HireQuest (NASDAQ:HQI) Stock Price Down 2.5% – Here’s Why

Posted by Francis Steltz on Jul 16th, 2026

HireQuest, Inc. (NASDAQ:HQI – Get Free Report) shares were down 2.5% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $12.61 and last traded at $12.63. 6,125 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 64% from the average daily volume of 17,203 shares. The stock had previously closed at $12.95.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of HireQuest from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Monday. Barrington Research lifted their price objective on HireQuest from $13.00 to $15.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Finally, DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $15.00 target price on shares of HireQuest in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $15.00.

Check Out Our Latest Report on HQI

HireQuest Stock Down 2.3%

The firm has a market cap of $170.55 million, a PE ratio of 26.67 and a beta of 1.11. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $12.67 and its 200-day moving average is $11.48.

HireQuest (NASDAQ:HQI – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 12th. The company reported $0.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.11 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $6.52 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $6.75 million. HireQuest had a net margin of 21.98% and a return on equity of 14.90%. On average, analysts forecast that HireQuest, Inc. will post 0.52 earnings per share for the current year.

HireQuest Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 1st were issued a dividend of $0.06 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 1st. This represents a $0.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. HireQuest’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 52.17%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HireQuest

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. 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 worth $2,819,000 after buying an additional 12,246 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in HireQuest by 4.3% in the 2nd 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 grew its holdings in HireQuest by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 76,866 shares of the company’s stock valued at $808,000 after buying an additional 1,451 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC purchased a new stake in HireQuest in the 4th quarter valued at about $112,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG increased its stake in shares of HireQuest by 158.0% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 10,945 shares of the company’s stock valued at $115,000 after acquiring 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

(Get Free Report)

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.