Sifting through countless of stocks in the Banks industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in First Merchants Corporation, WesBanco or Inc. because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how First Merchants Corporation, WesBanco and Inc. compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About First Merchants Corporation, WesBanco and Inc.

First Merchants Corporation operates as the financial holding company for First Merchants Bank that provides commercial and consumer banking services. The company offers a range of financial services, including checking, savings, and deposit products; debit and credit cards; mortgages, refinance, construction or renovation of residential properties, agricultural lending, treasury management services and depository products. It also provides personal and commercial wealth management services, brokerage, investment management, private banking, fiduciary estate, and financial planning services. The company operates banking locations in Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan counties. It offers its services through electronic and mobile delivery channels. First Merchants Corporation was founded in 1893 and is headquartered in Muncie, Indiana.

WesBanco, Inc. operates as the bank holding company for WesBanco Bank, Inc. that provides retail banking, corporate banking, personal and corporate trust, brokerage, mortgage banking, and insurance services to individuals and businesses in the United States. It operates in two segments, Community Banking, and Trust and Investment Services. The company accepts interest and non-interest-bearing demand, money market, and savings deposit accounts, as well as certificates of deposit; and offers land and construction, improved property, commercial and industrial, residential real estate mortgage, and consumer loans, as well as home equity lines of credit and overdrafts. It also provides mutual funds and annuities; and property, casualty, life, and title insurance services, as well as holds commercial real estate properties and investment securities. In addition, the company offers letters of credit and international wire services, as well as operates as an investment adviser to a family of mutual funds. It operates through branches and ATM machines in West Virginia, Ohio, western Pennsylvania, Kentucky, southern Indiana, Michigan, and Maryland. WesBanco, Inc. was founded in 1870 and is headquartered in Wheeling, West Virginia.

Latest Banks and First Merchants Corporation, WesBanco, Inc. Stock News

As of September 2, 2026, First Merchants Corporation had a $2.6 billion market capitalization, compared to the Banks median of $750.0 million. First Merchants Corporation’s stock is up 12.3% in 2026, up 1% in the previous five trading days and up 1.04% in the past year.

Currently, First Merchants Corporation’s price-earnings ratio is 13.5. First Merchants Corporation’s trailing 12-month revenue is $642.2 million with a 29.0% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 2.8%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $3.863 per share for the current fiscal year. First Merchants Corporation currently has a 3.6% dividend yield.

As of September 2, 2026, WesBanco, Inc. had a $3.9 billion market cap, putting it in the 63rd percentile of all stocks. WesBanco, Inc.’s stock is up 24.3% in 2026, up 2.1% in the previous five trading days and up 24.93% in the past year.

Currently, WesBanco, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 11.7. WesBanco, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $1.0 billion with a 34.0% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 3.5%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $3.584 per share for the current fiscal year. WesBanco, Inc. currently has a 3.8% dividend yield.

How We Compare First Merchants Corporation, WesBanco and Inc. Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at First Merchants Corporation, WesBanco and Inc.’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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First Merchants Corporation, WesBanco and Inc. Stock Value Grades

Company	Ticker	Value
First Merchants Corporation	FRME	C
WesBanco, Inc.	WSBC	B

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection.

Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

AAII’s A+ Investor Value Grade derives from a stock’s value score. The Value Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of the price-to-sales ratio, price-earnings ratio, enterprise-value-to-EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) ratio, shareholder yield, price-to-book-value ratio and price-to-free-cash-flow ratio. The score is variable, meaning it can consider all six ratios or, should any of the six ratios not be valid, the remaining ratios that are valid. To be assigned a Value Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) ratio and corresponding ranking for at least two of the six valuation ratios.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are a good value and so on.

First Merchants Corporation has a Value Score of 58, which is Average. WesBanco, Inc. has a Value Score of 73, which is Value.

The Value Stock Winner: WesBanco, Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Value Grade breakdown above, WesBanco, Inc. is considered to have better value than First Merchants Corporation. For investors who focus solely on a company’s valuation, WesBanco, Inc. could be a good stock to add to their portfolio. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

First Merchants Corporation, WesBanco and Inc. Growth Grades

Company	Ticker	Growth
First Merchants Corporation	FRME	A
WesBanco, Inc.	WSBC	B

The foundation of growth investing is seeking out stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth that is expected to continue into the future.

In order to compute the growth score and assign it a letter grade, the percentile ranks for each of three components‐consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations‐must be determined. These three rank figures are added together, and the sum is ranked against the entire stock universe to arrive at a company’s Growth Score to create an equal distribution of grades.

The companies in the bottom 20% of the stock universe receive Growth Grades of F, considered to be very weak, while those in the top 20% receive A grades, which are considered very strong.

First Merchants Corporation has a Growth Score of 95, which is Very Strong. WesBanco, Inc. has a Growth Score of 64, which is Strong.

The Growth Grade Winner: First Merchants Corporation

As you can clearly see from the Growth Grade breakdown above, First Merchants Corporation has a more attractive growth grade than WesBanco, Inc.. For investors who focus solely on how a company is growing relative to other companies in the same industry, First Merchants Corporation could be a good stock to add to their portfolio. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

First Merchants Corporation, WesBanco and Inc.’s Estimate Revisions Grades

Company	Ticker	Earnings Estimate
First Merchants Corporation	FRME	D
WesBanco, Inc.	WSBC	C

Earnings estimate revisions scores consider the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, positive surprises beget further positive surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Estimate revisions offer an indication of what analysts are thinking about the short-term prospects of a firm. Estimate revisions are based on the statistical significance of a firm’s last two quarterly earnings surprises and the percentage change in its consensus estimate for the current fiscal year over the past month and past three months.

First Merchants Corporation has a Earnings Estimate Score of 34, which is Negative. WesBanco, Inc. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 58, which is Neutral.

The Earnings Estimate Revisions Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither First Merchants Corporation, WesBanco or Inc. has an Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade that could be considered a “winner.” Investors considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolios. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if First Merchants Corporation, WesBanco or Inc. is the better investment when it comes to estimate revisions.

Other First Merchants Corporation, WesBanco and Inc. Grades

In addition to Growth, Value and Estimate Revisions, A+ Investor also provides grades for Momentum and Quality.

Momentum grades help uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming.

AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the ranking of key metrics. Specifically, the quality grade is the percentile rank of the composite of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and F-Score.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether First Merchants Corporation, WesBanco and Inc. pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, First Merchants Corporation, WesBanco or Inc. Stock?

Overall, First Merchants Corporation stock has a Value Score of 58, Growth Score of 95 and Estimate Revisions Score of 34.

WesBanco, Inc. stock has a Value Score of 73, Growth Score of 64 and Estimate Revisions Score of 58.

Comparing First Merchants Corporation, WesBanco and Inc.’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.