Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. Takes Position in First Merchants Corporation $FRME

Posted by Stanley Muller on Aug 17th, 2026

Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in First Merchants Corporation (NASDAQ:FRME – Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 35,196 shares of the bank’s stock, valued at approximately $1,538,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of FRME. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in First Merchants by 361.7% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 771 shares of the bank’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 604 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in First Merchants by 325.7% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 796 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 609 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd raised its holdings in shares of First Merchants by 68.9% in the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,042 shares of the bank’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 425 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of First Merchants by 24.9% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,403 shares of the bank’s stock worth $61,000 after buying an additional 280 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in shares of First Merchants by 10.5% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 3,424 shares of the bank’s stock worth $128,000 after buying an additional 324 shares during the last quarter. 73.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at First Merchants

In related news, Director Larry W. Myers sold 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the director owned 99,751 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,139,666.50. This trade represents a 9.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.77% of the stock is owned by insiders.

First Merchants Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:FRME opened at $43.70 on Monday. First Merchants Corporation has a twelve month low of $34.66 and a twelve month high of $45.33. The company’s 50 day moving average is $42.78 and its 200 day moving average is $40.85. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The company has a market cap of $2.74 billion, a PE ratio of 14.01 and a beta of 0.84.

First Merchants (NASDAQ:FRME – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The bank reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by ($0.28). First Merchants had a return on equity of 8.86% and a net margin of 17.05%.The business had revenue of $202.49 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $202.78 million. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that First Merchants Corporation will post 3.94 EPS for the current year.

First Merchants Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 18th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 4th will be paid a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 4th. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. First Merchants’s dividend payout ratio is presently 47.44%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

FRME has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings raised shares of First Merchants from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded First Merchants from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, May 17th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price target on First Merchants from $49.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $49.00.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on First Merchants

About First Merchants

(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.