First Merchants (FRME) Expected to Announce Earnings on Wednesday

First Merchants (NASDAQ:FRME - Get Free Report) is expected to announce its Q2 2025 earnings results after the market closes on Wednesday, July 23rd. Analysts expect First Merchants to post earnings of $0.94 per share and revenue of $172.13 million for the quarter.

First Merchants (NASDAQ:FRME - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The bank reported $0.94 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $160.32 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $171.23 million. First Merchants had a net margin of 19.63% and a return on equity of 9.28%. 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 Stock Performance

First Merchants stock traded down $0.10 on Friday, reaching $40.61. 1,008,644 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 277,303. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $38.44 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $39.37. The stock has a market cap of $2.37 billion, a PE ratio of 11.41 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. First Merchants has a twelve month low of $33.13 and a twelve month high of $46.13.

First Merchants Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 20th. Investors of record on Friday, June 6th were issued a dividend of $0.36 per share. This is an increase from First Merchants's previous quarterly dividend of $0.35. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 6th. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.55%. First Merchants's payout ratio is presently 40.45%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of FRME. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its holdings in First Merchants by 6.6% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 132,785 shares of the bank's stock worth $5,370,000 after acquiring an additional 8,212 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of First Merchants by 19.5% in the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 118,650 shares of the bank's stock valued at $4,798,000 after buying an additional 19,375 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of First Merchants by 941.6% in the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 107,859 shares of the bank's stock valued at $4,362,000 after buying an additional 97,504 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of First Merchants by 42.6% in the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 43,260 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,749,000 after buying an additional 12,922 shares during the period. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of First Merchants by 4.6% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 34,708 shares of the bank's stock valued at $1,404,000 after purchasing an additional 1,522 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 73.92% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FRME has been the subject of several analyst reports. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their target price on shares of First Merchants from $52.00 to $49.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of First Merchants from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 24th. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on First Merchants from $55.00 to $49.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Raymond James Financial decreased their price objective on First Merchants from $50.00 to $46.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, First Merchants currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $46.40.

About First Merchants

First Merchants Corporation operates as the financial holding company for First Merchants Bank that provides community banking services. The company offers a range of financial services, including time, savings, and demand deposits; and consumer, commercial, agri-business, public finance, and real estate mortgage loans.