Merck (NYSE: MRK) CEO receives new stock option and RSU awards

Filing Impact

(Neutral)

Filing Sentiment

(Neutral)

Form Type

Rhea-AI Filing Summary

Merck & Co., Inc. Chairman, CEO & President Robert M. Davis reported new equity awards and updated his shareholdings. He now holds 450,350.757 shares of common stock directly. On May 5, 2026, he was granted 139,697 stock options with an exercise price of $113.15 per share, vesting in three equal installments on May 5, 2027, 2028 and 2029. He also received 47,724 restricted stock units, each representing a right to one Merck common share, vesting and settling in three equal installments on May 5, 2027, 2028 and 2029.

Insider Trade Summary

3 transactions reported

Mixed 3 txns

Insider Davis Robert M

Role Chairman, CEO & President

Type	Security	Shares	Price	Value
Grant/Award	Restricted Stock Unit	47,724	$0.00	--
Grant/Award	Stock Option (Right to Buy)	139,697	$0.00	--
holding	Common Stock	--	--	--

Holdings After Transaction: Restricted Stock Unit — 47,724 shares (Direct, null); Stock Option (Right to Buy) — 139,697 shares (Direct, null); Common Stock — 450,350.757 shares (Direct, null)

Footnotes (1)

Each restricted stock unit represents a contingent right to receive one share of Merck & Co., Inc. common stock. These restricted stock units vest and are distributed as shares of Merck & Co., Inc. common stock in three equal installments on 5/5/2027, 5/5/2028, and, 5/5/2029. The option vests and becomes exercisable in equal installments on 5/5/2027, 5/5/2028, and, 5/5/2029.

Key Figures

Common stock held: 450,350.757 shares Stock options granted: 139,697 options Option exercise price: $113.15 per share +4 more

7 metrics

Common stock held 450,350.757 shares Direct ownership after reported transactions

Stock options granted 139,697 options Grant on May 5, 2026

Option exercise price $113.15 per share Stock option strike price

RSUs granted 47,724 units Restricted stock units granted May 5, 2026

Option vesting dates May 5, 2027/2028/2029 Equal installments vesting schedule

RSU vesting dates May 5, 2027/2028/2029 Equal installments distribution schedule

Option expiration May 4, 2036 Final expiration date of stock options

Key Terms

Restricted Stock Unit, Stock Option (Right to Buy), conversion or exercise price, vests and becomes exercisable, +1 more

5 terms

Restricted Stock Unit financial

"security_title": "Restricted Stock Unit""

A restricted stock unit is a promise from a company to give an employee shares of stock after certain conditions are met, like staying with the company for a set amount of time. It’s like earning a bonus that turns into company stock once you’ve proven your commitment, making it a way to motivate and reward employees.

Stock Option (Right to Buy) financial

"security_title": "Stock Option (Right to Buy)""

conversion or exercise price financial

""conversion_or_exercise_price": "113.1500""

vests and becomes exercisable financial

"The option vests and becomes exercisable in equal installments"

contingent right financial

"Each restricted stock unit represents a contingent right to receive one share"

Form 4 Insider Transactions: What Each Field Means →

05/07/2026 - 11:52 AM

SEC Form 4

FORM 4

UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP

Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
or Section 30(h) of the Investment Company Act of 1940

OMB APPROVAL

OMB Number:			3235-0287
Estimated average burden
hours per response:			0.5

Check this box if no longer subject to Section 16. Form 4 or Form 5 obligations may continue. See Instruction 1(b).

Check this box to indicate that a transaction was made pursuant to a contract, instruction or written plan for the purchase or sale of equity securities of the issuer that is intended to satisfy the affirmative defense conditions of Rule 10b5-1(c). See Instruction 10.

1. Name and Address of Reporting Person^*

Davis Robert M

(Last)

(First)

(Middle)

MERCK & CO., INC.

126 EAST LINCOLN AVENUE

(Street)

RAHWAY

NEW JERSEY

07065

(City)

(State)

(Zip)

UNITED STATES

(Country)

2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
Merck & Co., Inc. [ MRK ]

5. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer
(Check all applicable)

X	Director	10% Owner
X	Officer (give title below)	Other (specify below)
	Chairman, CEO & President

2a. Foreign Trading Symbol

3. Date of Earliest Transaction (Month/Day/Year)
05/05/2026

6. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line)

X	Form filed by One Reporting Person
	Form filed by More than One Reporting Person

4. If Amendment, Date of Original Filed (Month/Day/Year)

Table I - Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned
1. Title of Security (Instr. 3)	2. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year)	2A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year)	3. Transaction Code (Instr. 8)		4. Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed Of (D) (Instr. 3, 4 and 5)			5. Amount of Securities Beneficially Owned Following Reported Transaction(s) (Instr. 3 and 4)	6. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4)	7. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)
1. Title of Security (Instr. 3)	2. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year)	2A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year)	Code	V	Amount	(A) or (D)	Price		6. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4)	7. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)
Common Stock								450,350.757	D

Table II - Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned (e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities)
1. Title of Derivative Security (Instr. 3)	2. Conversion or Exercise Price of Derivative Security	3. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year)	3A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year)	4. Transaction Code (Instr. 8)		5. Number of Derivative Securities Acquired (A) or Disposed of (D) (Instr. 3, 4 and 5)		6. Date Exercisable and Expiration Date (Month/Day/Year)		7. Title and Amount of Securities Underlying Derivative Security (Instr. 3 and 4)		8. Price of Derivative Security (Instr. 5)	9. Number of derivative Securities Beneficially Owned Following Reported Transaction(s) (Instr. 4)	10. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4)	11. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)
1. Title of Derivative Security (Instr. 3)	2. Conversion or Exercise Price of Derivative Security	3. Transaction Date (Month/Day/Year)	3A. Deemed Execution Date, if any (Month/Day/Year)	Code	V	(A)	(D)	Date Exercisable	Expiration Date	Title	Amount or Number of Shares	8. Price of Derivative Security (Instr. 5)		10. Ownership Form: Direct (D) or Indirect (I) (Instr. 4)	11. Nature of Indirect Beneficial Ownership (Instr. 4)
Restricted Stock Unit	⁽¹⁾	05/05/2026		A		47,724		05/05/2027⁽²⁾	05/05/2029	Common Stock	47,724	$0	47,724	D
Stock Option (Right to Buy)	$113.15	05/05/2026		A		139,697		05/05/2027⁽³⁾	05/04/2036	Common Stock	139,697	$0	139,697	D

Explanation of Responses:

1. Each restricted stock unit represents a contingent right to receive one share of Merck & Co., Inc. common stock.

2. These restricted stock units vest and are distributed as shares of Merck & Co., Inc. common stock in three equal installments on 5/5/2027, 5/5/2028, and, 5/5/2029.

3. The option vests and becomes exercisable in equal installments on 5/5/2027, 5/5/2028, and, 5/5/2029.

	/s/ Kelly E. W. Grez as Attorney-in-Fact for Robert M. Davis	05/07/2026
	** Signature of Reporting Person	Date
Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially owned directly or indirectly.
* If the form is filed by more than one reporting person, see Instruction 4 (b)(v).
** Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal Violations See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a).
Note: File three copies of this Form, one of which must be manually signed. If space is insufficient, see Instruction 6 for procedure.
Persons who respond to the collection of information contained in this form are not required to respond unless the form displays a currently valid OMB Number.
* Form 4: SEC 1474 (03-26)

Source: View Original Filing on SEC EDGAR

FAQ

What equity awards did Merck (MRK) CEO Robert M. Davis receive in this Form 4?

Robert M. Davis received stock options and restricted stock units. He was granted 139,697 stock options with a $113.15 exercise price and 47,724 restricted stock units, each convertible into one Merck common share, all awarded on May 5, 2026.

What is the vesting schedule for Robert M. Davis’s new Merck (MRK) stock options?

The stock options vest in three equal installments. They become exercisable in equal portions on May 5, 2027, May 5, 2028, and May 5, 2029, according to the filing footnote, with an expiration date of May 4, 2036 if not exercised earlier.

How do the restricted stock units granted to Merck (MRK) CEO vest and settle?

Each restricted stock unit represents a contingent right to one Merck share. These 47,724 units vest and are distributed as common stock in three equal installments on May 5, 2027, May 5, 2028, and May 5, 2029, as described in the filing’s footnotes.

What is Robert M. Davis’s Merck (MRK) common stock holding after these transactions?

After the reported transactions, Robert M. Davis directly holds 450,350.757 shares of Merck common stock. This figure reflects his direct ownership reported in the Form 4 and provides context for the scale of his equity position in the company.

Were Robert M. Davis’s Merck (MRK) stock option and RSU awards open-market purchases?

No, these were not open-market purchases. The filing labels both the stock option and restricted stock unit entries with transaction code “A,” indicating grant or award acquisitions rather than shares bought or sold on the open market.