Merck & Co. (MRK) Stock Buyback History
TTM buyback yield 2.39% · Shareholder yield (TTM) 2.39%.
Merck & Co.
MRK
TTM buyback yield
2.39%
Shareholder yield (TTM)
2.39%
5Y share count change
-1.3%
TTM buyback spend
$6.25B
SBC coverage (TTM)
10.16x
Diluted vs basic shares (annual)
Weighted average shares from the income statement: diluted (EPS denominator and typical buyback-yield basis) compared with basic.
Shares outstanding (annual)
Year-over-year change in diluted weighted average shares (industry-standard for EPS and per-share capital return). Green is fewer shares vs the prior fiscal year; red is growth (dilution). The earliest year shown has no prior year to compare.
Dividend & buyback yield
Buybacks vs stock-based compensation
TTM coverage: 10.16x (buybacks ÷ SBC). Bars are fiscal-year totals.
Buyback spending history
| Year | Buybacks | SBC | Net | Shares (dil.) | YoY shares | Buyback yield |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $5.08B | $0.00 | $5.08B | 2.51B | -1.3% | 1.94% |
| 2024 | $1.31B | $761.00M | $545.00M | 2.54B | -0.2% | 0.52% |
| 2023 | $1.35B | $645.00M | $701.00M | 2.55B | 0.2% | 0.48% |
| 2022 | $0.00 | $541.00M | −$541.00M | 2.54B | 0.2% | — |
| 2021 | $840.00M | $479.00M | $361.00M | 2.54B | -0.1% | 0.43% |
| 2020 | $1.28B | $441.00M | $840.00M | 2.54B | -1.5% | 0.65% |
| 2019 | $4.78B | $417.00M | $4.36B | 2.58B | -3.7% | 2.17% |
| 2018 | $9.09B | $348.00M | $8.74B | 2.68B | -2.5% | 4.81% |
| 2017 | $4.01B | $312.00M | $3.70B | 2.75B | -1.4% | 2.77% |
| 2016 | $3.43B | $300.00M | $3.13B | 2.79B | -1.9% | 2.23% |
| 2015 | $4.19B | $299.00M | $3.89B | 2.84B | -3.0% | 2.99% |
| 2014 | $7.70B | $278.00M | $7.42B | 2.93B | -2.3% | 5.01% |
| 2013 | $6.52B | $276.00M | $6.24B | 3.00B | -2.6% | 4.66% |
| 2012 | $2.59B | $335.00M | $2.26B | 3.08B | -0.6% | 2.19% |
| 2011 | $1.92B | $369.00M | $1.55B | 3.09B | -0.8% | 1.76% |
| 2010 | $1.59B | $509.00M | $1.08B | 3.12B | 37.3% | 1.50% |
| 2009 | $0.00 | $415.50M | −$415.50M | 2.27B | 6.1% | — |
| 2008 | $2.73B | $219.00M | $2.51B | 2.14B | -2.3% | 4.45% |
| 2007 | $1.43B | $211.00M | $1.22B | 2.19B | 0.2% | 1.19% |
| 2006 | $1.00B | $168.00M | $834.30M | 2.19B | -0.6% | 1.11% |
| 2005 | $1.02B | $0.00 | $1.02B | 2.20B | -1.2% | 1.53% |
| 2004 | $2.47B | $0.00 | $2.47B | 2.23B | -1.2% | 3.65% |
| 2003 | $2.03B | $0.00 | $2.03B | 2.25B | -1.0% | 2.08% |
| 2002 | $2.09B | $0.00 | $2.09B | 2.28B | -2.0% | 1.72% |
| 2001 | $3.89B | $0.00 | $3.89B | 2.32B | -1.3% | 3.06% |
| 2000 | $3.55B | $0.00 | $3.55B | 2.35B | -2.1% | — |
| 1999 | $3.58B | $0.00 | $3.58B | 2.40B | -1.5% | — |
| 1998 | $3.63B | $0.00 | $3.63B | 2.44B | -1.1% | — |
| 1997 | $3.57B | $0.00 | $3.57B | 2.47B | -0.8% | — |
| 1996 | $2.49B | $0.00 | $2.49B | 2.49B | — | — |
| 1995 | $1.57B | $0.00 | $1.57B | — | — | — |
| 1994 | $704.50M | $0.00 | $704.50M | — | — | — |
| 1993 | $371.00M | $0.00 | $371.00M | — | — | — |
| 1992 | $862.90M | $0.00 | $862.90M | — | — | — |
| 1991 | $184.10M | $0.00 | $184.10M | — | — | — |
| 1990 | $744.80M | $0.00 | $744.80M | — | — | — |
| 1989 | $208.20M | $0.00 | $208.20M | — | — | — |
Buybacks vs dividends (share of cash returned)
Buyback capacity (TTM)
TTM buybacks vs headroom (FCF − dividends, TTM)100% of headroom
Headroom $4.18B (TTM FCF − TTM dividends, clamped at zero).
Frequently asked questions
Does Merck & Co. buy back its own stock?
- Yes, Merck & Co. (MRK) has repurchased shares in recent periods. See the history table and charts on this page for amounts and trends.
How much does Merck & Co. spend on share buybacks?
- Trailing twelve months (TTM) buyback spend is about $6.25B (sum of the last four quarterly cash-flow periods in our data). Figures are illustrative; verify in filings.
What is Merck & Co.'s buyback yield?
- TTM buyback yield is about 2.39% (TTM buyback spend divided by market cap at the latest quarter-end in our data).
What is Merck & Co.'s shareholder yield?
- Shareholder yield combines dividend yield and buyback yield. For the latest period we show approximately 2.39% combined (TTM-based where available).
Is Merck & Co. diluting shareholders?
- Compare stock-based compensation (SBC) to buybacks in the chart above. Net effect varies by year; see annual buyback vs SBC bars and the history table.
How has Merck & Co.'s share count changed?
- Diluted weighted average shares changed by about -1.3% over roughly five fiscal years (annual income statement data).