First Merchants Corporation has approved a new stock repurchase program authorizing buybacks of up to 3,125,000 shares of its outstanding common stock, with a total aggregate investment cap of $100,000,000. On a share basis, this represents approximately 5% of the company’s outstanding shares.
Repurchases may be made at management’s discretion from time to time in open market transactions, privately negotiated deals, or under a Rule 10b5-1 plan, in each case in accordance with Rule 10b-18 under the Exchange Act. The company is not obligated to repurchase any shares, can discontinue the program at any time, and will determine timing, number of shares, and prices based on market conditions, stock price, economic factors, and legal requirements. This program replaces a similar authorization approved in March 2025.
HARDWICK MARK K reported acquisition or exercise transactions in this Form 4 filing.
First Merchants Corp Chief Executive Officer Mark K. Hardwick received a grant of 30.782 phantom stock units tied to FRME common stock. The award was recorded at a reference price of $40.90 per unit, bringing his total phantom stock holdings to 3,354.695 units.
Each phantom stock unit is economically equivalent to one share of First Merchants common stock. According to the terms, these units will be settled in either cash or shares of FRME common stock, at Hardwick’s election, when he separates from First Merchants.
FLUHLER STEPHAN reported acquisition or exercise transactions in this Form 4 filing.
First Merchants Corp reported that Chief Information Officer and Senior Vice President Stephan Fluhler received a grant of 95.525 shares of phantom stock, each economically equivalent to one share of FRME common stock. Following this award, his phantom stock balance totals 1,652.904 shares.
The phantom stock will be settled in cash or in shares of FRME common stock, at Fluhler’s election, upon his separation from First Merchants. This is a compensation-related award, not an open‑market stock purchase or sale.
FIRST MERCHANTS CORP director Larry W. Myers reported open-market sales of common stock on consecutive days. He sold 10,000 shares at $41.50 per share on June 11, 2026, followed by another 10,000 shares at $42.00 per share on June 12, 2026, for total reported sales of 20,000 shares.
After these transactions, Myers directly holds 89,751 shares of common stock. He also has indirect holdings through a 401k account and a spousal IRA, which are reported separately in the filing.
First Merchants Corporation insider reported a small resale. The filing lists vested restricted shares from 12/31/2017 (15,300 shares) and 06/16/2019 (9,700 shares). The report records a sale of 1 share by Larry W. Myers on 05/05/2026 at $16.51.
FIRST MERCHANTS CORP director Paul G. Fultz filed an initial Form 3 as a reporting person. This filing establishes his status as an insider for disclosure purposes, providing a baseline for any future transactions or holdings that may be reported on subsequent forms.
FIRST MERCHANTS CORP director and First Vice President Larry W. Myers reported a very small open-market sale of Common Stock. On May 5, 2026, he sold 0.407 shares at $40.54 per share and held 109,751 shares directly afterward.
In addition to these direct holdings, he also reported indirect ownership through retirement-related accounts. As of the same date, 71,983 shares were held in a Spousal IRA and 152,281.114 shares were held in a 401k, both reported as indirect ownership.
First Merchants Corporation reported results from its annual meeting of shareholders held on May 19, 2026. Shareholders elected nine directors to one-year terms expiring at the 2027 annual meeting, with each nominee receiving more votes for than withheld.
Investors also approved, on a non-binding advisory basis, the compensation of the company’s named executive officers, with 43,084,564 votes for and 2,221,954 against. In addition, shareholders approved the appointment of Forvis Mazars, LLP as independent registered public accounting firm for 2026, with 51,146,053 votes for and 1,842,114 against.
First Merchants Corporation announced that long-serving director Gary Lehman, a member of the Compensation and Human Resources Committee, retired from its Board of Directors effective May 19, 2026. The company stated his retirement was not due to any disagreement over operations, policies, or practices.
The Board appointed Paul Fultz, a retired KPMG audit partner with more than 30 years advising public company boards, to fill the resulting vacancy and to serve on the Audit Committee. His initial term runs until the 2027 Annual Meeting, when he will stand for election to a one-year term.
First Merchants Corporation declared a cash dividend of $0.37 per common share. The dividend will be paid on June 19, 2026 to common shareholders who are on the company’s books as of the record date of June 5, 2026. This reflects an ongoing return of cash to shareholders from the Muncie, Indiana-based financial holding company.