HANCOCK FINANCIAL PLANNING LTD
💤Zombieactive
09060837 · ltd · incorporated 2014-05-29
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 Mar 2025
Net worth
£5.3k
book net assets
Opportunity
73/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Other activities auxiliary to financial services, except insurance and pension funding
Sector: Financial & insurance
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: asset-holding vehicle with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 73/100 (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: strategic trade sale (65/100).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (76/100)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
2 officers (2 active, 2 linked, 1 with DOB)
80
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
26 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
73/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
50
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 £5,297
Cash YoY
+29%
Year on year
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£20k
↑ 29% YoY
Net Worth
£5k
↑ 352% YoY
Current Assets
—
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-03-31 | 2024-03-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £5.3k | £1.2k |
| Cash | £19.9k | £15.5k |
| Net assets | £5.3k | £1.2k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
1 signal 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
2
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 officers
Last 90 days
2
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 officers
Last 180 days
2
filings
- • 1 confirmation-statement
- • 1 officers
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (18 events)Click to expand
- 2026-06-05📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-06-02📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-06-06📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2023-11-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2022-06-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2021-11-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2020-12-09📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-10-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2018-10-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-10-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-09-14📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-07-07📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-10-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2015-06-19📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-01-05📄change-account-reference-date-company-current-shortenedaccounts · AA01
- 2014-05-29🏢Company incorporatedAs HANCOCK FINANCIAL PLANNING LTD
- 2014-05-29➕HANCOCK, Darren appointedsecretary
- 2014-05-29➕HANCOCK, Darren Wayne appointeddirector
Owner dependency
95/100
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.
- +Founder name in company name: Company name contains director surname "HANCOCK" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +No director turnover: Company is 12 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
Succession & seller-readiness
58/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 12 years.
- 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 Darren Hancock Individual · British · DOB 08/1978 · age 48 | 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.
Similar companies
Active · Financial services · LA postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BOWLAND FINANCE LIMITED→ 12324302 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| BRATHAY INVESTMENTS LIMITED→ 13483414 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| CASTLE LOCH LTD.→ 15151195 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| FACE TO FACE FINANCIAL SERVICES LTD→ 04663849 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 23y | — | — |
| FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT BUREAU LIMITED→ 02089786 · est 1987 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 39y | — | — |
| GARETH NICHOLSON FINANCIAL PLANNING LTD→ 10545315 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| GILKES HYDRO PROJECTS LIMITED→ 08969105 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| GLOBAL-365 (UK) LTD→ 03162117 · est 1996 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 30y | — | — |
| GM SECURED LENDING OPPORTUNITIES 1002 LIMITED→ 13118905 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| GREEN DOME INVESTMENTS GROUP LTD→ 14320132 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| GUARDIAN POWER LIMITED→ 12151702 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| HAPSBURG→ 05215690 · est 2004 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 21y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2014-05-29
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC66190 — Other activities auxiliary to financial services, except insurance and pension funding
Registered office
42 Claremont Road
Morecambe
Lancashire
LA4 4HL
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-12-31
Last made up to: 2025-03-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-06-12
Last: 2026-05-29
Officers (2 active · 0 resigned)
Active
HANCOCK, Darren Wayne→
Activedirector · ~48y · appointed 2014-05-29
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (26 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-06-05
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2026-06-05
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-06-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-06-02
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-06-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-06-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2023-11-09
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-06-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2022-06-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-06-01
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2021-11-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-06-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2020-12-09
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-06-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2019-10-24