Fact based stock research
HireQuest (NasdaqCM:HQI)

US4335351015

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For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:
Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".

Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".

Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.

Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.

(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).

(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.

HireQuest stock research in summary

hirequest.com

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 66 (better than 66% compared with investment alternatives), HireQuest (HR- & Employment Services, USA) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of HireQuest are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 37 (worse than 63% of alternatives). But they show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 71) and are safely financed (Safety Rank of 71, which means below-average debt burdens). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 66, is a buy recommendation based on HireQuest's financial characteristics. Investors looking for growth and low financial risk may find this stock attractive. While the company HireQuest exhibits low value (Obermatt Value Rank of 37), which means that the stock price is rather high, it also demonstrates above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 71). This is a typical case, as high-growth companies are often expensive. Good financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 71) are a double-edged sword: if the company continues growing, low debt limits shareholder returns. But if the company increases its debt, it will also increase risk. In other words, this is an investment on the safer side, despite the above-average price (low value). Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more

Latest Obermatt Ranks


360° View^new
Sentiment Rank^new
Value Rank	37
Growth Rank	71
Safety Rank	71
Combined Rank	66

Country	USA
Industry	HR- & Employment Services
Index	NASDAQ
Size class	X-Small

14-Nov-2024. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.

Further information

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Review the performance ranks of the individual metrics that form each investment strategy.

Research History: HireQuest

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	32	39	53	37
GROWTH
GROWTH	97	89	67	71
SAFETY
SAFETY	39	62	50	71
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	n/a	14	17	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	n/a	40	42	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 14-Nov-2024. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 30-Jun-2024. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better HireQuest is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	32	39	53	37
GROWTH
GROWTH	97	89	67	71
SAFETY
SAFETY	39	62	50	71
COMBINED
COMBINED	67	69	61	66

Last update of combined financial performance: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of HireQuest the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 37 (worse than 63% compared with alternatives), HireQuest shares are more expensive than the average comparable stock. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators below average for HireQuest. Only the metric dividend yield has an above-average rank, reflecting that dividend practices are expected to be higher than 91% of comparable companies, making the stock an attractive buy for dividend investors. However, dividend investors may get disappointed because all other critical financial indicators are below the market median: Price-to-Sales is 16 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 84% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning HireQuest's sales levels. The same is valid for Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) with a rank of 42 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profit levels is higher than 58% of comparable companies. In addition, Price-to-Book (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Book Rank of 45 is also low. Compared with invested capital, the stock price is higher than for 55% of comparable investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 37, is a hold recommendation based on HireQuest's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Should dividend investors pick HireQuest? The company-reported financials speak against it. The company is expensive compared with revenue and invested capital levels, two reliable company size indicators. In addition, it currently has a low level of profits. How can future dividends be paid in the case that profits remain low? Dividend investors should choose HireQuest only if they reasonably expect the low current profit levels to be transitory. We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision, which is essential in this case, as the financial indicators are inconclusive. ...read more

VALUE METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)	3	14	14	16
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	72	42	59	42
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	24	35	41	45
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	66	83	85	91
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	32	39	53	37

Last update of Value Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of HireQuest; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 71 (better than 71% compared with alternatives), HireQuest shows an above-average growth dynamic in its industry. Investors also speak of positive momentum. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all but one indicator above average for HireQuest. Sales Growth has a rank of 61 which means that currently, professionals expect the company to grow more than 61% of its competitors. Both Profit Growth, with a rank of 74, and Stock Returns, with a rank of 53, are also above average. But Capital Growth only has a rank of 29, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow its invested capital less than 71% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 71, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. That may be a good sign if the company is already well positioned and doesn't require more investments at this time. They may focus on growing the top (revenues) and bottom (profits) lines, recently rewarded with above-average stock returns for shareholders. But it may also be a sign of danger as the company is falling back with capital investment activities concerning competition. This requires further analysis of corporate communications. While momentum is a popular investment factor, the value aspect might be the more important one, in the longer term. We recommend analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks to arrive at a 360° View of the stock purchase case. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	65	59	23	61
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	n/a	4	44	74
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	n/a	99	91	29
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	96	93	41	53
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	97	89	67	71

Last update of Growth Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of HireQuest.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 71 (better than 71% compared with alternatives), the company HireQuest has financing practices on the safer side, which mean that their overall debt burden is lower than average. This doesn't mean that the business of HireQuest is safe, it only means that the company is on the safer side regarding possible bankruptcy, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with two out of three indicators above average for HireQuest. Leverage is at a rank of 56, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 56% of its competitors. Liquidity is also good at a rank of 86, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 86% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is on the safer side when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is lower at a rank of 47, which means that the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is above-average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 53% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 71 (better than 71% compared with alternatives), HireQuest has a financing structure that is safer than that of its competitors. The refinancing issues could be a short-term problem, especially if the company has reputation issues. Banks and investors don't like to refinance debt if there are clouds on the horizon. For this reason, investors should look at the refinancing environment for HireQuest. Does it look safe that debt that is coming due can be covered with new debt? If that is the case, then the financing situation of the company is on the safer side. If not, it may be better to wait until refinancing has been completed and the Refinancing rank is good again. Investors may have a short-term debt challenge with HireQuest and should also compare Obermatt’s Value, Growth, and Sentiment Ranks before making a decision. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	48	100	46	56
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	72	42	38	47
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	21	94	78	86
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	39	62	50	71

Last update of Safety Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of HireQuest and the more cash is available to service its debt.

Sentiment Metrics in Detail

SENTIMENT	2021	2022	2023	2024
ANALYST OPINIONS
ANALYST OPINIONS	n/a	60	100	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	n/a	50	1	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	n/a	18	19	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	n/a	18	9	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	n/a	14	17	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for HireQuest.
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