First Merchants Corporation (FRME) Stock Analysis
Financial Services · Banks - Regional
Hold if already holding. Not a fresh buy at $39.60, but acceptable to hold if already in. Reasons: Thin upside margin: 4.6%; V7 low-quality RISK_OFF penalty: -0.5 (Q=4.7).
First Merchants Corporation is a financial holding company headquartered in Muncie, Indiana with $19B in assets and 111 banking locations across Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan, operating a single community banking segment through First Merchants Bank. It completed acquisition of... Read more
Hold if already holding. Not a fresh buy at $39.60, but acceptable to hold if already in. Reasons: Thin upside margin: 4.6%; V7 low-quality RISK_OFF penalty: -0.5 (Q=4.7). Chart setup: No recognized chart pattern (not a breakout, bounce, continuation, recovery, falling knife, or range) — technicals mixed. Mixed signals. Hold existing position. Score 5.7/10, moderate confidence.
Passes 7/9 gates (positive momentum, clean insider activity, no SEC red flags, news events none recent, earnings proximity 64d clear, semi cycle peak clear, materials cycle peak clear). Fails on favorable risk/reward ratio. Suitability: aggressive.
Recent Developments — First Merchants Corporation
Latest news
- First Merchants (NASDAQ:FRME) Reports Sales Below Analyst Estimates In Q1 CY2026 Earnings - StockStory — StockStory negative
- First Merchants (NASDAQ:FRME) Reports Sales Below Analyst Estimates In Q1 CY2026 Earnings - TradingView — TradingView negative
- First Merchants (NASDAQ:FRME) Reports Sales Below Analyst Estimates In Q1 CY2026 Earnings - FinancialContent — FinancialContent negative
- First Merchants (NASDAQ:FRME) Announces Quarterly Earnings Results - MarketBeat — MarketBeat positive
- FIRST MERCHANTS ($FRME) Releases Q1 2026 Earnings - Quiver Quantitative — Quiver Quantitative neutral
Generated 2026-05-20T21:06:21Z.
Thesis
Key Metrics
Quality Signals
Options Flow
Concentration Risks(10-K Item 1A)
- MEDIUMregulatoryFDIC and Indiana DFI10-K Item 1: 'The Bank is subject to the primary regulatory oversight, supervision and examination of the FDIC and the Indiana DFI'
Model-generated analysis — not investment advice. Not a registered investment advisor. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Full disclaimer
Rating Breakdown
1 floor-breaker
Ranks in the bottom of its industry peers on the composite signal. Better names in the same sector exist.static
Price Targets
Position Sizing
Risk Alerts
Earnings
Verdict History
Frequently Asked Questions
Hold if already holding. Not a fresh buy at $39.60, but acceptable to hold if already in. Reasons: Thin upside margin: 4.6%; V7 low-quality RISK_OFF penalty: -0.5 (Q=4.7). Chart setup: No recognized chart pattern (not a breakout, bounce, continuation, recovery, falling knife, or range) — technicals mixed. Mixed signals. Hold existing position. Target $41.41 (+4.6%), stop $38.06 (−4.0%), A.R:R 0.9:1. Score 5.7/10, moderate confidence.
Take-profit target: $41.41 (+4.6% upside). Target $41.41 (+4.6%), stop $38.06 (−4.0%), A.R:R 0.9:1. Stop-loss: $38.06.
Thin upside margin: 4.6%; V7 low-quality RISK_OFF penalty: -0.5 (Q=4.7).
First Merchants Corporation trades at a P/E of 11.7 (forward 8.7). TrendMatrix value score: 8.2/10. Verdict: Hold.
12 analysts cover FRME with a consensus score of 3.9/5. Average price target: $48.
What does First Merchants Corporation do?First Merchants Corporation is a financial holding company headquartered in Muncie, Indiana with $19B in assets and 111...
First Merchants Corporation is a financial holding company headquartered in Muncie, Indiana with $19B in assets and 111 banking locations across Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan, operating a single community banking segment through First Merchants Bank. It completed acquisition of First Savings Financial Group (Jeffersonville, IN; $2.4B assets) on February 1, 2026.