ELF TRANSLATIONS LTD

🌳Matureactive
SC424243 · ltd · incorporated 2012-05-16
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 May 2025
Net worth
£269.1k
book net assets
Opportunity
74/100
Strong
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What this business does
Primary activity: Translation and interpretation activities
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
Pursue
Strong opportunity: asset-holding vehicle with strong profile and bankable structure.

Opportunity 74/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).

Data confidence

Overall: medium (78/100)

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, 2 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
Network not yet resolved
30
Filing history
32 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
74/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional 

Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.

Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
55
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 declared
Positive net assets
Net assets £269,052

Key financials

2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accounts
Cash
—
Net Worth
£269k
↑ 1.1% YoY
Current Assets
£278k
↓ 3.7% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
£0£58k£116k£174k£231k£289kMay 2024May 2025

Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series

Financials

Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown
Metric2025-05-312024-05-31
Total assets£269.1k£266.0k
Current assets£278.4k£289.2k
Net assets£269.1k£266.0k

Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.

Recent activity

Last 30 days
1
filing
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 90 days
1
filing
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
2
filings
  • • 1 confirmation-statement
  • • 1 accounts
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (18 events)Click to expand
  1. 2026-01-14
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  2. 2024-08-02
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  3. 2023-07-24
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  4. 2023-02-09
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  5. 2021-08-27
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  6. 2021-05-18
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  7. 2020-07-07
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  8. 2019-07-30
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  9. 2018-09-21
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  10. 2018-05-17
    📄
    change-person-director-company-with-change-date
    officers · CH01
  11. 2018-05-17
    📄
    change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
    persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
  12. 2017-09-04
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
    accounts · AA
  13. 2017-08-29
    📄
    appoint-person-director-company-with-name-date
    officers · AP01
  14. 2016-08-12
    📄
    accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-small
    accounts · AA
  15. 2016-05-31
    📄
    annual-return-company-with-made-up-date-full-list-shareholders
    annual-return · AR01
  16. 2016-04-06
    ➕
    SATURNO, Eleonora, Dr appointed
    director
  17. 2012-05-16
    🏢
    Company incorporated
    As ELF TRANSLATIONS LTD
  18. 2012-05-16
    ➕
    ROBERTS, Thomas Andrew James appointed
    director

Owner dependency

63/100
High — earn-out structure required

Material 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.
  • +No director turnover: Company is 14 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.

Succession & seller-readiness

49/100
Moderate signal

Some succession indicators present. Worth watching; approach if sector/strategy fits.

SIGNALS
  • secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
  • secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 14 years.
  • 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

1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%
NameSharesVoting rightsNature of controlNotified
Dr Eleonora Saturno
Individual · British · DOB 03/1972 · age 54
75–100%
—75-100% shares06/04/2016

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 →
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Company details

Statusactive
Typeltd
Incorporated2012-05-16
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC74300 — Translation and interpretation activities

Registered office

5a Wester Coates Gardens
Edinburgh
EH12 5LT

Filing status

Accounts
Next due: 2027-02-28
Last made up to: 2025-05-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-05-30
Last: 2026-05-16

Officers (2 active · 0 resigned)

ROBERTS, Thomas Andrew James→
director · ~47y · appointed 2012-05-16
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active
SATURNO, Eleonora, Dr→
director · ~54y · appointed 2016-04-06
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Active

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

Recent filings (32 total)

confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-05-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2026-01-14
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-05-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-08-02
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-05-27
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-07-24
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-05-17
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-02-09
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-05-21
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2021-08-27
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-05-18
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2021-05-18
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2020-07-07
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2020-05-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2019-07-30