First Merchants (NASDAQ:FRME) VP Sells $207,500.00 in Stock

February 27, 2026 by InsiderTrades.com

Key Points

First Merchants VP Larry Myers sold 5,000 shares at an average price of $41.50 for $207,500, reducing his holdings by about 4.37% to 109,491 shares, according to an SEC filing.
Quarterly dividend of $0.36 per share was announced (annualized $1.44) payable March 20 with a record/ex-dividend date of March 6, implying a yield of roughly 3.6%.
The bank beat quarterly estimates with $0.98 EPS and $178.36M in revenue, while analysts hold a consensus "Hold" rating with an average target price of $47.75 and a trailing P/E of about 10.2.

First Merchants Corporation (NASDAQ:FRME - Get Free Report) VP Larry Myers sold 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the vice president owned 109,491 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,543,876.50. This trade represents a 4.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

First Merchants Trading Down 3.2%

FRME stock opened at $39.74 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.90. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $39.53 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $38.61. First Merchants Corporation has a one year low of $33.13 and a one year high of $44.33. The stock has a market cap of $2.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.22 and a beta of 0.94.

First Merchants (NASDAQ:FRME - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, January 26th. The bank reported $0.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.96 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $178.36 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $172.89 million. First Merchants had a net margin of 21.49% and a return on equity of 9.68%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.10 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that First Merchants Corporation will post 3.79 EPS for the current year.

First Merchants Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. First Merchants's payout ratio is currently 37.02%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on FRME. Zacks Research cut First Merchants from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, December 1st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of First Merchants in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $47.75.

Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on FRME

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV grew its stake in First Merchants by 26.8% during the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 9,595 shares of the bank's stock worth $360,000 after buying an additional 2,025 shares in the last quarter. Mendon Capital Advisors Corp raised its position in shares of First Merchants by 26.7% in the 4th quarter. Mendon Capital Advisors Corp now owns 95,000 shares of the bank's stock valued at $3,561,000 after buying an additional 20,000 shares in the last quarter. nVerses Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of First Merchants during the 4th quarter worth approximately $310,000. Wellington Management Group LLP acquired a new stake in shares of First Merchants during the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,725,000. Finally, Tudor Investment Corp ET AL boosted its position in shares of First Merchants by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL now owns 101,567 shares of the bank's stock worth $3,807,000 after acquiring an additional 3,044 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.92% of the company's stock.

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.