Analysts Set First Merchants Corporation (NASDAQ:FRME) PT at $48.33

Posted by on May 19th, 2026

Shares of First Merchants Corporation (NASDAQ:FRME – Get Free Report) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $48.3333.

FRME has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Piper Sandler increased their target price on shares of First Merchants from $46.00 to $49.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of First Merchants from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of First Merchants from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday.

Check Out Our Latest Report on First Merchants

Insider Transactions at First Merchants

In related news, VP Larry W. Myers sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.50, for a total value of $207,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 109,491 shares in the company, valued at $4,543,876.50. This represents a 4.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.77% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Merchants

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of First Merchants by 19.5% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 118,650 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $4,798,000 after purchasing an additional 19,375 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position in shares of First Merchants by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 34,708 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,404,000 after purchasing an additional 1,522 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its position in shares of First Merchants by 6.6% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 132,785 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $5,370,000 after purchasing an additional 8,212 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC boosted its position in shares of First Merchants by 941.6% during the 1st quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 107,859 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $4,362,000 after purchasing an additional 97,504 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of First Merchants by 42.6% during the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 43,260 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $1,749,000 after purchasing an additional 12,922 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 73.92% of the company’s stock.

First Merchants Stock Up 1.2%

FRME stock opened at $39.58 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52. First Merchants has a fifty-two week low of $34.66 and a fifty-two week high of $43.22. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $39.19 and its 200 day simple moving average is $38.68. The stock has a market cap of $2.49 billion, a PE ratio of 11.64 and a beta of 0.86.

First Merchants (NASDAQ:FRME – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The bank reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.96 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $163.53 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $201.91 million. First Merchants had a net margin of 18.87% and a return on equity of 9.58%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.00 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that First Merchants will post 4.24 EPS for the current year.

First Merchants Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

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Analyst Recommendations for First Merchants (NASDAQ:FRME)

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