Ascent Group LLC Invests $1.40 Million in Huntington Bancshares Incorporated $HBAN

Ascent Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Huntington Bancshares Incorporated (NASDAQ:HBAN) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 81,048 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $1,400,000.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Huntington Bancshares in the 2nd quarter valued at $374,474,000. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Huntington Bancshares by 274.9% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 10,758,669 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $157,292,000 after buying an additional 7,889,004 shares during the last quarter. Amundi grew its stake in Huntington Bancshares by 26.2% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 22,011,639 shares of the bank’s stock worth $330,395,000 after buying an additional 4,576,432 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its position in Huntington Bancshares by 1,700.0% during the 2nd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 3,351,087 shares of the bank’s stock worth $56,164,000 after purchasing an additional 3,164,915 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Huntington Bancshares by 14,950.0% during the 2nd quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,004,729 shares of the bank’s stock worth $50,359,000 after acquiring an additional 2,984,764 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.72% of the company’s stock.

Huntington Bancshares Stock Down 0.7%

HBAN opened at $17.35 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $16.51 and its 200-day moving average is $16.72. The company has a market capitalization of $25.32 billion, a PE ratio of 12.13, a P/E/G ratio of 0.65 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a current ratio of 0.92. Huntington Bancshares Incorporated has a one year low of $11.91 and a one year high of $18.03.

Huntington Bancshares (NASDAQ:HBAN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, December 1st. The bank reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $580.00 million for the quarter. Huntington Bancshares had a return on equity of 12.14% and a net margin of 18.06%. On average, equities analysts predict that Huntington Bancshares Incorporated will post 1.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Huntington Bancshares Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, January 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, December 18th will be paid a $0.155 dividend. This represents a $0.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 18th. Huntington Bancshares’s payout ratio is presently 43.36%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on HBAN shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Huntington Bancshares in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $21.00 price objective on shares of Huntington Bancshares in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Huntington Bancshares from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 19th. TD Cowen upped their target price on Huntington Bancshares from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. Finally, Raymond James Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $20.00 target price (down from $21.00) on shares of Huntington Bancshares in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $19.92.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Helga Houston sold 64,587 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.38, for a total transaction of $993,348.06. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 534,640 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,222,763.20. This represents a 10.78% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Kendall A. Kowalski sold 2,481 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.80, for a total transaction of $44,161.80. Following the transaction, the insider owned 71,566 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,273,874.80. The trade was a 3.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 87,863 shares of company stock valued at $1,396,634 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.89% of the company’s stock.

About Huntington Bancshares

Huntington Bancshares Incorporated (NASDAQ: HBAN) is a bank holding company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, that provides a broad range of banking and financial services through its principal subsidiary, Huntington National Bank. The company’s operations are centered on retail and commercial banking, and it serves individual consumers, small and middle-market businesses, and institutional customers.

Huntington’s product offerings include traditional deposit and lending products, consumer and commercial loans, mortgage origination and servicing, auto financing, and business banking solutions.