Dividends

Upcoming ex-dividend dates, recent cuts and initiations across 10+ years of US dividend history.
Merck & (MRK) — Dividend Profile
Health Care·Biotechnology: Pharmaceutical Preparations
11y payment streak2y growth streakActiveQuarterly
Forward Yield
2.83%
@ $120.26
TTM Yield
2.76%
Forward Annual
$3.40
Quarterly
Market Cap
$283.3b
Payout (FCF)
66%
1.5x covered
Payout (Earnings)
45%
Latest Amount
$0.8500
Ex 2026-03-16
3y CAGR
-16.5%
5y CAGR
-20.3%
10y CAGR
-4.8%
Next Ex-Date
2026-06-15
Dividend Safety Forensics
Composite of six quantitative scores plus a 5-point yield-trap framework. Each axis contributes independently; the overall label is the aggregate.
Forensics: CleanYield Trap: Green0 of 6 red flags · 0 of 5 trap signals
Score breakdown
Altman Z (bankruptcy)
Distance from bankruptcy. Safe > 2.99, Distress < 1.81.
Safe (7.10)
Ohlson O (default prob)
Estimated 1-year probability of financial distress.
Elevated (18.6%)
Piotroski F-Score
Fundamental quality (9 binary criteria). 7+ strong, 3- weak.
5/9 (Moderate)
Beneish M (manipulation)
Detects accounting manipulation signals in earnings.
Clean
Dividend Safety (EQ)
Composite from payout ratio, FCF coverage, accrual quality.
Safe
FCF Coverage
Free cash flow divided by dividends. 2.0× = strong cushion.
1.73×
Yield-trap signals (5-point Benzinga framework)
Payout > 100%
Paying out more than it earns over TTM.
✓ OK
FCF coverage < 1.0×
Free cash flow doesn't fully cover the dividend.
✓ OK
Yield > 2× sector median
Yield well above peers — often a sign of price collapse, not premium income.
✓ OK
High leverage (D/E > 2)
Debt-to-equity above 2× — limits flexibility if cash flow dips.
✓ OK
6m return < -25%
Current 6m return: +19.2%
✓ OK
Dividend Capture Stats
Measures how this stock has historically behaved around its ex-dividend dates over the last 10 years. Pre-tax, pre-commission, before-slippage. Based on 22 settled events.
Median Ex-Date Drop
-0.27%
Pre-close → ex-close. Clean ex-dates drop by ~the dividend amount.
Recovery Rate
95%
21 of 22 events recovered within 90 days
Median Recovery Time
3 days
1 – 7 days IQR
Avg Capture Yield
0.80%
Per-cycle return when capture succeeds
Disclaimer: Historical capture statistics are descriptive, not predictive. Past recovery patterns don’t guarantee future ones. The "naive capture" math also ignores taxes (qualified-dividend treatment vs. short-term gains can swing outcomes significantly).
Annual dividends per share
Sum of recurring per-share payments per calendar year. Current year is partial.
Cumulative per-share payments
Full dividend history (38)
Ex-Date▼AmountFrequencyPay DateType
2026-06-15$0.8500Quarterly2026-07-08recurring
2026-03-16$0.8500Quarterly2026-04-07recurring
2025-12-15$0.8500Quarterly2026-01-08recurring
2025-09-15$0.8100Quarterly2025-10-07recurring
2025-06-16$0.8100Quarterly2025-07-08recurring
2025-03-17$0.8100Quarterly2025-04-07recurring
2024-12-16$0.8100Quarterly2025-01-08recurring
2024-09-16$0.7700Quarterly2024-10-07recurring
2024-06-17$0.7700Quarterly2024-07-08recurring
2023-09-14$0.7300Quarterly2023-10-06recurring
2023-03-14$0.7300Quarterly2023-04-10recurring
2022-12-14$0.7300Quarterly2023-01-09recurring
2022-09-14$0.6900Quarterly2022-10-07recurring
2022-06-14$0.6900Quarterly2022-07-08recurring
2022-03-14$0.6900Quarterly2022-04-07recurring
2021-12-14$0.6900Quarterly2022-01-07recurring
2021-09-14$0.6500Quarterly2021-10-07recurring
2021-06-14$0.6500Quarterly2021-07-07recurring
2021-03-12$0.6500Quarterly2021-04-07recurring
2020-12-14$0.6500Quarterly2021-01-08recurring
2020-09-14$0.6100Quarterly2020-10-07recurring
2020-06-12$0.6100Quarterly2020-07-07recurring
2020-03-13$0.6100Quarterly2020-04-07recurring
2019-12-13$0.6100Quarterly2020-01-08recurring
2019-09-13$0.5500Quarterly2019-10-07recurring
2019-06-14$0.5500Quarterly2019-07-08recurring
2019-03-14$0.5500Quarterly2019-04-05recurring
2018-12-14$0.5500Quarterly2019-01-08recurring
2018-09-14$0.4800Quarterly2018-10-05recurring
2018-06-14$0.4800Quarterly2018-07-09recurring
2018-03-14$0.4800Quarterly2018-04-06recurring
2017-12-14$0.4800Quarterly2018-01-08recurring
2017-09-14$0.4700Quarterly2017-10-06recurring
2017-06-13$0.4700Quarterly2017-07-10recurring
2017-03-13$0.4700Quarterly2017-04-07recurring
2016-12-13$0.4700Quarterly2017-01-09recurring
2016-09-13$0.4600Quarterly2016-10-07recurring
2016-06-13$0.4600Quarterly2016-07-08recurring
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