Positioning no disclosures inside 60 days, left as found
Options no verdict drawn today, left as found
Ethical screen not yet scored
Price17.59 USD
Fair value13.35
Ethical score70.0/100
Value readOvervaluedas of 6 Nov 2026
Our investment reviews on this name
2026-10-26Read Markdown17.31+1.6% to today Markup gives way to Markdown with volume flow in agreement
2026-10-14Read Markup17.20+2.3% to today ✓Accumulation gives way to Markup first Markup read since September
2026-10-02Read Accumulation17.42+1.0% to today ✓Markup gives way to Accumulation after a 44% rise in 4 weeks
2026-09-01Read Markup12.11+45.3% to today ✓Accumulation gives way to Markup first Markup read since July
Our analytic regime reads on this name, dated and marked against the screened price. Small sample per name, and separate from the daily-framework accuracy on the Track Record page.
HireQuest Inc holds its Distribution at $17.59. The statistical read favours the sellers, held for 7 days.
As held on the ledger · 2026-11-06
Phase
Distribution · caution
Quantitative state
The statistical read favours the sellers, held for 7 days
Price at the screen
$17.59
Valuation
36.29 trailing · 29.78 forward price to earnings
Values screen
Not scored· score 70.0
Beta
1.12
The Workings
Five Screens, Shown in Full
This security has not been fully scored against the values screen yet.
Test
Figure
Limit
What it means
Status
Business activity
Permissible
Core business clean
Its core business isn't built on prohibited lines: no gambling, alcohol, tobacco, weapons, or interest-based lending.
Pass
Debt load
Excluded
Below 33%
Interest-bearing debt is of its assets, above the one-third ceiling the screen allows.
Fail
Interest-bearing cash
0.00%
Below 33%
Cash held in interest-bearing accounts and securities is 0.0% of assets, under the one-third limit.
Pass
Receivables
48.94%
Below 49%
Money owed to the company is 48.9% of assets, under the 49% limit.
Pass
Revenue purity
1.67%
Below 5%
Only 1.7% of revenue comes from non-compliant sources, under the 5% line.
Pass
Five checks adapted from AAOIFI screening standards: business activity plus four balance-sheet ratios. All five must pass for ethical clearance. Every figure is arithmetic on public accounts, not judgement.
The Ethical Read
The Read, in Plain English
HireQuest clears the business-activity screen and the figures we can measure look clean, but its debt figure is still pending, so the verdict is not final yet.
Read as at 2026-11-07. It updates when the underlying figures move, and past reads are kept below.
What the Numbers Say It Is Worth
The Fair Value Range
Our analysis reads Overvalued vs our fair value, as of 6 Nov 2026: it trades above our $13.35 fair value estimate, none competitive moat.
Fair value range in USD, drawn from the 2026-11-06 screen. The gold marker is the market price at the same screen. The price runs 31.8% above the base estimate.
Reading the gap · Both our model and the Street see limited upside at this price.
Where our models see it going: fair-value estimate $13.35, with a range of $13.35 to $15.00, dated to the 2026-11-06 screen.
Fair value and rating are our own model estimates; the Street's range reflects third-party analyst estimates. Analysis, not advice.
The Business, in Plain Words
Why it gives us pause
At 29.8x forward earnings, the price already runs ahead of the business. It trades 32% above our $13.35 fair value, so you would be buying at a premium, not a discount. The none moat is real, but quality alone does not make an expensive price cheap.
Another profit measure, before interest, tax and non-cash costs: EBITDA.
The risks · The things to watch: it's a small-cap, so the share price can swing harder than the market.
Plain-English interpretation of our own screen data. Analysis, not advice.
Where & How to Trade
HQI trades on NASDAQ. As a listed security it is accessible through almost any international broker offering its home market. New to this, or investing from abroad? Our guide to accessing global markets covers brokers, currencies and the practical steps.
The Dated Journal · Newest First, Never Edited
Every Entry, As Written
2026-11-06Markdown$17.21-0.6%Entry 9
The analysis reads markdown. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Price has moved down 0.6% since our last review. Ethical screening: not fully scored yet. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 28% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading oversold. Over the past year the shares are up 37%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 25%. The street (2 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $15.
2026-10-26Markdown · changed$17.31+0.6%Entry 8
The framework has shifted from markup to markdown since the last review. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Price has moved up 0.6% since our last review. Ethical screening: not fully scored yet. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 28% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading oversold. Over the past year the shares are up 37%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 25%. The street (2 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $15.
2026-10-14Markup · changed$17.20-1.3%Entry 7
The framework has shifted from accumulation to markup since the last review. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved down 1.3% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 21% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading bearish. Over the past year the shares are up 37%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 25%. The street (2 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $15.
The framework has shifted from markup to accumulation since the last review. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Price has moved up 43.8% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows good risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 21% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading bearish. Over the past year the shares are up 37%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 25%. The street (2 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $15. Since the last review it its composite score eased.
2026-09-01Markup · changed$12.11+0.0%Entry 5
The framework has shifted from accumulation to markup since the last review. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 21% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading bearish. Over the past year the shares are up 37%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 25%. The street (2 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $15.
The framework has shifted from markup to accumulation since the last review. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Price has moved down 13.3% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 21% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading bearish. Over the past year the shares are up 37%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 25%. The street (2 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $15.
2026-07-18Markup$13.97+0.0%Entry 3
Our analysis reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 21% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading bearish. Over the past year the shares are up 37%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 25%. The street (2 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $15.
2026-07-03Markup$13.97+0.0%Entry 2
Our analysis reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen (70). The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns.
2026-07-02Markup$13.97Entry 1
Our analysis reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen (70). The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns.
Each entry above was written on its date, before the outcome. A journal you can prune is not a journal.