Huntington Bancshares Stock Pre-Market (-3.3%): Q4 Earnings Miss on Acquisition Costs

January 22nd, 2026 by Trefis Team
HBAN: Huntington Bancshares logo
HBAN
Huntington Bancshares

HBAN is trading lower after its Q4 earnings report. Adjusted EPS of $0.37 and revenue of $2.19B both fell shy of consensus. While acquisition costs are the main culprit, forward guidance appears solid. Will the market look past the short-term noise?

The negative reaction is tied to a miss on headline numbers, driven by costs from its Veritex and Cadence acquisitions. This appears to be a near-term sentiment drag rather than a structural blow to the thesis.

  • Reported EPS of $0.30 was weighed down by $130 million in pre-tax acquisition-related items.
  • Core fundamentals remain solid, with Net Interest Income rising 14% year-over-year.
  • 2026 guidance for net interest income ($8.63B midpoint) is slightly ahead of analyst expectations.
But here is the interesting part. You are reading about this -3.3% move after it happened. The market has already priced in the news. To avoid the next loser before the headlines, you need predictive signals, not notifications. High Quality Portfolio has a risk model designed to reduce exposure to losers.

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Playbook On Market Open

The session will be a battle between the headline miss and the stronger-than-expected forward guidance. How investors weigh acquisition noise against core performance will dictate the trend.

  • Pre-market high is a key reversal level if investors buy the dip.
  • Failure to hold pre-market low signals further downside momentum.
  • The $14.50 pivot is the key battleground for early price action.

Verdict

FADE THE GAP / BUY THE OPEN: The pre-market low around $14.50 is the key battleground. If price reclaims and holds above this level within the first 30 minutes, we look for the gap to fill (BUY THE OPEN). If it breaks decisively below in the first 30 minutes, we fade the weakness (FADE THE GAP).
Understanding price behavior can give you an edge. See more.

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