ABACUS FIRE AND SECURITY LTD
💤Zombieactive
05653281 · ltd · incorporated 2005-12-13
Investment thesis
Zombie company — trading but stalled; unlikely mover.
Why interesting: Quiet, steady; could be a succession or carve-out candidate with the right conversation.
Why risky: No growth signal; thin margin for error on price.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Sept 2025
Net worth
£284.6k
book net assets
Opportunity
75/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Electrical installation
Sector: Construction
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
- 96090Other service activities n.e.c.
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: asset-holding vehicle with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 75/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Broaden director team. Sole director creates succession risk and reduces buyer comfort. Appoint a second director or strong #2. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).
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, 2 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
4 officers (1 active, 4 linked, 1 with DOB)
75
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
65 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
75/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
60
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £284,552
Net assets shrinking
Down £157,998 YoY
Cash YoY
+50%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£237k
↑ 50% YoY
Net Worth
£285k
↓ 36% YoY
Current Assets
£630k
~ YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-09-30 | 2024-09-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £303.6k | £470.8k |
| Current assets | £630.4k | £634.8k |
| Cash | £237.1k | £158.1k |
| Debtors | £375.8k | £435.1k |
| Net assets | £284.6k | £442.6k |
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
1
filing
- • 1 accounts
Last 90 days
1
filing
- • 1 accounts
Last 180 days
2
filings
- • 1 accounts
- • 1 address
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (26 events)Click to expand
- 2026-06-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2026-03-05📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2025-03-31📄capital-return-purchase-own-sharescapital · SH03
- 2025-03-20📄capital-cancellation-sharescapital · SH06
- 2025-02-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-11-27📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2024-11-27📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-11-12📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-11-12📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2024-11-12📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2024-10-25➖SEPHTON, Carol resignedsecretary
- 2024-06-27📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-04-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-03-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-03-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-03-17📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-12-20📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2019-12-20📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2019-05-21📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2005-12-13🏢Company incorporatedAs ABACUS FIRE AND SECURITY LTD
- 2005-12-13➕SEPHTON, David John appointeddirector
- 2005-12-13➕SEPHTON, Carol appointedsecretary
- 2005-12-13➕SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2005-12-13➖SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary
- 2005-12-13➕INSTANT COMPANIES LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2005-12-13➖INSTANT COMPANIES LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
85/100
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
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 21 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
Succession & seller-readiness
75/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 21 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 21 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
- 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
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr David John Sephton Individual · British · DOB 01/1975 · age 51 | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 13/12/2016 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Mrs Carol Sephtonceased 25/10/2024· 50-75% shares
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Construction · IP postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A B FALCO & SON LTD→ 04916210 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 22y | — | — |
| A BRIDGE GROUNDWORKS LTD→ 12961713 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| A.B.P. SUFFOLK DEVELOPMENTS LIMITED→ 06078288 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 19y | — | — |
| A2D ELECTRICAL LIMITED→ 13478333 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| A2O BUILDINGWORKS LTD→ 14509413 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| AA PREMIER CONSTRUCTION LTD→ 16930703 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| AARON NOBBS ELECTRICAL LTD→ 06531530 · est 2008 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
| AARON WINDOWS INSTALLATIONS LIMITED→ 05380593 · est 2005 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 21y | — | — |
| AB PLUMBING & HEATING SUFFOLK LTD→ 13275991 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| ABBEY FIRE DOORS LTD→ 13313421 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| ABBEY GLASS (HOLDINGS) LIMITED→ 14817988 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| ABBEY GLASS LIMITED→ 02685041 · est 1992 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 34y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2005-12-13
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC43210 — Electrical installation
Registered office
Unit 10 Hadleigh Enterprise Centre
Crockatt Road, Hadleigh
Ipswich
Suffolk
IP7 6RJ
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-06-30
Last made up to: 2025-09-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-12-27
Last: 2025-12-13
Officers (1 active · 3 resigned)
SEPHTON, David John→
Activedirector · ~51y · appointed 2005-12-13
View their other companies + combined net worth →
SEPHTON, Carol→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2005-12-13 · resigned 2024-10-25
SWIFT INCORPORATIONS LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-secretary · appointed 2005-12-13 · resigned 2005-12-13
INSTANT COMPANIES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2005-12-13 · resigned 2005-12-13
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (65 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2026-06-10
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2026-03-05
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-12-15
capital-return-purchase-own-shares
capital · SH03
2025-03-31
capital-cancellation-shares
capital · SH06
2025-03-20
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-02-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-12-23
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2024-11-27
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-11-27
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2024-11-12
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2024-11-12
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2024-11-12
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-06-27
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-12-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-04-28