First Merchants (FRME) – Investment Analysts’ Weekly Ratings Updates

Several brokerages have updated their recommendations and price targets on shares of First Merchants (NASDAQ: FRME) in the last few weeks:

• 5/18/2026 – First Merchants was downgraded by Weiss Ratings from “buy (b)” to “hold (c+)”.
• 5/17/2026 – First Merchants was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from “sell” to “hold”.
• 5/9/2026 – First Merchants was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from “hold” to “sell”.
• 5/4/2026 – First Merchants was upgraded by Weiss Ratings from “buy (b-)” to “buy (b)”.
• 4/2/2026 – First Merchants was upgraded by Weiss Ratings from “hold (c+)” to “buy (b-)”.

First Merchants Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be issued a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 5th. This is an increase from First Merchants’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.36. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.7%. First Merchants’s dividend payout ratio is 42.35%.

Insider Transactions at First Merchants

In related news, VP Larry W. Myers sold 5,000 shares of First Merchants stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.50, for a total transaction of $207,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 109,491 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,543,876.50. This trade represents a 4.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.77% of the company’s stock.

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.