NASDAQ:FRME First Merchants - FRME Stock Forecast, Price & News Adding Choose a watchlist: Watchlist Adding You have already added five stocks to your watchlist. Upgrade to MarketBeat Daily Premium 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. $40.84 +0.07 (+0.17%) (As of 01/30/2023 12:41 PM ET) Add Compare Share Share Today's Range$40.66▼$41.0350-Day Range$38.98▼$44.4852-Week Range$34.07▼$45.04Volume24,741 shsAverage Volume149,318 shsMarket Capitalization$2.43 billionP/E Ratio10.72Dividend Yield3.14%Price Target$49.33 ProfileAnalyst RatingsChartCompetitorsDividendEarningsFinancialsInsider TradesInstitutional OwnershipHeadlinesOptions ChainSEC FilingsShort InterestSocial MediaSustainability First Merchants MarketRank™ ForecastAnalyst RatingStrong Buy3.50 Rating ScoreUpside/Downside20.4% Upside$49.33 Price TargetShort InterestHealthy0.97% of Shares Sold ShortDividend StrengthStrongBased on Four FactorsSustainability-0.49Upright™ Environmental ScoreNews Sentiment0.66Based on 8 Articles This WeekInsider TradingSelling Shares$140,576 Sold Last QuarterProj. Earnings Growth-5.13%From $4.68 to $4.44 Per ShareSee Full Details Hide Full Details Overall MarketRank™MarketRank is calculated as an average of available category scores, with extra weight given to analysis and valuation.2.56 out of 5 starsFinance Sector266th out of 891 stocksNational Commercial Banks Industry32nd out of 85 stocks 2.8 Analyst's Opinion Consensus RatingFirst Merchants has received a consensus rating of Strong Buy. The company's average rating score is 3.50, and is based on 1 buy rating, no hold ratings, and no sell ratings.Price Target Upside/DownsideAccording to analysts' consensus price target of $49.33, First Merchants has a forecasted upside of 20.4% from its current price of $40.99.Amount of Analyst CoverageFirst Merchants has received no research coverage in the past 90 days. Previous Next 3.0 Short Interest Percentage of Shares Shorted0.97% 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 3.5, 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 15.43%, indicating that investor sentiment is decreasing significantly. Previous Next 4.2 Dividend Strength Dividend YieldFirst Merchants pays a meaningful dividend of 3.14%, higher than the bottom 25% of all stocks that pay dividends.Dividend GrowthFirst Merchants has been increasing its dividend for 11 years.Dividend CoverageThe dividend payout ratio of First Merchants is 33.60%. 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 28.83% next year. This indicates that First Merchants will be able to sustain or increase its dividend. Previous Next 3.1 Sustainability and ESG Overall ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) ScoreFirst Merchants has received a 31.45% net impact score from Upright. The largest positive contribution comes from its "Societal infrastructure" impact, which is mostly driven by its "Cash withdrawal services", "Home improvement financing", "Wire transfer services", "Home equity loans", "Mortgages provided by brick and mortar banks", and "Debit cards" products. See details.Environmental SustainabilityThe Environmental Impact score for First Merchants is -0.49. Previous Next 2.0 News and Social Media Coverage News SentimentFirst Merchants has a news sentiment score of 0.66. 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 news sentiment score is similar to the average news sentiment of Finance companies.News Coverage This WeekMarketBeat has tracked 8 news articles for First Merchants this week, compared to 1 article on an average week.MarketBeat FollowsOnly 2 people have added First Merchants to their MarketBeat watchlist in the last 30 days. This is a decrease of 0% compared to the previous 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 $140,576.00 in company stock.Percentage Held by InsidersOnly 1.24% of the stock of First Merchants is held by insiders.Percentage Held by Institutions71.43% 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 1.3 Earnings and Valuation Earnings GrowthEarnings for First Merchants are expected to decrease by -5.13% in the coming year, from $4.68 to $4.44 per share.Price to Earnings Ratio vs. the MarketThe P/E ratio of First Merchants is 10.76, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the market average P/E ratio of about 122.28.Price to Earnings Ratio vs. SectorThe P/E ratio of First Merchants is 10.76, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the Finance sector average P/E ratio of about 177.51.Price to Book Value per Share RatioFirst Merchants has a P/B Ratio of 1.16. P/B Ratios below 3 indicates that a company is reasonably valued with respect to its assets and liabilities. Previous Next See Top Rated MarketRank™ Stocks Here About First Merchants (NASDAQ:FRME) StockFirst Merchants Corp. (Indiana) is a bank holding company, which engages in the provision of financial services. It also offers personal banking, business banking, mortgage lending, treasury management services, and wealth management. The company was founded in September 1982 and is headquartered in Muncie, IN.Read More 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 FRME Stock News HeadlinesJanuary 30, 2023 | markets.businessinsider.comRaymond James Reaffirms Their Buy Rating on First Merchants (FRME)January 30, 2023 | finance.yahoo.comFirst Merchants Corporation (NASDAQ:FRME) Q4 2022 Earnings Call TranscriptJanuary 30, 2023 | Investing Trends (Ad)"We need batteries. Literally everywhere."Pretty much every technological megatrend today requires batteries. That includes EVs... 5G... AI... charging stations... and smart energy storage systems. Find out why the U.S. just added graphite to a list of super-critical minerals, calling it "essential for America's National Defense." January 27, 2023 | benzinga.comFirst Merchants's Earnings OutlookJanuary 26, 2023 | seekingalpha.comFirst Merchants Corporation (FRME) Q4 2022 Earnings Call TranscriptJanuary 26, 2023 | msn.comFirst Merchants Non-GAAP EPS of $1.19 beats by $0.03, revenue of $173.11M misses by $5.97MJanuary 26, 2023 | finance.yahoo.comFirst Merchants Corporation Announces Record Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2022 ResultsJanuary 24, 2023 | finance.yahoo.comFirst Merchants Corporation (NASDAQ:FRME) is largely controlled by institutional shareholders who own 74% of the companyJanuary 30, 2023 | Investing Trends (Ad)Profit From the Commercial Solar Boom?Solar energy had its best year ever in 2021, with a record 24 gigawatts of power installed. That's enough to power 18 million homes! Analysts expect the global solar farm market to reach $356 billion by 2028. 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January 20, 2023 | americanbankingnews.comFirst Merchants (NASDAQ:FRME) Stock Price Down 2.1%January 18, 2023 | forbes.comFirst MerchantsNovember 12, 2022 | finance.yahoo.comFirst Merchants Third Quarter 2022 Earnings: Revenues Beat Expectations, EPS LagsNovember 11, 2022 | msn.comFirst Merchants (FRME) is on the Move, Here's Why the Trend Could be SustainableOctober 25, 2022 | seekingalpha.comFirst Merchants Corporation (FRME) Q3 2022 Earnings Call TranscriptOctober 25, 2022 | msn.comRecap: First Merchants Q3 EarningsOctober 25, 2022 | finance.yahoo.comWhat Makes First Merchants (FRME) a Good Fit for "Trend Investing"October 25, 2022 | finance.yahoo.comFirst Merchants (FRME) Surpasses Q3 Earnings and Revenue EstimatesOctober 4, 2022 | finance.yahoo.comFirst Merchants (FRME) Could Be a Great ChoiceAugust 15, 2022 | nasdaq.comFirst Merchants (FRME) Passes Through 3% Yield MarkAugust 2, 2022 | nasdaq.comFirst Merchants (NASDAQ:FRME) investors are up 10.0% in the past week, but earnings have declined over the last three yearsJuly 29, 2022 | nasdaq.comBullish Two Hundred Day Moving Average Cross - FRMEJuly 28, 2022 | finance.yahoo.comFirst Merchants (FRME) is a Top Dividend Stock Right Now: Should You Buy?July 26, 2022 | seekingalpha.comFirst Merchants Corporation (FRME) CEO Mark Hardwick on Q2 2022 Results - Earnings Call TranscriptJuly 26, 2022 | finance.yahoo.comFirst Merchants (FRME) Surpasses Q2 Earnings and Revenue EstimatesJuly 19, 2022 | finance.yahoo.comFirst Merchants (FRME) Expected to Beat Earnings Estimates: Should You Buy?July 5, 2022 | finance.yahoo.comFirst Merchants Corporation to Report Second Quarter 2022 Financial Results, Host Conference Call and WebcastJune 7, 2022 | seekingalpha.comFirst Merchants: The Level One Acquisition Will Boost Earnings PowerSee More Headlines View Price History Chart DataSkip Price History Chart 30 days | 90 days | 365 days | Advanced Chart 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 FRME Company Calendar Last Earnings10/25/2021Ex-Dividend for 12/16 Dividend12/01/2022Dividend Payable12/16/2022Today1/30/2023Next Earnings (Estimated)4/25/2023Fiscal Year End12/31/2023Get Stock AlertsIndustry, Sector and Symbol Stock ExchangeNASDAQ Industry National commercial banks Sub-IndustryRegional Banks SectorFinance Current SymbolNASDAQ:FRME CUSIP32081710 CIK712534 Webwww.firstmerchants.com Phone(765) 747-1500Fax765-282-6304Employees1,821Year Founded1982Price Target and Rating Average Stock Price Forecast$49.33 High Stock Price Forecast$52.00 Low Stock Price Forecast$46.00 Forecasted Upside/Downside+20.8%Consensus RatingStrong Buy Rating Score (0-4)3.50 Research Coverage2 Analysts Profitability EPS (Most Recent Fiscal Year)$3.81 Trailing P/E Ratio10.72 Forward P/E Ratio8.73 P/E GrowthN/ANet Income$222.09 million Net Margins31.15% Pretax Margin35.82% Return on Equity13.01% Return on Assets1.44% Debt Debt-to-Equity Ratio0.42 Current Ratio0.80 Quick Ratio0.80 Sales & Book Value Annual Sales$712.95 million Price / Sales3.41 Cash Flow$4.02 per share Price / Cash Flow10.17 Book Value$35.47 per share Price / Book1.15Miscellaneous Outstanding Shares59,560,000Free Float58,824,000Market Cap$2.43 billion OptionableOptionable Beta1.08 Social Links Key ExecutivesMark K. HardwickChief Executive Officer & DirectorMichael J. StewartPresidentMichele M. KawieckiExecutive VP, Chief Financial & Accounting OfficerStephan H. FluhlerChief Information Officer & Senior Vice PresidentJohn J. MartinChief Credit Officer & Executive Vice PresidentKey CompetitorsFirst Financial Bancorp.NASDAQ:FFBCWesBancoNASDAQ:WSBCFulton FinancialNASDAQ:FULTBancFirstNASDAQ:BANFSimmons First NationalNASDAQ:SFNCView All CompetitorsInsiders & InstitutionsNatixis Advisors L.P.Bought 11,505 shares on 1/27/2023Ownership: 0.019%Strs OhioSold 14,400 shares on 1/26/2023Ownership: 0.297%First Merchants CorpBought 8,499 shares on 1/26/2023Ownership: 0.153%Dupont Capital Management CorpSold 909 shares on 1/26/2023Ownership: 0.014%Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLCSold 5,443 shares on 1/23/2023Ownership: 0.004%View All Insider TransactionsView All Institutional Transactions FRME Stock - Frequently Asked Questions Should I buy or sell First Merchants stock right now? 2 Wall Street equities research analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for First Merchants in the last year. There are currently 1 buy rating and 1 strong buy rating for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street equities research analysts is that investors should "strong buy" FRME shares. View FRME analyst ratings or view top-rated stocks. What is First Merchants' stock price forecast for 2023? 2 brokerages have issued twelve-month price objectives for First Merchants' shares. Their FRME share price forecasts range from $46.00 to $52.00. On average, they expect the company's stock price to reach $49.33 in the next twelve months. This suggests a possible upside of 21.0% 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 2023? First Merchants' stock was trading at $41.11 at the start of the year. Since then, FRME stock has decreased by 0.8% and is now trading at $40.77. View the best growth stocks for 2023 here. Are investors shorting First Merchants? First Merchants saw a increase in short interest during the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totaling 576,900 shares, an increase of 15.4% from the December 31st total of 499,800 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 163,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.5 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 25th 2023. View our FRME earnings forecast. How were First Merchants' earnings last quarter? First Merchants Co. (NASDAQ:FRME) announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, October, 25th. The bank reported $0.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.07. The bank earned $133.22 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $132.07 million. First Merchants had a trailing twelve-month return on equity of 13.01% and a net margin of 31.15%. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.67 EPS. How often does First Merchants pay dividends? What is the dividend yield for First Merchants? First Merchants announced a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, November 8th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share on Friday, December 16th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 1st. Read our dividend analysis for FRME. Is First Merchants a good dividend stock? First Merchants (NASDAQ:FRME) pays an annual dividend of $1.28 per share and currently has a dividend yield of 3.17%. The company has been increasing its dividend for 11 consecutive years, indicating the company has a strong committment to maintain and grow its dividend. The dividend payout ratio is 33.60%. This payout ratio is at a healthy, sustainable level, below 75%. Based on earnings estimates, FRME will have a dividend payout ratio of 28.83% next year. This indicates that the company will be able to sustain or increase its dividend. Read our dividend analysis for FRME. 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). What is First Merchants' stock symbol? First Merchants trades on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol "FRME." Who are First Merchants' major shareholders? First Merchants' stock is owned by a number of retail and institutional investors. Top institutional investors include Strs Ohio (0.30%), OneAscent Financial Services LLC (0.18%), First Merchants Corp (0.15%), TIAA FSB (0.02%), Natixis Advisors L.P. (0.02%) and Dupont Capital Management Corp (0.01%). Insiders that own company stock include Charles E Schalliol, Mark K Hardwick, Michael C Marhenke, Michael C Marhenke, Michael C Rechin, Michael J Stewart, Michael R Becher, Patrick A Sherman, Patrick A Sherman, Patrick J Fehring, Stephan Fluhler and William L Hoy. 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 WeBull, Vanguard Brokerage Services, TD Ameritrade, E*TRADE, Robinhood, Fidelity, and Charles Schwab. Compare Top Brokerages Here. What is First Merchants' stock price today? One share of FRME stock can currently be purchased for approximately $40.77. How much money does First Merchants make? First Merchants (NASDAQ:FRME) has a market capitalization of $2.43 billion and generates $582.16 million in revenue each year. The bank earns $205.53 million in net income (profit) each year or $3.81 on an earnings per share basis. How many employees does First Merchants have? The company employs 1,821 workers across the globe. How can I contact First Merchants? First Merchants' mailing address is 200 EAST JACKSON STREET, MUNCIE IN, 47305. The official website for the company is www.firstmerchants.com. The bank can be reached via phone at (765) 747-1500, via email at nweaver@firstmerchants.com, or via fax at 765-282-6304. This page (NASDAQ:FRME) was last updated on 1/30/2023 by MarketBeat.com Staff 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. 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