FRME Company Profile and Key Details

Short-term trend indicators are bearishly aligned (SMA20 5.39%, SMA50 8.98%, SMA200 10.68%). The stock’s 14-day RSI is 68.04 (firm momentum), while the ATR of 1.05 points to higher daily volatility. The stock remains sitting in the mid-range of its 52-week band, trading -6.75% below its high and over 28.4% above its low. Average 10-day trading volume of 400.78 thousand shares is slightly above the 3-month average of 318.05 thousand, indicating heightened recent market interest.

First Merchants Corporation last paid a dividend of 1.43 per share, this equals a trailing yield of roughly 3.63%. Dividend and splits history remains an important factor for investors monitoring long-term returns. A discounted cash flow model estimates fair value at around $49.66. This means the shares are trading below this model’s fair value.

First Merchants Corporation generated EPS of $3.89 over the past year. Five-year average earnings growth is 7.2%. The latest quarter delivered EPS of $0.98. The next quarter is forecast at $0.88. Next year's EPS is expected at -$11.05. Analyst sentiment is bullish. Analyst rating data shows there are 5 Strong Buy ratings, 0 Buy ratings, 1 Hold ratings, 0 Sell rating and 0 Strong Sell ratings. Price targets range from $50.00 to $46.00. The high target offers 18.85% upside. The low target suggests 9.34% downside. The mean target is $47.50. This offers 12.91% upside. First Merchants Corporation earnings surprise history is a consistent trend of beating forecasts. The quarter that ended October 22, 2025, missed forecasts by 2.08%. The prior quarter beat by 4.26%. Over the last six quarters, Apple has recorded several small beats. These include -12.82% in July 25, 2024.

First Merchants Corporation (NASDAQ:FRME) closed at $42.07 USD, losing -$0.22 (-0.52%) from the previous close of $42.29. The stock is currently mid-range between its 52-week high and low $33.13 and $44.99. With a market capitalization of about $2.65 billion, First Merchants Corporation is classified as a mid-cap and shows market-like volatility (beta ~0.93). Key stats such as the average daily volume over the past year has been around 318.88 thousand shares, in line with its 52-week average. Headquartered in Muncie, IN, First Merchants Corporation operates in the Financial Services sector and the Banks - Regional industry. Led by CEO Mark K. Hardwick, the company employs approximately 2,120 people and listed since June 20, 1989. First Merchants Corporation operates as the financial holding company for First Merchants Bank that provides community banking services.

First Merchants Corporation has 57.73 million shares outstanding. The public float is 56.75 million shares, elevated short interest at 1.12% of float. This equals 566.05 thousand shares. The short ratio is 1.67 days. Institutional investors hold 79.92% of the float. Insiders own 1.63%. Stewart Michael J holds 92.66 thousand shares, Fehring Patrick J. has 91.26 thousand shares and RECHIN MICHAEL C has 85.83 thousand shares. Over the past six months, insider transactions show net selling. They sold 13.08 thousand shares across 3 transactions.

Our AI price prediction model suggests that First Merchants Corporation stock has strong potential for upside but may face short-term weakness followed by gains in the medium and long term. 2-Week Outlook: Projected increase of 4.64%, with price expected at $44.02 by March 05, 2026, within a range of $43.09 to $44.97 3-Month Outlook: Projected rise of 5.97%, reaching $44.58 by May 19, 2026, with a range of $41.92 to $46.94. 1-Year Outlook: Projected gain of 8.18%, with price at $45.51 by February 19, 2027, within a range of $43.87 to $47.27.

First Merchants Corporation (NASDAQ:FRME) shares are flat 0.51% year-to-date currently trading near 52-week highs band. Short-term momentum has been positive over the last quarter, despite recent volatility. Valuation shows First Merchants Corporation trading at a premium to the broader market with a P/E of 10.65. Analyst sentiment is bullish, with the majority of ratings in Overweight territory and a mean price target of $43.26, suggesting 2.83% upside. Our AI forecast model points to short-term strength (4.64% over two weeks), a medium-term rise (5.97% over three months), and a longer-term gain (8.18% over one year), with expected trading ranges indicating moderate volatility.

First Merchants Corporation trades at a P/E ratio of 10.65, slightly below the S&P 500 average, with a price-to-sales ratio of 2.51 and a price-to-book ratio of 0.98 suggesting the stock is closer to book value. The P/FCF stands at 9.77, also below market averages.