Financing
Share Buybacks
Merck & Co. Share Buybacks decreased by 30.2% to $874.00M in Q1 2026 compared to the prior quarter. Year-over-year, this metric declined by 24.9%, from $1.16B to $874.00M. Over 4 years (FY 2021 to FY 2025), Share Buybacks shows an upward trend with a 56.8% CAGR.
Analysis
StatementCash Flow Statement
SectionFinancing
CategoryCapital Allocation
SignalContext dependent
VolatilityVolatile
First reportedQ1 2013
Last reportedQ1 2026May 4, 2026
How to read this metric
High repurchases often signal management's confidence in the company's valuation or a strategy to improve earnings per share.
Detailed definition
The cash outflow associated with the company buying back its own shares from the open market. This is a primary method f...
Peer comparison
Common among mature, cash-generative companies; peers in the healthcare sector often balance this with R&D investment.
Metric ID:
share_repurchasesHistorical 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 | $239.00M | $583.00M | $18.00M | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $149.00M | $338.00M | $466.00M | $393.00M | $122.00M | $251.00M | $444.00M | $489.00M | $1.16B | $1.35B | $1.32B | $1.25B | $874.00M |
| QoQ Change | — | +143.9% | -96.9% | -100.0% | — | — | — | — | +126.8% | +37.9% | -15.7% | -69.0% | +105.7% | +76.9% | +10.1% | +138.0% | +15.5% | -1.6% | -5.4% | -30.2% |
| YoY Change | — | — | — | — | -100.0% | -100.0% | -100.0% | — | — | — | — | -18.1% | -25.7% | -4.7% | +24.4% | +854.1% | +435.9% | +198.0% | +156.0% | -24.9% |
Range$0.00 – $1.35B
CAGR+31.4%
Avg YoY Growth+107.9%
Median YoY Growth-11.4%
Current Streak3 quarters decline
Share Buybacks at Other Companies
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Merck & Co.'s share buybacks?
- Merck & Co. (MRK) reported share buybacks of $874.00M in Q1 2026.
- How has Merck & Co.'s share buybacks changed year-over-year?
- Merck & Co.'s share buybacks decreased by 24.9% year-over-year, from $1.16B to $874.00M.
- What is the long-term trend for Merck & Co.'s share buybacks?
- Over 4 years (2021 to 2025), Merck & Co.'s share buybacks has grown at a 56.8% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from $840.00M to $5.08B.
- What does share buybacks mean?
- Cash spent by the company to buy back its own stock.