K V SHEPHERD & SON LTD
💤Zombieactive
SC505188 · ltd · incorporated 2015-05-06
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 May 2025
Net worth
£592.7k
book net assets
Opportunity
78/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Freight transport by road
Sector: Transportation & storage
Investor take
PursueAsset-holding vehicle with a 68-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 78/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 68). 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 (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
3 officers (1 active, 3 linked, 3 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 4 total, 4 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
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 £592,715
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£54k
Net Worth
£593k
Current Assets
£453k
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-05-31 | 2024-05-31 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £797.9k | — |
| Current assets | £452.9k | — |
| Cash | £54.4k | — |
| Debtors | £398.5k | — |
| Net assets | £592.7k | — |
| Average employees | — | 1000 |
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 accounts
- • 1 persons-with-significant-control
Last 90 days
2
filings
- • 1 accounts
- • 1 persons-with-significant-control
Last 180 days
2
filings
- • 1 accounts
- • 1 persons-with-significant-control
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (23 events)Click to expand
- 2026-04-23📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2026-04-17📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC01
- 2025-06-11📄legacymiscellaneous · RPCH01
- 2025-02-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2024-02-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2022-11-11📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2022-08-25📄capital-allotment-sharescapital · SH01
- 2022-08-25📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2021-12-10📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2021-05-07📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2020-03-10📄legacymiscellaneous · RP04CS01
- 2020-02-04📄accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridgedaccounts · AA
- 2019-02-20➖SHEPHERD, Jessie Mary resigneddirector
- 2019-02-20➖SHEPHERD, Kenneth Victor resigneddirector
- 2019-02-20📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2019-02-20📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2019-02-20📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2019-02-20📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2018-08-22📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2015-05-06🏢Company incorporatedAs K V SHEPHERD & SON LTD
- 2015-05-06➕SHEPHERD, Kenneth John appointeddirector
- 2015-05-06➕SHEPHERD, Jessie Mary appointeddirector
- 2015-05-06➕SHEPHERD, Kenneth Victor appointeddirector
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 "SHEPHERD" — strong identity link between founder and business.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 68 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
70/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 68. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- 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
2 active beneficial owners · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Mr Kenneth John Shepherd Individual · British · DOB 01/1958 · age 68 | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 06/04/2016 |
Mrs Donna Shepherd Individual · Scottish · DOB 08/1973 · age 53 | 25–50% | 25–50% | 25-50% shares · 25-50% voting | 01/04/2026 |
2 historic (ceased) PSCs
- Mrs Jessie Mary Shepherdceased 20/02/2019· 25-50% shares
- Mr Kenneth Victor Shepherdceased 20/02/2019· 25-50% shares
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
Similar companies
Active · Transport & logistics · IV postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHAUFFEURS INVERNESS LIMITED→ SC350202 · est 2008 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 17y | — | — |
| CROMARTY FIRTH LOGISTICS LIMITED→ SC462162 · est 2013 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| LOCH NESS EXPLORER LIMITED→ SC636963 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 6y | — | — |
| MUNRO (HIGHLAND) LIMITED→ SC061156 · est 1976 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 49y | — | — |
| NTB TRAINING LIMITED→ SC584550 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| OSPREYAIR LTD→ SC853877 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| PCV SOLUTIONS LTD→ SC794174 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 2y | — | — |
| PETER KERR AUTOLOGISTICS LIMITED→ SC361035 · est 2009 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | — | — |
| POCF HOLDCO LTD→ SC526548 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| POCF PHASE 5 LIMITED→ SC863167 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| PORT OF CROMARTY FIRTH LIMITED→ SC468957 · est 2014 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 12y | — | — |
| PORT OF INVERGORDON LTD→ SC540179 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
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.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Company details
Statusactive
Typeltd
Incorporated2015-05-06
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC49410 — Freight transport by road
Registered office
Brooklea
Contin
Strathpeffer
Ross-Shire
IV14 9EB
United Kingdom
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-02-28
Last made up to: 2025-05-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2026-05-20
Last: 2025-05-06
Officers (1 active · 2 resigned)
SHEPHERD, Kenneth John→
Activedirector · ~68y · appointed 2015-05-06
View their other companies + combined net worth →
SHEPHERD, Jessie Mary→
Resigneddirector · ~86y · appointed 2015-05-06 · resigned 2019-02-20
SHEPHERD, Kenneth Victor→
Resigneddirector · ~88y · appointed 2015-05-06 · resigned 2019-02-20
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (32 total)
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2026-04-23
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC01
2026-04-17
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-06-13
legacy
miscellaneous · RPCH01
2025-06-11
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2025-02-11
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-05-07
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2024-02-19
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-05-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2022-11-11
capital-allotment-shares
capital · SH01
2022-08-25
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2022-08-25
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-05-09
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2021-12-10
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2021-05-10
accounts-with-accounts-type-unaudited-abridged
accounts · AA
2021-05-07