Screening acquisition targets from public company filings
Build a defensible acquisition target longlist by separating legal status, operating evidence, location and size proxies in public company records.
To build an acquisition target longlist from public filings, use the register to identify legal entities, then test operating activity, location and fit with separate evidence. Keep the source and date beside each decision. A legally active company can be a poor fit, and a missing financial field cannot be filled by inference. The result is a research list, not a list of businesses for sale.
Turn the thesis into a reviewable screen
Write down the activity, location, size indicators and exclusions before collecting names. Decide which criteria can be answered by a filing and which need a current company source. For example, “industrial maintenance businesses with an operating site in a chosen region” requires evidence of the service and site; a registered address and industry code alone cannot establish either.
Use a sheet with separate columns for legal entity, operating business and review decision. This prevents a trading brand, parent and operating subsidiary from being treated as the same company. Record an unresolved match instead of merging names that merely look alike. The legal-name and group-structure guide explains how to anchor the match to a registry identifier.
Apply the legal checks first
The Companies House register exposes a company number, status, registered office, SIC activity code, filing dates and document images for UK entities. Start with the number and jurisdiction, then review status and the latest relevant filings. Set dissolved or liquidating entities aside when the thesis calls for currently operating companies. Record the status as checked on a date; it is not proof of current trading.
Read dormancy from the accounts and its accounting period, rather than assuming that every active status row trades. Companies House guidance defines dormancy by the absence of significant accounting transactions during that period. A dormant filing is useful exclusion evidence for that period, but later activity or a different operating subsidiary may change the decision. An overdue filing calls for review; it does not by itself prove that a business has ceased trading.
Separate what each source can establish
| Screen field | Use it for | Do not infer |
|---|---|---|
| Company number and status | Legal identity and recorded standing at the check date | A current trading business or sale interest |
| SIC code | An initial activity population to review | A complete or current description of operations |
| Accounts | Figures actually disclosed for the named entity and period | Missing revenue, current revenue or a group-wide figure |
| Registered office | The official correspondence address | Where staff, customers or operations are based |
| Company website or other dated operating source | A stated service, site or recent activity to investigate | That the legal entity behind the site is resolved automatically |
These are screening uses, not guarantees of accuracy. Companies House says that placing submitted information on the public register does not mean it has verified its accuracy. Keep the filing link, period and retrieval date, and label a company’s own website as an own-site claim. Check another attributable source when a decision depends on that claim.
The SIC code is a starting filter. UK companies can update it through a confirmation statement, so neither “chosen once” nor “always current” is a safe assumption. Search adjacent codes, then compare the description with recent operating evidence. The activity-code guide covers this source mismatch.
Verify location and size without inventing fields
A UK registered office can be a service provider’s address. Keep it separate from a trading address. Use an operating location identified on a current company site or another attributable source; if only the registered office is known, mark trading geography unconfirmed. This matters whenever the thesis has a territory requirement. See the address guide.
For size, read the actual accounts before choosing a measure. Companies House says UK small companies can currently omit the profit and loss account from public filings. A balance-sheet figure, filing regime or published employee number may help triage candidates, but each is a different measure. Record the exact measure, entity and period. If revenue or headcount is not publicly supported, leave that field blank; do not turn a proxy into a reported figure.
Make the inclusion decision auditable
For each candidate, capture the decision in a compact evidence record:
- Entity: registry number, jurisdiction, legal name and any unresolved brand or group link.
- Legal check: status, relevant filing dates and any dormancy statement with its period.
- Operating check: what activity and location the source actually describes, its date and whether it is a company claim or independent evidence.
- Thesis fit: criteria met, criteria not met and fields still unknown.
- Outcome: include, exclude or review, with a short reason and the reviewer date.
The hard case is an inconclusive one. A live website alone may be stale or may belong to another group entity; an absent website does not prove dormancy. Mark the candidate for review when the identity or activity link is unresolved. This is the point where human checking matters, especially before outreach. The operating-evidence guide sets out the follow-up checks.
An auditable longlist lets a colleague revisit an exclusion, correct a source and explain why a company passed the screen. It does not say that any company is for sale or open to an approach. For the fields and verification standard SeekCompanies is researching, see coverage. The licence page explains how to register interest in a market while that research is under way.
Frequently asked questions
Does an active registry status mean a company is trading?
No. It describes legal status, not current sales or operations. Check the latest relevant filings and dated evidence of activity separately. If the evidence is inconclusive, mark trading status unresolved.
Should a dormant company be removed from an acquisition longlist?
A filing that says the entity was dormant for its accounting period is a strong reason to set that entity aside for an operating-company screen. Check the period and any later filings before treating that historical statement as its current position. A group may also have a different operating entity.
Can a company's registered office define its target geography?
No. It is the official address for correspondence and may belong to an accountant or another service provider. Use a separately sourced operating location for geographic screening, or leave trading geography unconfirmed.
Can you screen private companies by revenue from public accounts?
Only when a public document actually reports revenue for the relevant entity and period. Some UK small-company filings omit the profit and loss account. Where revenue is absent, leave it blank and label any other filed measure as a proxy rather than converting it into an estimate.
Does a company list show which owners want to sell?
No. Inclusion means the company meets documented research criteria; it says nothing about sale intent, willingness to speak or suitability for an offer. Any approach decision requires separate work.
Sources
- Searching the Companies House register — UK Companies House; accessed October 5, 2026
- Companies House disclaimer — UK Companies House; accessed October 5, 2026
- Preparing and filing Companies House accounts — UK Companies House; accessed October 5, 2026
- Filing your company's confirmation statement — UK Companies House; accessed October 5, 2026
- Registered office address rules — UK Government; accessed October 5, 2026
Tell us which market you need.
Research is under way. No market file, price or release date is available yet. Review the planned licence, then email the market you need to ask about its research status.