First Merchants (FRME) Projected to Release Quarterly Earnings on Wednesday

First Merchants (NASDAQ:FRME) is expected to be posting its Q2 2026 results after the market closes on Wednesday, July 22nd. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $1.03 per share and revenue of $202.78 million for the quarter. Interested persons can check the company’s upcoming Q2 2026 earning overview page for the latest details on the call scheduled for Thursday, July 23, 2026 at 9:00 AM ET.

First Merchants (NASDAQ:FRME) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The bank reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.96 by $0.07. First Merchants had a net margin of 18.87% and a return on equity of 9.58%. The company had revenue of $163.53 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $201.91 million. During the same quarter 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 Stock Down 0.6%

NASDAQ FRME opened at $44.32 on Tuesday. First Merchants has a 12 month low of $34.66 and a 12 month high of $45.33. The company has a market capitalization of $2.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.04 and a beta of 0.84. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $41.56 and its 200 day simple moving average is $40.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.92.

First Merchants Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 5th were given a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. This is a positive change from First Merchants’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 5th. First Merchants’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.53%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

FRME has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on First Merchants from $49.00 to $51.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Wall Street Zen upgraded First Merchants from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, May 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut First Merchants from a “buy (b)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $49.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other First Merchants news, Director Larry W. Myers sold 10,000 shares of First Merchants stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.50, for a total transaction of $415,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 99,751 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,139,666.50. The trade was a 9.11% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.77% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of FRME. State Street Corp boosted its position in First Merchants by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,005,625 shares of the bank’s stock worth $76,815,000 after acquiring an additional 6,924 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC lifted its position in shares of First Merchants by 10.9% in the fourth quarter. Nuveen LLC now owns 1,058,247 shares of the bank’s stock worth $39,663,000 after purchasing an additional 104,260 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of First Merchants by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 956,197 shares of the bank’s stock worth $35,838,000 after purchasing an additional 8,699 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in shares of First Merchants by 14.4% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 764,136 shares of the bank’s stock worth $28,640,000 after purchasing an additional 96,340 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of First Merchants by 15.0% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 715,488 shares of the bank’s stock worth $26,816,000 after purchasing an additional 93,215 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other 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.