Should You Buy Hirequest Inc (HQI) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.
Conclusion
Hold
Latest Price
11.230
1 Day change
-1.92%
52 Week Range
15.750
Analysis Updated At
2026/01/29
HQI is not a good buy right now for a beginner long-term investor with $50k–$100k who is impatient about timing. Despite broadly bullish longer-term moving averages, the near-term momentum is weakening (negative MACD expansion) and the latest quarter shows clear deterioration in revenue and earnings, with no news catalysts, no insider/hedge fund accumulation signals, and no proprietary buy signals today.
Technical Analysis
Price/Trend: HQI closed at 10.88 (-1.53% vs 10.96). Trend is mixed: moving averages are bullish (SMA_5 > SMA_20 > SMA_200) suggesting the broader structure is still upward, but momentum is weakening.
Momentum: MACD histogram is -0.0624 and negatively expanding, which is a bearish momentum confirmation in the short term. RSI(6) at 48 is neutral—no oversold bounce signal.
Levels: Pivot 11.068 is above the current price (a near-term hurdle). Support sits at S1 10.64 then S2 10.376. Resistance at R1 11.496 then R2 11.76.
Interpretation: With price below the pivot and MACD worsening, the stock is more likely to chop or drift toward support before a cleaner long entry appears.
Intellectia Proprietary Trading Signals:
**Intellectia Proprietary Trading Signals**
- [AI Stock Picker](module://ai_stock_pick): no signal on given stock today.
- [SwingMax](module://swingmax): No signal on given stock recently.
No notable hedge fund or insider selling trend reported (neutral positioning).
Pattern-based projection indicates potential upside scenarios over the next week/month (though probabilistic and not a confirmed signal).
Neutral/Negative Catalysts
Momentum is currently bearish (MACD histogram below zero and expanding negatively) and price is below the pivot level.
No news flow in the past week—no obvious event-driven catalyst to reverse weakening momentum.
Fundamental slowdown: revenue and earnings declined sharply in the latest quarter, which can cap long-term enthusiasm until results stabilize.
No proprietary Intellectia buy signals (AI Stock Picker/SwingMax) to justify an aggressive entry today.
Financial Performance
Latest quarter: 2025/Q3.
Revenue: 8,497,000, down -9.76% YoY (top-line contraction).
Net income: 2,304,000, down -204.40% YoY (large deterioration vs prior year baseline).
EPS: 0.16, down -200.00% YoY.
Overall: Growth trends are negative in the most recent quarter, which weakens the long-term buy case until there is evidence of re-acceleration or margin/earnings stabilization.
Growth
Profitability
Efficiency
Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends
No analyst rating or price target change data was provided, so a Wall Street consensus trend (upgrades/downgrades and target revisions) cannot be confirmed. Based on the available data, the visible pros are the still-bullish moving-average structure, while the cons are weakening momentum and deteriorating latest-quarter fundamentals.
Wall Street analysts forecast HQI stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for HQI is 13 USD with a low forecast of 13 USD and a high forecast of 13 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
2 Analyst Rating
Wall Street analysts forecast HQI stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for HQI is 13 USD with a low forecast of 13 USD and a high forecast of 13 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
2 Buy
0 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 11.450
Low
13
Averages
13
High
13
Current: 11.450
Low
13
Averages
13
High
13
Barrington
Outperform -> NULL
downgrade
$16 -> $13
AI Analysis
2025-05-12
Reason
Barrington
Price Target
$16 -> $13
AI Analysis
2025-05-12
downgrade
Outperform -> NULL
Reason
Barrington lowered the firm's price target on HireQuest to $13 from $16 and keeps an Outperform rating on the shares following the Q1 report. The company noted that softer sales trends in Q1 were reflective of the challenging environment that has impacted the staffing industry over the last two-plus years, the analyst tells investors in a research note. The firm says many employers have been delaying or suspending hiring decisions and searches for new staff due to economic uncertainty.
Barrington Research
Kevin Steinke
Buy
Maintains
$18 → $16
2025-03-31
Reason
Barrington Research
Kevin Steinke
Price Target
$18 → $16
2025-03-31
Maintains
Buy
Reason
Barrington analyst Kevin Steinke lowered the firm's price target on HireQuest to $16 from $18 and keeps an Outperform rating on the shares. The company's Q4 results reflect challenging market conditions and macro uncertainty, the analyst tells investors in a research note. The firm says HireQuest noted that softer sales trends in Q4 were reflective of the challenging environment that has impacted the staffing industry over the last two years. Barrington reduced estimates citing continued volatility and uncertainty in the demand environment.
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