Merck (NYSE: MRK) finance SVP exercises options and sells 6,400 shares

Rhea-AI Filing Summary

Merck & Co., Inc. senior vice president of finance and global controller Dalton E. Smart III reported exercising stock options and selling shares of common stock. On 02/04/2026, he exercised an option for 4,000 shares of Merck common stock at an exercise price of $62.07 per share.

On the same date, Smart reported selling 4,000 Merck common shares at $119.675 per share, followed by an additional sale of 2,400 shares at the same price. After these transactions, he directly owned 8,204.816 shares of Merck common stock. The option originally vested in three equal annual installments beginning in 2018.

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

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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^*

Smart Dalton E. III

(Last) (First) (Middle)

126 EAST LINCOLN AVENUE

(Street)

RAHWAY NJ 07065

(City) (State) (Zip)

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

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

	Director		10% Owner
X	Officer (give title below)		Other (specify below)
	SVP Fin. - Global Controller

3. Date of Earliest Transaction (Month/Day/Year)
02/04/2026

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

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

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

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)
			Code	V	Amount	(A) or (D)	Price
Common Stock	02/04/2026		M		4,000	A	$62.07	14,604.816	D
Common Stock	02/04/2026		S		4,000	D	$119.675	10,604.816	D
Common Stock	02/04/2026		S		2,400	D	$119.675	8,204.816	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)
				Code	V	(A)	(D)	Date Exercisable	Expiration Date	Title	Amount or Number of Shares
Stock Option (Right to Buy)	$62.07	02/04/2026		M			4,000	05/05/2018(1)	05/04/2027	Common Stock	4,000	$0	8,130	D

Explanation of Responses:

1. The option became exercisable in equal installments on 5/5/2018, 5/5/2019 and 5/5/2020.

	/s/ Kelly E. W. Grez, attorney-in-fact for Dalton E. Smart, III	02/06/2026
	** Signature of Reporting Person	Date
Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities beneficially owned directly or indirectly.
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FAQ

What insider transaction did Merck (MRK) executive Dalton E. Smart III report?

Dalton E. Smart III reported exercising 4,000 Merck stock options and selling 6,400 common shares. The exercise occurred at $62.07 per share, with subsequent sales at $119.675 per share, leaving him with 8,204.816 directly owned shares.

How many Merck (MRK) shares did Dalton E. Smart III sell in this Form 4?

Dalton E. Smart III sold a total of 6,400 Merck common shares. He reported one sale of 4,000 shares and another of 2,400 shares, both at a price of $119.675 per share on 02/04/2026.

At what price did the Merck (MRK) options exercised by Dalton E. Smart III convert?

The reported stock option exercised by Dalton E. Smart III converted at an exercise price of $62.07 per share. This option covered 4,000 shares of Merck common stock and was originally granted with vesting installments beginning in 2018.

How many Merck (MRK) shares does Dalton E. Smart III own after the reported transactions?

After exercising options and selling shares, Dalton E. Smart III directly owns 8,204.816 Merck common shares. This figure reflects his beneficial ownership immediately following the 02/04/2026 sales reported on the Form 4.

What position does Dalton E. Smart III hold at Merck (MRK) in this Form 4?

Dalton E. Smart III is identified as an officer of Merck, serving as senior vice president of finance and global controller. The Form 4 indicates he is not a director or 10% beneficial owner of the company.

When did the Merck (MRK) stock option reported by Dalton E. Smart III become exercisable?

The stock option became exercisable in three equal installments. Those installments vested on 05/05/2018, 05/05/2019, and 05/05/2020, according to the footnote included with Dalton E. Smart III’s Form 4 filing.