First Merchants Corporation operates as a financial holding entity, primarily conducting its business through its subsidiary, First Merchants Bank. This institution delivers ...
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$1.45 per share
$1.45 per share
Est. EPS $1.04 · Revenue $203.98M · 4 analysts
Est. EPS $1.05 · Revenue $206.25M · 4 analysts
EPS $0.98 · Revenue $261.03M
EPS $0.94 · Revenue $252.57M
| Metric | Latest | YoYYoY means Year-over-Year. It compares the latest annual value with the previous annual value to show long-term trend strength. | QoQQoQ means Quarter-over-Quarter. It compares the latest quarter with the immediately previous quarter to show short-term momentum changes. |
|---|---|---|---|
| RevenueThe total money that came through the front door from selling things, before paying a single bill. Think of it as the grand total of every credit card swipe from customers. (YoY compares this year to last year's performance, while QoQ compares the current three months to the previous three). | $1.1B | -0.3% | +17.6% |
| Net IncomeThe absolute bottom line. If the company paid every single supplier, employee, banker, and tax collector, this is the actual money left in their pocket at the end of the day. | $226.0M | +12.2% | +56.2% |
| Gross MarginThe basic markup. If they sell a $100 pair of sneakers, this percentage tells you how much of that price tag is profit right after paying for the rubber and shoelaces, but before paying for things like store rent or TV commercials. | +61.0% | +8.7% | -8.3% |
| Operating MarginThe 'day job' efficiency score. Out of every dollar a customer spends, this shows how many cents the company keeps after making the product AND paying for all the everyday corporate overhead (like salaries, marketing, and keeping the lights on). | +24.7% | +12.2% | +52.0% |
| Net MarginThe final take-home percentage. When you strip away every conceivable cost, tax, and interest payment, this is the exact number of cents the company truly gets to keep from every dollar in sales. | +21.5% | +12.6% | +32.8% |
| Free Cash FlowThe holy grail of corporate cash. It's the spendable, physical money left over after the business pays for its daily operations AND buys the big, expensive upgrades (like new factories or servers) it needs to survive. This is the 'free' money they can use to pay dividends or buy back stock. | $283.6M | +6.5% | +50.3% |
| FCF MarginThe ultimate cash conversion rate. It shows how good the company is at turning regular sales directly into cold, hard, spendable cash. A high percentage means the business is an absolute cash-printing machine. | +27.0% | +6.9% | +27.7% |
| Debt / EquityThe financial risk gauge. It compares how much of the company's empire was built using borrowed money (loans) versus the owners' own money (shareholders). A high number means they are heavily leveraged and playing a riskier game; a low number means they are playing it safe. | 40.5% | -19.3% | -3.4% |
| Current RatioThe 12-month survival check. It simply compares the cash they have right now (plus things they can quickly turn into cash) against the immediate bills they absolutely must pay this year. A score above 1 means they have enough in the wallet to cover the upcoming bills without panicking. | 0.20x | +58.3% | -96.0% |
| Total AssetsThe absolute size of the company's empire. It bundles together absolutely everything of value they own—from the cash in the register and the inventory in the warehouse, to the software patents in the vault and the factories on the ground. | $19.0B | +3.9% | +1.3% |
| Metric | Annual (A vs E) | Annual Surprise | Quarter (A vs E) | Quarter Surprise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EPS Surprise | 3.88 vs 3.85 | +0.9% | 0.70 vs 1.02 | -31.5% |
| Revenue Surprise | $1.1B vs $682.5M | +53.9% | $298.0M vs $202.8M | +47.0% |
| Date | Executive | Title | Security | Side | Shares | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 19, 2026 | FLUHLER STEPHAN | officer, other: Chief Information Officer | Common Stock | D | 4,080 | $43.20 |
| Aug 3, 2026 | Scurlock Eva D. | officer: Chief Risk Officer | Common Stock | A | 4,000 | $43.63 |
| Aug 3, 2026 | Stewart Michael J | officer: President | Common Stock | A | 16,000 | $43.63 |
| Aug 3, 2026 | Scurlock Eva D. | officer: Chief Risk Officer | Common Stock | A | 700 | $43.63 |
| Aug 3, 2026 | Peterson Joseph C | officer: Chief Commercial Officer | Common Stock | A | 8,000 | $43.63 |
Operator: Thank you for standing by. And welcome to the First Merchants Corporation Second Quarter 26 Earnings Conference Call. Before we begin, management would like to remind you that today's call contains forward looking statements with respect to the future performance and financial condition of First Merchants Corporation. That involves risks and uncertainties. Further information is contained within the press release which we encourage you to review. Additionally, management would refer to non GAAP measures which are intended to supplement but not substitute for the most directly comparable GAAP measures. The press release available on the website contains financial and other quantitative information to be discussed today, as well as a reconciliation of GAAP and non GAAP measures. As a reminder, today's call is being recorded. I would now like to turn the conference over to Mr. Mark K. Hardwick, CEO. Mr. Hardwick, you may begin. Mark K. Hardwick: Good morning, and welcome to First Merchants second quarter 26 Conference Call. For the introduction and for covering the forward looking statement on Page 2. We released our earnings yesterday after markets closed and today's presentation materials are available via the link on Page 3 of the earnings release. Turning to Slide 3, you will see today's presenters and members of our executive management team. Joining me on the call are Mike Stewart, our president John J. Martin, chief credit officer Michele Kawiecki, our chief financial officer. Slide 4 highlights our footprint and financial scale. We now operate 126 banking centers reflecting the addition of Southern Indiana following the First Savings acquisition. Total assets stand at $21.3 billion with $15.5 billion in loans and $16.8 billion in deposits. Turning to Slide 5. Second quarter reported net income totaled $43.5 million or $0.70 per diluted share. Second quarter results were negatively impacted by 2 loans that were moved to nonaccrual status with specific reserves taken against them. We are disappointed by these 2 downgrades and we are confident they are not representative of the overall portfolio. We remain confident in our outlook, as John will highlight later in the presentation and we are happy to answer any questions that you might have during the Q&A session. Adjusted pretax pre provision earnings increased to $84.6 million for the quarter an increase of 7.5% over the first quarter of 2020 Net interest margin expanded to 3.38%, and loan and deposit growth returned to more traditional levels. Year to date net income on Slide 6 totaled $71.2 million Excluding the mortgage loan sale from the first quarter and acquisition related expenses from both the first and second quarter adjusted EPS totaled $1.77 per share. The previously announced mortgage loan sale is now complete. Adding $271 million of liquidity to our balance sheet. Our integration and related expense savings are now complete and position us well next quarter. Our balance …
| Name | Title | Compensation | Gender | Year Born | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mark K. Hardwick | Chief Executive Officer & Director | USD 1,603,312 | Male | 1971 | Active |
Michael J. Stewart | President | USD 1,151,659 | Male | 1966 | Active |
Michele Kawiecki | Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer & Principal Accounting Officer | USD 882,280 | Female | 1973 | Active |
John J. Martin | Executive Vice President & Chief Credit Officer | USD 745,995 | Male | 1967 | Active |
Joseph C. Peterson | Executive Vice President & Chief Commercial Officer | USD 683,256 | Male | 1976 | Active |
Stephan H. Fluhler | Senior Vice President & Chief Information Officer | USD 532,394 | Male | 1969 | Active |
Michael C. Rechin | Advisor & Vice Chair | USD 69,161 | Male | 1959 | Active |
Brian T. Hunt | Secretary & Legal Counsel | — | Male | 1960 | Active |
Marcos Nogues | Chief Investment Officer | — | Male | — | Active |
Nicole Weaver | Vice President & Director of Corporate Administration | — | Female | — | Active |
Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in shares of First Merchants Corporation (NASDAQ: FRME) by 46.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 243,276 shares of the bank's stock after purchasing an additional 77,155 shares during the
MUNCIE, Ind., Aug. 14, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Merchants Corporation declared a cash dividend on August 14, 2026 of $0.37 per common share. The dividend is payable on September 18, 2026 to common shareholders of record as of September 4, 2026.
Dividends are one of the best benefits to being a shareholder, but finding a great dividend stock is no easy task. Does First Merchants (FRME) have what it takes?
First Merchants Corporation (FRME) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
First Merchants NASDAQ: FRME reported second-quarter 2026 net income of $43.5 million, or $0.70 per diluted share, as stronger revenue and margin expansion were offset by credit costs tied to two commercial loans moved to non-accrual status.
