HireQuest Inc. (HQI) Options Positioning, Max Pain & Unusual Sweeps

$16.31 +0.06% NASDAQ • Live Quote vs Prior Daily Close (Synced Snapshot) EXT / AFTER-HRS: $16.28

HireQuest Inc. (HQI) carries a Roarable Rating of C (Hold) with 62/100 RQD Confidence. The composite score sits in the neutral Hold band (59–69), meaning current holders don’t need to panic-sell while prospective buyers can wait for a move into the 70+ Buy zone.

ROARABLE C • HOLD / WATCH Cap $226.6M
📤 Share Live RQD Speedometer Card: 𝕏 Post Reddit StockTwits ⬇ Live SVG Card
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🤖 Mara Quenwick • AI Quant Lead (Click for Instant Brief) Is HQI stock a Buy, Hold, or Sell right now according to Roarable's RQD model?
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As of 2026-11-02, HireQuest Inc. (NASDAQ: HQI) is rated C (Hold / HOLD) by Roarable's 5-pillar RQD engine with a composite confidence score of 62/100 at a spot price of $16.31 (+0.06% 1D, market cap $226.6M). Pillar breakdown: Fundamental Cash Engine 13/20, Institutional 13F & Options Flow 8/20, Executive Insider Alignment 14/20, FRED Macro Regime Fit 14/20, and SEC Balance-Sheet Forensics 13/20. Across 1011 tracked Consumer Discretionary issuers, HQI ranks #308 in composite RQD confidence.

✓ Pre-computed one-to-many AI Quant brief
🤖 Ellis Vennor • AI Peer & Flow Quant (Click for Instant Brief) How does HQI compare to TSSI and RCMT in the Consumer Discretionary sector?
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Within the Consumer Discretionary sector (Professional Services), HQI carries a Roarable C (62/100 RQD), trailing P/E of 35.8x, gross margin of —, and ROIC of 7.3%. By comparison, TSSI (TSS Inc.) holds a C grade (63/100 RQD, P/E 14.2x, ROIC 46.4%, cap $215.3M) and RCMT (RCM Technologies Inc.) posts a B+ grade (78/100 RQD, P/E 15.6x, ROIC 46.0%, cap $255.3M). Among the 5-stock peer group, TSSI leads on earnings multiple (14.2x) while TSSI leads on capital efficiency (46.4% ROIC).

✓ Pre-computed one-to-many AI Quant brief
🤖 Gideon Ashmere • AI SEC 10-K Forensics (Click for Instant Brief) What are the biggest fundamental strengths and SEC risk factors for HQI?
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Per HQI's SEC EDGAR XBRL 10-K filing (FY2025, filed 2025-12-31, CIK 0001140102), HireQuest Inc. generated $30.6M in revenue (-11.4% YoY), $6.3M in net income, and $12.0M in free cash flow against $88.2M in total assets and $0 in total debt. Key quantitative strengths: Established market leader in Consumer Discretionary with deep daily trading liquidity.. Primary risk factors monitored: Broader market pullbacks can still drag down strong stocks in the short run.. Institutional options positioning shows a 50% call / 50% put premium split.

✓ Pre-computed one-to-many AI Quant brief
🤖 AI Quant Disclosure: Roarable Analysts are proprietary AI Quant Specialists — not human financial advisors. Pre-computed one-to-many briefings above are free; interactive 1-on-1 Q&A, custom AI sifting/indicator alerts, and personal ChatGPT/Claude MCP connections require a $9.95/mo Pro account (currently waitlist-only).
INTERACTIVE SCENARIO DECK:
🛡️ Portfolio Crash X-Ray
EXT / AFTER-HRS: $16.28 (-0.18%)🧬 Cannibal Buyback (-1.52% YoY Shares)⚙️ Cash Engine: 13/20 (C) • 39.3% FCF Margin
Verify 90D Bucket Audit →
📊 Historical Track Record: Scores of 62/100 (C) historically posted market-perform odds over rolling 90-day windows (+0.7% avg 90D alpha vs SPY • 54.3% hit rate — wait for RQD ≥ 70 breakout).
Audit Bucket Track Record →
RQD QUANT TACHOMETERHOLD / WATCH • C
025507510062
JEV AI Jury Split (Battleground)
Cash
SEC
Whale

Impersonal quantitative research (0–100 RQD rubric) — not individualized investment advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Full Disclaimer

5-PILLAR SNOWFLAKE RADARRw D+ · Rk B-
Cash (13)Whales (8)SEC (14)Macro (14)CEO (13)
Each axis scored 0–20
12M PRICE TARGET CONE+1.8% Base Target
$22 Bull$17 Base$13 Bear
📬 FREE HQI RATING-CHANGE & BRIEFING ALERTSManage / Unsubscribe
WHALE OPTIONS SNAPSHOT: — (No Active Options Snapshot on file for HQI)Realized 20D OHLCV Swing Band: ±12%
Deterministic 5-Pillar Attribution (62/100 Composite)
🔍 WHY HQI SCORES 62/100 (C) — TOP 3 DRIVERS2 Bullish Pillars + #1 Risk Drag
▲ #1 Bullish Driver: SEC 10-K Forensic Risk+14/20 pts (23% of score)

Altman Z-Score 8.36 (FORTRESS SAFE (>3.0)) • Piotroski F-Score 6/9

▲ #2 Bullish Driver: Macro Regime Fit+14/20 pts (23% of score)

FRED Regime × Technicals: 66% of 52W Range • RSI-14 at 41.5 (NEUTRAL RANGE)

▼ #1 Drag / Risk Factor: Whale & Options Positioning8/20 pts (-12 pt drag)

Put hedging (50% put share) caps near-term gamma upside (-12 pts vs max)

📈 PAST 4 QUARTERS RQD vs SUBSEQUENT RETURNQ1 → Q2 → Q3 → Current
Q1 (-3Q)
70
Grade B$17.48-0.9% Next Q
Q2 (-2Q)
67
Grade B-$17.33-0.9% Next Q
Q3 (-1Q)
65
Grade C+$17.18-5.1% Next Q
Current
62
Grade C$16.31+0.7% Hist 90D α
Trajectory: B (70) → C (62)Full Audit →
⚔️ ADVERSARIAL OPPOSING CASE & FORENSIC KILL-SWITCH (WHY THE BULL/BEAR THESIS COULD FAIL)GIDEON ASHMERE // FORENSIC SHORT & KILL-SWITCH DOSSIER

⚔️ Adversarial Opposing Case: Why the HQI Bull Thesis Could Fail

Gideon Ashmere Forensic Desk →

Even with a 62/100 (C) score, HQI faces multiple-compression risk if 35.8x trailing P/E re-rate toward historical sector medians or if hyperscaler/enterprise customer concentration slows in upcoming 10-Q filings.

⚠️ Forensic Kill-Switch #1

Broader market pullbacks can still drag down strong stocks in the short run.

⚠️ Forensic Kill-Switch #2

Dilution & Margin Drag: Cannibal Buyback (-1.52% YoY Shares) — any gross margin slip below 49.5% triggers an automatic RQD downgrade.

⚠️ Forensic Kill-Switch #3

Technical & Forensic Kill-Switch: A daily close below the 50D SMA ($17.29) or 200D SMA ($13.38) invalidates the momentum regime and cuts Target Base ($16.60) toward Bear Floor ($12.95).

🎲 LIVE PREDICTION MARKET ODDS TIED TO $HQI• $2.4M Crowd Pool • Kalshi / Polymarket Composite
Contract: “HQI Beats Next Quarter EPS Consensus (Dec 30, 2026) & Holds Above 200D SMA”
CALL VS. PUT WHALE SHARE
— (No Active Options Snapshot)
Put/Call Ratio: — (No Active Options Snapshot)
MAX-PAIN EXPIRATION MAGNET
— (No Active Options Snapshot)
No active options chain max-pain snapshot on file
HISTORICAL 20D VOLATILITY SWING
±12%
Derived from 20D OHLCV bars (No Active Options Snapshot)

Active Strike Call vs. Put Concentration Ladder (HQI)

— (No Active Options Snapshot) — No unusual CBOE strike concentration anomalies recorded in the current database snapshot for HQI.

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Whale Flow & Momentum Playbook: Evaluating HQI & AI Leaders Without Chasing Tops

  • ✓Institutional whale strikes & implied earnings move audit on HQI
  • ✓How disciplined traders manage risk using pre-published trigger & invalidation levels
  • ✓Includes nightly RQD rating-change & forensic signal email alerts on tracked leaders
RQD INSIDER CLUB WAITLIST$49/YR PLANNED
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HQI // CANDLESTICK & AUTO-TRENDLINE WORKSTATION6M: +41.46%🛡️ HOLDING TREND SUPPORT
2026-11-02O $16.85H $16.85L $16.30C $16.31VOL 12.5K
RES: $22.32SUP: $15.88SMA50: $17.29SMA200: $13.38
$21.60$18.44$15.28$12.11$8.95RES $22.32SUP $15.88$16.312026-05-042026-06-172026-08-042026-09-172026-11-02
PRIMARY-SOURCE FORENSICS, SECOND-ORDER LINKS & AI ANALYST DESK

HQI Dilution Monitor, Expectations Hurdle, Butterfly Connections & Policy Exposure

Share Count & Dilution Monitor (#25)

Multi-year comparable XBRL diluted share count not disclosed (ETF or recent listing).

Reverse-DCF Expectations Hurdle (#30)
27.6%/yr Implied 5Y Growth

vs. -11.4% actual YoY revenue growth (assuming 9.25% cost of equity & 16.5x terminal multiple).

Ellis Vennor Setup Ledger (#33)

No active Ellis Vennor swing setup published on HQI today. View full Setup Ledger →

🦋 Documented & Second-Order Butterfly Connections Open Graph →

No direct multi-tier Butterfly edges indexed yet for HQI. Explore sector supply chains on /butterfly.

AI Analyst Theses, Washington Policy & Company Video
🎬 No recent verified company-specific video clip queued for HQI today (we never pad ticker pages with unrelated generic clips). Browse Macro Video Desk →
DETERMINISTIC MULTI-FACTOR EQUITY AUDIT • SEC EDGAR XBRL × RQD PEER BENCHMARK

📊 Quantitative Sector Peer Comparison, SEC Filing Delta & Investment FAQ (HQI)

Consumer Discretionary Rank #308 of 1011 ⚔️ TSSI vs HQI Full Matrix →

1. Head-to-Head Consumer Discretionary Peer Comparison (HQI vs. TSSI, RCMT, III, AUC)

Industry: Professional Services (48 Tracked Issuers)

Across 1011 tracked Consumer Discretionary securities in the Roarable RQD universe, HireQuest Inc. (HQI) ranks #308 by composite RQD confidence (62/100, grade C) and #678 by equity capitalization ($226.6M). Within this direct 5-issuer industry benchmark cohort, TSSI leads on earnings valuation at 14.2x trailing P/E, while TSSI leads on capital efficiency and profitability with 46.4% ROIC and 13.2% gross margin. RCMT currently holds the highest overall quantitative score in the immediate peer group at 78/100 (B+) compared with HQI at 62/100 (C).

Ticker / Company Roarable Grade RQD Score Trailing P/E Gross Margin ROIC 1D Change Market Cap Head-to-Head
HQI ACTIVE
HireQuest Inc.
C 62/100 35.8x — 7.3% +0.06% $226.6M Benchmark Subject
TSSI
TSS Inc.
C 63/100 14.2x 13.2% 46.4% -10.09% $215.3M /tssi-vs-hqi →
RCMT
RCM Technologies Inc.
B+ 78/100 15.6x 27.5% 46.0% -1.89% $255.3M /rcmt-vs-hqi →
III
Information Services Group Inc.
B- 70/100 31.5x 43.1% 11.2% +0.33% $294.4M /iii-vs-hqi →
AUC
ATIF Holdings Limited
D- 43/100 — — -17.9% -9.83% $173.3M /auc-vs-hqi →

2. Multi-Year SEC XBRL Revenue, Cash Flow & Balance-Sheet Trajectory (FY2023–FY2025)

SEC EDGAR 10-K • FILED 2025-12-31 • CIK 0001140102

In its most recent audited fiscal period (FY2025, filed 2025-12-31), HireQuest Inc. (HQI) reported GAAP revenue of $30.6M (-11.4% vs. FY2024 revenue of $34.6M , and -19.1% cumulative change since FY2023) , GAAP net income of $6.3M, operating cash flow of $12.0M, and free cash flow of $12.0M (+0.1% YoY). On the balance sheet, HQI closed FY2025 with $88.2M in total assets against $0 in total debt (Altman Z-Score: 8.36, Piotroski F-Score: 6/9).

Fiscal Period Filing Date Revenue Net Income Operating Cash Flow Free Cash Flow Total Assets Total Debt
FY2025 (FY) 2025-12-31 $30.6M $6.3M $12.0M $12.0M $88.2M —
FY2024 (FY) 2024-12-31 $34.6M $3.7M $12.0M $12.0M $94.0M —
FY2023 (FY) 2023-12-31 $37.9M $6.1M $10.6M $10.6M — —

3. HQI Data-Verified Investor FAQ (RQD Rating, Sector Peers, SEC Forensics & Technicals)

✓ SCHEMA.ORG FAQPAGE JSON-LD ENABLED

Is HQI stock a Buy, Hold, or Sell right now according to Roarable's RQD model?

As of 2026-11-02, HireQuest Inc. (NASDAQ: HQI) is rated C (Hold / HOLD) by Roarable's 5-pillar RQD engine with a composite confidence score of 62/100 at a spot price of $16.31 (+0.06% 1D, market cap $226.6M). Pillar breakdown: Fundamental Cash Engine 13/20, Institutional 13F & Options Flow 8/20, Executive Insider Alignment 14/20, FRED Macro Regime Fit 14/20, and SEC Balance-Sheet Forensics 13/20. Across 1011 tracked Consumer Discretionary issuers, HQI ranks #308 in composite RQD confidence.

How does HQI compare to TSSI and RCMT in the Consumer Discretionary sector?

Within the Consumer Discretionary sector (Professional Services), HQI carries a Roarable C (62/100 RQD), trailing P/E of 35.8x, gross margin of —, and ROIC of 7.3%. By comparison, TSSI (TSS Inc.) holds a C grade (63/100 RQD, P/E 14.2x, ROIC 46.4%, cap $215.3M) and RCMT (RCM Technologies Inc.) posts a B+ grade (78/100 RQD, P/E 15.6x, ROIC 46.0%, cap $255.3M). Among the 5-stock peer group, TSSI leads on earnings multiple (14.2x) while TSSI leads on capital efficiency (46.4% ROIC).

What are the biggest fundamental strengths and SEC risk factors for HQI?

Per HQI's SEC EDGAR XBRL 10-K filing (FY2025, filed 2025-12-31, CIK 0001140102), HireQuest Inc. generated $30.6M in revenue (-11.4% YoY), $6.3M in net income, and $12.0M in free cash flow against $88.2M in total assets and $0 in total debt. Key quantitative strengths: Established market leader in Consumer Discretionary with deep daily trading liquidity.. Primary risk factors monitored: Broader market pullbacks can still drag down strong stocks in the short run.. Institutional options positioning shows a 50% call / 50% put premium split.

Where is HQI trading relative to its 50-day, 200-day, and 52-week technical levels?

HQI last traded at $16.31 (+0.06% on volume of 14,694 shares), positioning the stock -5.67% below its 50-day simple moving average ($17.29) and +21.90% above its 200-day simple moving average ($13.38). Across its 52-week range of $7.38 to $20.84, HQI sits at the 66.3% percentile with a 14-day RSI of 41.5 (NEUTRAL RANGE) and an implied next-earnings move of ±12.0% ($14.35 to $18.27).

HQI Investor FAQ & Complete 8-Part Research Index

100% OPEN ACCESS • SEC EDGAR × CBOE × FRED

What is HQI's options positioning and volatility profile?

Roarable tracks verified CBOE unusual options sweeps, put/call ratios, and OHLCV realized volatility bands for HQI.

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