The Screen · Consumer Cyclical · Furnishings, Fixtures & Appliances
HNI Corporation
HNI · the NYSE · USD · Market cap $3.6B · 18,500 employees
HNI Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture, sale, and marketing of workplace furnishings and residential building products primarily in the United States and Canada.
Screened 2026-08-26 · the tape above runs as of 22:12 UTC · 11 Sep · two dates, stated on purpose · verdict and workings shown in full · never trimmed
The Label · The Season, Not the Day
This name holds its distribution label.
HNI Corporation holds its Distribution at $49.92. Elevated stress, defensive posture warranted, held for 12 days.
As held on the ledger · 2026-08-26
Phase
Distribution · caution
Quantitative state
Elevated stress, defensive posture warranted, held for 12 days
Price at the screen
$49.92
Valuation
N/A trailing · 10.32 forward price to earnings
Values screen
PASS· score 70.0
Beta
0.90
The Workings
Five Screens, Shown in Full
Full pass across all five screens. This security clears the Titan Ethical Standard: its business and its balance sheet both stay inside the lines.
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
32.62%
Below 33%
Interest-bearing debt is just 32.6% of its assets, well under the one-third ceiling: it does not run on borrowed money.
Pass
Interest-bearing cash
0.13%
Below 33%
Cash held in interest-bearing accounts and securities is 0.1% of assets, under the one-third limit.
Pass
Receivables
15.95%
Below 49%
Money owed to the company is 16.0% of assets, under the 49% limit.
Pass
Revenue purity
0.00%
Below 5%
Only 0.0% 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.
Fair value range in USD, drawn from the 2026-08-26 screen. The gold marker is the market price at the same screen. A 46.2% margin of safety to the base estimate.
Third-party analyst targets: 4 covering, consensus None. The average target sits +41% from the screen price.
Reading the gap · Both our model and the analysts see meaningful upside from here.
Price History & Projections
Where it has been, where the models see it going. History from market close data; projection points are our fair-value estimates and third-party analyst targets, dated to the 2026-08-26 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
Office Desks and Cabinets Mask a Cyclical Trap
When companies refit workplaces or builders fit new homes, HNI supplies the desks and cabinets that fill those spaces. Revenue has surged 125 percent, yet profit margins sit at zero and return on equity is flat, leaving a forward multiple of 8.6 times that looks cheap only because earnings have vanished. The market labels it a strong buy, but zero profitability in a cyclical sector is a warning, not a bargain.
The gap to any higher fair value estimate therefore rests on hopes of a swift rebound that may never arrive. Ethical screens clear the name, yet that alone does not change the fact that peak-cycle multiples in furnishings have repeatedly lured investors into the next downturn.
Even a clean bill on governance cannot offset the absence of current earnings or the sector's exposure to interest rates and office spending. Analysis, not advice.
The risks · The main risks here are ordinary market swings and the chance our fair-value read proves too optimistic.
Plain-English interpretation of our own screen data. Analysis, not advice.
Where & How to Trade
HNI trades on the NYSE. 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
2026-09-01Markup$49.92+19.6%Entry 5
The framework reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved up 19.6% 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 D, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading bearish. Over the past year the shares are down 31%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 14%. The street (4 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $69.
2026-08-01Markup · changed$41.73+26.1%Entry 4
The framework has shifted from distribution 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 up 26.1% 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 D, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading bearish. Over the past year the shares are down 31%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 14%. The street (4 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $69.
2026-07-18Distribution$33.10+0.0%Entry 3
The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it D, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading bearish. Over the past year the shares are down 31%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 14%. The street (4 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $69.
2026-07-03Distribution$33.10+0.0%Entry 2
The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen (70). The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns.
2026-07-02Distribution$33.10Entry 1
The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen (70). The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns.
Each entry above was written on its date, before the outcome. A journal you can prune is not a journal.
