ARTHUR STEVENS LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
05007224 · ltd · incorporated 2004-01-06
Investment thesis
Established operating company — standard diligence applies, no dominant angle.
Why interesting: Live, filing, normal profile.
Why risky: No standout signals in either direction.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to May 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Operating as a financial intermediary under the Arthur Stevens name, this Hertford-based firm most likely facilitates transactions or arrangements between financial parties — such as broking, arranging, or advising — without taking principal positions, though recent share restructuring filings suggest possible internal reorganisation.
Primary activity: Financial intermediation not elsewhere classified
Sector: Financial & insurance
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 87-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 87). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: strategic trade sale (73/100).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (75/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
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
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
7 officers (3 active, 7 linked, 2 with DOB)
76
Ownership & PSC
4 active PSC(s) of 5 total, 5 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
86 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
80/100Exceptional
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
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 | 2025-05-31 | 2024-05-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Average employees | 500 | 500 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
2 signals detected in this company's narrative notes — going-concern language, audit opinion, contingent liabilities, related-party transactions.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
3
filings
- • 2 persons-with-significant-control
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (33 events)Click to expand
- 2026-02-02📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2026-02-02📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2025-09-01📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-07-14📄capital-variation-of-rights-attached-to-sharescapital · SH10
- 2025-07-14📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2025-07-14📄memorandum-articlesincorporation · MA
- 2025-07-14📄capital-name-of-class-of-sharescapital · SH08
- 2025-01-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-01-21📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-01-21📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2025-01-20📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-01-26📄appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP03
- 2024-01-26📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2023-10-31📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-08-24➕BARNETT, Lucy Veronica appointedsecretary
- 2023-08-24➖DAWKINS, Caroline Mary resignedsecretary
- 2023-01-20📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-01-20📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2022-09-05📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-02-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-01-24📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2022-01-24📄memorandum-articlesincorporation · MA
- 2022-01-21📄capital-name-of-class-of-sharescapital · SH08
- 2004-06-02➕CLIFTON BROWN, Veronica Jane appointeddirector
- 2004-06-02➕DAWKINS, Caroline Mary appointedsecretary
- 2004-06-02➖FIELD, Graham John resignedsecretary
- 2004-04-05➖BHARDWAJ, Ashok resignednominee-secretary
- 2004-04-05➖BHARDWAJ CORPORATE SERVICES LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2004-03-30➕DAWKINS, Caroline Mary appointeddirector
- 2004-03-30➕FIELD, Graham John appointedsecretary
- 2004-01-06🏢Company incorporatedAs ARTHUR STEVENS LIMITED
- 2004-01-06➕BHARDWAJ, Ashok appointednominee-secretary
- 2004-01-06➕BHARDWAJ CORPORATE SERVICES LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
83/100
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.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 22 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 87 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
86/100
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 87 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 22 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.
Red flags
cleanNo red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)
Shareholders & ownership
4 active beneficial owners · dominant holder ≥75% · fragmented| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mrs Lucy Veronica Barnett Individual · British · DOB 09/1973 · age 53 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control · trust interest | 16/12/2025 |
Mr Richard Michael Horwood Individual · British · DOB 12/1976 · age 50 | 75–100% | 75–100% | board control75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control · trust interest | 06/04/2016 |
Mrs Caroline Mary Dawkins Individual · British · DOB 03/1944 · age 82 | — | — | sig. influencesignificant influence | 06/04/2016 |
Mrs Veronica Jane Clifton Brown Individual · British · DOB 11/1939 · age 87 | — | — | sig. influencesignificant influence | 06/04/2016 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mr Christopher Edward Peaseceased 16/12/2025· 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control · trust interest
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A PLUS CAPITAL PARTNERS LTD→ 16501610 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ALDBURY CAPITAL LIMITED→ 12031598 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| AM PROTECTION LTD→ 17045471 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| APW GROUP LTD→ 16715206 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ARISTO (CATERING) LIMITED→ 00349233 · est 1939 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 87y | — | — |
| ART REPUBLIC LIMITED→ 16180922 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ARTEMIS SECURITY LTD→ 16755767 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AU INVESTMENTS LIMITED→ 07705655 · est 2011 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 14y | — | — |
| AWR MORTGAGES LTD→ 13316222 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| AZUREBLU LIMITED→ 10913190 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| B.A.G SERVICES (CHESHUNT) LIMITED→ 08406279 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| B.R. NEEDHAM (FINANCIAL SERVICES) LIMITED→ 02567553 · est 1990 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 35y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2004-01-06
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC64999 — Financial intermediation not elsewhere classified
Registered office
5 Yeomans Court
Ware Road
Hertford
Hertfordshire
SG13 7HJ
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-02-28
Last made up to: 2025-05-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-01-20
Last: 2026-01-06
Officers (3 active · 4 resigned)
BARNETT, Lucy Veronica→
Activesecretary · appointed 2023-08-24
View their other companies + combined net worth →
CLIFTON BROWN, Veronica Jane→
Activedirector · ~87y · appointed 2004-06-02
View their other companies + combined net worth →
DAWKINS, Caroline Mary→
Activedirector · ~82y · appointed 2004-03-30
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BHARDWAJ, Ashok→
Resignednominee-secretary · appointed 2004-01-06 · resigned 2004-04-05
DAWKINS, Caroline Mary→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2004-06-02 · resigned 2023-08-24
FIELD, Graham John→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2004-03-30 · resigned 2004-06-02
BHARDWAJ CORPORATE SERVICES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2004-01-06 · resigned 2004-04-05
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (86 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-02-06
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2026-02-02
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2026-02-02
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-09-01
capital-variation-of-rights-attached-to-shares
capital · SH10
2025-07-14
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2025-07-14
memorandum-articles
incorporation · MA
2025-07-14
capital-name-of-class-of-shares
capital · SH08
2025-07-14
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-01-23
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-01-21
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-01-21
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-20
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-01-20
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-02-05
appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-date
officers · AP03
2024-01-26