D L HIGHLEY LTD
🌳Matureactive
00470940 · ltd · incorporated 1949-07-18
Investment thesis
Well-run mature business — low negotiation leverage; premium likely.
Why interesting: Textbook target; clean filings, stable trading.
Why risky: No pressure on seller; any deal likely at full price.
Opportunity decay
hardening · 12-months
Already tight — no obvious softening catalysts on the horizon.
- · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Dec 2024
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: SIC 99999
Sector: Extraterritorial bodies
Investor take
PursueActive trading company. Family succession underway — not a classic acquisition target.
Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 77/100. Same-surname younger director in place — likely family handover, not open to sale. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Consolidate lender relationships. 4 distinct lenders creates friction — refinance into single-lender structure for cleaner diligence. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
9 live charges · 4 lenders · oldest 60.4y
35/100
too messy
Refinance path is blocked by complexity. Rethink structure or expect bespoke, expensive terms.
- · Oldest live charge is 60.4 years old — likely at or near maturity.
- · 4 lenders named — inter-creditor friction likely.
- · Legal-friction score 25/100 — workable, but lender will want more DD.
Data confidence
Overall: high (83/100)Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.
Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
9 charges (9/9 with lender, 9/9 with type)
90
Directors & officers
9 officers (3 active, 9 linked, 8 with DOB)
88
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
11 connected companies via shared directors
78
Filing history
131 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
78/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
75
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
77
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2024-12-31 | 2023-12-31 |
|---|
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (45 events)Click to expand
- 2025-09-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-07-10➕STOCKBRIDGE, Charles Ralph Hedley appointeddirector
- 2025-07-10📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2024-09-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-09-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-06-06📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-06-06📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2022-11-09📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2022-11-08➖STOCKBRIDGE, Anne Malissa Mari resignedsecretary
- 2022-11-08📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2022-09-21📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2022-09-21📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2022-09-21📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2022-09-21🔓Charge satisfied #8
- 2022-09-21🔓Charge satisfied #7
- 2022-09-21🔓Charge satisfied #2
- 2022-09-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-09-20📄mortgage-charge-whole-cease-with-charge-numbermortgage · MR05
- 2022-09-20📄mortgage-charge-whole-cease-with-charge-numbermortgage · MR05
- 2022-09-20📄mortgage-charge-whole-cease-with-charge-numbermortgage · MR05
- 2021-05-13📄change-account-reference-date-company-current-extendedaccounts · AA01
- 2021-02-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2020-02-25📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2006-06-30➖MEREDITH, Paul Geoffrey resigneddirector
- 2006-06-30➖PARKIN, Nigel Ashley resigneddirector
- 2006-04-27🔓Charge satisfied #9
- 2006-04-27🔓Charge satisfied #6
- 2002-12-18➖JEWELL, Derek John resigneddirector
- 2002-05-22➖BRYAN, John William resigneddirector
- 2001-09-26🔒Charge registered #9Lender: Lombard North Central PLC
- 1998-02-20➕MEREDITH, Paul Geoffrey appointeddirector
- 1994-05-04➖HAMILTON, Michael Conrad resigneddirector
- 1992-01-20🔒Charge registered #8Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 1992-01-15🔓Charge satisfied #5
- 1992-01-15🔓Charge satisfied #4
- 1992-01-15🔓Charge satisfied #3
- 1992-01-15🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 1991-11-29🔒Charge registered #7Lender: Barclays Bank PLC
- 1982-10-18🔒Charge registered #6Lender: Midland Bank PLC
- 1982-10-18🔒Charge registered #5Lender: Midland Bank PLC
- 1981-10-01🔒Charge registered #4Lender: Midland Bank PLC
- 1980-07-15🔒Charge registered #2Lender: Forward Turst Limited
- 1980-07-14🔒Charge registered #3Lender: Midland Bank PLC
- 1966-02-22🔒Charge registered #1Lender: Midland Bank PLC
- 1949-07-18🏢Company incorporatedAs D L HIGHLEY LTD
Owner dependency
73/100
High — earn-out structure requiredMaterial founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
FACTORS
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 77 — succession pressure is live.
- +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.
Succession & seller-readiness
20/100
No succession signalNo meaningful acquirability indicators from public data.
SIGNALS
- primaryFamily succession underway: Not a takeover target — STOCKBRIDGE, Charles Ralph Hedley (same surname) appointed 2025-07-10. Pattern consistent with intra-family handover.
- primaryFounder aged 70+: Senior director is approximately 77 years old. Natural succession window is now.
Red flags
1 med ·Charge satisfaction-then-recreation pattern
mediumMultiple instances where a charge was satisfied and a new charge created within 6 months. Suggests active refinancing cycle.
Group structure
Highley Pens Ltd is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.
🏛️ultimate parent
Highley Pens Ltd
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares
⬇
D L HIGHLEY LTD
This company · 00470940
Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Highley Pens Ltd Corporate entity | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 06/04/2016 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
🔒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
Active · Other · WV postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B1 ENTERPRISES LTD→ 07608110 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| BILSTON 1955 LIMITED→ 08977782 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| CHASE DEVELOPMENTS LTD→ 13346994 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| COOPER CRANES LIMITED→ 05307471 · est 2004 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 21y | — | — |
| CORPORATE TAX PLANNING LIMITED→ 02232332 · est 1988 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 38y | — | — |
| CROCODILE SCAFFOLDING (ENGLAND) LIMITED→ 04336079 · est 2001 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 24y | — | — |
| D A ENGLISH ROSES LIMITED→ 10587418 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| DAVID AUSTIN ROSE NURSERY LIMITED→ 04881400 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| DAVID AUSTIN ROSES FARMS LIMITED→ 12794497 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| DAYSPRING CARE AGENCY LTD→ 15990492 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| DBA INVESTMENTS LIMITED→ 07100182 · est 2009 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | — | — |
| DBP PROPERTY MANAGEMENT LIMITED→ 16105484 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
7 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
Incorporated1949-07-18
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC99999 — SIC 99999
Registered office
Manuscript House Netherton Lane
Highley
Bridgnorth
Shropshire
WV16 6BF
United Kingdom
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-02-14
Last: 2026-01-31
Officers (3 active · 6 resigned)
Active
STOCKBRIDGE, Charles Ralph Hedley→
Activedirector · ~45y · appointed 2025-07-10
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
STOCKBRIDGE, Anne Malissa Mari→
Resignedsecretary · resigned 2022-11-08
BRYAN, John William→
Resigneddirector · ~76y · resigned 2002-05-22
HAMILTON, Michael Conrad→
Resigneddirector · ~88y · resigned 1994-05-04
JEWELL, Derek John→
Resigneddirector · ~73y · resigned 2002-12-18
MEREDITH, Paul Geoffrey→
Resigneddirector · ~62y · appointed 1998-02-20 · resigned 2006-06-30
PARKIN, Nigel Ashley→
Resigneddirector · ~68y · resigned 2006-06-30
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
9
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:9 of 9 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| satisfied | Lombard North Central Lombard North Central PLC | Chattel mortgage | 1 property | 26/09/2001 | 27/04/2006 | |
| satisfied | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Legal charge | 1 property | 20/01/1992 | 21/09/2022 | |
| satisfied | Barclays Barclays Bank PLC | Guarantee and debenture | 1 property | 29/11/1991 | 21/09/2022 | |
| satisfied | Midland Bank Midland Bank PLC | Charge | 1 property | 18/10/1982 | 27/04/2006 | |
| satisfied | Midland Bank Midland Bank PLC | Charge | 1 property | 18/10/1982 | 15/01/1992 | |
| satisfied | Midland Bank Midland Bank PLC | Legal charge | 1 property | 01/10/1981 | 15/01/1992 | |
| satisfied | Forward Turst Forward Turst Limited | Chattels mortgage | 1 property | 15/07/1980 | 21/09/2022 | |
| satisfied | Midland Bank Midland Bank PLC | Charge | 1 property | 14/07/1980 | 15/01/1992 | |
| satisfied | Midland Bank Midland Bank PLC | Mortgage | 2 properties | 22/02/1966 | 15/01/1992 |
Recent filings (131 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-02-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-09-10
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2025-07-10
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-02-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-09-24
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-02-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-09-25
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2023-06-06
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2023-06-06
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-02-15
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2022-11-09
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2022-11-08
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2022-09-21
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2022-09-21
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2022-09-21