Merck (MRK) EVP Jennifer Zachary exercises options and sells 80,315 shares

Rhea-AI Filing Summary

Merck & Co., Inc. EVP and General Counsel Jennifer Zachary exercised stock options for 41,494 shares at an exercise price of $117.89 and 13,433 shares at $84.71, then sold 80,315 common shares on 2026-08-12 at a weighted average price of $133.4557 per share, within a price range of $133.03 to $133.50. The options referenced in the footnotes vested or will vest in equal annual installments. The transactions are not reported as made under a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Insider Trade Summary

Exercise and sale activity reported; no spread calculated

Exercise and Sale 5 txns

Insider Zachary Jennifer

Role EVP, General Counsel

Sold 80,315 shs ($10.72M)

Approx. gross sale proceeds $10.72M

Approx. exercise cost $6.03M

Type	Security	Shares	Price	Value
Exercise	Stock Option (Right to Buy) F2	41,494	$0.00	$0.00
Exercise	Stock Option (Right to Buy) F3	13,433	$0.00	$0.00
Exercise	Common Stock	41,494	$117.89	$4.89M
Exercise	Common Stock	13,433	$84.71	$1.14M
Sale	Common Stock F1	80,315	$133.4557	$10.72M

Holdings After Transaction: Stock Option (Right to Buy) — 0 shares (Direct); Common Stock — 45,509.254 shares (Direct)

Footnotes (3)

1. F1. The price reported in Column 4 is a weighted average price. These shares were sold in multiple transactions at prices ranging from $133.0300 to $133.5000, inclusive. The reporting person undertakes to provide to Merck & Co., Inc., any security holder of Merck & Co., Inc., or the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission, upon request, full information regarding the number of shares sold at each separate price within the range set forth above in this footnote.
2. F2. The options vested and became exercisable in equal installments on 5/2/2024, 5/2/2025 and 5/2/2026.
3. F3. The options vest and become exercisable in equal installments on 4/29/2026, 4/29/2027, and 4/29/2028.

Key Figures

Shares sold: 80,315 shares Weighted average sale price: $133.4557 per share Sale price range: $133.03 to $133.50 per share +2 more

5 metrics

Shares sold 80,315 shares Common stock sale on 2026-08-12 by EVP, General Counsel Jennifer Zachary

Weighted average sale price $133.4557 per share Weighted average price for 80,315 Merck common shares sold

Sale price range $133.03 to $133.50 per share Price range for multiple sale transactions reported in footnote F1

Options exercised at $117.89 41,494 shares Stock options exercised into common stock at $117.89 per share

Options exercised at $84.71 13,433 shares Stock options exercised into common stock at $84.71 per share

Key Terms

Stock Option (Right to Buy), weighted average price, vest and become exercisable

3 terms

Stock Option (Right to Buy) financial

"security_title is listed as Stock Option (Right to Buy) for derivative entries"

weighted average price financial

"The price reported in Column 4 is a weighted average price."

Weighted average price is the average price of a security where each trade or component is counted according to its size, so bigger trades pull the average more than smaller ones. Think of it like calculating the average cost of a grocery haul where items you bought more of have greater influence on the final per-item cost. Investors use it to understand the true average price paid or received, judge execution quality, and compare trading performance against market movement.

vest and become exercisable financial

"The options vest and become exercisable in equal installments on 4/29/2026, 4/29/2027, and 4/29/2028."

FAQ

What did Merck (MRK) EVP Jennifer Zachary report in this Form 4?

Jennifer Zachary reported exercising stock options for 54,927 Merck shares and selling 80,315 common shares on 2026-08-12, reflecting option exercises followed by an open-market sale.

How many Merck (MRK) shares did Jennifer Zachary sell and at what price?

She sold 80,315 common shares at a weighted average price of $133.4557 per share. A footnote states the sale prices ranged from $133.03 to $133.50 across multiple transactions.

What stock options did Jennifer Zachary exercise in Merck (MRK)?

She exercised options for 41,494 shares of Merck common stock at $117.89 per share and 13,433 shares at $84.71 per share, converting these options into an equal number of common shares.

When do Jennifer Zachary’s Merck (MRK) options vest and become exercisable?

A footnote states 41,494 options vested in equal installments on 5/2/2024, 5/2/2025, and 5/2/2026, while 13,433 options vest in equal installments on 4/29/2026, 4/29/2027, and 4/29/2028.

Were Jennifer Zachary’s Merck (MRK) trades under a Rule 10b5-1 plan?

The filing’s Rule 10b5-1 checkbox is not marked as affirmative, indicating these reported transactions are not identified as made under a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

What was the role of Jennifer Zachary at Merck (MRK) in this Form 4?

The reporting person, Jennifer Zachary, is listed as EVP, General Counsel of Merck & Co., Inc., and all reported transactions involve direct ownership of the securities.

AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

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Form 4 Insider Transactions: What Each Field Means →

Available on EDGAR 08/13/2026 - 04:13 PM Accepted by SEC EDGAR 08/13/2026 - 04:11 PM Learn about SEC filing dates

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^*

Zachary Jennifer

(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)

	Director		10% Owner
X	Officer (give title below)		Other (specify below)
	EVP, General Counsel

2a. Foreign Trading Symbol

3. Date of Earliest Transaction (Month/Day/Year)
08/12/2026

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)
			Code	V	Amount	(A) or (D)	Price
Common Stock	08/12/2026		M		41,494	A	$117.89	112,391.254	D
Common Stock	08/12/2026		M		13,433	A	$84.71	125,824.254	D
Common Stock	08/12/2026		S		80,315	D	$133.4557(1)	45,509.254	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)	$117.89	08/12/2026		M			41,494	05/02/2024(2)	05/01/2033	Common Stock	41,494	$0	0	D
Stock Option (Right to Buy)	$84.71	08/12/2026		M			13,433	04/29/2026(3)	04/28/2035	Common Stock	13,433	$0	0	D

Explanation of Responses:

1. The price reported in Column 4 is a weighted average price. These shares were sold in multiple transactions at prices ranging from $133.0300 to $133.5000, inclusive. The reporting person undertakes to provide to Merck & Co., Inc., any security holder of Merck & Co., Inc., or the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission, upon request, full information regarding the number of shares sold at each separate price within the range set forth above in this footnote.

2. The options vested and became exercisable in equal installments on 5/2/2024, 5/2/2025 and 5/2/2026.

3. The options vest and become exercisable in equal installments on 4/29/2026, 4/29/2027, and 4/29/2028.

	/s/ Kelly E. W. Grez as Attorney-in-Fact for Jennifer Zachary	08/13/2026
	** 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)