Merck & Co., Inc. officer David M. Williams filed a Form 144 notice on November 2, 2026, disclosing a proposed sale of 21,359 shares of Merck common stock acquired through the exercise of options under a registered plan.

Key Highlights

  • Proposed shares to be sold: 21,359 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. common stock, with an aggregate market value of $3,185,464.17.
  • Acquisition method: Shares were acquired on November 2, 2026, through the exercise of options under a registered plan, from the issuer, with cash payment.
  • Selling officer: David M. Williams, listed as an officer of Merck & Co., Inc., with the broker identified as Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC Executive Financial Services.
  • Approximate date of sale: November 2, 2026, on the NYSE.
  • Shares outstanding: According to the filing, 2,467,171,638 shares of Merck common stock were outstanding at the time of the notice.
  • Prior sales: The filing reports that Williams sold 52,847 shares on August 5, 2026, generating gross proceeds of $6,805,145.18.

Williams Files Notice of Proposed Merck Common Stock Sale on NYSE

According to the Form 144 notice filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, David M. Williams, an officer of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK), proposed to sell 21,359 shares of the company's common stock. The filing lists the aggregate market value of the proposed sale at $3,185,464.17. The broker named in the notice is Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC Executive Financial Services, located at 1 New York Plaza, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10004. The approximate date of sale is stated as November 2, 2026.

The filing discloses that the 21,359 shares were acquired on November 2, 2026, via the exercise of options under a registered plan, with the issuer listed as the person from whom the securities were acquired. Payment for the acquisition was made in cash on the same date. The filing notes that total shares of Merck common stock outstanding numbered 2,467,171,638 at the time of the notice.

In the section covering securities sold during the past three months, the filing reports that Williams sold 52,847 shares of Merck common stock on August 5, 2026, with gross proceeds of $6,805,145.18. The notice was dated November 2, 2026, and signed by David Michael Williams. By signing, the filer represented, as stated in the form, that he does not know any material adverse information regarding the current and prospective operations of the issuer that has not been publicly disclosed.

What Was Disclosed

A Form 144 notice was filed on November 2, 2026, by Merck officer David M. Williams, disclosing a proposed sale of 21,359 shares of Merck common stock, acquired through option exercise, with an aggregate market value of $3,185,464.17, to be executed on the NYSE.