HireQuest, Inc. (NASDAQ: HQI)

Sector: Industrials Industry: Staffing & Employment Services CIK: 0001140102
Market Cap 146.32 Mn
P/B 2.16
P/E 21.06
P/S 4.62
ROIC (Qtr) 9.73
Div Yield % 0.56
Rev 1y % (Qtr) -9.76
Total Debt (Qtr) 2.20 Mn
Debt/Equity (Qtr) 0.03
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About

HireQuest, Inc. (HQI), a Delaware corporation, operates as a nationwide franchisor of temporary staffing offices in the United States. The company specializes in providing direct-dispatch and commercial staffing solutions for the light industrial and blue-collar industries, as well as professional recruitment services for the executive, managerial, and administrative fields. HireQuest's main business activities involve offering staffing solutions to clients across various industries. The company generates revenue primarily through royalty fees...

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Investment thesis

Bull case

  • Strong operating cash flow of 14.10M provides robust 6.40x coverage of total debt 2.20M, indicating excellent debt servicing capability and financial flexibility.
  • Operating cash flow of 14.10M provides exceptional 32.20x coverage of interest expenses 438000, showing strong debt service capability.
  • Strong tangible asset base of 66.68M provides 30.27x coverage of total debt 2.20M, indicating robust asset backing and low credit risk.
  • Operating cash flow of 14.10M provides strong 10.57x coverage of stock compensation 1.33M, indicating sustainable incentive practices.
  • Robust free cash flow of 13.89M exceeds capital expenditure of 214000 by 64.90x, indicating strong organic growth funding capability.

Bear case

  • Operating cash flow of 14.10M provides thin coverage of dividend payments of (3.37M) with a -4.18 ratio, suggesting potential dividend sustainability issues if operational performance deteriorates.
  • Cash reserves of 1.10M provide limited coverage of acquisition spending of (805000), which is -1.37x, suggesting aggressive expansion might strain liquidity if market conditions deteriorate.
  • Free cash flow of 13.89M represents just -1.22x of debt issuance (11.42M), suggesting concerning reliance on leverage rather than internal cash generation for growth.
  • Operating earnings of 7.80M show weak coverage of depreciation charges of 2.92M, with a 2.67 ratio indicating high capital intensity and potential reinvestment needs.
  • Long-term investments of 5.49M represent a high 1.35x of fixed assets 4.08M, indicating potential overexposure to financial assets versus operational capabilities.

Consolidation Items Breakdown of Revenue (2024)

Product and Service Breakdown of Revenue (2024)

Peer comparison

Companies in the Staffing & Employment Services
S.No. Ticker Company Market Cap P/E P/S Total Debt (Qtr)
1 TNET Trinet Group, Inc. 2.92 Bn 13.22 0.86 0.94 Bn
2 KFY Korn Ferry 2.76 Bn 66.66 3.91 0.55 Bn
3 RHI Robert Half Inc. 2.48 Bn 18.65 0.46 0.25 Bn
4 MAN ManpowerGroup Inc. 1.76 Bn 3.55 0.08 1.64 Bn
5 KFRC Kforce Inc 1.11 Bn -12.63 1.14 0.07 Bn
6 BBSI Barrett Business Services Inc 0.94 Bn 17.65 1.01 0.03 Bn
7 NSP Insperity, Inc. 0.92 Bn -131.16 0.13 0.44 Bn
8 KELYA Kelly Services Inc 0.33 Bn -1.29 0.08 0.16 Bn

Industry comparisons

Current Valuation Value Ind Avg Percentile
EV to Assets EV to Assets 1.56 0.72
EV to Cash from Ops. EV/CFO 10.49 13.34
EV to Debt EV to Debt 67.17 16.96
EV to EBIT EV/EBIT 18.98 6.77
EV to EBITDA EV/EBITDA 14.57 5.70
EV to Free Cash Flow [EV/FCF] EV/FCF 10.65 27.09
EV to Market Cap EV to Market Cap 1.01 0.88
EV to Revenue EV/Rev 4.67 0.75
Price to Book Value [P/B] P/B 2.16 2.96
Price to Earnings [P/E] P/E 21.06 -37.77
Dividend Metrics Value Ind Avg Percentile
Dividend Coverage Ratio Div Coverage (Qtr) 2.06 -0.44
Dividend Payout Ratio % Div Payout % (Qtr) 47.10 -81.87
Dividend per Basic Share Div per Share (Qtr) 0.24 0.84
FCF Dividend Payout Ratio % FCF Div Payout % (Qtr) 24.12 115.87
Interest Coverage Int. cover (Qtr) 17.80 -11.60
Growth Metrics Value Ind Avg Percentile
Capex Growth (1y) % Capex 1y % (Qtr) 51.14 24.71
Cash and Equivalents Growth (1y) % Cash & Equiv 1y % (Qtr) -32.02 155.53
Dividend Growth (1y) % Div 1y % (Qtr) 0.00 35.43
EBIAT Growth (1y) % EBIAT 1y % (Qtr) 198.05 -2,529.64
EBITDA Growth (1y) % EBITDA 1y % (Qtr) 38.46 -29.98
EBIT Growth (1y) % EBIT 1y % (Qtr) 218.50 -51.52
EBT Growth (1y) % EBT 1y % (Qtr) 406.47 -79.33
EPS Growth (1y) % EPS 1y % (Qtr) 363.64 -2,182.39
FCF Growth (1y) % FCF 1y % (Qtr) 17.90 229.47
Gross Profit Growth (1y) % Gross Profit 1y % (Qtr) -12.65 12.54
Liquidity Ratios Value Ind Avg Percentile
Asset Utilization Ratio Asset Util Ratio (Qtr) 0.33 1.87
Cash Payout Ratio Cash Payout (Qtr) 0.24 0.36
Cash Ratio Cash Ratio (Qtr) 0.05 0.80
Current Ratio Curr Ratio (Qtr) 2.40 1.85
Debt to Equity Ratio Debt/Equity (Qtr) 0.03 1.53
Interest Cover Ratio Int Coverage (Qtr) 17.80 -11.60
Times Interest Earned Times Interest Earned (Qtr) 17.80 -11.60
Profitability Value Ind Avg Percentile
EBITDA Margin % EBITDA Margin % (Qtr) 33.80 -8.99
EBIT Margin % EBIT Margin % (Qtr) 24.60 -51.06
EBT Margin % EBT Margin % (Qtr) 23.22 -11.99
Gross Margin % Gross Margin % (Qtr) 100.00 33.35
Net Profit Margin % Net Margin % (Qtr) 21.90 -13.87