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?
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?
MUNCIE, Ind., Feb. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Merchants Corporation declared a cash dividend on February 7, 2025 of $0.35 per share. The dividend is payable on March 21, 2025, to common shareholders of record as of March 7, 2025. For purposes of broker trading, the ex-date of the cash dividend is March 6, 2025.
Does First Merchants (FRME) have what it takes to be a top stock pick for momentum investors? Let's find out.
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 (NASDAQ:FRME ) Q4 2024 Earnings Conference Call January 30, 2025 11:30 AM ET Company Participants Mark Hardwick - Chief Executive Officer Michael Stewart - President Michele Kawiecki - Chief Financial Officer John Martin - Chief Credit Officer Conference Call Participants Brendan Nosal - Hovde Group Terry McEvoy - Stephens Damon DelMonte - KBW Nathan Race - Piper Sandler Daniel Tamayo - Raymond James Operator Thank you for standing by and welcome to the First Merchants Corporation's Fourth Quarter 2024 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 of financial condition of First Merchants Corporation that involve risks and uncertainties.
The headline numbers for First Merchants (FRME) give insight into how the company performed in the quarter ended December 2024, but it may be worthwhile to compare some of its key metrics to Wall Street estimates and the year-ago actuals.
First Merchants (FRME) came out with quarterly earnings of $1 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.90 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.87 per share a year ago.
The margin will continue to expand because (i) deposits will re-price downwards, and (ii) proceeds from maturing securities will get rolled over into higher-yielding securities. Strong pipelines indicate that loan growth can remain healthy in the near term. I'm expecting the EPS to grow to $3.60 in 2025.
First Merchants (FRME) might move higher on growing optimism about its earnings prospects, which is reflected by its upgrade to a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).