Litchfield Caroline 4

What Happened

Caroline Litchfield, Merck’s Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, received 15,852 shares of Merck common stock on January 26, 2026 as an award/acquisition. The shares are reported at a price of $107.40 each, with a total value of $1,702,505. This was a compensation payout (performance share distribution), not an open-market purchase or sale.

Key Details

• Transaction date: 2026-01-26
• Transaction type/code: Award/Grant/Acquisition (A)
• Shares received: 15,852 at $107.40 per share; total value reported $1,702,505
• Shares were distributed net of taxes (net after-tax shares) — tax withholding occurred per footnote
• Footnote: Payout relates to performance share units granted 03/31/2023; paid out at 94% of target and includes dividends accrued over the three-year performance period ending 12/31/2025
• Shares owned after the transaction: not specified in the provided filing
• Filing: Reported on 2026-01-28 for a 2026-01-26 transaction (filed within the normal Form 4 reporting window)

Context

This was a routine compensation-related distribution tied to long-term performance shares rather than a market-driven purchase or sale. Performance-share payouts reflect achievement of pre-set criteria and include dividend equivalents; they do not by themselves indicate insider buying or selling intent.