Williams David Michael 4

4 · Merck & Co., Inc. · Filed Feb 6, 2026

AI-generated summary of this filing

Updated Feb 6, 2026

Merck (MRK) EVP David M. Williams Exercises Options, Sells Shares

What Happened

David Michael Williams, EVP & Chief Information & Digital Officer at Merck (MRK), exercised stock options for 5,000 shares at $77.62/share (cost $388,100) on 2026-02-06 and sold 5,000 shares in an open-market transaction the same day at $121.91/share for total proceeds of $609,525. The filing also reports a 5,000-share derivative/conversion disposition recorded at $0.

Key Details

Transaction date: 2026-02-06 (filing date: 2026-02-06) — timely filed.
Exercise: 5,000 shares at $77.62 each = $388,100 (code M — option exercise/conversion).
Sale: 5,000 shares at $121.91 each = $609,525 (code S — open market sale).
Derivative entry: 5,000 shares reported as disposed at $0 (listed as a derivative/convertible item).
Shares owned after the transactions: not specified in the provided filing excerpt.
Footnotes: F1 notes adjustments from the June 2, 2021 Organon spin-off that affected option terms; F2 notes the option vesting schedule (three equal installments on 5/3/2020, 5/3/2021 and 5/3/2022).

Context

This sequence (exercise followed by immediate sale) is a common way for insiders to realize value from vested options and often reflects routine liquidity rather than a directional view on the company. The filing reports both the option exercise and the open-market sale on the same day, consistent with a cashless or near-cashless exercise and immediate disposition.

Form 4

Period: 2026-02-06

EVP,Chief Info&Digital Officer

Transactions

Exercise/Conversion
Common Stock
2026-02-06$77.62/sh+5,000$388,100→ 35,837.743 total
Sale
Common Stock
2026-02-06$121.91/sh−5,000$609,525→ 30,837.743 total
Exercise/Conversion
Stock Option (Right to Buy)
[F1][F2]
2026-02-06−5,000→ 4,600 total
Exercise: $77.62From: 2020-05-03Exp: 2029-05-02→ Common Stock (5,000 underlying)

Footnotes (2)

[F1]Exercise price and holdings reflect the adjustments that occurred as of June 2, 2021 in connection with the Organon & Co. ("Organon") spin-off as described in the registration statement on Form 10 filed with the SEC by Organon (the "Form 10"). As reported in the Form 10, all Merck stock option awards outstanding as of immediately prior to the distribution date were converted on the distribution date into adjusted Merck awards for Merck employees to preserve the same intrinsic value and general terms and conditions (including vesting) as were in place immediately prior to the adjustments.
[F2]The option vests and becomes exercisable in three equal installments on 5/3/2020, 5/3/2021 and 5/3/2022.

Signature

/s/ Kelly E. W. Grez as Attorney-in-Fact for David Michael Williams|2026-02-06

1 file