Merck EVP, general counsel Jennifer Zachary sells $10.7m in stock By Investing.com

Jennifer Zachary, Executive Vice President and General Counsel at Merck & Co., Inc. (), sold company shares worth approximately $10.7 million on August 12, 2026. This transaction followed the acquisition of shares through option exercises on the same day.

Zachary disposed of 80,315 shares of Merck common stock. The shares were sold at prices ranging from $133.0300 to $133.5000, with a weighted average price of $133.4557 per share, totaling $10,718,494.

Earlier on August 12, 2026, Zachary acquired a total of 54,927 shares of common stock through the exercise of stock options. These acquisitions involved 41,494 shares at a price of $117.89 each and 13,433 shares at $84.71 each. The total value of these acquired shares amounted to $6,029,637, with prices ranging from $84.71 to $117.89.

Following these transactions, Jennifer Zachary directly holds 45,509.254 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. common stock.

The report detailing these transactions was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 13, 2026.

In other recent news, Merck reported its second-quarter 2026 earnings and revenue, surpassing Wall Street expectations. The company posted a loss of $0.13 per share, which was better than the anticipated loss of $0.27, and generated $16.6 billion in revenue, exceeding the forecast of $16.41 billion. This performance was driven by strong sales in oncology, vaccines, and newer products, prompting Merck to raise and narrow its full-year outlook. Additionally, Merck announced the appointment of Bart Gourley as the Chief AI Officer, bringing over 20 years of experience in AI and digital transformations to the company. In another development, Argus raised its price target for Merck stock to $145 from $130, citing the company’s portfolio strength and maintaining a Buy rating. The company also highlighted progress in its pipeline, with new opportunities emerging in cardiometabolic medicine through the approval of LIPFENDRA. Despite a $5.7 billion charge related to the Terns Pharmaceuticals acquisition, Merck’s diverse portfolio, led by products like KEYTRUDA, contributed to robust quarterly results. These recent developments reflect Merck’s ongoing efforts to enhance its market position and expand its product offerings.

This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.