Huntington Bancshares Stock Surges on Merger Progress and Analyst Confidence

Huntington Bancshares US4461501045

Shares of Huntington Bancshares are posting significant gains in today's trading session. The rally is fueled by concrete progress on a major strategic acquisition and a wave of bullish endorsements from Wall Street analysts, placing the regional banking stock firmly in positive territory.

The confidence in Huntington's strategy is reflected in the actions of major investment firms. Russell Investments Group Ltd. has increased its stake by 2.8% in recent months, building a position now valued at over $23.6 million. This buying trend is echoed by other institutions, including Korea Investment CORP. Collectively, institutional investors control a substantial 80.72% of the company's shares, signaling robust professional endorsement. This activity stands in contrast to insider sales, where company insiders have disposed of more than 112,000 shares over the past 90 days.

Key Merger Milestone Achieved

A primary catalyst for the current momentum is the advancing merger with Cadence Bank. Huntington Bancshares has reached a critical procedural step by filing the required Registration Statement on Form S-4 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). This filing publicly details the planned integration and represents a major milestone toward finalizing the transaction. The deal, structured as a stock-for-stock acquisition, is designed to significantly enhance the combined entity's market footprint.

Wall Street Analysts Raise Targets

The strategic move is garnering positive reviews from market experts. Investment bank Jefferies has reinforced its "Buy" rating on Huntington Bancshares while lifting its price target from $19 to $20 per share. This upward revision highlights growing analyst conviction in the company's forward trajectory. Another research team has issued a similarly bullish "Buy" recommendation, seeing potential for the stock to reach $23.

Essential Data Points:
* Merger Progress: Form S-4 for Cadence Bank acquisition filed with SEC.
* Raised Target: Jefferies increases price target to $20 (Buy).
* Institutional Support: Russell Investments meaningfully expands its holding.
* Dividend Yield: Quarterly dividend of $0.155 per share, equating to a 3.8% annual yield.
* Valuation: Trades at a P/E ratio of 11.4; market capitalization approximately $23.7 billion.

In current trading, the stock is priced at $16.56, marking an increase of 1.56%. Investors are now looking ahead to the next significant event: the release of Q4 2025 financial results, anticipated in mid-January 2026.