INDEPENDENT BANK CORP 10-K

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR INDEPENDENT BANK CORP.’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES (a.) Independent Bank Corp.’s common stock trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol INDB. The Company declared aggregate cash dividends of $2.28 and $2.20 per share in 2024 and in 2023, respectively. The ratio of dividends paid to earnings in 2024 and 2023 was 50.08% and 40.92%, respectively. Payment of dividends by the Company on its common stock is subject to various regulatory restrictions and guidelines. Since substantially all of the funds available for the payment of dividends are derived from the Bank, future dividends will depend on the earnings of the Bank, its financial condition, its need for funds, applicable governmental policies and regulations, and other such matters as the Board of Directors deems appropriate. Management believes that the Bank will continue to generate adequate earnings to continue to pay comparable common dividends on a quarterly basis. As of February 24, 2025, there were 42,605,296 shares of common stock outstanding which were held by approximately 3,846 holders of record. The number of record-holders may not reflect the number of persons or entities holding stock in nominee name through banks, brokerage firms, and other nominees. The closing price of the Company’s common stock on December 31, 2024, the last trading day of the year, w as $64.19. Comparative Stock Performance Graph The stock performance graph below and associated table compare the cumulative total shareholder return of the Company’s common stock from December 31, 2019 to December 31, 2024 to the cumulative total return of the NASDAQ Composite Index (U.S. Companies), the KBW NASDAQ Bank Index, and the KBW NASDAQ Regional Banking Index. The lines in the graph and the numbers in the table below represent yearly index levels derived from compounded daily returns that 30 include reinvestment or retention of all dividends. If the yearly interval, based on the last day of a fiscal year, was not a trading day, the preceding trading day was used. The index value for all of the series was set to 100.00 on December 31, 2019 (which assumes that $100.00 was invested in each of the series on December 31, 2019). The following information in this Item 5 of this Report is not deemed to be “soliciting material” or to be “filed” with the SEC or subject to Regulation 14A or 14C under the Exchange Act or to the liabilities of Section 18 of the Exchange Act and will not be deemed incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, except to the extent the Company specifically incorporates it by reference into such a filing. The stock price performance shown on the stock performance graph and associated table below is not necessarily indicative of future price performance. Information used in the graph and table was obtained from a third-party provider, a source believed to be reliable, but the Company is not responsible for any errors or omissions in such information. The following chart depicts the total return performance of the Company: 31 (b.) Not applicable (c.) The following table sets forth information regarding the Company’s repurchases of its common stock during the three months ended December 31, 2024: Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities Period Total Number of Shares Purchased (1) Average Price Paid Per Share Total Number of Shares Purchased as Part of Publicly Announced Plan or Program Maximum Number (or Approximate Dollar Value) of Shares That May Yet Be Purchased Under the Plan or Program October 1 to October 31, 2024 — $ — — $ — November 1 to November 30, 2024 — — — $ — December 1 to December 31, 2024 20 70.89 — $ — Total 20 $ 70.89 — (1) These shares were surrendered in connection with the vesting of equity compensation grants to satisfy related tax withholding obligations. The Company completed its previously announced stock buyback plan during the first quarter of 2024, and there were no active repurchase plans as of December 31, 2024. ITEM 6. [RESERVED]