEX PRISM LIMITED→ 10332357 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
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| AQUILA CONSULTANCY LTD→ 14919033 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| AR EQUINE VETERINARY DENTISTRY LTD→ 12198373 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| ARCC HR LTD→ 09859800 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
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Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
10 specific questions generated from this company's actual signals — liquidity, leverage, director age, charge count, red flags, age-of-company.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →🔒Advanced scoring suite
Exit-route ranking, improvement thesis, quiet-distress detector, covenant-pressure proxy, extraction monitor, approaching triggers, ownership drift, local cluster, value trap, debt capacity, archetype classification — 48+ scoring modules.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Company details
Statusactive
Typeltd
Incorporated1924-03-25
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC7499 — SIC 7499
Registered office
C/O Portable Offices (Hire) Ltd
Factory Road
Sandycroft, Deeside
Clwyd
CH5 2QJ
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 1999-01-31OVERDUE
Last made up to: 1991-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2017-01-14OVERDUE
Last: —
Officers (3 active · 2 resigned)
SMITH, Ruth Hilary→
Activesecretary · appointed 1992-02-28
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
SMITH, Ruth Hilary→
Activedirector · ~81y · appointed 1992-02-28
View their other companies + combined net worth →
YOUNG, Walter→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 1992-02-28
SMITH, Donald Rylandes→
Resigneddirector · ~79y · resigned 1991-11-21
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
2
Total charges
2
Outstanding
1
Active lenders
Status:Lender:2 of 2 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Legal charge | 1 property | 09/06/1981 | — | |
| outstanding | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Legal charge | 1 property | 09/06/1981 | — |
Click column headers to sort. Use filters above to narrow by status and lender.
Recent filings (25 total)
restoration-order-of-court
restoration · AC92
2012-04-18
gazette-dissolved-compulsary
gazette · GAZ2
2011-08-23
gazette-notice-compulsary
gazette · GAZ1
2011-05-10
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2009-01-27
court-order
miscellaneous · OC-DV
2009-01-26
selection-of-documents-registered-before-January-1995
historical · PRE95
1995-01-01
gazette-dissolved-compulsary
gazette · GAZ2
1993-07-20
gazette-notice-compulsary
gazette · GAZ1
1993-03-30
legacy
officers · 288
1992-03-16
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
1992-01-30
legacy
annual-return · 363s
1992-01-30
legacy
officers · 288
1991-11-29
legacy
address · 287
1991-11-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
1991-02-12
legacy
annual-return · 363a
1991-02-12