Merck (MRK) Shares Outstanding (2009 - 2026)
Merck (MRK) recorded Shares Outstanding of 2.47 billion in Q2 2026, down 1.6% from 2.51 billion a year earlier and down 0.1% from the prior quarter.
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Analysis
Merck (MRK) Shares Outstanding (2009 - 2026) Analysis & Trends
For FY2025, Merck reported Shares Outstanding of 2.5 billion, down 1.2% from FY2024.
- Annual Shares Outstanding has a five-year compound annual growth rate of -0.2% (FY2020 to FY2025).
- Across earlier years, Shares Outstanding came in at 2.53 billion in FY2024 (-0.2%), 2.54 billion in FY2023 (+0.2%), 2.53 billion in FY2022 (+0.1%) and 2.53 billion in FY2021 (unchanged).
- The Q2 2026 figure is the lowest quarterly Shares Outstanding since Q4 2009.
- On a year-over-year basis, Shares Outstanding has declined for ten consecutive quarters, with an average decline of 1.0% over the last eight quarters.
- Peak year-over-year performance for Shares Outstanding in the last five years was growth of 0.4% in Q1 2023, against a decline of 2.0% in Q1 2026 at the low end.
- Per Business Quant, the preceding three quarters came in at 2.47 billion (Q1 2026), 2.5 billion (Q4 2025) and 2.5 billion (Q3 2025).
Peer Set
Peer Comparison
| # | Company | Market Cap | Enterprise Value | Gross Profit (Qtr) | Shares Outstanding (Qtr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eli Lilly | 1,122.91 Bn | 1,091.50 Bn | 19.71 Bn | 892.40 Mn |
| 2 | Johnson & Johnson | 615.09 Bn | 533.62 Bn | 17.26 Bn | 2.41 Bn |
| 3 | AbbVie | 504.75 Bn | 477.86 Bn | 12.70 Bn | 1.77 Bn |
| 4 | Merck | 360.18 Bn | 314.55 Bn | 12.21 Bn | 2.47 Bn |
| 5 | Novartis Ag | 292.05 Bn | 256.04 Bn | 11.24 Bn | 1.94 Bn |
| 6 | Astrazeneca | 256.09 Bn | 229.78 Bn | 12.86 Bn | 1.55 Bn |
| 7 | Amgen | 233.63 Bn | 189.02 Bn | 7.24 Bn | 540.00 Mn |
| 8 | Gilead Sciences | 194.49 Bn | 168.69 Bn | 6.22 Bn | 1.24 Bn |
| 9 | Pfizer | 168.35 Bn | 114.99 Bn | 10.94 Bn | 5.70 Bn |
| 10 | Vertex Pharmaceuticals | 126.70 Bn | 98.70 Bn | 2.84 Bn | 253.70 Mn |
Historic Data
Download Data
Historic Data
| Date | Value |
|---|---|
| Jun 30, 2026 | 2.47 Bn |
| Mar 31, 2026 | 2.47 Bn |
| Dec 31, 2025 | 2.50 Bn |
| Sep 30, 2025 | 2.50 Bn |
| Jun 30, 2025 | 2.51 Bn |
| Mar 31, 2025 | 2.52 Bn |
| Dec 31, 2024 | 2.53 Bn |
| Sep 30, 2024 | 2.53 Bn |
| Jun 30, 2024 | 2.53 Bn |
| Mar 31, 2024 | 2.53 Bn |
| Dec 31, 2023 | 2.54 Bn |
| Sep 30, 2023 | 2.54 Bn |
| Jun 30, 2023 | 2.54 Bn |
| Mar 31, 2023 | 2.54 Bn |
| Dec 31, 2022 | 2.53 Bn |
| Sep 30, 2022 | 2.53 Bn |
| Jun 30, 2022 | 2.53 Bn |
| Mar 31, 2022 | 2.53 Bn |
| Dec 31, 2021 | 2.53 Bn |
| Sep 30, 2021 | 2.53 Bn |
API Access
Merck Shares Outstanding API
Pull this series into your own models, spreadsheets and apps with the Business Quant
Historical Metrics API. The request below matches the chart above — change the
frequency, period or values and it follows. Swap YOUR_API_KEY for your own key.
https://data.businessquant.com/historic?slug=shares-outstanding&ticker=MRK&period=max&api_key=YOUR_API_KEYimport requests
url = "https://data.businessquant.com/historic"
params = {"slug": "shares-outstanding", "ticker": "MRK", "period": "max", "api_key": "YOUR_API_KEY"}
data = requests.get(url, params=params).json()const res = await fetch("https://data.businessquant.com/historic?slug=shares-outstanding&ticker=MRK&period=max&api_key=YOUR_API_KEY");
const data = await res.json();