MRK Dividend History & Yield

Merck & Co., Inc. · NYSE

Stock Healthcare Quarterly payer Dividend growthHealthcare
$148.46
-1.24% today
as of Sep 8, 2026
TTM yield
2.26%
$3.36/share over the last 12 months
Forward yield
2.29%
$3.40/share indicated annual rate
Annual dividend
$3.40
per share, forward
Per payment
$0.85
per share, every quarter
Frequency
Quarterly
4 payments a year
Next ex-dividend date
Sep 15, 2026 Declared
in 7 days
Next pay date
Oct 7, 2026
in 29 days
Last ex-dividend date
Jun 15, 2026
$0.85 per share
Payout ratio
269%
of earnings
Market cap
366.3B
P/E 118.8
5y dividend CAGR
+6.3%
annualised, regular payments
Growth streak
15 yrs
consecutive annual raises
Years paying
64.5
since Mar 6, 1962
1y total return
+80.5%
price +76.5% + dividends 4.0%

Upcoming dividend payments

Ex-datePay datePer sharePer 100 sharesStatus
Tue, Sep 15, 2026 (in 7 days) Oct 7, 2026 $0.85 $85.00 Declared
Tue, Dec 15, 2026 (in 98 days) Dec 29, 2026 $0.85 $85.00 Estimated
Tue, Mar 16, 2027 (in 189 days) Mar 30, 2027 $0.85 $85.00 Estimated
Tue, Jun 15, 2027 (in 280 days) Jun 29, 2027 $0.85 $85.00 Estimated

Estimated dates and amounts are projected from MRK's recent payment pattern and will be replaced by declared figures when the company announces them. Total over the next 12 months: about $3.40 per share.

Dividend payment history

Last 40 payments per share. RegularSpecial

Last 40 payments per share from Sep 13, 2016 to Jun 15, 2026; most recent $0.85$0.00$0.50$1.00Sep 13, 2016: $0.4389Sep '16Dec 13, 2016: $0.4485Mar 13, 2017: $0.4485Jun 13, 2017: $0.4485Sep 14, 2017: $0.4485Dec 14, 2017: $0.458Dec '17Mar 14, 2018: $0.458Jun 14, 2018: $0.458Sep 14, 2018: $0.458Dec 14, 2018: $0.5248Mar 14, 2019: $0.5248Mar '19Jun 14, 2019: $0.5248Sep 13, 2019: $0.5248Dec 13, 2019: $0.5821Mar 13, 2020: $0.5821Jun 12, 2020: $0.5821Jun '20Sep 14, 2020: $0.5821Dec 14, 2020: $0.6202Mar 12, 2021: $0.6202Jun 14, 2021: $0.65Sep 14, 2021: $0.65Sep '21Dec 14, 2021: $0.69Mar 14, 2022: $0.69Jun 14, 2022: $0.69Sep 14, 2022: $0.69Dec 14, 2022: $0.73Dec '22Mar 14, 2023: $0.73Jun 14, 2023: $0.73Sep 14, 2023: $0.73Dec 14, 2023: $0.77Mar 14, 2024: $0.77Mar '24Jun 17, 2024: $0.77Sep 16, 2024: $0.77Dec 16, 2024: $0.81Mar 17, 2025: $0.81Jun 16, 2025: $0.81Jun '25Sep 15, 2025: $0.81Dec 15, 2025: $0.85Mar 16, 2026: $0.85Jun 15, 2026: $0.85

Annual dividends per share

Annual dividend per share by calendar year, 2017 to 2026 (year to date)$0.00$2.00$4.002017: $1.8034$1.803420172018: $1.8989$1.898920182019: $2.1565$2.156520192020: $2.3664$2.366420202021: $2.6102$2.610220212022: $2.80$2.8020222023: $2.96$2.9620232024: $3.12$3.1220242025: $3.28$3.2820252026 (YTD): $1.70$1.702026 YTD

How much MRK do you need for monthly income?

Target incomeShares neededCapital at today's pricePer year
$100 / month353$52,398$1,200
$500 / month1,765$261,988$6,000
$1,000 / month3,530$523,976$12,000

Based on the forward yield of 2.29%. $10,000 in MRK would currently pay about $229 a year ($19 a month on average). Model reinvestment and growth →

MRK dividend history

Show all 255 payments
Ex-datePay dateAmountChange
Jun 15, 2026 $0.85 +0.0%
Mar 16, 2026 $0.85 +0.0%
Dec 15, 2025 $0.85 +4.9%
Sep 15, 2025 $0.81 +0.0%
Jun 16, 2025 $0.81 +0.0%
Mar 17, 2025 $0.81 +0.0%
Dec 16, 2024 $0.81 +5.2%
Sep 16, 2024 $0.77 +0.0%
Jun 17, 2024 $0.77 +0.0%
Mar 14, 2024 $0.77 +0.0%
Dec 14, 2023 $0.77 +5.5%
Sep 14, 2023 $0.73 +0.0%
Jun 14, 2023 $0.73 +0.0%
Mar 14, 2023 $0.73 +0.0%
Dec 14, 2022 $0.73 +5.8%
Sep 14, 2022 $0.69 +0.0%
Jun 14, 2022 $0.69 +0.0%
Mar 14, 2022 $0.69 +0.0%
Dec 14, 2021 $0.69 +6.2%
Sep 14, 2021 $0.65 +0.0%
Jun 14, 2021 $0.65 +4.8%
Mar 12, 2021 $0.6202 +0.0%
Dec 14, 2020 $0.6202 +6.6%
Sep 14, 2020 $0.5821 +0.0%

Payout risk check

Yield-trap heuristicLow risk

MRK scores 20/100 on our yield-trap heuristic (low risk).

1 warning flag raised:

  • Payout ratio above 100% of earnings

This is a rule-based screen computed from public data, not a rating or a recommendation. Read our guide to yield traps for what the signals mean.

About Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co., Inc. operates as a healthcare company worldwide. It offers human health pharmaceutical for various areas under the Keytruda, Keytruda Qlex, Welireg, Gardasil, ProQuad, M-M-R II, Varivax, Vaxneuvance, Capvaxive, RotaTeq, Pneumovax 23, Bridion, Prevymis, Dificid, Zerbaxa, Winrevair, Adempas/ Verquvo, Ohtuvayre, Lagevrio, Isentress/Isentress HD, Delstrigo, Pifeltro, Belsomra, Januvia, and Janumet brands.

Sector: Healthcare. Industry: Drug Manufacturers - General. First dividend on our records: Mar 6, 1962. 255 payments tracked.

MRK dividend FAQ

When is MRK's next ex-dividend date?

MRK's next ex-dividend date is Sep 15, 2026 (in 7 days, declared by the company). You must own the shares before that date to receive the payment of about $0.85 per share, expected on Oct 7, 2026.

How often does MRK pay dividends?

MRK pays dividends every quarter, 4 times a year. The most recent payment was $0.85 per share with an ex-date of Jun 15, 2026.

What is MRK's dividend yield?

MRK's trailing 12-month dividend yield is 2.26%, based on $3.36 per share paid over the last year and a share price of $148.46. The forward yield, using the indicated annual rate of $3.40 per share, is 2.29%.

How much does MRK pay per share?

MRK pays about $0.85 per share each quarter, which works out to roughly $3.40 per share a year. 100 shares would collect about $340.00 a year.

Has MRK grown or cut its dividend?

MRK has raised its annual dividend for 15 consecutive years. Over the last 5 years the regular payout has grown at 6.3% a year (+5.0% over the last year). There has been no cut to a regular payment in the last 5 years.

How many shares of MRK do I need to earn $100 a month?

At the current forward yield of 2.29%, you would need about 353 shares of MRK (roughly $52,398 invested at today's price) to collect $1,200 a year, or $100 a month on average, before taxes. Payments arrive every quarter, so the monthly figure is an average.

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