Jefferies Financial Group Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Huntington Bancshares (NASDAQ:HBAN) Stock

Key Points

• Jefferies raised its price target to $20 (from $19) and maintains a "buy" rating on HBAN, implying roughly a 21.95% upside from the stock's current price.
• Huntington reported a Q1 beat with adjusted EPS of $0.37 versus $0.16 expected and revenue roughly in line, while the board maintained the quarterly dividend (0.155/share) and set FY2027 guidance broadly matching street estimates.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive (consensus rating "Moderate Buy" with a $20.08 average price target), and there has been recent insider buying alongside ~80.7% institutional ownership.

Huntington Bancshares (NASDAQ:HBAN - Get Free Report) had its price target boosted by investment analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from $19.00 to $20.00 in a report released on Friday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage presently has a "buy" rating on the bank's stock. Jefferies Financial Group's target price suggests a potential upside of 21.95% from the stock's current price.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on HBAN. Barclays lowered shares of Huntington Bancshares from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on shares of Huntington Bancshares from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 13th. UBS Group set a $21.00 price objective on shares of Huntington Bancshares in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Argus raised their price target on shares of Huntington Bancshares from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Huntington Bancshares from $21.00 to $20.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen 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 company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $20.08.

Huntington Bancshares Stock Performance

HBAN traded down $0.43 on Friday, hitting $16.40. 16,030,609 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 21,892,214. The firm has a market cap of $33.41 billion, a PE ratio of 12.62, a P/E/G ratio of 0.73 and a beta of 0.95. Huntington Bancshares has a twelve month low of $14.19 and a twelve month high of $19.45. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $16.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $16.71. The company has a current ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73.

Huntington Bancshares (NASDAQ:HBAN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The bank reported $0.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.16 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $2.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.57 billion. Huntington Bancshares had a net margin of 16.63% and a return on equity of 11.42%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.34 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Huntington Bancshares will post 1.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Huntington Bancshares

In other Huntington Bancshares news, Director James D. Rollins III purchased 6,873 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $23.27 per share, for a total transaction of $159,934.71. Following the acquisition, the director owned 4,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $93,080. This trade represents a -239.23% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Gary Torgow purchased 14,200 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $17.81 per share, for a total transaction of $252,902.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 943,341 shares in the company, valued at $16,800,903.21. This represents a 1.53% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have purchased 27,700 shares of company stock worth $540,401 and have sold 98,986 shares worth $1,600,958. Company insiders own 0.67% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Huntington Bancshares by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC now owns 25,217 shares of the bank's stock worth $438,000 after purchasing an additional 587 shares during the last quarter. Values First Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Huntington Bancshares by 3.0% during the first quarter. Values First Advisors Inc. now owns 20,564 shares of the bank's stock worth $322,000 after purchasing an additional 604 shares during the last quarter. MCF Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Huntington Bancshares by 12.6% during the fourth quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 5,438 shares of the bank's stock worth $95,000 after purchasing an additional 609 shares during the last quarter. Balboa Wealth Partners boosted its holdings in Huntington Bancshares by 2.5% during the first quarter. Balboa Wealth Partners now owns 27,042 shares of the bank's stock worth $423,000 after purchasing an additional 662 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Strategic Planning Inc. boosted its holdings in Huntington Bancshares by 0.3% during the third quarter. Strategic Planning Inc. now owns 199,318 shares of the bank's stock worth $3,442,000 after purchasing an additional 670 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.72% of the company's stock.

Huntington Bancshares News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat expectations: HBAN reported adjusted EPS of $0.37 and revenue roughly in line with estimates, driven by higher net interest income and fee income — a clear near-term earnings positive. Huntington Bancshares Incorporated Reports 2026 First-Quarter Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend maintained and declared: Board approved a quarterly dividend (0.155/share) supporting yield (~3.8%), which tends to underpin investor confidence in payout sustainability. Huntington Bancshares Maintains Quarterly Common and Preferred Dividends
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic focus on AI led from the CFO — management highlights AI initiatives and digital strategy as drivers of efficiency and growth, a medium-term positive for margins and competitive positioning. At Huntington Bancshares, the CFO is also the AI strategist
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst momentum: Piper upgraded HBAN to Neutral citing increasing positives, which may attract some buyers. Huntington Bancshares upgraded to Neutral at Piper
• Neutral Sentiment: FY2027 guidance in line with consensus: Company set EPS guidance of $1.900–1.930, essentially matching street estimates — removes surprise upside but reduces downside risk from guidance revisions.
• Neutral Sentiment: Shareholder vote reaffirmed board/governance direction at the annual meeting, providing governance stability but limited immediate market impact. Huntington Bancshares Shareholders Reaffirm Board and Governance Direction
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest report is effectively zero/garbled for April 24 (data shows 0 shares), so there’s no meaningful short squeeze dynamic to amplify moves today.
• Negative Sentiment: Morgan Stanley trimmed its price target from $21 to $20 (still Overweight) — a downward revision to analyst upside that can pressure the stock and feeds into today’s selling. Morgan Stanley trims price target on Huntington Bancshares to $20 from $21

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.

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