First Merchants (FRME) to Announce Earnings on Wednesday

First Merchants (NASDAQ:FRME - Get Free Report) is projected to post its Q2 2026 results after the market closes on Wednesday, July 22nd. Analysts expect First Merchants to announce earnings of $1.03 per share and revenue of $202.78 million for the quarter. Parties can find conference call details on the company's upcoming Q2 2026 earning report page for the latest details on the call scheduled for Thursday, July 23, 2026 at 9:00 AM ET.

First Merchants (NASDAQ:FRME - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The bank reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.96 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $163.53 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $201.91 million. First Merchants had a return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 18.87%.During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.00 EPS. On average, analysts expect First Merchants to post $4 EPS for the current fiscal year and $5 EPS for the next fiscal year.

First Merchants Price Performance

FRME stock opened at $43.30 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.74 and a beta of 0.84. The business's fifty day moving average price is $41.23 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $39.99. First Merchants has a fifty-two week low of $34.66 and a fifty-two week high of $44.59.

First Merchants Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 19th. Investors of record on Friday, June 5th were given a dividend of $0.37 per share. This is a positive change from First Merchants's previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 5th. First Merchants's payout ratio is 43.53%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on FRME. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of First Merchants from $49.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of First Merchants from a "buy (b)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of First Merchants from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, May 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $49.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Larry W. Myers sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.50, for a total transaction of $415,000.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 99,751 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,139,666.50. This represents a 9.11% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.77% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Merchants

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV grew its stake in First Merchants by 26.8% during 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 4th quarter. Mendon Capital Advisors Corp now owns 95,000 shares of the bank's stock valued at $3,561,000 after buying an additional 20,000 shares in the last quarter. nVerses Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of First Merchants during the 4th quarter worth approximately $310,000. Wellington Management Group LLP bought a new stake in shares of First Merchants during the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,725,000. Finally, Tudor Investment Corp ET AL lifted its holdings in shares of First Merchants by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL now owns 101,567 shares of the bank's stock worth $3,807,000 after acquiring an additional 3,044 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 73.92% of the company's stock.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.