H A MURPHY LTD.
💤Zombieactive
SC399352 · ltd · incorporated 2011-05-11
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 Dec 2024
Net worth
£178.5k
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Accounting and auditing activities
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
PursueAsset-holding vehicle with a 65-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 65). 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 (73/100).
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
3 officers (1 active, 3 linked, 2 with DOB)
83
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
38 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
78/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
70
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 declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £178,488
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£178k
↑ 10% YoY
Current Assets
£182k
↑ 11% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2024-12-31 | 2023-12-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £178.5k | £162.2k |
| Current assets | £182.3k | £164.1k |
| Net assets | £178.5k | £162.2k |
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
0
filings
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (22 events)Click to expand
- 2025-09-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2025-05-22📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2025-05-22📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2024-09-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-05-24📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-05-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-03-21📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2021-08-03📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2020-05-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2019-09-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2019-05-22📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2018-09-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2017-09-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2016-10-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2016-06-23📄annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholdersannual-return · AR01
- 2015-09-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-smallaccounts · AA
- 2011-05-11🏢Company incorporatedAs H A MURPHY LTD.
- 2011-05-11➕MURPHY, Hazel Amanda appointeddirector
- 2011-05-11➕BRIAN REID LTD. appointedcorporate-secretary
- 2011-05-11➖BRIAN REID LTD. resignedcorporate-secretary
- 2011-05-11➕MABBOTT, Stephen George appointeddirector
- 2011-05-11➖MABBOTT, Stephen George resigneddirector
Owner dependency
100/100
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 "MURPHY" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 65 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
78/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 65. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 15 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mrs Hazel Amanda Murphy Individual · British · DOB 09/1961 · age 65 | 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 · Professional services · KA postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LEE STEWARD CONSTRUCTION SERVICES LTD→ SC737319 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| LESLEY ENGINEERING UK LTD→ SC759753 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| LET'S ESCAPE MOTORHOMES LTD→ SC671777 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| LITTON TEXTILE ENGINEERING LTD→ SC735294 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| LM CONSULTANCY SCOTLAND LTD→ SC638333 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| LUMINA FD LTD→ SC884542 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| M55 MANAGEMENT LTD→ SC461147 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| MACC ACCESS RENEWABLES LTD→ SC874287 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| MACDONALD PARTNERSHIPS (AYR) LIMITED→ SC429239 · est 2012 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 13y | — | — |
| MACKAYS GROUP TRUSTEES LIMITED→ SC225026 · est 2001 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 24y | — | — |
| MACLEOD CONSULTANCY LTD→ SC495466 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 11y | — | — |
| MAIR MATHESON SOLICITORS LTD→ SC378930 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
8 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.
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See pricing →Company details
Statusactive
Typeltd
Incorporated2011-05-11
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC69201 — Accounting and auditing activities
Registered office
61 Mossbank
Prestwick
KA9 1DT
Scotland
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-09-30
Last made up to: 2024-12-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-05-25
Last: 2025-05-11
Officers (1 active · 2 resigned)
MURPHY, Hazel Amanda→
Activedirector · ~65y · appointed 2011-05-11
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BRIAN REID LTD.→
Resignedcorporate-secretary · appointed 2011-05-11 · resigned 2011-05-11
MABBOTT, Stephen George→
Resigneddirector · ~76y · appointed 2011-05-11 · resigned 2011-05-11
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (38 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-09-04
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2025-05-22
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2025-05-22
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-05-22
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-09-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-05-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-05-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-05-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2022-05-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-05-14
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2022-03-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-08-03
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-05-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2020-05-13
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-05-13