MRK Dividend Calculator
Project dividend-reinvestment (DRIP) growth, income, and yield on cost for Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK). Pre-filled with MRK’s current yield of about 2.34% (as of Oct 13, 2026) — edit the growth and tax assumptions to fit your plan.
MRK dividend: yield, amount & dates
Snapshot of Merck & Co., Inc. (MRK) dividend data as of Oct 13, 2026. Figures change — verify the current numbers with your broker before investing.
MRK dividend income calculator
Pre-filled with MRK’s current yield of about 2.34%. See the income an amount of Merck & Co., Inc. would pay, or how much you’d need for a target monthly income.
MRK dividend history by year
Amounts as Merck paid them, grouped by ex-dividend date. Amounts before June 2021 are not adjusted for the Organon spin-off, so some websites show them about 4.6% lower.
| Year | Dividends per share | Change | Payments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026through Sep 15, 2026 | $2.55 | — | 3 |
| 2025 | $3.28 | +5.1% | 4 |
| 2024 | $3.12 | +5.4% | 4 |
| 2023 | $2.96 | +5.7% | 4 |
| 2022 | $2.80 | +6.1% | 4 |
| 2021 | $2.64 | +6.5% | 4 |
| 2020 | $2.48 | +9.7% | 4 |
| 2019 | $2.26 | +13.6% | 4 |
| 2018 | $1.99 | +5.3% | 4 |
| 2017 | $1.89 | +2.2% | 4 |
| 2016 | $1.85 | +2.2% | 4 |
| 2015 | $1.81 | +2.3% | 4 |
| 2014 | $1.77 | — | 4 |
What is Merck’s dividend for 2026?
$0.85 a share each quarter, or $3.40 for the year. Merck’s board set that rate in November 2025, up from $0.81, a raise of about 4.9%. It has declared $0.85 for every payment since.
Merck names its dividends a quarter ahead. The payment it calls the "first-quarter 2026 dividend" went ex on December 15, 2025 and was paid on January 8, 2026. The "fourth-quarter 2026 dividend" went ex on September 15 and was paid on October 7. By ex-date, three payments fell in 2026 so far, $2.55 per share.
Will MRK increase its dividend?
Each Merck raise since 2014 has started with the payment that goes ex in mid-December; in 2025 that dividend was declared on November 18. That is when a raise for 2027, if any, would show up. Recent raises have slowed: about 14.6% in late 2018, then 6.2% in 2021, 5.2% in 2024 and 4.9% in 2025.
As of October 16, 2026, Merck had not yet declared the dividend that goes ex in December.
Merck dividend history
As paid, the yearly total went from $1.77 a share in 2014 to $3.28 in 2025. That is about 6.1% a year over the decade from 2015. The pace changed twice. Until 2017 the raises were small, close to 2% a year. Then 2018 rose 5.3% and 2019 jumped 13.6%. Since 2021 the yearly gains have stayed between about 5% and 6.5%. 2025 came in 5.1% above 2024.
The Organon spin-off and old dividend numbers
On June 2, 2021, Merck spun off Organon, its women’s health, biosimilars and older-brands business. Holders got one Organon share for every 10 Merck shares. Merck did not cut its dividend at the time.
Some data sites shrink every earlier payment by about 4.6% to account for the spin-off. That is why Merck’s 2014 dividend shows as $1.77 here and about $1.69 elsewhere.
Is Merck a good dividend stock? Earnings and Keytruda
This page does not give advice. Two facts matter for the dividend. First, Merck’s August 2026 forecast for 2026 earnings is $2.66 to $2.76 a share on a non-GAAP basis, less than the $3.40 dividend. That range carries one-time charges for two drug-maker purchases: about $3.65 a share for Cidara and $2.43 for Terns.
Second, much of Merck’s income comes from one drug. In 2025, Keytruda brought in $31.7 billion of Merck’s $65.0 billion in sales, about half.
MRK dividend yield
Over the year to Oct 13, 2026, Merck’s payments added up to $3.40 a share. Its shares sat near $145.30, for a yield of about 2.34%.
For comparison, Pfizer yielded about 6.06% over the same span. 100 Merck shares pay $85 a quarter.
dividendhistory.org shows the amounts as paid. digrin.com shows the same payments, with every one before June 2021 scaled by one constant spin-off factor, and the latest 20 match stockanalysis.com. Last checked Oct 16, 2026. Sources: Merck — first-quarter 2026 dividend (Nov 18, 2025); Merck — fourth-quarter 2026 dividend (Jul 29, 2026); SEC — Merck second-quarter 2026 results (Aug 4, 2026); SEC — Merck fourth-quarter 2025 results (Feb 3, 2026); SEC — Merck completes Organon separation (Jun 3, 2021); dividendhistory.org — MRK payouts. Not financial advice.
Related dividend guides
MRK dividend snapshot
Raised over recent paymentsAs of Oct 13, 2026, MRK yields about 2.34%, having distributed $3.40 per share over the trailing twelve months.
Its most recent payment was $0.85 per share, which went ex-dividend on Sep 15, 2026 and paid on Oct 7, 2026.
Over the payments shown, MRK has raised its quarterly dividend from $0.81 to $0.85 per share — an increase of about 5%.
Based on MRK’s published payment record as of Oct 13, 2026 — a description of what the dividend has done, not a rating or a forecast.
About MRK
Merck is a major global pharmaceutical company known for vaccines, oncology, and animal-health products. It pays a quarterly dividend and has a multi-year record of annual increases.
MRK is a dividend-growth stock from Merck that distributes quarterly. Because dividend investing is about both income and the growth of that income, the calculator above lets you model three things independently for MRK: the starting yield, how fast the dividend grows each year, and how fast the share price appreciates. That separation matters most for high-yield versus dividend-growth choices, where a lower starting yield that grows quickly can overtake a higher static yield over time.
How to use the MRK calculator
- Replace the pre-filled yield with MRK’s current dividend yield from your broker or the fund’s page.
- Set your initial investment and monthly contribution.
- Estimate the dividend growth rate and price growth rate. For a dividend-growth stock these can differ a lot — be realistic rather than optimistic.
- Choose your dividend tax rate and whether to reinvest (DRIP), then read the projected value, dividends received, and yield on cost.
The full math, including how the money-weighted return is computed, is on the methodology page.
MRK dividend FAQ
- How often does Merck pay dividends?
- Quarterly. The money arrives early in January, April, July and October. Each payment goes ex about three weeks earlier, in mid-December, March, June or September.
- How much did Merck pay in 2025?
- $3.28 per share by ex-date: three payments of $0.81 and a December payment of $0.85.
- Did the Organon spin-off cut Merck’s dividend?
- No. Merck paid $0.65 a share in the quarter before the June 2021 spin-off and $0.65 in the quarter after it.
- How does this MRK dividend calculator work?
- It runs a month-by-month projection: each month it adds your contribution, pays a dividend based on the yield, optionally reinvests it (DRIP), then applies price growth. The page loads pre-filled with MRK's current yield (about 2.34% as of Oct 13, 2026); adjust the dividend-growth, price-growth, and tax assumptions to fit your own outlook.
- What yield should I use for MRK?
- As of Oct 13, 2026, MRK's dividend yield was about 2.34% ($3.40 per share over the trailing year). Yields move with the share price, so use the current figure from your broker rather than a fixed number. Enter the trailing or forward yield, whichever you prefer to model.
- How often does MRK pay dividends, and when?
- Merck & Co., Inc. pays a quarterly dividend; its most recent payment was $0.85 per share, ex-dividend Sep 15, 2026. This calculator compounds monthly and projects annual totals, so it works the same regardless of the payment schedule — the cadence just affects when cash actually lands in your account.
- Is the MRK projection a guarantee?
- No. It is an educational projection based on the assumptions you enter, held constant. Real dividends can rise, be cut, or stop, and prices fluctuate. Use it to compare scenarios, not to predict returns, and never rely on a single calculator for an investment decision.
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