First Merchants (FRME) Projected to Post Earnings on Wednesday

Key Points

• Q1 2026 earnings are expected before the market opens on April 22, with analysts forecasting $1.04 EPS and $201.91M in revenue; an earnings call is scheduled for April 23 at 9:00 AM ET.
• First Merchants recently beat quarterly estimates (reported $0.98 vs. $0.96) and analysts project $4.00 EPS for the current and next fiscal year; the stock carries a consensus "Moderate Buy" rating and a $48.33 consensus price target.
• The company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.36 (annualized $1.44) for a 3.5% yield

First Merchants (NASDAQ:FRME - Get Free Report) is anticipated to post its Q1 2026 results before the market opens on Wednesday, April 22nd. Analysts expect First Merchants to post earnings of $1.04 per share and revenue of $201.9090 million for the quarter. Individuals may review the information on the company's upcoming Q1 2026 earning report for the latest details on the call scheduled for Thursday, April 23, 2026 at 9:00 AM ET.

First Merchants (NASDAQ:FRME - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 26th. The bank reported $0.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.96 by $0.02. First Merchants had a return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 21.49%.The business had revenue of $178.36 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $172.89 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.10 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect First Merchants to post $4 EPS for the current fiscal year and $4 EPS for the next fiscal year.

First Merchants Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FRME opened at $40.86 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $39.61 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $38.20. First Merchants has a 1-year low of $34.10 and a 1-year high of $43.22. The firm has a market cap of $2.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.50 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

First Merchants Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th were issued a $0.36 dividend. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 6th. First Merchants's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.02%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Eva D. Scurlock sold 3,227 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.29, for a total value of $136,469.83. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 20,063 shares of the company's stock, valued at $848,464.27. This trade represents a 13.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Larry W. Myers sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.50, for a total value of $207,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 109,491 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,543,876.50. The trade was a 4.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Merchants

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV raised its position in shares of First Merchants by 26.8% in the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 9,595 shares of the bank's stock worth $360,000 after buying an additional 2,025 shares in the last quarter. Mendon Capital Advisors Corp raised its position in shares of First Merchants by 26.7% in the fourth quarter. Mendon Capital Advisors Corp now owns 95,000 shares of the bank's stock worth $3,561,000 after buying an additional 20,000 shares in the last quarter. nVerses Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of First Merchants in the fourth quarter worth $310,000. Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new stake in shares of First Merchants in the fourth quarter worth $3,725,000. Finally, Tudor Investment Corp ET AL raised its position in shares of First Merchants by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL now owns 101,567 shares of the bank's stock worth $3,807,000 after buying an additional 3,044 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 73.92% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on FRME. Weiss Ratings raised First Merchants from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Piper Sandler raised their price target on First Merchants from $46.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $48.33.

First Merchants Company Profile

First Merchants Corporation, through its subsidiary First Merchants Bank, offers a comprehensive suite of banking and financial services to individuals, businesses and public sector clients. The company's core business activities include retail and commercial banking, lending, treasury and cash management, and wealth advisory services. With a focus on relationship banking, First Merchants seeks to deliver tailored solutions for deposit accounts, loan financing and other credit products.

On the consumer side, First Merchants provides checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit, personal and mortgage loans, and electronic banking conveniences.

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