CERANTA LIMITED
🌳Matureactive
05656881 · ltd · incorporated 2005-12-16
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 Mar 2025
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Non-trading company
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: dormant / non-trading with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 58). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
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
1 year of iXBRL accounts extracted (no YoY comparison) + narrative notes parsed
50
Lenders & charges
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
9 officers (3 active, 9 linked, 6 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
18 connected companies via shared directors
90
Filing history
70 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
79/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
85
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
77
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Key financials
1 year extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
—
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · FRS 102| Metric | 2025-03-31 |
|---|
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 (34 events)Click to expand
- 2025-10-08📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2025-05-07➖THOMSON, Carol resigneddirector
- 2025-05-07📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2024-12-11✏️certificate-change-of-name-companychange-of-name · CERTNM
- 2024-12-11📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2024-12-11📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2024-12-09➖FOWLER, Iain resigneddirector
- 2024-12-09➖WOODS, Mark resigneddirector
- 2024-08-15📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2023-12-21📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2023-12-19📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2023-12-19📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2023-12-13➕FOWLER, Iain appointeddirector
- 2023-12-13➕WOODS, Mark appointeddirector
- 2023-12-13✏️certificate-change-of-name-companychange-of-name · CERTNM
- 2023-01-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-dormantaccounts · AA
- 2021-12-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-06-30➕LEWSLEY, John Charles appointeddirector
- 2021-06-30➖TOWERS, Simon resigneddirector
- 2021-06-30📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2021-06-30📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2021-03-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-12-13📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2019-12-13📄change-person-secretary-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH03
- 2019-10-29📄change-account-reference-date-company-current-extendedaccounts · AA01
- 2007-05-03➕MCFARLANE, Michelle appointedsecretary
- 2007-05-03➕MCFARLANE, Michelle appointeddirector
- 2007-05-03➖A G SECRETARIAL LIMITED resignedcorporate-secretary
- 2007-05-03➕THOMSON, Carol appointeddirector
- 2007-05-03➕TOWERS, Simon appointeddirector
- 2007-05-03➖INHOCO FORMATIONS LIMITED resignedcorporate-nominee-director
- 2005-12-16🏢Company incorporatedAs CERANTA LIMITED
- 2005-12-16➕A G SECRETARIAL LIMITED appointedcorporate-secretary
- 2005-12-16➕INHOCO FORMATIONS LIMITED appointedcorporate-nominee-director
Owner dependency
76/100
High — earn-out structure requiredMaterial founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
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 19 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 58 — approaching natural succession window.
Succession & seller-readiness
69/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 58. Early succession window.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 19 years.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 20 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
1 med ·Name changed recently
mediumName changes can be benign (rebrand) but can also precede distress, phoenix activity, or buyer concealment.
Evidence: 2024-12-11: certificate-change-of-name-company
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Robert Mcfarlane Individual · British · DOB 08/1946 · age 80 | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 01/12/2016 |
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 · Holding company · M postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 OLD BROADWAY LIMITED→ 16417908 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 109 PRINCESS STREET MANAGEMENT COMPANY LIMITED→ 03481557 · est 1997 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 28y | — | — |
| 11 11 ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD→ 13718054 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| 11 FAMILY INVESTMENT COMPANY LTD→ 17042381 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 11 GRANGE AVENUE FH LIMITED→ 11175407 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| 11412040 LTD→ 11412040 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| 12 VICTORIA AVENUE MANAGEMENT LIMITED→ 07374566 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
| 133 LAPWING MANAGEMENT LTD→ 15162312 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| 134 DENTONS GREEN LANE (ST HELENS) LIMITED→ 12615639 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| 144-154 MOSS LANE MANAGEMENT COMPANY LIMITED→ 11750308 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| 18A MARKET PLACE LIMITED→ 14011768 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| 18TWENTY LIMITED→ 09821461 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
6 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
Incorporated2005-12-16
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC74990 — Non-trading company
Registered office
One St Peter's Square
Manchester
M2 3DE
United Kingdom
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-12-27
Last: 2025-12-13
Officers (3 active · 6 resigned)
MCFARLANE, Michelle→
Activesecretary · appointed 2007-05-03
View their other companies + combined net worth →
LEWSLEY, John Charles→
Activedirector · ~50y · appointed 2021-06-30
View their other companies + combined net worth →
MCFARLANE, Michelle→
Activedirector · ~58y · appointed 2007-05-03
View their other companies + combined net worth →
A G SECRETARIAL LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-secretary · appointed 2005-12-16 · resigned 2007-05-03
FOWLER, Iain→
Resigneddirector · ~57y · appointed 2023-12-13 · resigned 2024-12-09
THOMSON, Carol→
Resigneddirector · ~55y · appointed 2007-05-03 · resigned 2025-05-07
TOWERS, Simon→
Resigneddirector · ~58y · appointed 2007-05-03 · resigned 2021-06-30
WOODS, Mark→
Resigneddirector · ~45y · appointed 2023-12-13 · resigned 2024-12-09
INHOCO FORMATIONS LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-nominee-director · appointed 2005-12-16 · resigned 2007-05-03
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (70 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-01-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2025-10-08
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-05-07
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-01-06
certificate-change-of-name-company
change-of-name · CERTNM
2024-12-11
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2024-12-11
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2024-12-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2024-08-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2023-12-21
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-12-20
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2023-12-19
appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
officers · AP01
2023-12-19
certificate-change-of-name-company
change-of-name · CERTNM
2023-12-13
accounts-with-accounts-type-dormant
accounts · AA
2023-01-07
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-12-13