NEW YORK — International Business Machines shares rose sharply in Thursday morning trading, advancing about 3.9 percent to around $238.89 after the company completed a quantum-related acquisition and highlighted new mainframe processor plans.

The stock gained roughly $9 from Wednesday's close of $229.87. Intraday quotes clustered in the mid-to-high $230s, with the session range running from the low $230s to just under $239. Volume was lighter than IBM's longer-term average, suggesting a focused move rather than a broad market surge.

The immediate catalyst was IBM's announcement on Aug. 26 that it had completed the acquisition of HRL Laboratories LLC. The company said the deal brings together complementary expertise in quantum computing, quantum sensing, advanced communications, electronics, manufacturing and materials science, with the aim of accelerating future innovation. HRL is a long-established research organization known for work spanning those fields.

The purchase follows other recent technical milestones. IBM said earlier in August that it had connected and cooled two modular cryogenic systems in a single environment, a step it described as progress toward larger, more reliable quantum machines. Management has separately outlined a multiyear quantum investment plan and longer-term targets for fault-tolerant systems.

Investors also continued to parse IBM's unveiling of a next-generation........

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