German multinational science and technology conglomerate Merck on Thursday reported that its fourth quarter non-GAAP earnings per share (EPS) increased to $1.80 from $0.98 the year before. GAAP stands for Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and non-GAAP earnings are measures of profit that don’t follow a standard calculation for companies and are not necessarily required in their disclosure. On average, 17 analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected the company to report profit per share of $1.53 for the quarter. Analysts’ estimates typically exclude special items. Non-GAAP net income inc…