New York, Feb 10, 2026, 14:13 EST — Regular session
- IBM slipped roughly 1.4% in afternoon trading, trailing a broader market that was holding steady.
- Tuesday saw the stock go ex-dividend. IBM, for its part, introduced a fresh FlashSystem storage lineup, touting “autonomous” operations.
- Investors are eyeing the new hardware-and-software bundle to see if it can actually drive enterprise AI and security spending.
Shares of International Business Machines Corp slipped 1.4% to $292.19 Tuesday, pulling back from Monday’s $296.34 close. The drop followed IBM going ex-dividend and highlighting a storage refresh focused on its so-called “agentic AI.”
Dividend timing is in focus because it can cloud what’s happening on the tape. When the ex-dividend date hits, the stock trades without the next payout attached — and you’ll often see prices slip, typically by about the size of the dividend, as that value moves from seller to buyer.
IBM wants investors to pay attention to execution, not just the nuts and bolts. The company has relied on consistent cash payouts and stable enterprise contracts, while pushing its infrastructure products as essential for AI adoption in the business world—and as a defense against ransomware.
IBM rolled out its latest storage lineup Tuesday, announcing the FlashSystem 5600, 7600, and 9600 models, plus a new AI-driven feature called “FlashSystem.ai.” The company bills these as enterprise-grade, with AI agents that take on monitoring and troubleshooting duties—promising up to 90% less manual work on storage management, and ransomware detection in under a minute. General availability lands March 6. “Always-available” storage remains the target, according to Sam Werner, IBM’s head of storage. IDC’s Natalya Yezhkova cited automation and added security as notable upgrades. 1
Agentic AI boils down to software that acts, not just responds. IBM says its agents keep an eye on system signals, spot threats, and suggest ways to recover, aiming to shrink the distance between an “alert” and an actual “fix” for IT teams already running thin.
The wider market barely budged. SPY tracked the S&P 500 with no real movement. QQQ slipped a touch, DIA—tied to the Dow—managed a small gain. Microsoft and Oracle both advanced. IBM, on the other hand, trailed the pack.
IBM’s board signed off on a regular quarterly cash dividend of $1.68 a share, with the payout set for March 10 to holders of record as of Feb. 10. The company noted this keeps its uninterrupted streak of quarterly dividends going since 1916. 2
The $1.68 dividend barely registers against Tuesday’s roughly $4 decline. That steep drop goes beyond any simple ex-dividend date adjustment, with shares giving up more than the payout during the session.
Still, IBM’s pitch isn’t without downsides. Those promised savings and detection gains hinge on lab conditions and disclaimers, and large clients often drag their feet when automation gets near essential data or security layers. Storage remains a crowded field—NetApp, Dell, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, all circling the same spending.
Investors have their eyes on initial uptake as IBM’s new FlashSystem lineup hits general availability in early March. The company is set to post its next quarterly update April 22, according to its preliminary schedule. 3
