Merck (MRK) Shares Outstanding (Entity) (2009 - 2026)
Merck (MRK) posted Shares Outstanding (Entity) of 2.47 billion for Q2 2026, down 1.2% from 2.5 billion a year earlier and down 0.1% from the prior quarter.
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Analysis
Merck (MRK) Shares Outstanding (Entity) (2009 - 2026) Analysis & Trends
Since Q2 2009, Merck has reported Shares Outstanding (Entity) for 69 quarters.
- Annual Shares Outstanding (Entity) has declined for three consecutive years, with a five-year compound annual growth rate of -0.5% (FY2020 to FY2025).
- In prior years, Merck's Shares Outstanding (Entity) was 2.53 billion in FY2024 (-0.3%), 2.53 billion in FY2023 (-0.2%), 2.54 billion in FY2022 (+0.4%) and 2.53 billion in FY2021 (-0.1%).
- The Q2 2026 figure stands as the lowest quarterly Shares Outstanding (Entity) since Q4 2009.
- On a year-over-year basis, Shares Outstanding (Entity) has declined in each of the last 12 quarters, with an average decline of 1.2% over the last eight quarters.
- The strongest year-over-year quarter for Shares Outstanding (Entity) in the past five years was Q4 2022, with growth of 0.4%; the weakest was Q4 2025, with a decline of 2.1%.
- According to Business Quant data, Shares Outstanding (Entity) for the three prior quarters was 2.47 billion (Q1 2026), 2.47 billion (Q4 2025) and 2.48 billion (Q3 2025).
Peer Set
Peer Comparison
| # | Company | Market Cap | Enterprise Value | Gross Profit (Qtr) | Shares Outstanding (Entity.) (Qtr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eli Lilly | 1,109.58 Bn | 1,078.16 Bn | 19.71 Bn | 941.36 Mn |
| 2 | Johnson & Johnson | 630.16 Bn | 548.69 Bn | 17.26 Bn | 2.41 Bn |
| 3 | AbbVie | 488.57 Bn | 461.73 Bn | 12.70 Bn | 1.77 Bn |
| 4 | Merck | 359.15 Bn | 313.58 Bn | 12.21 Bn | 2.47 Bn |
| 5 | Novartis Ag | 274.32 Bn | 238.71 Bn | 11.24 Bn | - |
| 6 | Astrazeneca | 246.73 Bn | 220.50 Bn | 12.86 Bn | - |
| 7 | Amgen | 224.28 Bn | 179.68 Bn | 7.24 Bn | 540.60 Mn |
| 8 | Gilead Sciences | 187.60 Bn | 161.71 Bn | 6.22 Bn | 1.24 Bn |
| 9 | Pfizer | 161.13 Bn | 108.08 Bn | 10.94 Bn | 5.70 Bn |
| 10 | Vertex Pharmaceuticals | 129.23 Bn | 101.23 Bn | 2.84 Bn | 253.35 Mn |
Historic Data
Download Data
Historic Data
| Date | Value |
|---|---|
| Jun 30, 2026 | 2.47 Bn |
| Mar 31, 2026 | 2.47 Bn |
| Dec 31, 2025 | 2.47 Bn |
| Sep 30, 2025 | 2.48 Bn |
| Jun 30, 2025 | 2.50 Bn |
| Mar 31, 2025 | 2.51 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 | 2.53 Bn |
| Sep 30, 2023 | 2.53 Bn |
| Jun 30, 2023 | 2.54 Bn |
| Mar 31, 2023 | 2.54 Bn |
| Dec 31, 2022 | 2.54 Bn |
| Sep 30, 2022 | 2.54 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 (Entity) 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-entity&ticker=MRK&period=max&api_key=YOUR_API_KEYimport requests
url = "https://data.businessquant.com/historic"
params = {"slug": "shares-outstanding-entity", "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-entity&ticker=MRK&period=max&api_key=YOUR_API_KEY");
const data = await res.json();