Huntington Bancshares (NASDAQ:HBAN) Stock Price Down 3.7% Following Weak Earnings

Huntington Bancshares Incorporated (NASDAQ:HBAN)’s share price traded down 3.7% during mid-day trading on Thursday following a weaker than expected earnings announcement. The company traded as low as $17.65 and last traded at $18.0750. 21,534,014 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 20% from the average session volume of 27,011,875 shares. The stock had previously closed at $18.77.

The bank reported $0.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.40 by ($0.03). Huntington Bancshares had a net margin of 17.71% and a return on equity of 11.98%. The business had revenue of $2.19 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.21 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.34 EPS.

Huntington Bancshares Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 18th will be issued a $0.155 dividend. This represents a $0.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 18th. Huntington Bancshares’s payout ratio is 43.36%.

Huntington Bancshares News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Huntington Bancshares this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Board keeps quarterly common dividend at $0.155 (annualized yield ~3.5%), signaling capital stability and supporting income investors. PR Newswire: Dividend Declaration
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley cut its price target to $21 but kept an “overweight” rating — implying ~21% upside from current levels and institutional confidence in longer-term upside. TickerReport: Morgan Stanley PT
• Positive Sentiment: Management emphasizes continued organic and digital growth, including opening branches nearly every two weeks as part of expansion into the South — a growth narrative that can support revenue/margin expansion over time. Fortune: Growth Strategy
• Positive Sentiment: Media and commentator support (e.g., Jim Cramer) highlights confidence in the franchise and long-term prospects, which can help sentiment among retail investors. Yahoo Finance: Jim Cramer
• Neutral Sentiment: Huntington is preparing a debt offering ahead of the Cadence Bank merger — a routine financing step for M&A but one to watch for size/terms that could affect leverage and funding cost. TipRanks: Debt Offering
• Neutral Sentiment: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods trimmed its price target to $19.50 and moved to “market perform” — a modest adjustment that still implies upside but signals more cautious expectations. Benzinga: KBW PT
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 results missed consensus: reported $0.37 EPS vs. ~$0.40 expected, revenue slightly below estimates, and a notable year-over-year rise in expenses/credit provisions — the primary catalyst for intraday weakness. MarketBeat: Q4 Results
• Negative Sentiment: Piper Sandler raised its target to $17 but kept an “underweight” rating, and that stance plus the earnings miss reinforces bearish analyst positioning for near-term performance. MarketScreener: Piper Sandler PT

Analyst Ratings Changes

HBAN has been the subject of a number of research reports. Piper Sandler increased their price target on Huntington Bancshares from $16.00 to $17.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Huntington Bancshares from $23.00 to $21.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $21.00 price target on shares of Huntington Bancshares in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $21.00 price objective on shares of Huntington Bancshares in a report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Wolfe Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $21.00 target price on shares of Huntington Bancshares in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $20.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Amit Dhingra sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.50, for a total transaction of $185,000.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 155,634 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,879,229. This trade represents a 6.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Helga Houston sold 64,587 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.38, for a total value of $993,348.06. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 534,640 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,222,763.20. The trade was a 10.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 97,863 shares of company stock worth $1,581,634 in the last quarter. 0.89% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Huntington Bancshares

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Huntington Bancshares by 26.4% in the second quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 167,515 shares of the bank’s stock worth $2,808,000 after buying an additional 35,014 shares in the last quarter. FineMark National Bank & Trust grew its stake in Huntington Bancshares by 59.2% during the 2nd quarter. FineMark National Bank & Trust now owns 175,144 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $2,935,000 after acquiring an additional 65,144 shares in the last quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC acquired a new stake in Huntington Bancshares in the 3rd quarter valued at about $3,746,000. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI lifted its stake in Huntington Bancshares by 43.4% in the 2nd quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI now owns 94,979 shares of the bank’s stock worth $1,592,000 after purchasing an additional 28,739 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Shoker Investment Counsel Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Huntington Bancshares by 1,706.3% during the 2nd quarter. Shoker Investment Counsel Inc. now owns 200,566 shares of the bank’s stock worth $3,361,000 after purchasing an additional 189,462 shares during the last quarter. 80.72% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Huntington Bancshares Stock Down 1.5%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.91, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.36 billion, a PE ratio of 12.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 0.95. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $17.28 and a 200-day moving average price of $16.88.

Huntington Bancshares Company Profile

Huntington Bancshares Incorporated (NASDAQ: HBAN) is a bank holding company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, that provides a broad range of banking and financial services through its principal subsidiary, Huntington National Bank. The company’s operations are centered on retail and commercial banking, and it serves individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses, and institutional customers.

Huntington’s product offerings include traditional deposit and lending products, consumer and commercial loans, mortgage origination and servicing, auto financing, and business banking solutions.