Equinix (NASDAQ:EQIX) Upgraded at Sanford C. Bernstein

Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Equinix (NASDAQ:EQIX) to a strong-buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on EQIX. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Equinix in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of Equinix from $973.00 to $1,087.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Scotiabank restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Equinix in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Equinix from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, January 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $1,075.00 price target on shares of Equinix in a report on Friday, February 13th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,006.91.

Equinix Trading Down 1.7%

NASDAQ:EQIX opened at $936.90 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $92.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 68.14, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 1.32. Equinix has a one year low of $701.41 and a one year high of $992.90. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $852.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is $807.23.

Equinix (NASDAQ:EQIX) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The financial services provider reported $8.91 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $9.07 by ($0.16). Equinix had a net margin of 14.65% and a return on equity of 9.60%. The business had revenue of $2.42 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.46 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $7.92 EPS. Equinix’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Equinix will post 33.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equinix Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 18th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 25th will be given a dividend of $5.16 per share. This represents a $20.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 25th. This is an increase from Equinix’s previous quarterly dividend of $4.69. Equinix’s payout ratio is currently 150.11%.

Insider Activity at Equinix

In other news, insider Jonathan Lin sold 888 shares of Equinix stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $801.78, for a total transaction of $711,980.64. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 9,390 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,528,714.20. The trade was a 8.64% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Adaire Fox-Martin sold 2,670 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $804.08, for a total value of $2,146,893.60. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 14,857 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,946,216.56. This trade represents a 15.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 13,602 shares of company stock valued at $11,369,645 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Equinix

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of EQIX. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Equinix by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 13,398,906 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $10,265,706,000 after purchasing an additional 107,227 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its stake in Equinix by 3.7% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,249,780 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,971,512,000 after buying an additional 220,981 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Equinix by 25.8% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,875,355 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $2,252,094,000 after buying an additional 588,967 shares in the last quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. lifted its position in shares of Equinix by 23.3% in the fourth quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. now owns 2,609,011 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,998,978,000 after acquiring an additional 493,141 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Equinix by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,567,830 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,959,731,000 after acquiring an additional 25,383 shares during the period. 94.94% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Equinix

Here are the key news stories impacting Equinix this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Sanford C. Bernstein initiated/covered EQIX and set a high price target (strong?buy / outperform), signaling material upside potential and boosting investor confidence. Bernstein Coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Moody’s upgraded Equinix’s senior unsecured rating to Baa1 with a stable outlook — this improves perceived credit quality and lowers refinancing/credit risk. Moody’s Upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: Equinix closed an offering of $1.5B of senior notes (2031 & 2033 maturities at ~4.40%–4.70%), which secures funding for growth/refinancing but increases long?term debt load. Investors will weigh use of proceeds vs. added leverage. Senior Notes Close
• Neutral Sentiment: Some outlets reported the note issuance and company filings (additional coverage via TipRanks/FinanzNachrichten), reinforcing the financing story but adding little new information. TipRanks on Notes
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short?interest data appears anomalous (shows 0 shares / NaN change); treat that data with caution — no clear shorting pressure signal. Zacks Note on Price Move
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Chairman Charles Meyers sold ~2,716 shares and several execs reportedly sold stock recently. Executive share sales can spook investors even if pre?planned. Insider Filing

About Equinix

Equinix, Inc is a global provider of digital infrastructure and interconnection services, specializing in carrier-neutral data centers and colocation. The company operates a platform that enables enterprises, cloud and network service providers, and content companies to colocate IT infrastructure, interconnect directly with partners and providers, and access cloud on-ramps and network services in a secure, low-latency environment.

Equinix’s offerings include traditional colocation space and power, cross-connects and meet-me rooms, and a suite of connectivity and on-demand services designed for hybrid multicloud architectures.