NASDAQ:FRME First Merchants (FRME) Stock Price, News & Analysis → The ONE AI sSock to own now. (It’s not Nvidia.) (From Weiss Ratings) (Ad) Free FRME Stock Alerts $32.58 -0.20 (-0.61%) (As of 03/18/2024 ET) Add Compare Share Share Today's Range$32.40▼$33.0150-Day Range$32.58▼$36.5252-Week Range$24.52▼$38.16Volume327,126 shsAverage Volume325,679 shsMarket Capitalization$1.93 billionP/E Ratio8.71Dividend Yield4.17%Price Target$38.00 Stock AnalysisStock AnalysisAnalyst ForecastsChartCompetitorsDividendEarningsFinancialsHeadlinesInsider TradesOptions ChainOwnershipSEC FilingsShort InterestSocial MediaSustainabilityStock AnalysisAnalyst ForecastsChartCompetitorsDividendEarningsFinancialsHeadlinesInsider TradesOptions ChainOwnershipSEC FilingsShort InterestSocial MediaSustainability Get First Merchants alerts: Email Address First Merchants MarketRank™ Stock AnalysisAnalyst RatingBuy3.00 Rating ScoreUpside/Downside16.6% Upside$38.00 Price TargetShort InterestHealthy0.83% of Shares Sold ShortDividend StrengthStrongBased on Four FactorsSustainability-0.66Upright™ Environmental ScoreNews Sentiment0.90Based on 2 Articles This WeekInsider TradingSelling Shares$476,412 Sold Last QuarterProj. Earnings Growth3.56%From $3.37 to $3.49 Per ShareSee Full Details Hide Full Details Overall MarketRank™New Rank-Based ScoringMarketRank™ is calculated by averaging available category scores (with extra weight given to analysis and valuation), then ranking the company's weighted average against that of other companies.4.84 out of 5 starsFinance Sector42nd out of 892 stocksNational Commercial Banks Industry8th out of 89 stocks 2.5 Analyst's Opinion Consensus RatingFirst Merchants has received a consensus rating of Buy. The company's average rating score is 3.00, and is based on 2 buy ratings, no hold ratings, and no sell ratings.Price Target Upside/DownsideAccording to analysts' consensus price target of $38.00, First Merchants has a forecasted upside of 16.6% from its current price of $32.58.Amount of Analyst CoverageFirst Merchants has only been the subject of 1 research reports in the past 90 days. Previous Next 3.0 Short Interest Percentage of Shares Shorted0.83% of the outstanding shares of First Merchants have been sold short.Short Interest Ratio / Days to CoverFirst Merchants has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 1.8, which is generally considered an acceptable ratio of short interest to trading volume.Change versus previous monthShort interest in First Merchants has recently increased by 10.37%, indicating that investor sentiment is decreasing significantly. Previous Next 5.0 Dividend Strength Dividend LeadershipFirst Merchants is a leading dividend payer. It pays a dividend yield of 4.15%, putting its dividend yield in the top 25% of dividend-paying stocks.Dividend GrowthFirst Merchants has been increasing its dividend for 12 years.Dividend CoverageThe dividend payout ratio of First Merchants is 36.36%. This payout ratio is at a healthy, sustainable level, below 75%.Dividend SustainabilityBased on earnings estimates, First Merchants will have a dividend payout ratio of 38.97% next year. This indicates that First Merchants will be able to sustain or increase its dividend. Previous Next 2.7 Sustainability and ESG Overall ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) ScoreFirst Merchants has received a 18.49% net impact score from Upright. The largest positive contribution comes from its "Societal infrastructure" impact, which is mostly driven by its "Mortgages provided by brick and mortar banks", "Home equity loans", "Development loans for corporations", "Home improvement financing", "Wire transfer services", and "Consumer savings accounts provided by brick and mortar banks" products. See details.Environmental SustainabilityThe Environmental Impact score for First Merchants is -0.66. Previous Next 2.7 News and Social Media Coverage News SentimentFirst Merchants has a news sentiment score of 0.90. This score is calculated as an average of sentiment of articles about the company over the last seven days and ranges from 2 (good news) to -2 (bad news). This is a higher news sentiment than the 0.61 average news sentiment score of Finance companies.News Coverage This WeekMarketBeat has tracked 2 news articles for First Merchants this week, compared to 2 articles on an average week.MarketBeat Follows1 people have added First Merchants to their MarketBeat watchlist in the last 30 days. Previous Next 2.5 Company Ownership Insider Buying vs. Insider SellingIn the past three months, First Merchants insiders have sold more of their company's stock than they have bought. Specifically, they have bought $0.00 in company stock and sold $476,412.00 in company stock.Percentage Held by InsidersOnly 1.32% of the stock of First Merchants is held by insiders.Percentage Held by Institutions70.78% of the stock of First Merchants is held by institutions. High institutional ownership can be a signal of strong market trust in this company. Previous Next 2.5 Earnings and Valuation Earnings GrowthEarnings for First Merchants are expected to grow by 3.56% in the coming year, from $3.37 to $3.49 per share.Price to Earnings Ratio vs. the MarketThe P/E ratio of First Merchants is 8.71, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the market average P/E ratio of about 148.57.Price to Earnings Ratio vs. SectorThe P/E ratio of First Merchants is 8.71, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the Finance sector average P/E ratio of about 60.17.Price to Book Value per Share RatioFirst Merchants has a P/B Ratio of 0.87. P/B Ratios below 1 indicate that a company could be undervalued with respect to its assets and liabilities. Previous Next See Top Rated MarketRank™ Stocks Here Ad InvestorPlaceThey said crypto was dead. It went up 100X.Bitcoin’s haters are out again. Despite the price doubling in the last six months alone… That hasn’t stopped the experts from piling on. Warren Buffett’s right-hand man Charlie Munger called crypto investors “idiots” in one of his last interviews. JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon, recently called Bitcoin a “pet rock” and “a hyped-up fraud.” But when it comes to cryptos, these are exactly the people you shouldn’t listen to. They’ve predicted crypto’s demise for years.There are five coins you must take a look at right away. About First Merchants Stock (NASDAQ:FRME)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. It also provides personal and corporate trust; brokerage and private wealth management; and letters of credit, repurchase agreements, and other corporate services. The company operates banking locations in Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, and Michigan counties. It also offers its services through electronic and mobile delivery channels. First Merchants Corporation was founded in 1893 and is headquartered in Muncie, Indiana.Read More FRME Stock Price History View Price History Chart DataSkip Price History Chart 30 days | 90 days | 365 days | Advanced Chart FRME Stock News HeadlinesMarch 3, 2024 | finance.yahoo.comFirst Merchants Full Year 2023 Earnings: EPS Misses ExpectationsFebruary 24, 2024 | msn.comFirst Merchants (FRME) Price Target Increased by 6.33% to 42.84March 19, 2024 | Crypto Swap Profits (Ad)Claim Your Complimentary Bitcoin RewardMany have already secured their free Bitcoin reward offered by our esteemed guest. How about you? In an effort to spread the word about our upcoming workshop, he's generously offering $10 in Bitcoin (BTC) to participants. Absolutely no strings attached.February 24, 2024 | finance.yahoo.comBe Sure To Check Out First Merchants Corporation (NASDAQ:FRME) Before It Goes Ex-DividendFebruary 21, 2024 | msn.comMerchants file claims against SF demanding removal of controversial Valencia St. bike laneFebruary 9, 2024 | msn.comFirst Merchants Corp. Unveils 2024 Executive Incentive ProgramFebruary 8, 2024 | msn.comFirst Merchants Corp. Declares Cash Dividend for ShareholdersFebruary 7, 2024 | msn.comFirst Merchants declares $0.34 dividendMarch 19, 2024 | Banyan Hill Publishing (Ad)AI Cracks Open Largest Untapped Energy Reserve on EarthThis orb represents the largest untapped energy source in the world… And although this energy resource is unknown by 99% of the public… It makes gas, coal, oil, wind, hydropower, solar, fusion… February 7, 2024 | finance.yahoo.comFirst Merchants Corporation Announces Cash DividendJanuary 28, 2024 | finance.yahoo.comFirst Merchants Corporation (NASDAQ:FRME) Q4 2023 Earnings Call TranscriptJanuary 26, 2024 | markets.businessinsider.comKBW Reaffirms Their Buy Rating on First Merchants (FRME)January 26, 2024 | finance.yahoo.comQ4 2023 First Merchants Corp Earnings CallJanuary 26, 2024 | seekingalpha.comFirst Merchants Corporation 2023 Q4 - Results - Earnings Call PresentationJanuary 25, 2024 | seekingalpha.comFirst Merchants Non-GAAP EPS of $0.87 in-line, revenue of $156.5M misses by $8.98MJanuary 25, 2024 | finance.yahoo.comFirst Merchants Corp (FRME) Reports Mixed Results Amidst Economic HeadwindsJanuary 25, 2024 | finance.yahoo.comFirst Merchants (FRME) Q4 Earnings: Taking a Look at Key Metrics Versus EstimatesJanuary 25, 2024 | finance.yahoo.comFirst Merchants Corporation Announces Fourth Quarter 2023 Earnings Per ShareJanuary 23, 2024 | seekingalpha.comFirst Merchants Bank announces plans to expand in DetroitJanuary 23, 2024 | finance.yahoo.comFirst Merchants Bank Announces Plans to Expand in Detroit, Bringing Financial Services to FitzgeraldJanuary 22, 2024 | finance.yahoo.comUnveiling First Merchants (FRME) Q4 Outlook: Wall Street Estimates for Key MetricsJanuary 17, 2024 | forbes.comRegional Banks Trading Below Book Value And Paying DividendsJanuary 11, 2024 | finance.yahoo.comFirst Merchants (FRME) May Find a Bottom Soon, Here's Why You Should Buy the Stock NowJanuary 8, 2024 | finance.yahoo.comFirst Merchants Corporation (NASDAQ:FRME) is a favorite amongst institutional investors who own 73%January 4, 2024 | finance.yahoo.comFirst Merchants Corporation to Report Fourth Quarter 2023 Financial Results, Host Conference Call and WebcastDecember 23, 2023 | finance.yahoo.comDividend Contenders List Ranked By Yield: Top 25December 15, 2023 | finance.yahoo.comHuntington Bancshares (HBAN) Moves 6.9% Higher: Will This Strength Last?See More Headlines Receive FRME Stock News and Ratings via Email Sign-up to receive the latest news and ratings for First Merchants and its competitors with MarketBeat's FREE daily newsletter. Email Address Company Calendar Last Earnings1/25/2024Ex-Dividend for 3/15 Dividend2/29/2024Dividend Payable3/15/2024Today3/19/2024Next Earnings (Estimated)4/23/2024Fiscal Year End12/31/2024Get Stock AlertsIndustry, Sector and Symbol Stock ExchangeNASDAQ SectorFinance Industry National commercial banks Sub-IndustryRegional Banks Current SymbolNASDAQ:FRME CUSIP32081710 CIK712534 Webwww.firstmerchants.com Phone(765) 747-1500Fax765-282-6304Employees2,162Year Founded1982Price Target and Rating Average Stock Price Target$38.00 High Stock Price Target$40.00 Low Stock Price Target$36.00 Potential Upside/Downside+16.6%Consensus RatingBuy Rating Score (0-4)3.00 Research Coverage2 Analysts Profitability EPS (Most Recent Fiscal Year)$3.74 Trailing P/E Ratio8.71 Forward P/E Ratio9.67 P/E GrowthN/ANet Income$223.79 million Net Margins22.39% Pretax Margin25.94% Return on Equity10.97% Return on Assets1.29% Debt Debt-to-Equity Ratio0.39 Current Ratio0.86 Quick Ratio0.86 Sales & Book Value Annual Sales$999.49 million Price / Sales1.93 Cash Flow$4.11 per share Price / Cash Flow7.92 Book Value$37.42 per share Price / Book0.87Miscellaneous Outstanding Shares59,340,000Free Float58,556,000Market Cap$1.93 billion OptionableOptionable Beta1.07 Social Links Beginners Guide To Retirement StocksClick the link below and we'll send you MarketBeat's list of seven best retirement stocks and why they should be in your portfolio. Get This Free Report Key ExecutivesMr. Mark K. Hardwick (Age 53)CEO & Director Comp: $1.25MMr. Michael J. Stewart (Age 58)President Comp: $1.07MMs. Michele M. Kawiecki (Age 51)Executive VP, CFO & Principal Accounting Officer Comp: $714.93kMr. Stephan H. Fluhler (Age 55)Senior VP & Chief Information Officer Comp: $591.69kMr. Michael C. Rechin (Age 65)Advisor & Director Comp: $48.16kMr. John J. Martin (Age 57)Executive VP & Chief Credit Officer Comp: $691.3kMr. Marcos Nogues C.F.A.Chief Investment OfficerMs. Nicole M. WeaverVP & Director of Corporate AdministrationMr. Brian T. Hunt (Age 64)Secretary & Legal Counsel Mr. Steven C. Harris (Age 60)Senior VP & Chief Human Resources Officer More ExecutivesKey CompetitorsFirst Financial Bancorp.NASDAQ:FFBCBancorpNASDAQ:TBBKWesBancoNASDAQ:WSBCNBT BancorpNASDAQ:NBTBSimmons First NationalNASDAQ:SFNCView All CompetitorsInsiders & InstitutionsVanguard Group Inc.Bought 32,126 shares on 3/11/2024Ownership: 11.074%Fisher Asset Management LLCSold 9,444 shares on 3/5/2024Ownership: 0.806%Goldman Sachs Group Inc.Bought 11,842 shares on 3/1/2024Ownership: 1.436%Stephan FluhlerSold 3,193 sharesTotal: $105,911.81 ($33.17/share)Voisard Asset Management Group Inc.Bought 841 shares on 2/20/2024Ownership: 0.001%View All Insider TransactionsView All Institutional Transactions FRME Stock Analysis - Frequently Asked Questions Should I buy or sell First Merchants stock right now? 2 Wall Street analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for First Merchants in the last twelve months. There are currently 2 buy ratings for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street analysts is that investors should "buy" FRME shares. View FRME analyst ratings or view top-rated stocks. What is First Merchants' stock price target for 2024? 2 brokerages have issued 12-month target prices for First Merchants' shares. Their FRME share price targets range from $36.00 to $40.00. On average, they predict the company's stock price to reach $38.00 in the next twelve months. This suggests a possible upside of 16.6% from the stock's current price. View analysts price targets for FRME or view top-rated stocks among Wall Street analysts. How have FRME shares performed in 2024? First Merchants' stock was trading at $37.08 at the beginning of 2024. Since then, FRME shares have decreased by 12.1% and is now trading at $32.58. View the best growth stocks for 2024 here. Are investors shorting First Merchants? First Merchants saw a increase in short interest in the month of February. As of February 29th, there was short interest totaling 493,900 shares, an increase of 10.4% from the February 14th total of 447,500 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 268,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.8 days. View First Merchants' Short Interest. When is First Merchants' next earnings date? The company is scheduled to release its next quarterly earnings announcement on Tuesday, April 23rd 2024. View our FRME earnings forecast. How were First Merchants' earnings last quarter? First Merchants Co. (NASDAQ:FRME) released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January, 25th. The bank reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.87. The bank earned $156.51 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $158.50 million. First Merchants had a net margin of 22.39% and a trailing twelve-month return on equity of 10.97%. How often does First Merchants pay dividends? What is the dividend yield for First Merchants? First Merchants announced a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, February 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.34 per share on Friday, March 15th. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.17%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 29th. Read our dividend analysis for FRME. Is First Merchants a good dividend stock? First Merchants (NASDAQ:FRME) pays an annual dividend of $1.36 per share and currently has a dividend yield of 4.15%. FRME has a dividend yield higher than 75% of all dividend-paying stocks, making it a leading dividend payer. The company has been increasing its dividend for 12 consecutive years, indicating the company has a strong committment to maintain and grow its dividend. The dividend payout ratio is 36.36%. This payout ratio is at a healthy, sustainable level, below 75%. Based on earnings estimates, FRME will have a dividend payout ratio of 38.97% next year. This indicates that the company will be able to sustain or increase its dividend. Read our dividend analysis for FRME. What ETFs hold First Merchants' stock? ETFs with the largest weight of First Merchants (NASDAQ:FRME) stock in their portfolio include ProShares Russell 2000 Dividend Growers ETF (SMDV), First Trust NASDAQ ABA Community Bank Index Fund (QABA) and First Trust RBA American Industrial Renaissance ETF (AIRR).Avantis U.S. Small Cap Equity ETF (AVSC). What is Michael C. Rechin's approval rating as First Merchants' CEO? 48 employees have rated First Merchants Chief Executive Officer Michael C. Rechin on Glassdoor.com. Michael C. Rechin has an approval rating of 82% among the company's employees. What other stocks do shareholders of First Merchants own? Based on aggregate information from My MarketBeat watchlists, some companies that other First Merchants investors own include BankFinancial (BFIN), Energy Transfer (ET), Main Street Capital (MAIN), Enterprise Products Partners (EPD), AbbVie (ABBV), Comerica (CMA), Huntington Bancshares (HBAN), International Business Machines (IBM), Iron Mountain (IRM) and JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM). Who are First Merchants' major shareholders? First Merchants' stock is owned by a number of retail and institutional investors. Top institutional investors include Vanguard Group Inc. (11.06%), Vanguard Group Inc. (11.07%), Dimensional Fund Advisors LP (5.18%), Victory Capital Management Inc. (1.65%), Principal Financial Group Inc. (1.56%) and Boston Partners (1.45%). Insiders that own company stock include Charles E Schalliol, Gary Lehman, Jason R Sondhi, Mark K Hardwick, Michael C Rechin, Michael R Becher, Patrick A Sherman, Patrick J Fehring and Stephan Fluhler. View institutional ownership trends. How do I buy shares of First Merchants? Shares of FRME stock can be purchased through any online brokerage account. Popular online brokerages with access to the U.S. stock market include Charles Schwab, E*TRADE, Fidelity, and Vanguard Brokerage Services. Compare Top Brokerages Here. This page (NASDAQ:FRME) was last updated on 3/19/2024 by MarketBeat.com Staff From Our PartnersCentral Bank Gold Heist In ProgressColonial Metals8,788% Return Predicted For THIS Crypto (already up 40% in 6 months)Paradigm PressLike Tiny Crypto Retirement FundsCrypto 101 MediaMake This $3 Trade the Instant the Opening Bell RingsMonument Traders AllianceThe world’s greatest investmentPorter & CompanySHOCKING Footage From Tesla Gigafactory In Austin, TexasInvestorPlaceBitcoin dollar warningStansberry ResearchThis AI Trade Machine Made 1,729%* (With 89% Wins)Prosper Trading Academy Adding Choose a watchlist: Watchlist Adding You have already added five stocks to your watchlist. Upgrade to MarketBeat All Access to add more stocks to your watchlist. Adding First Merchants Co. Please log in to your account or sign up in order to add this asset to your watchlist. Get 30 Days of MarketBeat All Access Free Sign up for MarketBeat All Access to gain access to MarketBeat's full suite of research tools: Best-in-Class Portfolio Monitoring View the latest news, buy/sell ratings, SEC filings and insider transactions for your stocks. Compare your portfolio performance to leading indices and get personalized stock ideas based on your portfolio. Stock Ideas and Recommendations Get daily stock ideas from top-performing Wall Street analysts. Get short term trading ideas from the MarketBeat Idea Engine. View which stocks are hot on social media with MarketBeat's trending stocks report. Advanced Stock Screeners and Research Tools Identify stocks that meet your criteria using seven unique stock screeners. See what's happening in the market right now with MarketBeat's real-time news feed. Export data to Excel for your own analysis. Start Your 30-Day Free Trial Sign in to your free account to enjoy these benefits In-depth profiles and analysis for 20,000 public companies. Real-time analyst ratings, insider transactions, earnings data, and more. Our daily ratings and market update email newsletter. Sign in to your free account to enjoy all that MarketBeat has to offer. Sign In Create Account Your Email Address: Your Password: or Sign in with Facebook Sign in with Google Forgot your password? Your Email Address: Choose a Password: Create My Account (Free) or Sign in with Facebook Sign in with Google By creating a free account, you agree to our terms of service. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.