8-K
filed May 28, 2026, 4:15 PM ET
ticker MRK
CIK 0000310158
other material
confidence high
sentiment neutral
materiality 0.15
Merck shareholders elect all 13 directors, approve say-on-pay, reject three proposals
Merck & Co., Inc.
- All 13 director nominees elected; Patricia Russo received 1.637B for (highest opposition at 217M votes against).
- Say-on-pay passed: 1.730B for, 109M against, 284M broker non-votes.
- Ratification of PwC as auditor for 2026 approved: 2.012B for, 126M against.
- Three shareholder proposals on DEI risks, healthcare gaps, political contributions all rejected; each received <5% support.
Key facts
Extracted from this filing and checked against the source text.
Shareholder Votes
SEC 8-K Item 5.07
confidence 0.9
Merck & Co., Inc. shareholders approved Non-binding advisory vote to approve the compensation of our named executive officers at the 2026-05-26 meeting.
- Proposal
- say on pay
- Outcome
- passed
- Meeting
- 2026-05-26
Exact text from the filing
2. Non-binding advisory vote to approve the compensation of our named executive officers: 1,730,192,132 votes FOR 109,310,633 votes AGAINST 18,017,635 shares abstained from voting 283,983,197 broker non votes
View on SEC.gov
Shareholder Votes
SEC 8-K Item 5.07
confidence 0.9
Merck & Co., Inc. shareholders rejected Shareholder proposal regarding a report on DEI risks in federal contracting at the 2026-05-26 meeting.
- Outcome
- failed
- Meeting
- 2026-05-26
Exact text from the filing
4. Shareholder proposal regarding a report on DEI risks in federal contracting: 22,754,046 votes FOR 1,812,455,404 votes AGAINST 22,310,950 shares abstained from voting 283,983,197 broker non votes
View on SEC.gov
Shareholder Votes
SEC 8-K Item 5.07
confidence 0.9
Merck & Co., Inc. shareholders rejected Shareholder proposal regarding a report on political contributions at the 2026-05-26 meeting.
- Outcome
- failed
- Meeting
- 2026-05-26
Exact text from the filing
6. Shareholder proposal regarding a report on political contributions: 227,074,175 votes FOR 1,606,594,343 votes AGAINST 23,851,882 shares abstained from voting 283,983,197 broker non votes
View on SEC.gov
Shareholder Votes
SEC 8-K Item 5.07
confidence 0.9
Merck & Co., Inc. shareholders approved Election of Directors at the 2026-05-26 meeting.
- Proposal
- director election
- Outcome
- passed
- Meeting
- 2026-05-26
Exact text from the filing
1. The following nominees were elected to the Company’s Board of Directors to hold office until the Company’s next Annual Meeting of Shareholders and received the number of votes set forth opposite their names: Names Votes For Votes Against Abstentions Broker Non-Votes Douglas M. Baker, Jr. 1,849,536,622 5,420,062 2,563,716 283,983,197 Mary Ellen Coe 1,839,523,954 15,699,812 2,296,634 283,983,197 Pamela J. Craig 1,805,030,600 48,837,633 3,652,167 283,983,197 Robert M. Davis 1,729,744,541 117,936,777 9,839,082 283,983,197 Thomas H. Glocer 1,733,084,321 121,844,310 2,591,769 283,983,197 Surendralal L. Karsanbhai 1,832,639,394 21,031,536 3,849,470 283,983,197 Risa J. Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D. 1,838,747,154 16,432,343 2,340,903 283,983,197 Stephen L. Mayo, Ph.D. 1,849,015,649 6,015,256 2,489,495 283,983,197 Paul B. Rothman, M.D. 1,835,774,436 19,226,470 2,519,494 283,983,197 Patricia F. Russo 1,636,745,520 217,186,188 3,588,692 283,983,197 Christine E. Seidman, M.D. 1,848,205,743 7,001,420 2,31
View on SEC.gov
Shareholder Votes
SEC 8-K Item 5.07
confidence 0.9
Merck & Co., Inc. shareholders rejected Shareholder proposal regarding a report on healthcare coverage gaps at the 2026-05-26 meeting.
- Outcome
- failed
- Meeting
- 2026-05-26
Exact text from the filing
5. Shareholder proposal regarding a report on healthcare coverage gaps: 23,597,628 votes FOR 1,811,874,302 votes AGAINST 22,048,470 shares abstained from voting 283,983,197 broker non votes
View on SEC.gov
Shareholder Votes
SEC 8-K Item 5.07
confidence 0.9
Merck & Co., Inc. shareholders approved Ratification of the appointment of the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for 2026 at the 2026-05-26 meeting.
- Proposal
- auditor ratification
- Outcome
- passed
- Meeting
- 2026-05-26
Exact text from the filing
3. Ratification of the appointment of the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for 2026: 2,011,579,504 votes FOR 126,487,980 votes AGAINST 3,436,113 shares abstained from voting
View on SEC.gov
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