Which is better, FRME or MKTX?

On the Buffett-Fit framework, MarketAxess Holdings Inc. (MKTX) currently grades higher than FRME — 72/100 (B grade) vs 57/100 (D). That said, "better" depends on which framework you trust — FRME wins on Peter Lynch; MKTX wins on Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Philip Fisher, Joel Greenblatt, Charlie Munger, and Terry Smith. The full pillar breakdown is on this page.

Should I buy FRME or MKTX?

This page is an educational comparison, not investment advice. Both FRME and MKTX are graded against the same Buffett 5-pillar framework (moat, earnings durability, management quality, financial health, valuation) plus six other documented investor frameworks. Read the side-by-side breakdown to see which one matches the criteria you care about most — and always do your own research before making any investment decision.

Is FRME better than MKTX for value investing?

On the Buffett-style value-investing framework, MKTX currently grades higher — 72/100 vs 57/100, a 15-point gap. The gap is driven by which pillars each stock passes; the table on this page shows moat, durability, management, financial health, and valuation side-by-side.

What's the difference between FRME and MKTX on Warren Buffett's framework?

Both stocks are evaluated on the same five pillars: economic moat (durable competitive advantage), earnings durability (consistent profitability), management quality (capital allocation), financial health (conservative balance sheet), and valuation (margin of safety). FRME currently scores 57/100 (D grade); MKTX scores 72/100 (B grade). The "Where each wins" section on this page breaks down which pillar each stock dominates.

Which has the stronger moat, FRME or MKTX?

Moat strength is one of the five pillars in the Buffett-Fit score on this page. FRME and MKTX are each scored on ROIC sustainability, gross-margin durability, and qualitative signals like brand strength, switching costs, network effects, and regulatory barriers. The pillar breakdown on this page shows the moat sub-score side-by-side so you can see which one has the more durable competitive advantage.

Which is more undervalued, FRME or MKTX?

Valuation is one of the five Buffett-Fit pillars on this page. Both stocks are scored on owner-earnings yield, price-to-intrinsic-value vs the underlying compounding rate, and the margin of safety relative to a conservative DCF. The valuation sub-score in the table below tells you which one currently trades at a more attractive price relative to its underlying business quality.

Are FRME and MKTX both Financial Services stocks?

Yes — both First Merchants Corporation (FRME) and MarketAxess Holdings Inc. (MKTX) operate in the Financial Services sector. That makes this a direct sector-peer comparison, which is the apples-to-apples way to use the Buffett-Fit framework: the score weighs each stock against its sector's specific quality and valuation benchmarks (sector-relative bonus), so the cross-stock comparison isn't distorted by inter-sector base-rate differences.

Is this FRME vs MKTX comparison investment advice?

No. This page is an educational pattern-match against documented public frameworks (Buffett, Graham, Fisher, Lynch, Greenblatt, Munger, Smith), not personalised investment advice. The scores reflect how closely each stock matches each framework's documented criteria — they are not buy/hold/sell recommendations. Always do your own research and consult a licensed financial adviser for personalised advice.

Stock comparison

First Merchants

MarketAxess Holdings

Scored across Buffett, Graham, Lynch and Greenblatt - plus a side-by-side metric table covering valuation, quality, growth and balance sheet.

FRME

First Merchants

Market cap

$2.53B

Sector

Financials

MKTX

MarketAxess Holdings

Market cap

$4.87B

Sector

Financials

Overall winner

MarketAxess Holdings MKTX

Wins on the combined sum of fit scores across all four strategies. Per-strategy breakdown below.

Fit scores by strategy

Strategy	FRME	MKTX	Winner
Warren Buffett	57D	72B	MKTX
Benjamin Graham	44D	73B	MKTX
Philip Fisher

Side-by-side metrics

Metric	FRME	MKTX
Market cap	$2.53B	$4.87B
P/E (TTM)	12.4x	15.8x
EV/EBIT	15.8x	13.7x
ROIC (TTM)	7.49%	12.93%
Gross margin	60.47%	70.47%
Net margin	18.9%	35.34%
Revenue CAGR 5y	17.24%

Where each one wins

The metrics with the biggest gap between the two - sorted so the most decisive edges read first.

FRME leads on

EPS CAGR 5y0.52%vs -0.81%+164%
Revenue CAGR 5y17.24%vs 4.91%+72%
Dividend yield3.56%vs 2.21%+38%
P/E (TTM)12.4xvs 15.8x

More like FRME

FRME vs MSCI FRME vs V FRME vs MA FRME vs PLMR FRME vs TW FRME vs NMIH

More like MKTX

MKTX vs MSCI

Related on invest-like

Strongest Moat Highest ROIC Warren Buffett strategy Economic Moat

Educational tool. Fit scores are deterministic projections from public financials onto each investor's published criteria - not personal recommendations or advice.