IP Strategy Announces Share Repurchase Program of Up To 1 Million Shares

Rhea-AI Summary

IP Strategy (Nasdaq: IPST) authorized a share repurchase program to buy back up to 1,000,000 shares through Dec 31, 2026, equal to nearly 10% of outstanding shares as of Feb 18, 2026 (10,259,226 shares outstanding).

The company holds 53.2 million $IP tokens and expects validator yield to effectively double to ~10%+ annually in 2026 after moving to third-party custody; purchases may occur on the open market, via private transactions, or a Rule 10b5-1 plan.

Positive

• Buyback authorized up to 1,000,000 shares (~10% of outstanding)
• Token reserve holding of 53.2 million $IP tokens
• Expected validator yield rising to ~10%+ annually for 2026

Negative

• Repurchase timing and price are at management discretion
• Repurchase program ends on Dec 31, 2026 with no firm schedule

Key Figures

Buyback authorization: Up to 1,000,000 shares Shares outstanding: 10,259,226 shares Potential reduction: Nearly 10% +5 more

8 metrics

Buyback authorization Up to 1,000,000 shares Share repurchase program through December 31, 2026

Shares outstanding 10,259,226 shares Common stock outstanding as of February 18, 2026

Potential reduction Nearly 10% Reduction in outstanding shares if full 1,000,000-share buyback executed

$IP token holdings 53.2 million tokens Current holdings of $IP, native token of Story Layer 1 blockchain

Validator yield target 10% or more annually Expected yield in 2026 from third-party custodied validator work

Pre-news price $0.795 Price with <b>11.94%</b> 24h gain before article time

52-week range $0.57–$26.60 Price stood <b>-97.01%</b> vs 52-week high, <b>39.47%</b> above low

Market cap $6,789,030 Equity value prior to buyback announcement

Market Reality Check

Price: $0.7950 Vol: Volume 41,263 is below th...

low vol

$0.7950 Last Close

Volume Volume 41,263 is below the 20-day average of 96,010, suggesting a modest pre-news participation. low

Technical Shares traded well below the 200-day MA of 7.29, at 0.795, reflecting a heavily depressed longer-term trend.

Peers on Argus

No peers from the Beverages sector appeared in the momentum scanner, indicating ...

No peers from the Beverages sector appeared in the momentum scanner, indicating the 11.94% move was company-specific rather than sector-driven.

Historical Context

5 past events · Latest: Feb 17 (Positive)

Pattern 5 events

Date	Event	Sentiment	Move	Catalyst
Feb 17	AI ecosystem update	Positive	+9.2%	Highlighted AI-native music ownership via Aria partnership and $APL portfolio launch.
Feb 11	AI platform update	Positive	-1.4%	Recognized ZenO public beta showcasing real-world AI data use cases on Story.
Feb 04	Validator metrics	Positive	-1.0%	Reported validator rewards, uptime, and staking economics in monthly ecosystem update.
Jan 28	Investor conference	Positive	-13.6%	Announced participation in RedChip virtual investor conference with strategy presentation.
Jan 08	Validator update	Positive	+2.0%	Detailed December staking rewards, costs, and long-term custodied staking configuration.

Pattern Detected

Recent news often saw muted or negative reactions, with 3 divergences versus 2 alignments between positive updates and price moves.

Recent Company History

Over the last few months, IP Strategy has focused on validator performance, AI-native ecosystem partnerships, and investor outreach. Updates on Story-based projects like Aria and ZenO, plus recurring validator reports, highlighted staking yields and ecosystem growth, yet price reactions were mixed, including a -13.64% move after a conference announcement. Against this backdrop, the new buyback authorization adds a capital allocation element to what had been primarily operational and ecosystem news.

Market Pulse Summary

This announcement introduced a substantial buyback component to IP Strategy’s story, authorizing rep...

Analysis

This announcement introduced a substantial buyback component to IP Strategy’s story, authorizing repurchases of up to 1,000,000 shares, nearly a 10% reduction in outstanding stock if fully executed. It sits alongside growing validator-based yields, targeted at 10% or more in 2026, and significant holdings of 53.2 million $IP tokens. Investors may focus on the pace of repurchases, realized validator economics, and future updates on token-derived revenue streams.

Key Terms

rule 10b5-1 plan, layer 1 blockchain

2 terms

rule 10b5-1 plan regulatory

"including through a Rule 10b5-1 plan, at the discretion of management"

A Rule 10b5-1 plan is a prearranged, written schedule that lets corporate insiders buy or sell company stock at set times or amounts, even if they later learn material nonpublic information. Think of it like setting an automatic thermostat for trades: it creates a clear record that trades were planned in advance, reducing the risk of insider-trading accusations and helping investors trust that insider transactions are routine rather than based on secret information.

layer 1 blockchain technical

"$IP tokens – the native token of the Story Layer 1 blockchain – with a current holding"

A layer 1 blockchain is the core digital ledger that records and validates transactions and tokens on its own network, acting like the foundation and main roads of a city for digital assets. It matters to investors because its speed, security and transaction costs determine how well applications and tokens built on top will perform and scale; stronger foundations typically mean lower technical and financial risk for projects that rely on that network.

AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.

GIG HARBOR, Wash., Feb. 19, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- IP Strategy Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: IPST) (the “Company” or “IP Strategy”), the first company to adopt a treasury reserve policy centered on the $IP token, today announced the board of directors has authorized a share repurchase program whereby the Company may buy back up to 1 million shares of its outstanding shares of common stock through December 31, 2026.

As of February 18, 2026, IP Strategy had 10,259,226 shares of its common stock outstanding. Assuming the full execution of buying back 1 million shares, this would constitute a nearly 10% reduction in the number of outstanding shares of the Company. The Company may acquire shares through open market purchases or privately negotiated transactions, including through a Rule 10b5-1 plan, at the discretion of management and on terms that management determines to be advisable.

IP Strategy is the largest independent owner of $IP tokens – the native token of the Story Layer 1 blockchain – with a current holding of 53.2 million tokens. The Company also recently began the transition from self-custodied validator work to third-party custodied validator work, a move which is expected to effectively double its related yield to 10% or more annually for 2026.

"The Board’s decision to authorize a share repurchase program reflects its belief that the market does not currently take into account the inherent value of our 53.2 million $IP tokens, nor the growth in higher-margin recurring revenue anticipated in 2026 from the transition to third-party custodied validator services,” said Justin Stiefel, Chief Executive Officer of IP Strategy. “When combined with the previously-announced streamlining and cost reduction plans for 2026, the implementation of a share repurchase program at this time reflects a very high degree of confidence in our long-term strategy and growth potential."

About IP Strategy
IP Strategy Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: IPST) is the first Nasdaq-listed company to hold $IP tokens as a primary reserve asset and operate a validator for the Story Protocol. The Company provides public market investors broad exposure to the $80 trillion programmable intellectual property economy in a regulated equity format. IP Strategy’s treasury reserve of $IP tokens provides direct participation in the Story ecosystem, which enables on-chain registration, licensing, and monetization of intellectual property.

About Story
Story is the AI-native blockchain network powering the $IP token and making intellectual property programmable, traceable, and monetizable in real time. Backed by $136 million from a16z crypto, Polychain Capital, and Samsung Ventures, Story launched its mainnet in February 2025 and has rapidly become a leading infrastructure for tokenized intellectual property. Story allows creators and enterprises to turn media, data, and AI-generated content into legally enforceable digital assets with embedded rights, enabling automated licensing and new markets for intellectual property across AI and entertainment.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements may be identified by words such as “aims,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “could,” “estimates,” “expects,” “forecasts,” “goal,” “intends,” “may,” “plans,” “possible,” “potential,” “seeks,” “will,” and variations of these words or similar expressions that are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Any such statements in this press release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the Company’s adoption of a share repurchase program and the number and percentage of outstanding shares it may repurchase, the timing of the implementation of the Company’s share repurchase program, the shift to third-party custody of its $IP tokens, the expected increased yield from the Company’s validator operations, and the effectiveness of the Company’s proposed cost-saving measures.

Any forward-looking statements in this press release are based on IP Strategy’s current expectations, estimates and projections only as of the date of this release and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from those set forth in or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks related to the volatility of the Company’s common stock and any correlation between the Company’s stock price and the price of $IP tokens, the legal, commercial, regulatory and technical uncertainty regarding digital assets generally, and expectations with respect to future performance and growth. These and other risks concerning IP Strategy’s programs and operations are described in additional detail in its registration statement on Form S-1 initially filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on August 26, 2025, as amended by Amendment No. 1 filed on October 16, 2025, Amendment No. 2 filed on December 12, 2025 and Amendment No. 3 filed on December 19, 2025, its latest annual report on Form 10-K, subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, and any other subsequent filings with the SEC. IP Strategy explicitly disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements except to the extent required by law.

Investor Contact
(800) 595-3550
ir@ipstrategy.co

FAQ

What is IP Strategy's (IPST) share repurchase program announced Feb 19, 2026?

The company authorized repurchases of up to 1,000,000 shares through Dec 31, 2026. According to the company, that amount equals nearly 10% of its shares outstanding as of Feb 18, 2026.

How many shares did IP Strategy have outstanding before the IPST buyback announcement?

IP Strategy reported 10,259,226 shares outstanding as of Feb 18, 2026. According to the company, repurchasing 1,000,000 shares would be a nearly 10% reduction in outstanding shares.

How will the IPST repurchase be executed and what restrictions apply?

Repurchases may occur via open market or private transactions, including a Rule 10b5-1 plan. According to the company, management will determine timing, amounts, and terms at its discretion.

What token holdings did IP Strategy disclose in the Feb 19, 2026 announcement?

The company stated it holds 53.2 million $IP tokens, the native token of the Story Layer 1 blockchain. According to the company, this makes it the largest independent owner of $IP tokens.

What did IP Strategy say about validator yield expectations for 2026 (IPST)?

The company expects validator-related yield to effectively double to 10% or more annually in 2026. According to the company, that follows a move from self-custodied to third-party custodied validator work.