First Merchants (FRME) Competitors

First Merchants logo
$42.09 +0.90 (+2.18%)
As of 03:21 PM Eastern

FRME vs. ABCB, BUSE, EFSC, FFBC, and STBA

Should you buy First Merchants stock or one of its competitors? MarketBeat compares First Merchants with other companies and stocks that may be similar based on industry, sector, market capitalization, business model, investor interest, or shared news coverage. Companies and stocks commonly compared with First Merchants include Ameris Bancorp (ABCB), First Busey (BUSE), Enterprise Financial Services (EFSC), First Financial Bancorp. (FFBC), and S&T Bancorp (STBA). These companies are all part of the "regional banks" industry.

How does First Merchants compare to Ameris Bancorp?

First Merchants (NASDAQ:FRME) and Ameris Bancorp (NASDAQ:ABCB) are both mid-cap finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, earnings, valuation, profitability, dividends, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations and media sentiment.

Ameris Bancorp has higher revenue and earnings than First Merchants. First Merchants is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Ameris Bancorp, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
First Merchants$1.05B2.52$226M$3.4012.38
Ameris Bancorp$1.20B4.94$358.68M$6.3613.89

First Merchants presently has a consensus target price of $48.33, suggesting a potential upside of 14.83%. Ameris Bancorp has a consensus target price of $90.17, suggesting a potential upside of 2.04%. Given First Merchants' higher probable upside, equities research analysts plainly believe First Merchants is more favorable than Ameris Bancorp.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
First Merchants
0 Sell rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
2 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.33
Ameris Bancorp
0 Sell rating(s)
2 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.67

First Merchants pays an annual dividend of $1.48 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.5%. Ameris Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.9%. First Merchants pays out 43.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Ameris Bancorp pays out 12.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. First Merchants has increased its dividend for 13 consecutive years. First Merchants is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Ameris Bancorp has a net margin of 21.46% compared to First Merchants' net margin of 18.87%. First Merchants' return on equity of 9.58% beat Ameris Bancorp's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
First Merchants18.87% 9.58% 1.21%
Ameris Bancorp 21.46%9.57%1.32%

In the previous week, Ameris Bancorp had 1 more articles in the media than First Merchants. MarketBeat recorded 3 mentions for Ameris Bancorp and 2 mentions for First Merchants. First Merchants' average media sentiment score of 0.37 beat Ameris Bancorp's score of 0.34 indicating that First Merchants is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
First Merchants
1 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral
Ameris Bancorp
1 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral

73.9% of First Merchants shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 91.6% of Ameris Bancorp shares are held by institutional investors. 1.8% of First Merchants shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 5.7% of Ameris Bancorp shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

First Merchants has a beta of 0.85, suggesting that its share price is 15% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Ameris Bancorp has a beta of 0.91, suggesting that its share price is 9% less volatile than the broader market.

Summary

Ameris Bancorp beats First Merchants on 14 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does First Merchants compare to First Busey?

First Merchants (NASDAQ:FRME) and First Busey (NASDAQ:BUSE) are both mid-cap finance companies, but which is the superior investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, profitability, dividends, institutional ownership, valuation, analyst recommendations, risk and media sentiment.

First Merchants has a beta of 0.85, suggesting that its share price is 15% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, First Busey has a beta of 0.72, suggesting that its share price is 28% less volatile than the broader market.

First Merchants pays an annual dividend of $1.48 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.5%. First Busey pays an annual dividend of $1.04 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.6%. First Merchants pays out 43.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. First Busey pays out 46.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. First Merchants has increased its dividend for 13 consecutive years and First Busey has increased its dividend for 10 consecutive years.

First Merchants presently has a consensus target price of $48.33, suggesting a potential upside of 14.83%. First Busey has a consensus target price of $27.50, suggesting a potential downside of 4.75%. Given First Merchants' higher possible upside, research analysts plainly believe First Merchants is more favorable than First Busey.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
First Merchants
0 Sell rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
2 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.33
First Busey
0 Sell rating(s)
3 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.57

First Busey has a net margin of 19.16% compared to First Merchants' net margin of 18.87%. First Busey's return on equity of 10.19% beat First Merchants' return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
First Merchants18.87% 9.58% 1.21%
First Busey 19.16%10.19%1.36%

73.9% of First Merchants shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 56.5% of First Busey shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.8% of First Merchants shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 3.8% of First Busey shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

In the previous week, First Merchants had 1 more articles in the media than First Busey. MarketBeat recorded 2 mentions for First Merchants and 1 mentions for First Busey. First Busey's average media sentiment score of 1.00 beat First Merchants' score of 0.37 indicating that First Busey is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
First Merchants
1 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral
First Busey
0 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

First Merchants has higher revenue and earnings than First Busey. First Merchants is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than First Busey, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
First Merchants$1.05B2.52$226M$3.4012.38
First Busey$1.04B2.34$135.26M$2.2512.83

Summary

First Merchants beats First Busey on 10 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does First Merchants compare to Enterprise Financial Services?

First Merchants (NASDAQ:FRME) and Enterprise Financial Services (NASDAQ:EFSC) are both mid-cap finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, risk, earnings, analyst recommendations, valuation, media sentiment, institutional ownership and profitability.

First Merchants has a beta of 0.85, indicating that its share price is 15% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Enterprise Financial Services has a beta of 0.8, indicating that its share price is 20% less volatile than the broader market.

First Merchants has higher revenue and earnings than Enterprise Financial Services. Enterprise Financial Services is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than First Merchants, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
First Merchants$1.05B2.52$226M$3.4012.38
Enterprise Financial Services$1.00B2.36$201.37M$5.3012.19

First Merchants presently has a consensus price target of $48.33, suggesting a potential upside of 14.83%. Enterprise Financial Services has a consensus price target of $66.75, suggesting a potential upside of 3.34%. Given First Merchants' higher probable upside, equities research analysts clearly believe First Merchants is more favorable than Enterprise Financial Services.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
First Merchants
0 Sell rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
2 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.33
Enterprise Financial Services
0 Sell rating(s)
1 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.80

73.9% of First Merchants shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 72.2% of Enterprise Financial Services shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.8% of First Merchants shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 2.2% of Enterprise Financial Services shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Enterprise Financial Services has a net margin of 19.81% compared to First Merchants' net margin of 18.87%. Enterprise Financial Services' return on equity of 10.35% beat First Merchants' return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
First Merchants18.87% 9.58% 1.21%
Enterprise Financial Services 19.81%10.35%1.19%

In the previous week, First Merchants and First Merchants both had 2 articles in the media. Enterprise Financial Services' average media sentiment score of 1.07 beat First Merchants' score of 0.37 indicating that Enterprise Financial Services is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
First Merchants
1 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral
Enterprise Financial Services
0 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

First Merchants pays an annual dividend of $1.48 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.5%. Enterprise Financial Services pays an annual dividend of $1.36 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.1%. First Merchants pays out 43.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Enterprise Financial Services pays out 25.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. First Merchants has raised its dividend for 13 consecutive years and Enterprise Financial Services has raised its dividend for 11 consecutive years. First Merchants is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Summary

First Merchants beats Enterprise Financial Services on 10 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does First Merchants compare to First Financial Bancorp.?

First Financial Bancorp. (NASDAQ:FFBC) and First Merchants (NASDAQ:FRME) are both mid-cap finance companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, valuation, earnings, dividends, institutional ownership, risk, media sentiment and analyst recommendations.

First Financial Bancorp. presently has a consensus target price of $33.00, indicating a potential upside of 1.35%. First Merchants has a consensus target price of $48.33, indicating a potential upside of 14.83%. Given First Merchants' higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe First Merchants is more favorable than First Financial Bancorp..

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
First Financial Bancorp.
0 Sell rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
4 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.50
First Merchants
0 Sell rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
2 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.33

In the previous week, First Financial Bancorp. and First Financial Bancorp. both had 2 articles in the media. First Financial Bancorp.'s average media sentiment score of 0.47 beat First Merchants' score of 0.37 indicating that First Financial Bancorp. is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
First Financial Bancorp.
1 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral
First Merchants
1 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral

First Financial Bancorp. has a beta of 0.93, suggesting that its share price is 7% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, First Merchants has a beta of 0.85, suggesting that its share price is 15% less volatile than the broader market.

77.2% of First Financial Bancorp. shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 73.9% of First Merchants shares are held by institutional investors. 1.1% of First Financial Bancorp. shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.8% of First Merchants shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

First Financial Bancorp. pays an annual dividend of $1.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.1%. First Merchants pays an annual dividend of $1.48 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.5%. First Financial Bancorp. pays out 35.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. First Merchants pays out 43.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. First Financial Bancorp. has increased its dividend for 1 consecutive years and First Merchants has increased its dividend for 13 consecutive years. First Merchants is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

First Financial Bancorp. has a net margin of 20.92% compared to First Merchants' net margin of 18.87%. First Financial Bancorp.'s return on equity of 11.09% beat First Merchants' return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
First Financial Bancorp.20.92% 11.09% 1.49%
First Merchants 18.87%9.58%1.21%

First Financial Bancorp. has higher revenue and earnings than First Merchants. First Financial Bancorp. is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than First Merchants, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
First Financial Bancorp.$1.26B2.71$255.60M$2.8311.51
First Merchants$1.05B2.52$226M$3.4012.38

Summary

First Financial Bancorp. beats First Merchants on 12 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does First Merchants compare to S&T Bancorp?

First Merchants (NASDAQ:FRME) and S&T Bancorp (NASDAQ:STBA) are both finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, profitability, earnings, analyst recommendations, valuation, institutional ownership, media sentiment and risk.

First Merchants currently has a consensus target price of $48.33, suggesting a potential upside of 14.83%. S&T Bancorp has a consensus target price of $44.40, suggesting a potential downside of 8.06%. Given First Merchants' stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe First Merchants is more favorable than S&T Bancorp.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
First Merchants
0 Sell rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
2 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.33
S&T Bancorp
0 Sell rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
2 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.29

73.9% of First Merchants shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 65.2% of S&T Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.8% of First Merchants shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.2% of S&T Bancorp shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

First Merchants has higher revenue and earnings than S&T Bancorp. First Merchants is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than S&T Bancorp, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
First Merchants$1.05B2.52$226M$3.4012.38
S&T Bancorp$568.51M3.06$134.23M$3.5713.53

First Merchants has a beta of 0.85, indicating that its share price is 15% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, S&T Bancorp has a beta of 0.85, indicating that its share price is 15% less volatile than the broader market.

In the previous week, S&T Bancorp had 1 more articles in the media than First Merchants. MarketBeat recorded 3 mentions for S&T Bancorp and 2 mentions for First Merchants. S&T Bancorp's average media sentiment score of 0.42 beat First Merchants' score of 0.37 indicating that S&T Bancorp is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
First Merchants
1 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral
S&T Bancorp
0 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral

First Merchants pays an annual dividend of $1.48 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.5%. S&T Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $1.48 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.1%. First Merchants pays out 43.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. S&T Bancorp pays out 41.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. First Merchants has raised its dividend for 13 consecutive years and S&T Bancorp has raised its dividend for 13 consecutive years.

S&T Bancorp has a net margin of 23.71% compared to First Merchants' net margin of 18.87%. First Merchants' return on equity of 9.58% beat S&T Bancorp's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
First Merchants18.87% 9.58% 1.21%
S&T Bancorp 23.71%9.35%1.38%

Summary

First Merchants and S&T Bancorp tied by winning 8 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

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Media Sentiment Over Time

This chart shows the average media sentiment of NASDAQ and its competitors over the past 90 days as caculated by MarketBeat. The averaged score is equivalent to the following: Very Negative Sentiment <= -1.5, Negative Sentiment > -1.5 and <= -0.5, Neutral Sentiment > -0.5 and < 0.5, Positive Sentiment >= 0.5 and < 1.5, and Very Positive Sentiment >= 1.5.
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FRME vs. The Competition

MetricFirst MerchantsBANKS IndustryFinance SectorNASDAQ Exchange
Market Cap$2.65B$3.04B$13.95B$12.13B
Dividend Yield3.63%3.24%5.75%5.81%
P/E Ratio12.3811.1620.2124.01
Price / Sales2.522.79139.81110.00
Price / Cash9.2011.1219.5437.84
Price / Book1.001.272.256.53
Net Income$226M$217.17M$1.14B$336.99M
7 Day Performance2.04%1.15%-0.28%-0.18%
1 Month Performance4.86%4.49%1.06%0.83%
1 Year Performance13.48%28.58%15.36%31.55%

First Merchants Competitors List

CompanyMarketRankShare PriceAnalysts' Price Target1Y Price PerformanceMarket CapRevenueP/E RatioEmployee CountIndicator(s)
FRME
First Merchants
4.1004 of 5 stars
$42.09
+2.2%
$48.33
+14.8%
+14.6%$2.65B$1.05B12.382,086
ABCB
Ameris Bancorp
3.3886 of 5 stars
$88.25
+0.4%
$90.17
+2.2%
+43.3%$5.93B$1.20B16.922,850
BUSE
First Busey
4.3042 of 5 stars
$28.30
+0.1%
$27.50
-2.8%
+27.5%$2.39B$1.04B12.581,948
EFSC
Enterprise Financial Services
3.8999 of 5 stars
$62.62
-0.2%
$66.00
+5.4%
+19.8%$2.29B$1.00B11.821,418
FFBC
First Financial Bancorp.
3.0767 of 5 stars
$31.78
+0.2%
$33.00
+3.9%
+38.0%$3.34B$1.26B11.232,199

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This page (NASDAQ:FRME) was last updated on 6/23/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.
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