Financing
Dividends Paid
Merck & Co. Dividends Paid increased by 4.3% to $2.11B in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric grew by 2.7%, from $2.05B to $2.11B. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Dividends Paid shows an upward trend with a 5.5% CAGR. This is a positive signal — higher values indicate stronger performance for this metric.
Analysis
StatementCash Flow Statement
SectionFinancing
CategoryCapital Allocation
SignalHigher is better
VolatilityStable
First reportedQ1 2013
Last reportedQ1 2026May 4, 2026
How to read this metric
Consistent or growing dividend payments signal financial stability and a mature, reliable business model.
Detailed definition
The total cash distributed to shareholders as a return on their investment. This metric is a key indicator of the compan...
Peer comparison
Highly comparable across blue-chip companies; dividend yield and payout ratios are standard peer benchmarks.
Metric ID:
dividends_paidHistorical Data
20 periods
| Q2 '21 | Q3 '21 | Q4 '21 | Q1 '22 | Q2 '22 | Q3 '22 | Q4 '22 | Q1 '23 | Q2 '23 | Q3 '23 | Q4 '23 | Q1 '24 | Q2 '24 | Q3 '24 | Q4 '24 | Q1 '25 | Q2 '25 | Q3 '25 | Q4 '25 | Q1 '26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $1.67B | $1.65B | $1.64B | $1.75B | $1.77B | $1.75B | $1.75B | $1.85B | $1.89B | $1.86B | $1.85B | $1.95B | $1.99B | $1.95B | $1.95B | $2.05B | $2.08B | $2.03B | $2.02B | $2.11B |
| QoQ Change | — | -1.4% | -0.4% | +6.2% | +1.4% | -1.3% | +0.2% | +5.9% | +1.7% | -1.6% | -0.2% | +5.3% | +1.8% | -1.7% | -0.1% | +5.1% | +1.3% | -2.2% | -0.6% | +4.3% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | +5.8% | +5.9% | +6.5% | +6.2% | +6.5% | +6.2% | +5.8% | +5.2% | +5.4% | +5.3% | +5.3% | +5.1% | +4.6% | +4.0% | +3.4% | +2.7% |
Range$1.64B – $2.11B
CAGR+5.0%
Avg YoY Growth+5.2%
Median YoY Growth+5.4%
Dividends Paid at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Merck & Co.'s dividends paid?
- Merck & Co. (MRK) reported dividends paid of $2.11B in Q1 2026.
- How has Merck & Co.'s dividends paid changed year-over-year?
- Merck & Co.'s dividends paid increased by 2.7% year-over-year, from $2.05B to $2.11B.
- What is the long-term trend for Merck & Co.'s dividends paid?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), Merck & Co.'s dividends paid has grown at a 5.5% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $6.61B to $8.18B.
- What does dividends paid mean?
- Cash payments made to shareholders as dividends.