Should I Buy HBAN? HBAN 2026 Analysis

Should You Buy Huntington Bancshares Inc (HBAN) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.

Conclusion

Hold

Latest Price

17.290

1 Day change

1.35%

52 Week Range

18.910

Analysis Updated At

2026/01/28

HBAN is not a good buy right now for a beginner long-term investor who wants to enter immediately. The stock is in a short-term bearish trend (negative/expanding MACD, price below the pivot and sitting near support) following a negatively received Q4 print (misses and expense/credit provisioning concerns). While Wall Street price targets have generally moved up into the $19.5–$21 range and options positioning looks mildly bullish, the near-term setup is still pressured and Congress trading shows recent selling only. I would HOLD and wait for stabilization rather than buy today. **Intellectia Proprietary Trading Signals** - [AI Stock Picker](module://ai_stock_pick): No signal on given stock today. - [SwingMax](module://swingmax): No signal on given stock recently.

Technical Analysis

Trend/momentum is currently bearish. The MACD histogram is -0.142 and negatively expanding, indicating downside momentum is strengthening. RSI(6) at ~32 is near oversold territory, suggesting selling may be stretched, but not yet a clean reversal signal. Moving averages are converging (lack of trend clarity), but price action is weak relative to key levels: Pivot 17.816 is above the current ~17.07, so the stock is trading below its pivot. Immediate support is S1 17.016 (very close); if that fails, next support is S2 16.521. Resistance levels to reclaim are 17.816 first, then 18.616.

Options Data

Bullish

Open Interest Put-Call Ratio

Neutral

Option Volume Put-Call Ratio

Options sentiment is mildly constructive but not a strong risk-on signal. Put/call open interest at 0.53 suggests more call positioning than puts (bullish tilt). However, put/call volume at 0.95 is close to neutral, implying traders are not aggressively chasing upside today. Implied volatility is elevated (30D IV ~32.6; IV percentile ~82.8), consistent with heightened uncertainty post-earnings. Open interest is elevated vs its 30-day average (about 107%), but volume vs the 30-day average is lower (~52%), pointing to positioning without a major surge in fresh conviction.

Technical Summary

Sell

Buy

Positive Catalysts

1) Analyst price targets have mostly been revised higher recently (several targets around $20–$21), supporting a medium-term bullish valuation narrative.
2) Revenue growth remains positive (Q4 revenue +11.26% YoY), indicating the top line is still expanding.
3) Options open interest skew (PCR 0.53) indicates a modest bullish lean among positioned traders.

Neutral/Negative Catalysts

1) Q4 2025 earnings/revenue came in below expectations in multiple reports, and the stock reacted negatively (notable post-earnings drop).
2) Profitability trends weakened: net income and EPS declined YoY, with market focus on higher expenses and credit provisions.
3) Bearish technical momentum (negative/expanding MACD) with price sitting on/near key support (S1 ~17.016), increasing risk of another leg down if support breaks.
4) Congress trading over the last 90 days shows only sales (2 sales, 0 buys), which is a negative sentiment signal from influential participants.

Financial Performance

Latest quarter: 2025/Q4. Revenue rose to ~$2.174B (+11.26% YoY), but profitability weakened: net income fell to ~$476M (-4.42% YoY) and EPS fell to $0.30 (-11.76% YoY). This mix (growing revenue but shrinking earnings) aligns with the news narrative of higher expenses and elevated credit provisioning pressure, which is typically a near-term headwind for regional bank multiples.

Growth

Profitability

Efficiency

Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends

Recent trend: price targets have generally moved up, but ratings are mixed. Bulls: Truist reiterated Buy and raised PT to $21 (while cutting FY26 EPS estimate due to higher expenses), Goldman kept Buy and raised PT to $21, and Wolfe/RBC stayed positive with higher targets (around $20–$21). More cautious voices: KBW maintained Market Perform with a slight PT trim to $19.50, Barclays stayed Equal Weight, and Piper Sandler maintained Underweight (though it raised PT to $16). Wall Street pros: improving multi-year fundamentals narrative (loan growth/NII momentum/operating leverage) and supportive targets well above the current ~$17. Wall Street cons: expense outlook and credit risk are key wildcards; the latest quarter showed earnings pressure despite revenue growth, which can keep the stock range-bound or weak near-term.

15 Analyst Rating

Wall Street analysts forecast HBAN stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for HBAN is 20.23 USD with a low forecast of 16 USD and a high forecast of 23 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.

12 Buy

2 Hold

1 Sell

Moderate Buy

Current: 17.060

Low

Averages

20.23

High

Current: 17.060

Low

Averages

20.23

High

Truist

Brian Foran

Buy

maintain

$20 -> $21

AI Analysis

2026-01-26

New

Reason

Truist

Brian Foran

Price Target

$20 -> $21

AI Analysis

2026-01-26

New

maintain

Buy

Reason

Truist analyst Brian Foran raised the firm's price target on Huntington Bancshares to $21 from $20 and keeps a Buy rating on the shares after its Q4 earnings beat. The firm is also cutting its FY26 EPS view by 7% to $1.70 however, with key drivers behind the 2026 adjustment coming from higher than expected Expenses outlook, the analyst tells investors in a research note.

Keefe Bruyette

Market Perform

downgrade

$20

2026-01-23

Reason

Keefe Bruyette

Price Target

$20

2026-01-23

downgrade

Market Perform

Reason

Keefe Bruyette lowered the firm's price target on Huntington Bancshares to $19.50 from $20 and keeps a Market Perform rating on the shares.

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HBAN Should I Buy

HBAN Should I Buy

Should You Buy Huntington Bancshares Inc (HBAN) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.

Technical Analysis

Options Data

Technical Summary

Positive Catalysts

Neutral/Negative Catalysts

Financial Performance

Growth

Profitability

Efficiency

Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends

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