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Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE:MRK)

Common-Size Income Statement
Quarterly Data

Merck & Co. Inc., common-size consolidated income statement (quarterly data)

Microsoft Excel
3 months ended: Sep 30, 2026 Jun 30, 2026 Mar 31, 2026 Dec 31, 2025 Sep 30, 2025 Jun 30, 2025 Mar 31, 2025 Dec 31, 2024 Sep 30, 2024 Jun 30, 2024 Mar 31, 2024 Dec 31, 2023 Sep 30, 2023 Jun 30, 2023 Mar 31, 2023 Dec 31, 2022 Sep 30, 2022 Jun 30, 2022 Mar 31, 2022 Dec 31, 2021 Sep 30, 2021 Jun 30, 2021 Mar 31, 2021
Sales 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00
Cost of sales -27.05 -26.46 -25.76 -33.85 -22.31 -22.50 -22.02 -24.50 -24.49 -23.24 -22.44 -26.74 -26.71 -26.76 -27.10 -28.06 -26.30 -28.89 -33.83 -28.64 -26.23 -27.22 -30.10
Gross profit 72.95% 73.54% 74.24% 66.15% 77.69% 77.50% 77.98% 75.50% 75.51% 76.76% 77.56% 73.26% 73.29% 73.24% 72.90% 71.94% 73.70% 71.11% 66.17% 71.36% 73.77% 72.78% 69.90%
Selling, general and administrative -15.96 -17.49 -16.58 -17.68 -15.24 -16.76 -16.43 -18.32 -16.40 -17.00 -15.74 -19.16 -15.78 -17.97 -17.11 -19.43 -16.85 -17.21 -14.61 -20.93 -17.76 -20.01 -20.58
Research and development -25.09 -58.66 -77.32 -23.70 -24.51 -25.61 -23.32 -29.34 -35.19 -21.72 -25.31 -65.80 -20.72 -88.60 -29.52 -27.30 -29.41 -19.17 -16.20 -22.68 -18.59 -37.90 -22.70
Restructuring costs -1.02 -0.91 -1.20 -1.30 -0.27 -3.54 -0.44 -0.32 -0.34 -0.50 -0.78 -1.74 -0.79 -1.00 -0.46 -0.35 -0.63 -0.97 -0.33 -1.29 -0.81 -0.72 -2.79
Operating income (loss) 30.89% -3.52% -20.85% 23.48% 37.66% 31.58% 37.79% 27.52% 23.58% 37.54% 35.73% -13.44% 36.00% -34.34% 25.81% 24.87% 26.82% 33.75% 35.02% 26.45% 36.61% 14.16% 23.83%
Other income (expense), net -0.15 -0.60 -0.85 -2.63 1.38 0.04 0.23 -0.83 0.97 -0.26 0.21 -0.54 -0.79 -1.14 -0.61 0.54 -2.87 -3.00 -4.45 2.46 3.42 0.90 4.28
Income (loss) from continuing operations before taxes 30.74% -4.11% -21.70% 20.85% 39.04% 31.63% 38.01% 26.69% 24.55% 37.28% 35.94% -13.98% 35.21% -35.48% 25.20% 25.40% 23.95% 30.75% 30.57% 28.91% 40.03% 15.06% 28.11%
Taxes on income from continuing operations -2.72 -3.94 -4.35 -2.79 -5.55 -3.61 -5.27 -2.73 -5.58 -3.38 -5.72 5.60 -5.45 -4.24 -5.69 -3.59 -2.21 -3.69 -3.48 -0.63 -5.28 -4.41 -2.24
Net income (loss) from continuing operations 28.02% -8.05% -26.05% 18.07% 33.50% 28.01% 32.75% 23.96% 18.98% 33.89% 30.22% -8.38% 29.76% -39.72% 19.50% 21.81% 21.75% 27.06% 27.09% 28.28% 34.75% 10.65% 25.87%
Income from discontinued operations, net of taxes 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 -0.46 0.00 2.91 4.08
Net income (loss) 28.02% -8.05% -26.05% 18.07% 33.50% 28.01% 32.75% 23.96% 18.98% 33.89% 30.22% -8.38% 29.76% -39.72% 19.50% 21.81% 21.75% 27.06% 27.09% 27.82% 34.75% 13.56% 29.95%
Net (income) loss attributable to noncontrolling interests -0.01 0.01 0.02 0.00 -0.01 -0.01 -0.04 -0.01 -0.02 -0.04 -0.03 0.00 -0.03 -0.02 -0.03 0.00 -0.03 -0.03 0.02 -0.03 -0.03 -0.01 -0.04
Net income (loss) attributable to Merck & Co., Inc. 28.01% -8.04% -26.03% 18.07% 33.49% 28.01% 32.71% 23.96% 18.95% 33.86% 30.19% -8.38% 29.73% -39.74% 19.47% 21.81% 21.71% 27.03% 27.11% 27.79% 34.72% 13.55% 29.91%

Based on: 10-Q (reporting date: 2026-09-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2026-06-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2026-03-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2025-12-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2025-09-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2025-06-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2025-03-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2024-12-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2024-09-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2024-06-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2024-03-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2023-12-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2023-09-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2023-06-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2023-03-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2022-12-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2022-09-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2022-06-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2022-03-31), 10-K (reporting date: 2021-12-31), 10-Q (reporting date: 2021-09-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2021-06-30), 10-Q (reporting date: 2021-03-31).

The common-size income statement reveals a company with strong baseline gross profitability but significant volatility in operating and net margins, primarily driven by erratic fluctuations in research and development expenditures. While core revenue generation remains robust, the bottom line is periodically impacted by substantial quarterly spikes in investment or one-time charges.

Gross Profitability Trends
Gross profit margins exhibit a general upward trajectory from 2021 through early 2025. Margins rose from approximately 69.9% in March 2021 to a peak of 77.98% in March 2025. This indicates an improvement in the cost of sales relative to revenue, with cost of sales dropping from a high of 33.83% in March 2022 to as low as 22.02% in March 2025. However, a sharp temporary increase in the cost of sales to 33.85% occurred in December 2025, causing gross profit to contract to 66.15% before recovering in 2026.
Operating Expense Analysis
Selling, General, and Administrative (SG&A) expenses remain relatively stable, generally fluctuating between 14% and 21% of sales, suggesting disciplined control over overhead. In contrast, Research and Development (R&D) spending is characterized by extreme volatility. While R&D typically ranges between 16% and 35%, several quarters show massive spikes that exceed the total gross profit, most notably in June 2023 (-88.60%), December 2023 (-65.80%), March 2026 (-77.32%), and June 2026 (-58.66%).
Operating and Net Income Volatility
Operating income is highly sensitive to the aforementioned R&D spikes. During periods of stabilized R&D spending, operating margins are strong, frequently exceeding 30%. However, the volatility in R&D leads to severe quarterly operating losses, such as the -34.34% recorded in June 2023 and the -20.85% recorded in March 2026. These losses flow directly to the net income attributable to the company, which fluctuates between peaks of approximately 34% and troughs of -39.74%.
Other Income and Tax Impact
Other income and expenses represent a minor portion of the common-size statement, typically remaining within a small percentage of sales, although a notable negative impact was observed in December 2025 (-2.63%). Tax expenses generally range from 2% to 5% of sales, though a tax benefit of 5.60% was recorded in December 2023, partially offsetting the operating losses incurred during that quarter.

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