Yahoo Finance HireQuest (NASDAQ:HQI) Will Pay A Dividend Of US$0.06
The board of HireQuest, Inc. (NASDAQ:HQI) has announced that it will pay a dividend of US$0.06 per share on the 15th of June. The dividend yield will be 1.6% based on this payment which is still above the industry average.
See our latest analysis for HireQuest
HireQuest's Dividend Is Well Covered By Earnings
Impressive dividend yields are good, but this doesn't matter much if the payments can't be sustained. However, prior to this announcement, HireQuest's dividend was comfortably covered by both cash flow and earnings. This means that most of what the business earns is being used to help it grow.
Looking forward, earnings per share is forecast to rise by 44.5% over the next year. If the dividend continues on this path, the payout ratio could be 26% by next year, which we think can be pretty sustainable going forward.
HireQuest Doesn't Have A Long Payment History
Looking back, the dividend has been stable, but the company hasn't been paying a dividend for very long so we can't be confident that the dividend will remain stable through all economic environments. Since 2020, the dividend has gone from US$0.20 to US$0.24. This works out to be a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 9.5% a year over that time. HireQuest has a nice track record of dividend growth but we would wait until we see a longer track record before getting too confident.
HireQuest May Find It Hard To Grow The Dividend
Investors could be attracted to the stock based on the quality of its payment history. However, things aren't all that rosy. HireQuest has seen earnings per share falling at 5.0% per year over the last three years. If the company is making less over time, it naturally follows that it will also have to pay out less in dividends. However, the next year is actually looking up, with earnings set to rise. We would just wait until it becomes a pattern before getting too excited.
In Summary
In summary, while it's good to see that the dividend hasn't been cut, we are a bit cautious about HireQuest's payments, as there could be some issues with sustaining them into the future. The company is generating plenty of cash, which could maintain the dividend for a while, but the track record hasn't been great. This company is not in the top tier of income providing stocks.
Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. Meanwhile, despite the importance of dividend payments, they are not the only factors our readers should know when assessing a company. As an example, we've identified 4 warning signs for HireQuest that you should be aware of before investing. If you are a dividend investor, you might also want to look at our curated list of high yield dividend stocks.
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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
