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Data last updated: Sep 06, 2026
Snapshot (as of Sep 06, 2026): Merck KGaA (MKGAF) pays a $2.20 annual dividend, yielding 1.62% at $159.12/share. Next ex-dividend date 2026-04-28. Source: Yahoo Finance, aggregated by MerryDiv.
Dividend Yield: 1.62%
Annual Dividend: $2.20 per share
Payout Ratio: 43.8%
Ex-Dividend Date: 2026-04-28
Sector: Healthcare
Years of Dividend History: 31
Merck KGaA dividend income comes from one of the world's oldest science and technology companies, founded in Darmstadt, Germany in 1668 and operating across Life Science, Healthcare, and Electronics. The current yield is 1.62%, with a trailing annual dividend rate of $2.20 per share. MKGAF carries a beta of 0.825, meaning it moves less than the broader market, which suits investors who prioritize lower volatility over maximum income. The next ex-dividend date is April 28, 2026.
Merck KGaA pays out 43.8% of earnings as dividends, a payout ratio classified as moderate (40–60%). That level leaves meaningful earnings retained within the business, which spans prescription pharmaceuticals, life science tools, and semiconductor materials — three segments with recurring institutional and industrial demand. Merck KGaA dividend safety gets its main test from currency exposure: the dividend is declared in euros and converted to USD, so the per-share amount in dollars fluctuates with exchange rates, as the historical table clearly shows. That currency translation risk is the most data-supported pressure on the payout from an income investor's perspective.
Merck KGaA dividend history shows a CAGR of -4.0% per year from 2008 to 2025, reflecting a net decline in per-share payments over the full window. The dividend moved from $5.04 per share in 2008 to $2.51 in 2025 (with 2026 partial and excluded from the CAGR calculation). The largest annual increase in the window was 22.2% in 2023, but the history also contains at least one year-over-year decline exceeding 5%, and the overall trend is negative. Growth is slow, and the long-run direction has worked against income investors measuring in USD.
| Period | CAGR | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-Year | +8.2% | $1.98 (2022) | $2.51 (2025) |
| 5-Year | +11.7% | $1.44 (2020) | $2.51 (2025) |
| 10-Year | +8.8% | $1.08 (2015) | $2.51 (2025) |
MKGAF fits dividend investors who want exposure to a diversified science and technology business and can tolerate a low yield and currency-driven payment variability. The current yield of 1.62% is low (below 2%), though it sits above the 5-year average of 1.38%, so the stock is currently paying more relative to price than it has on average. The payout ratio of 43.8% supports the current payment level, but the long-run CAGR of -4.0% in USD terms is a real trade-off. What an investor gets is a low-volatility stock with a moderate payout ratio; what they accept is a yield that has not grown in dollar terms over time.
| Payment Date | Amount per Share |
|---|---|
| 2026-04-28 | $2.5770 |
| 2025-04-29 | $2.5072 |
| 2024-04-29 | $2.3577 |
| 2023-05-02 | $2.4193 |
| 2022-04-25 | $1.9801 |
| 2021-04-26 | $1.6916 |
| 2020-05-29 | $1.4439 |
| 2019-04-29 | $1.3957 |
| 2018-04-30 | $1.5093 |
| 2017-05-02 | $1.3092 |
| Year | Total Dividends |
|---|---|
| 2026 | $2.5770 |
| 2025 | $2.5072 |
| 2024 | $2.3577 |
| 2023 | $2.4193 |
| 2022 | $1.9801 |
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