New York, January 23, 2026, 13:24 EST — Regular session underway.
- Huntington Bancshares shares are slipping in afternoon trading amid a broader drop in regional bank stocks.
- The lender is preparing a note offering and aiming to close the Cadence Bank deal in early February.
- Investors are focused on guidance for net interest income, the costs of integration, and the Fed’s decision next week.
Shares of Huntington Bancshares Incorporated slipped roughly 1% to $17.47 Friday afternoon, following a wider selloff among U.S. regional banks. The stock fluctuated between $17.37 and $17.84, as the SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF dropped nearly 3%.
The pullback arrives as traders wrestle with the immediate numbers: a new earnings report, two ongoing bank mergers, and now a move into the debt market. For Huntington, the focus isn’t on one big announcement but on the outlook for 2026, once these deals are finalized and interest rates stabilize.
HBAN fell 6% Thursday, closing at $17.64 following its quarterly report. Investors zeroed in on rising expenses and credit provisions despite a boost in net interest income — the gap between earnings on loans and costs on deposits. The stock still ended sharply lower. 1
Huntington told investors to expect net interest income to rise 10% to 13% in 2026 on a stand-alone basis. Its planned acquisition of Cadence Bank is projected to add roughly $1.85 billion to $1.90 billion to that figure once the deal closes. The bank also forecast double-digit average loan growth and high-single-digit deposit growth for the year. 2
Columbus, Ohio-based Huntington Bancshares reported a fourth-quarter net income of $519 million, or 30 cents per share. Adjusted earnings came in at 37 cents per share after excluding $130 million in pre-tax “notable items,” mostly acquisition-related costs. Net interest income rose 6% from the previous quarter to $1.5 billion. Meanwhile, average loans increased to $146.6 billion, with net charge-offs holding steady at 0.24% of average loans. CEO Steve Steinour said the bank kicked off 2026 with “excellent momentum,” adding that “backlogs and pipeline are robust.” 3
A filing on Friday revealed Huntington is gearing up to issue debt securities, featuring senior and subordinated notes. Among these are floating-rate bonds tied to compounded SOFR, the U.S. overnight rate benchmark. That same filing confirmed the Cadence merger aims to close around Feb. 1, pending final conditions.
Huntington’s board announced a quarterly common dividend of 15.5 cents per share, matching the previous quarter. The dividend is set for payment on April 1 to shareholders recorded by March 18. 4
The route from guidance to actual results remains uncertain. Rising funding costs, a cooling credit cycle, or hiccups in integration could all pressure earnings, even if loan demand stays steady. On top of that, debt issuance throws another wildcard into the mix for investors gauging capital and returns.
During the earnings call, CFO Zachary Wasserman told analysts that “very little of the revenue synergies are baked into the guidance at this point,” suggesting the bank sees potential upside as it integrates the new businesses. But that also opens the door for setbacks if those synergies take longer to materialize. 5
Traders are now focused on the Federal Reserve’s meeting set for Jan. 27-28, with Chair Jerome Powell’s press conference on Jan. 28 drawing particular attention. This event is crucial for rate outlooks that influence bank margin projections. Investors also await final pricing and size on Huntington’s notes, along with updates on the Cadence closing timeline. 6
