HireQuest (NASDAQ:HQI) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.02 EPS

HireQuest (NASDAQ:HQI) announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday. The company reported $0.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.11 by $0.02, FiscalAI reports. HireQuest had a net margin of 20.66% and a return on equity of 14.41%. The firm had revenue of $6.52 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $6.75 million.

Here are the key takeaways from HireQuest’s conference call:

• HireQuest said Q1 2026 was another solid quarter of operational execution and profitability, with management highlighting the resilience of its franchise staffing model despite a soft staffing market.
• Revenue fell 12.7% to $6.5 million, largely because the company divested MRI Network permanent placement assets at the start of the year; however, adjusted net income was flat year over year at $1.8 million and adjusted EBITDA was $2.7 million.
• Management said business trends improved through the quarter and have continued into Q2, with weekly year-over-year comparisons becoming more favorable and the company now seeing more sustained demand momentum than over the prior two years.
• The company pointed to a combination of reduced labor-supply pressure, investments in its national accounts program, and broad-based strength in commercial staffing as key drivers behind the improved results, especially in industrial and manufacturing-related work.
• HireQuest also announced a new $105 million all-cash offer for the on-demand portion of TrueBlue’s PeopleReady segment, saying the business would be complementary to HireQuest Direct and could create incremental value, though no deal is guaranteed.

HireQuest Stock Performance

NASDAQ:HQI traded down $0.27 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $11.39. 27,974 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 22,311. HireQuest has a 12-month low of $7.38 and a 12-month high of $12.48. The business has a 50-day moving average of $10.74 and a two-hundred day moving average of $10.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $158.78 million, a PE ratio of 25.31 and a beta of 1.08.

HireQuest Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 1st will be given a dividend of $0.06 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 1st. This represents a $0.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. HireQuest’s dividend payout ratio is presently 53.33%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on HQI. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of HireQuest in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $13.00 price target on shares of HireQuest in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of HireQuest to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $14.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HireQuest

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in HireQuest by 4.4% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 293,013 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,819,000 after acquiring an additional 12,246 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of HireQuest by 4.3% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 139,141 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,393,000 after buying an additional 5,685 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of HireQuest by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 76,866 shares of the company’s stock worth $808,000 after buying an additional 1,451 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of HireQuest by 67.8% in the second quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 26,303 shares of the company’s stock worth $263,000 after buying an additional 10,627 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG raised its holdings in shares of HireQuest by 158.0% in the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 10,945 shares of the company’s stock worth $115,000 after buying an additional 6,702 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 12.00% of the company’s stock.

HireQuest Company Profile

HireQuest, Inc is a publicly traded holding company that provides equipment rental and workforce solutions across North America through two primary operating subsidiaries. Its Coast Equipment Rentals division offers a broad range of support equipment—such as pumps, trench safety systems, power and HVAC units, air compressors, light towers and generators—to the construction, industrial, municipal and environmental markets. Coast Equipment Rentals operates more than 135 branch locations in 36 U.S.