Should I Buy HBNC? HBNC 2026 Analysis

Should You Buy Horizon Bancorp Inc (HBNC) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.

Conclusion

Buy

Latest Price

18.580

1 Day change

1.81%

52 Week Range

19.070

Analysis Updated At

2026/02/04

Should I buy Analysis is updated weekly. For real time "Should I Buy" analysis, please sign up to get free answers.

Buy now (momentum-friendly entry): Trend is bullish (SMA_5 > SMA_20 > SMA_200) with a positive/expanding MACD histogram, suggesting upside continuation is more likely than a reversal right here.
Near-term roadmap: Price (18.19) is just above the pivot (17.964); upside levels to watch are R1 18.736 then R2 19.212.
Sentiment tailwind: Latest analyst action is Outperform with a raised PT to $21, implying meaningful upside from 18.19.
Key trade-off: Fundamentals in the latest quarter show sharp EPS/net income decline despite revenue surge—this is the main reason this is not a “slam dunk,” but price action currently favors buyers.
Intellectia Proprietary Trading Signals
- AI Stock Picker: no signal on given stock today.
- SwingMax: No signal on given stock recently.

Technical Analysis

Trend: Bullish structure with SMA_5 > SMA_20 > SMA_200, indicating an established uptrend across short/medium/long horizons.
Momentum (MACD): Histogram 0.0549, above zero and expanding → improving bullish momentum.
RSI (6): 66.79 → strong but not extreme; momentum is positive, though getting closer to “crowded” levels.
Support/Resistance:
- Pivot: 17.964 (current price slightly above)
- Support: S1 17.192 (next meaningful downside level)
- Resistance: R1 18.736 then R2 19.212 (logical near-term targets)
Pattern-based odds (provided): Similar-candle study suggests a 60% chance of gains: ~0.75% next day, 3.39% next week, 23.37% next month (supports buying momentum now rather than waiting).

Options Data

Bullish

Open Interest Put-Call Ratio

Bullish

Option Volume Put-Call Ratio

Positioning (open interest): Put/Call OI ratio 0.01 (puts 5 vs calls 479) → positioning is heavily call-skewed / bullish.
Activity (volume): 0 contracts traded today (calls 0 / puts 0) → options market is illiquid today, so sentiment signals come mostly from open interest, not fresh flow.
Volatility: IV30 48.19 vs historical vol 31.64 → options are pricing relatively elevated forward uncertainty; however IV percentile 8.76 / IV rank 17.24 suggests IV is low versus its own recent history (mixed but not “panic” priced).
Interpretation: Net bullish positioning, but low real-time volume reduces confidence in options as a timing tool today.

Technical Summary

Sell

Buy

Positive Catalysts

- Analyst support improving: Keefe Bruyette raised price target to $21 and reiterated Outperform (clear positive directional call).
- Technical momentum: Bullish MA stack + expanding MACD supports continuation.
- No negative news flow: No adverse headlines in the last week.
- Institutional/insider flow: Hedge funds and insiders flagged as neutral, reducing near-term “distribution” concern.

Neutral/Negative Catalysts

- Earnings quality concern: Latest quarter shows net income and EPS sharply down YoY despite revenue up dramatically—suggests potential one-offs, margin/provision pressure, or non-recurring comparisons that can weigh on confidence.
- Options illiquidity: Zero options volume today limits the usefulness of options sentiment for short-term confirmation.
- Macro tape: Market backdrop risk-on is muted (S&P 500 down -0.52% today), which can slow follow-through.

Financial Performance

Latest quarter: 2025/Q4
- Revenue: 69,158,000 (+255.28% YoY) — strong top-line growth.
- Net income: 26,921,000 (-347.39% YoY) — major deterioration vs prior year comparison.
- EPS: 0.53 (-312.00% YoY) — significant decline.
Takeaway: Top-line strength is overshadowed by profitability/EPS weakness in the latest quarter; the market may require evidence that earnings normalize for the rally to sustain longer-term.

Growth

Profitability

Efficiency

Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends

Most recent change (2026-01-23): Keefe Bruyette (Damon DelMonte) raised PT to $21 from $19 and maintained Outperform.
Wall Street pro view (pros): Improved target + outperform rating implies expectation of upside and relative strength vs peers.
Wall Street con view (cons): With latest-quarter EPS/net income sharply lower YoY, skeptics can argue the stock needs clearer earnings durability to justify sustained multiple expansion.
Influential/political trading check: No recent congress trading data available; no politician/influential figure transactions were provided in the dataset.

3 Analyst Rating

Wall Street analysts forecast HBNC stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for HBNC is 18.75 USD with a low forecast of 18.5 USD and a high forecast of 19 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.

1 Buy

2 Hold

0 Sell

Moderate Buy

Current: 18.250

Low

18.5

Averages

18.75

High

Current: 18.250

Low

18.5

Averages

18.75

High

Keefe Bruyette

Damon DelMonte

maintain

$19 -> $21

AI Analysis

2026-01-23

Reason

Keefe Bruyette

Damon DelMonte

Price Target

$19 -> $21

AI Analysis

2026-01-23

maintain

Reason

Keefe Bruyette analyst Damon DelMonte raised the firm's price target on Horizon Bancorp to $21 from $19 and keeps an Outperform rating on the shares.

Stephens

Overweight

maintain

$19 -> $22

2025-09-02

Reason

Stephens

Price Target

$19 -> $22

2025-09-02

maintain

Overweight

Reason

Stephens raised the firm's price target on Horizon Bancorp to $22 from $19 and keeps an Overweight rating on the shares after the company announced and partially executed a plan to strengthen the balance sheet from a capital and liquidity standpoint. The firm, which expects Q3 and Q4 earnings to be "noisy," notes that its 2025 operating EPS estimate remains $1.80 and its 2026 estimate rises to $2.00 from $1.90.

Unlock Full Analyst Thesis， Get the complete breakdown of rating reason for HBNC

Unlock Now

HBNC Should I Buy

HBNC Should I Buy

Should You Buy Horizon Bancorp Inc (HBNC) 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

People Also Watch