SEXTONS TRANSPORT SERVICES LIMITED

🌳Matureactive
SC137174 · ltd · incorporated 1992-03-16
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 Apr 2025
Net worth
£25.2k
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
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What this business does
Primary activity: Freight transport by road
Sector: Transportation & storage
ALSO REGISTERED FOR
  • 52243SIC 52243
Investor take
Pursue
Strong opportunity: asset-holding vehicle with exceptional profile and bankable structure.

Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (70/100, director aged 59). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (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, 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
7 officers (3 active, 7 linked, 4 with DOB)
81
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 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.

Signals from accounts

Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declared
Positive net assets
Net assets £25,159
Net assets shrinking
Down £2,455 YoY
Cash YoY
+21%
Year on year

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
£139k
↑ 21% YoY
Net Worth
£25k
↓ 8.9% YoY
Current Assets
£290k
↑ 18% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£58k£116k£174k£232k£290kApr 2024Apr 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-04-302024-04-30
Total assets£25.2k£27.6k
Current assets£290.3k£246.9k
Cash£139.1k£115.3k
Debtors£151.2k£131.7k
Net assets£25.2k£27.6k

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
0
filings
Last 90 days
1
filing
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
1
filing
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (27 events)Click to expand
  1. 2025-10-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-11-12
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  3. 2024-02-19
    📍
    change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
    address · AD01
  4. 2023-11-03
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  5. 2022-11-01
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  6. 2022-07-20
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  7. 2022-07-20
    📄
    change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH03
  8. 2022-07-14
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  9. 2022-07-14
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  10. 2022-01-31
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  11. 2021-03-30
    📄
    termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
    officers · TM01
  12. 2021-01-25
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  13. 2020-09-13
    ➖
    SEXTON, John resigned
    director
  14. 2020-01-29
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  15. 2019-01-07
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  16. 2018-01-17
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
    accounts · AA
  17. 2006-07-28
    ➕
    PRENTICE, Margaret Melrose appointed
    secretary
  18. 2006-07-28
    ➕
    PRENTICE, Margaret Melrose appointed
    director
  19. 2006-07-27
    ➕
    PRENTICE, Andrew appointed
    director
  20. 2006-07-27
    ➖
    SEXTON, Mary resigned
    secretary
  21. 1992-03-16
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As SEXTONS TRANSPORT SERVICES LIMITED
  22. 1992-03-16
    ➕
    REID, Brian appointed
    nominee-secretary
  23. 1992-03-16
    ➖
    REID, Brian resigned
    nominee-secretary
  24. 1992-03-16
    ➕
    SEXTON, Mary appointed
    secretary
  25. 1992-03-16
    ➕
    MABBOTT, Stephen appointed
    nominee-director
  26. 1992-03-16
    ➖
    MABBOTT, Stephen resigned
    nominee-director
  27. 1992-03-16
    ➕
    SEXTON, John appointed
    director

Owner dependency

84/100
Critical — business is the founder

The 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 20 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
  • +Senior director age: Director aged approximately 59 — approaching natural succession window.
  • +Family involvement: Multiple officers share a surname — likely family business, which concentrates governance.

Succession & seller-readiness

69/100
Strong succession signal

Multiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.

SIGNALS
  • secondaryFounder aged 58+: Senior director is approximately 59. Early succession window.
  • secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
  • secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 20 years.
  • secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 34 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

clean
No red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)

Shareholders & ownership

2 active beneficial owners
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Mr Andrew Morrison Prentice
Individual · Scottish · DOB 06/1967 · age 59
25–50%
—25-50% shares16/03/2017
Mrs Margaret Melrose Prentice
Individual · Scottish · DOB 02/1967 · age 59
25–50%
—25-50% shares16/03/2017

From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.

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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
Incorporated1992-03-16
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC49410 — Freight transport by road

Registered office

52 Belhaven Terrace
Wishaw
ML2 7AY
Scotland

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-01-31
Last made up to: 2025-04-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-03-26
Last: 2026-03-12

Officers (3 active · 4 resigned)

PRENTICE, Margaret Melrose→
secretary · appointed 2006-07-28
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
PRENTICE, Andrew→
director · ~59y · appointed 2006-07-27
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
PRENTICE, Margaret Melrose→
director · ~59y · appointed 2006-07-28
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
REID, Brian→
nominee-secretary · appointed 1992-03-16 · resigned 1992-03-16
Resigned
SEXTON, Mary→
secretary · appointed 1992-03-16 · resigned 2006-07-27
Resigned
MABBOTT, Stephen→
nominee-director · ~76y · appointed 1992-03-16 · resigned 1992-03-16
Resigned
SEXTON, John→
director · ~86y · appointed 1992-03-16 · resigned 2020-09-13
Resigned

Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.

Recent filings (86 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-03-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-10-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-03-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-11-12
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-03-20
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2024-02-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-11-03
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-03-30
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-11-01
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2022-07-20
change-person-secretary-company-with-change-date
officers · CH03
2022-07-20
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2022-07-14
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2022-07-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-04-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-01-31