HQI
HireQuest, Inc.
HQI has the edge over RKLB overall, supported by lower modeled downside and stronger fundamentals.
RKLB
Rocket Lab USA, Inc.
RKLB offers stronger modeled upside, but that advantage does not outweigh its weaker overall profile.
HQI Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Stable | |
| Strong | |
| Strong | |
| Strong |
HQI's profitability, cash flow and balance sheet are currently strong, and its revenue is stable.
RKLB Fundamentals
| Metric | Status |
|---|---|
| Strong | |
| Under pressure | |
| Weak | |
| Unavailable |
RKLB's revenue is currently strong, but its profitability and cash flow are under pressure. There isn't enough data to rate its balance sheet.
HQI PE Valuation
| Level | PE | Price | Vs current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap | 20x | $10.54 | -43% |
| Forward | 24x | $18.53 | — |
| Fair | 25x | $13.50 | -27% |
| Current | 35x | $18.53 | — |
| Expensive | 41x | $21.65 | +17% |
Historical ranges are pointers, not guarantees.
HQI's PE is 35x, but its earnings don't support one, so it isn't a reliable read right now.
RKLB PE Valuation
RKLB has no meaningful PE right now: it lost money over the past year.
HQI Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| Strongly improving | |
| Strong growth | |
| Growth | |
| Strongly improving | |
| Limited | |
| High |
Analysts expect earnings and revenue growth for HQI, with profitability improving.
RKLB Forward outlook
| Metric | Outlook |
|---|---|
| -- | |
| Losses shrinking | |
| Strong growth | |
| Strongly improving | |
| Limited | |
| Low |
Analysts expect RKLB's losses to shrink, with revenue growing. However, they disagree widely on these estimates.
HQI Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Forward | $0.77 | +46% |
| Q3 2026 | $0.53 | +8.2% |
HQI has the edge over RKLB in the latest year-over-year earnings comparison.
RKLB Earnings Per Share
| Quarter | TTM EPS | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -$0.36 | +$0.03 |
| Q2 2026 | -$0.27 | +$0.19 |
| Q1 2026 | -$0.32 | +$0.09 |
| Q4 2025 | -$0.37 | +$0.01 |
| Q3 2025 | -$0.39 | -$0.02 |
| Q2 2025 | -$0.46 | -$0.11 |
| Q1 2025 | -$0.41 | -$0.04 |
| Q4 2024 | -$0.38 | $0.00 |
RKLB is still losing money, but less than at its worst: $0.36 per share over the past year, against $0.46 at its worst in mid-2025.
HQI Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $8.8M | +3.7% |
| Q2 2026 | $8.1M | +6% |
| Q1 2026 | $6.5M | -13% |
| Q4 2025 | $7M | -13% |
HQI's revenue has held roughly level: $9M last quarter, up 3.7% from the same quarter a year ago.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | 41% | +28 points |
| Q1 2026 | 23% | +2.8 points |
| Q4 2025 | 19% | -9.4 points |
| Q3 2025 | 29% | N/A |
| Q2 2025 | 14% | N/A |
| Q1 2025 | 20% | N/A |
| Q4 2024 | 28% | N/A |
HQI has the edge over RKLB on profitability, with a higher operating margin.
RKLB Quarterly Revenue
| Quarter | Revenue | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | $267.8M | +73% |
| Q2 2026 | $234.1M | +62% |
| Q1 2026 | $200.3M | +63% |
| Q4 2025 | $179.7M | +36% |
| Q3 2025 | $155.1M | +48% |
| Q2 2025 | $144.5M | +36% |
| Q1 2025 | $122.6M | +32% |
| Q4 2024 | $132.4M | +121% |
RKLB has the edge over HQI on sales, with more consistent year-over-year improvement.
| Quarter | Margin | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -30% | +8.5 points |
| Q2 2026 | -25% | +17 points |
| Q1 2026 | -28% | +20 points |
| Q4 2025 | -28% | +11 points |
| Q3 2025 | -38% | +12 points |
| Q2 2025 | -41% | -0.5 points |
| Q1 2025 | -48% | -1.9 points |
| Q4 2024 | -39% | +41 points |
RKLB's operating margin was −30% last quarter, up 8.5 points from the same quarter a year ago.
HQI Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | $1.6M | -37% |
| Q1 2026 | $250K | -86% |
| Q4 2025 | $6.6M | -23% |
HQI and RKLB do not have enough comparable growth data to identify a winner.
RKLB Free Cash Flow
| Quarter | Free cash flow | YoY |
|---|---|---|
| Q3 2026 | -$23.9M | +$45.5M |
| Q2 2026 | -$110.1M | -$54.8M |
| Q1 2026 | -$77.4M | +$5.5M |
| Q4 2025 | -$114.2M | -$90.2M |
| Q3 2025 | -$69.4M | -$27.5M |
| Q2 2025 | -$55.3M | -$26.9M |
| Q1 2025 | -$82.9M | -$61.1M |
| Q4 2024 | -$23.9M | +$28.7M |
RKLB has burned cash in almost every quarter: −$326M over the past year, against −$232M the year before.
HQI Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | -0.6% | -86K shares |
| 1 year | -1.3% | -180K shares |
HQI has the edge over RKLB on shareholder dilution, with a more favorable share count trend.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | $570,000 |
| Q1 2026 | $1.9M |
RKLB Total Shares
| Period | Change % | Net change |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterly | +3.6% | +22.6M shares |
| 1 year | +23% | +124M shares |
| 3 years | +35% | +168M shares |
| 5 years | +46% | +204M shares |
RKLB has 652M diluted shares, up 23% from a year ago.
| Quarter | Spent |
|---|---|
| Q4 2020 | — |
| Q2 2020 | — |
| Q1 2020 | — |
HQI Net Leverage
| Quarter | Net Leverage | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2026 | -0.1x | Net Cash |
| Q1 2026 | -0.1x | Net Cash |
| Q4 2025 | -0.4x | Net Cash |
| Q3 2025 | 0.1x | Very low |
| Q2 2025 | 0.3x | Very low |
| Q1 2025 | 0.5x | Very low |
| Q4 2024 | 0.6x | Very low |
HQI has more cash than debt.
RKLB Net Leverage
RKLB's operating earnings (EBITDA) were negative over the past year, so its debt can't be measured against them.
HQI Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 62.9 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 58.2 | Neutral |
HQI's weekly RSI is 63 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 58 (neutral).
RKLB Weekly Momentum
| Metric | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| RSI | 46.8 | Neutral |
| Stochastic | 27.6 | Neutral |
RKLB's weekly RSI is 47 (neutral) and its Stochastic is 28 (neutral).
HQI PE vs Industrials Sector
| Metric | HQI | Sector median | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| PE | 35x | 24x | 45% above |
| PE % | 75 | 58 | 17 pts above |
HQI is trading at 35x earnings, a 45% premium to the Industrials sector's median of 24x, though its earnings don't support one.
RKLB PE vs Industrials Sector
RKLB has no meaningful PE right now: it lost money over the past year.
HQI Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $17.8 | 4% above |
| 20 week MA | $15.9 | 16% above |
| 50 week MA | $13.0 | 42% above |
| 100 week MA | $12.0 | 55% above |
| 200 week MA | $14.4 | 29% above |
HQI has the edge over RKLB on trend strength, trading above more of its moving averages.
RKLB Weekly Moving Averages
| Moving average | MA price | Relative |
|---|---|---|
| 8 week MA | $61.4 | 4.3% above |
| 20 week MA | $68.1 | 5.9% below |
| 50 week MA | $77.6 | 17% below |
| 100 week MA | $56.5 | 13% above |
| 200 week MA | $31.4 | 104% above |
RKLB's trend is mixed: it's above three of its five weekly moving averages, and 104% above its 200-week average.
HQI Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $6.99 | $9.10 | +30% |
| 2021 | $9.10 | $20.4 | +124% |
| 2022 | $20.4 | $17.0 | -17% |
| 2023 | $17.0 | $15.4 | -9.5% |
| 2024 | $15.4 | $13.7 | -11% |
| 2025 | $13.7 | $10.4 | -24% |
| 2026 YTD | $10.4 | $18.5 | +78% |
HQI has the edge over RKLB on returns for 2026, with the stronger performance.
RKLB Yearly ROI
| Year | Start price | End price | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | $9.82 | $10.3 | +4.9% |
| 2021 | $10.3 | $12.0 | +17% |
| 2022 | $12.0 | $3.77 | -69% |
| 2023 | $3.77 | $5.53 | +47% |
| 2024 | $5.53 | $27.2 | +392% |
| 2025 | $27.2 | $70.7 | +160% |
| 2026 YTD | $70.7 | $64.1 | -9.3% |
RKLB's yearly returns have swung widely, from +392% in 2024 to −69% in 2022. It's down 9.3% so far in 2026.