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Side-by-side financial comparison of FIRST MERCHANTS CORP (FRME) and NICOLET BANKSHARES INC (NIC). Click either name above to swap in a different company.

FIRST MERCHANTS CORP is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($157.1M vs $104.0M, roughly 1.5× NICOLET BANKSHARES INC). NICOLET BANKSHARES INC runs the higher net margin — 38.8% vs 17.9%, a 20.9% gap on every dollar of revenue. Over the past eight quarters, NICOLET BANKSHARES INC's revenue compounded faster (12.5% CAGR vs -0.9%).

First Merchants Corporation is a financial holding company in Central Indiana, headquartered in Muncie, Indiana. The Corporation includes First Merchants Bank and First Merchants Private Wealth Advisors. The company is listed on the NASDAQ as FRME. As of March 2023, total asset size of First Merchants Corporation was $18.2 billion. First Merchants offers commercial banking, personal banking, and investment advisor services.

Nicolet Bankshares, Inc. is a U.S. regional bank holding company based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are the parent company of Nicolet National Bank, the second largest Wisconsin-based bank.

FRME vs NIC — Head-to-Head

Bigger by revenue
FRME
FRME
1.5× larger
FRME
$157.1M
$104.0M
NIC
Higher net margin
NIC
NIC
20.9% more per $
NIC
38.8%
17.9%
FRME
Faster 2-yr revenue CAGR
NIC
NIC
Annualised
NIC
12.5%
-0.9%
FRME

Income Statement — Q1 FY2026 vs Q4 FY2025

Metric
FRME
FRME
NIC
NIC
Revenue
$157.1M
$104.0M
Net Profit
$28.2M
$40.3M
Gross Margin
Operating Margin
48.3%
Net Margin
17.9%
38.8%
Revenue YoY
12.5%
Net Profit YoY
-49.1%
16.9%
EPS (diluted)
$0.45
$2.63

Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align.

8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend

Side-by-side quarterly history. Quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years line up.

Revenue
FRME
FRME
NIC
NIC
Q1 26
$157.1M
Q4 25
$172.2M
$104.0M
Q3 25
$166.1M
$102.9M
Q2 25
$164.3M
$95.7M
Q1 25
$160.3M
$89.4M
Q4 24
$177.1M
$92.4M
Q3 24
$156.0M
$90.7M
Q2 24
$159.9M
$85.0M
Net Profit
FRME
FRME
NIC
NIC
Q1 26
$28.2M
Q4 25
$57.1M
$40.3M
Q3 25
$56.8M
$41.7M
Q2 25
$56.8M
$36.0M
Q1 25
$55.3M
$32.6M
Q4 24
$64.3M
$34.5M
Q3 24
$49.2M
$32.5M
Q2 24
$39.9M
$29.3M
Operating Margin
FRME
FRME
NIC
NIC
Q1 26
Q4 25
38.0%
48.3%
Q3 25
39.3%
50.4%
Q2 25
39.6%
46.8%
Q1 25
39.4%
44.9%
Q4 24
43.3%
46.8%
Q3 24
36.1%
45.0%
Q2 24
27.5%
43.3%
Net Margin
FRME
FRME
NIC
NIC
Q1 26
17.9%
Q4 25
33.1%
38.8%
Q3 25
34.2%
40.6%
Q2 25
34.6%
37.6%
Q1 25
34.5%
36.4%
Q4 24
36.3%
37.3%
Q3 24
31.5%
35.8%
Q2 24
25.0%
34.5%
EPS (diluted)
FRME
FRME
NIC
NIC
Q1 26
$0.45
Q4 25
$0.98
$2.63
Q3 25
$0.98
$2.73
Q2 25
$0.98
$2.34
Q1 25
$0.94
$2.08
Q4 24
$1.09
$2.21
Q3 24
$0.84
$2.10
Q2 24
$0.68
$1.92

Balance Sheet & Financial Strength

Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.

Metric
FRME
FRME
NIC
NIC
Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand
Total DebtLower is stronger
$134.9M
Stockholders' EquityBook value
$2.7B
$1.3B
Total Assets
$21.1B
$9.2B
Debt / EquityLower = less leverage
0.11×

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Total Debt
FRME
FRME
NIC
NIC
Q1 26
Q4 25
$134.9M
Q3 25
$134.6M
Q2 25
$134.3M
Q1 25
$156.6M
Q4 24
$161.4M
Q3 24
$161.2M
Q2 24
$162.4M
Stockholders' Equity
FRME
FRME
NIC
NIC
Q1 26
$2.7B
Q4 25
$2.5B
$1.3B
Q3 25
$2.4B
$1.2B
Q2 25
$2.3B
$1.2B
Q1 25
$2.3B
$1.2B
Q4 24
$2.3B
$1.2B
Q3 24
$2.3B
$1.1B
Q2 24
$2.2B
$1.1B
Total Assets
FRME
FRME
NIC
NIC
Q1 26
$21.1B
Q4 25
$19.0B
$9.2B
Q3 25
$18.8B
$9.0B
Q2 25
$18.6B
$8.9B
Q1 25
$18.4B
$9.0B
Q4 24
$18.3B
$8.8B
Q3 24
$18.3B
$8.6B
Q2 24
$18.3B
$8.6B
Debt / Equity
FRME
FRME
NIC
NIC
Q1 26
Q4 25
0.11×
Q3 25
0.11×
Q2 25
0.11×
Q1 25
0.13×
Q4 24
0.14×
Q3 24
0.14×
Q2 24
0.15×

Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency

How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.

Metric
FRME
FRME
NIC
NIC
Operating Cash FlowLast quarter
$153.5M
Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex
$149.4M
FCF MarginFCF / Revenue
143.7%
Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue
3.9%
Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit
3.81×
TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters
$275.0M

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Operating Cash Flow
FRME
FRME
NIC
NIC
Q1 26
Q4 25
$283.6M
$153.5M
Q3 25
$87.6M
$45.9M
Q2 25
$53.7M
$38.9M
Q1 25
$61.7M
$41.8M
Q4 24
$266.2M
$133.7M
Q3 24
$76.8M
$39.6M
Q2 24
$63.0M
$37.3M
Free Cash Flow
FRME
FRME
NIC
NIC
Q1 26
Q4 25
$149.4M
Q3 25
$45.9M
Q2 25
$38.4M
Q1 25
$41.3M
Q4 24
$116.8M
Q3 24
$34.7M
Q2 24
$34.4M
FCF Margin
FRME
FRME
NIC
NIC
Q1 26
Q4 25
143.7%
Q3 25
44.6%
Q2 25
40.1%
Q1 25
46.2%
Q4 24
126.4%
Q3 24
38.3%
Q2 24
40.5%
Capex Intensity
FRME
FRME
NIC
NIC
Q1 26
Q4 25
3.9%
Q3 25
0.0%
Q2 25
0.6%
Q1 25
0.5%
Q4 24
18.3%
Q3 24
5.4%
Q2 24
3.5%
Cash Conversion
FRME
FRME
NIC
NIC
Q1 26
Q4 25
4.97×
3.81×
Q3 25
1.54×
1.10×
Q2 25
0.94×
1.08×
Q1 25
1.11×
1.28×
Q4 24
4.14×
3.88×
Q3 24
1.56×
1.22×
Q2 24
1.58×
1.28×

Financial Flow Comparison

Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.

Revenue Breakdown by Segment

FRME
FRME

Net Interest Income$151.3M96%
Noninterest Income$5.8M4%

NIC
NIC

Segment breakdown not available.

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