Fact based stock research
HireQuest (NasdaqCM:HQI)
US4335351015
How to read the ranks
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
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 59 (better than 59% compared with investment alternatives), HireQuest (HR- & Employment Services, USA) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of HireQuest are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 52 (better than 52% of alternatives), show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 53), and are safely financed (Safety Rank of 61), which means low debt burdens. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 59, is a buy recommendation based on HireQuest's financial characteristics. As the company HireQuest's key financial metrics all exhibit excellent performance, such as good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 52), above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 53), and indicate that the company is safely financed (Obermatt Safety Rank of 61), it is a solid stock investment where the risk of paying too much for the share is limited, unless the company has a bleak future. Such good financial performance can indicate that the company's future might actually be challenging, as it may be difficult to maintain the good performance. If they are safely financed and have been growing above average, and are still a good value, it means that the market is keeping prices low, for a reason which may become clearer over time. We recommend evaluating the future of HireQuest. If you believe the company's future is market-typical or even better, this could be an argument for a share purchase. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more
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360° Viewnew| Country | USA |
| Industry | HR- & Employment Services |
| Index | NASDAQ |
| Size class | X-Small |
18-Apr-2024. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.
Analysts rarely agree on a stock’s future. So, who do you believe? Obermatt translates those collective views into a single Sentiment Rank. That plus the financial ranks give you the ultimate 360° View. Sign up to access them.
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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 |
|
52 |
|
| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 97 |
|
89 |
|
67 |
|
53 |
|
| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 39 |
|
62 |
|
50 |
|
61 |
|
| SENTIMENT | ||||||||
| SENTIMENT | n/a |
|
14 |
|
17 |
|
new |
|
| 360° VIEW | ||||||||
| 360° VIEW | n/a |
|
40 |
|
42 |
|
new |
|
Combined financial peformance in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 59 (better than 59% compared with investment alternatives), HireQuest (HR- & Employment Services, USA) shares have above-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of HireQuest are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 52 (better than 52% of alternatives), show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 53), and are safely financed (Safety Rank of 61), which means low debt burdens. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 59, is a buy recommendation based on HireQuest's financial characteristics. As the company HireQuest's key financial metrics all exhibit excellent performance, such as good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 52), above-average growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 53), and indicate that the company is safely financed (Obermatt Safety Rank of 61), it is a solid stock investment where the risk of paying too much for the share is limited, unless the company has a bleak future. Such good financial performance can indicate that the company's future might actually be challenging, as it may be difficult to maintain the good performance. If they are safely financed and have been growing above average, and are still a good value, it means that the market is keeping prices low, for a reason which may become clearer over time. We recommend evaluating the future of HireQuest. If you believe the company's future is market-typical or even better, this could be an argument for a share purchase. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more
| RESEARCH HISTORY | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VALUE | ||||||||
| VALUE | 32 |
|
39 |
|
53 |
|
52 |
|
| GROWTH | ||||||||
| GROWTH | 97 |
|
89 |
|
67 |
|
53 |
|
| SAFETY | ||||||||
| SAFETY | 39 |
|
62 |
|
50 |
|
61 |
|
| COMBINED | ||||||||
| COMBINED | 67 |
|
69 |
|
61 |
|
59 |
|
Value Metrics in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 52 (better than 52% compared with alternatives), HireQuest shares are more attractively priced than the majority of comparable stocks. 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 89% 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 19 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than 81% 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 41 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profit levels is higher than 59% of comparable companies. In addition, Price-to-Book (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Book Rank of 47 is also low. Compared with invested capital, the stock price is higher than for 53% of comparable investments. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 52, is a buy 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 |
|
19 |
|
| PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E) | ||||||||
| PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E) | 72 |
|
42 |
|
59 |
|
41 |
|
| PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book) | ||||||||
| PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book) | 24 |
|
35 |
|
41 |
|
47 |
|
| DIVIDEND YIELD | ||||||||
| DIVIDEND YIELD | 66 |
|
83 |
|
85 |
|
89 |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE | 32 |
|
39 |
|
53 |
|
52 |
|
Growth Metrics in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 53 (better than 53% 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, where half of the indicators are below and half above average for HireQuest. Profit Growth, with a rank of 59 (better than 59% of its competitors), and Capital Growth, with a rank of 95, are both positive, which is a healthy sign for positive development. But Sales Growth has only a rank of 27, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 73% of its competitors, and Stock Returns are at a rank of 14. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 53, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. Stock returns that are a thing of the past can be less of a problem. Below-average revenue growth may be caused by divestments of underperforming businesses. If that is the case, then the positive developments of profit and capital growth are signs of a company with growth potential. If these are the reasons, overall growth is well on track to making this stock attractive for growth investors. 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, especially since the growth performance is mixed here. ...read more
| GROWTH METRICS | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| REVENUE GROWTH | ||||||||
| REVENUE GROWTH | 65 |
|
59 |
|
23 |
|
27 |
|
| PROFIT GROWTH | ||||||||
| PROFIT GROWTH | n/a |
|
4 |
|
44 |
|
59 |
|
| CAPITAL GROWTH | ||||||||
| CAPITAL GROWTH | n/a |
|
99 |
|
91 |
|
95 |
|
| STOCK RETURNS | ||||||||
| STOCK RETURNS | 96 |
|
93 |
|
41 |
|
14 |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH | 97 |
|
89 |
|
67 |
|
53 |
|
Safety Metrics in Detail
ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 61 (better than 61% 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 just one indicator above average for HireQuest. Liquidity is at 78, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 78% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is safer when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is riskier at a rank of 44, 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 56% of its competitors. Leverage is also high at a rank of 48, which means that the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 52% of its competitors. ...read more
RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 61 (better than 61% compared with alternatives), HireQuest has a financing structure that is safer than that of its competitors. High Leverage (a low Obermatt Leverage Rank) is good in good times, because it usually indicates that shareholders get higher returns. The good Liquidity performance of the company is an indicator that this is the case. However, if you expect an economic downturn, you may stay clear of this stock because they have an above-average debt level that needs refinancing soon. If the company is sailing with good winds, as may be visible from the Growth and Sentiment performance, the refinancing risk may be lower than the low Refinancing rank suggests. ...read more
| SAFETY METRICS | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LEVERAGE | ||||||||
| LEVERAGE | 48 |
|
100 |
|
46 |
|
48 |
|
| REFINANCING | ||||||||
| REFINANCING | 72 |
|
42 |
|
38 |
|
44 |
|
| LIQUIDITY | ||||||||
| LIQUIDITY | 21 |
|
94 |
|
78 |
|
78 |
|
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | ||||||||
| CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY | 39 |
|
62 |
|
50 |
|
61 |
|
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 |
|
Stock analysis by the purely fact based Obermatt Method for HireQuest from April 18, 2024.
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