Systematic Financial Management LP Buys 83,667 Shares of First Merchants Corporation $FRME

Systematic Financial Management LP lifted its stake in shares of First Merchants Corporation (NASDAQ:FRME) by 10.7% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 861,995 shares of the bank’s stock after buying an additional 83,667 shares during the period. Systematic Financial Management LP’s holdings in First Merchants were worth $33,385,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of FRME. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in First Merchants by 361.7% in 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 lifted its holdings in First Merchants by 325.7% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 796 shares of the bank’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 609 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in First Merchants by 62.1% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 987 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 378 shares during the last quarter. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. bought a new position in First Merchants in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd increased its stake in shares of First Merchants by 68.9% in the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,042 shares of the bank’s stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 425 shares during the period. 73.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on FRME. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on First Merchants from $49.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, June 26th. Weiss Ratings lowered First Merchants from a “buy (b)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised First Merchants from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Sunday, May 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $49.00.

Insider Activity at First Merchants

In related news, Director Larry W. Myers sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.50, for a total value of $415,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 99,751 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,139,666.50. This represents a 9.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 1.77% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

First Merchants News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting First Merchants this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted margin gains in the Q2 earnings call, suggesting some improvement in profitability trends. First Merchants Balances Margin Gains With Credit Strain
• Neutral Sentiment: First Merchants released its Q2 2026 earnings call transcript and presentation, which likely provided more detail on loan growth, credit quality, and outlook. First Merchants Corporation (FRME) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: The company also published its Q2 2026 earnings presentation for investors reviewing the quarter’s operating trends and guidance. First Merchants Corporation 2026 Q2 – Results – Earnings Call Presentation
• Negative Sentiment: Q2 earnings came in below expectations, with EPS of $0.74 versus estimates near $1.02-$1.03, and revenue also slightly missed consensus. First Merchants stock page
• Negative Sentiment: Reports around the release pointed to ongoing credit strain, which may be weighing on investor sentiment despite the margin improvement. First Merchants Balances Margin Gains With Credit Strain

First Merchants Price Performance

Shares of FRME stock opened at $41.89 on Friday. First Merchants Corporation has a 52-week low of $34.66 and a 52-week high of $45.33. The stock has a market cap of $2.64 billion, a PE ratio of 13.43 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.94. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $41.77 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $40.30.

First Merchants (NASDAQ:FRME) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The bank reported $0.74 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.02 by ($0.28). The business had revenue of $202.49 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $202.78 million. First Merchants had a net margin of 17.05% and a return on equity of 9.02%. As a group, analysts forecast that First Merchants Corporation will post 4.26 EPS for the current year.

First Merchants Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 19th. Investors of record on Friday, June 5th were paid a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.5%. This is a boost from First Merchants’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 5th. First Merchants’s payout ratio is presently 43.53%.

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.