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Dividends up: Merck & Co. declared a 3-for-1 stock split and boosted its dividend 10 percent on presplit shares. The new quarterly dividend of 69 cents, up from 63 cents, is payable April 1 to stockholders of record March 6. The record date for the stock split is May 6. . . . Firstbank of Illinois Co., a Springfield-based bank holding company, boosted its quarterly dividend 9.1 percent, to 24 cents a share from 22 cents, payable April 1 to shareholders of record March 13.
