First Merchants (FRME) Short Interest Ratio & Short Volume

Short interest is the volume of First Merchants shares that have been sold short but have not yet been covered or closed out. As of May 31st, traders have sold 728,000 shares of FRME short. 1.26% of First Merchants' shares are currently sold short. Learn More on First Merchants' current short interest.

The short interest ratio, also known as the "days to cover ratio", is calculated by dividing the number of shares of a stock sold short divided by its average trading volume. A short interest ratio ranging between 1 and 4 generally indicates strong positive sentiment about a stock and a lack of short sellers. A short interest ratio of 10 or greater indicates strong pessimism about a stock. FRME shares currently have a short interest ratio of 2.0. Learn More on First Merchants's short interest ratio.

Companies that have a short interest as a percentage of float below 10% indicates positive investor sentiment and few short sellers. Stocks with a short interest percentage above 10% is considered high, suggesting some investors are pessimistic about the stock. Companies with a short interest percentage of 20% or more indicates widespread negative sentiment. 1.26% of First Merchants' floating shares are currently sold short.

First Merchants saw a increase in short interest during the month of May. As of May 31st, there was short interest totaling 728,000 shares, an increase of 3.3% from the previous total of 704,900 shares. Changes in short volume can be used to identify positive and negative investor sentiment. Investors that short sell a stock are betting that its price will decline in the future. An increase in short sale volume suggests bearish (negative) sentiment among investors. A decrease on short sale volume suggests bullish (positive) sentiment.

1.26% of First Merchants' shares are currently sold short. Here is how the short interest of companies in the industry of "regional banks" compare to First Merchants: Webster Financial Co. (2.27%), Commerce Bancshares, Inc. (2.42%), Pinnacle Financial Partners, Inc. (2.11%), Cullen/Frost Bankers, Inc. (3.51%), Wintrust Financial Co. (2.76%), Western Alliance Bancorporation (3.80%), UMB Financial Co. (4.61%), Popular, Inc. (2.34%), Zions Bancorporation, National Association (3.87%), Old National Bancorp (5.82%),

As of the most recent reporting period, the following stocks had the largest short interest positions: SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust ($64.96 billion), Invesco QQQ ($27.88 billion), iShares Russell 2000 ETF ($19.94 billion), iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF ($9.69 billion), Strategy Incorporated ($8.58 billion), SPDR S&P Biotech ETF ($5.72 billion), Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF ($5.45 billion), iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF ($4.70 billion), Charter Communications, Inc. ($4.54 billion), and Industrial Select Sector SPDR Fund ($4.49 billion). View all of the most shorted stocks.

Short selling FRME is an investing strategy that aims to generate trading profit from First Merchants as its price is falling. FRME shares are trading down $0.29 today. To short a stock, an investor borrows shares, sells them and buys the shares back on the public market later to return it to the lender. Short sellers are betting that a stock will decline in price. If the stock does drop after selling, the short seller buys it back at a lower price and returns it to the lender. The difference between the sell price and the buy price is the trader's profit.

A short squeeze for First Merchants occurs when it has a large amount of short interest and its stock increases in price. This forces short sellers to cover their short interest positions by buying actual shares of FRME, which in turn drives the price of the stock up even further.

Short interest is typically published by a stock exchange once per month. However, NASDAQ publishes a report for U.S. stocks, including FRME, twice per month. The most recent reporting period available is May, 31 2025.