IBM closes on Confluent deal

IBM agreed to pay $31.00 per share in cash for Confluent, a transaction the companies said carries an enterprise value of roughly $11 billion. (prnewswire.com) Confluent shares jumped about 29% on the deal announcement after closing near $23.14 the prior trading session, and analysts noted IBM’s offer represented a roughly one‑third premium to recent trading levels. (cnbc.com) U.S. antitrust paperwork cleared a key step when the Hart‑Scott‑Rodino waiting period expired at 11:59 p.m. ET on January 12, 2026, the SEC filing shows. (sec.gov) Confluent stockholders voted to approve the merger at a special meeting on February 12, 2026 (the proxy and 8‑K contain the voting results), and the merger became effective on March 17, 2026. (sec.gov) IBM listed day‑one product integrations that will be prioritized by engineering teams, including watsonx.data, IBM MQ, IBM webMethods Hybrid Integration and IBM Z. (newsroom.ibm.com) Confluent’s footprint of more than 6,500 customers — including roughly 40% of the Fortune 500 — and cited use cases such as Michelin’s 170‑country supply‑chain rollout and a reported 35% inventory cost improvement are part of the acquiring‑team’s integration rationale. (newsroom.ibm.com) Confluent’s $1.1 billion aggregate principal amount of 0% convertible senior notes due 2027 was addressed at closing via a first supplemental indenture that implements change‑of‑control repurchase and conversion mechanics tied to the $31 per‑share cash consideration. (sec.gov) IBM and Confluent flagged transaction economics in their announcement that the deal is expected to be accretive to adjusted EBITDA in the first full year and to free cash flow in the second year after close, a finance milestone IBM intends to cite during integration planning. (prnewswire.com)