Expanding Colocation And Interconnection Will Meet Hyperscaler And AI Demand

Key Takeaways

• Expansion of larger campus builds and xScale program focuses on operational efficiency and hyperscaler demand, boosting potential earnings.
  
• Enhanced colocation and interconnection offerings, along with AI workload demand, drive improved customer engagement and revenue growth opportunities.
  
• Energy constraints, competition, and high capital expenditures pose risks to Equinix’s revenue growth, net margins, and financial stability.

Catalysts

Equinix (Nasdaq: EQIX) is the world's digital infrastructure company.

• Equinix's strategic focus on developing larger campus builds with greater capacity can offer operational efficiencies, potentially driving higher revenues and improved net margins.
  
• The differentiation and integration of Equinix's colocation and interconnection offerings aim to enhance customer engagement and experience, which could lead to increased revenue streams.
  
• Equinix plans to significantly expand its xScale program with a $15 billion joint venture, enabling the company to cater to hyperscaler demand for digital infrastructure, enhancing future earnings potential.
  
• The growing demand for AI-related workloads presents an opportunity for Equinix to capitalize on low latency access and interconnection capabilities, potentially boosting revenue growth.
  
• Strengthening channels and partnerships, alongside robust bookings and presales, create a favorable revenue environment and may help sustain earnings growth going forward.

Equinix Future Earnings and Revenue Growth

Assumptions

• Analysts are assuming Equinix's revenue will grow by 11.3% annually over the next 3 years.
• Analysts assume that profit margins will increase from 13.0% today to 14.6% in 3 years time.
• Analysts expect earnings to reach $1.6 billion (and earnings per share of $16.92) by about December 2027, up from $1.1 billion today. However, there is a considerable amount of disagreement amongst the analysts with the most bullish expecting $1.9 billion in earnings, and the most bearish expecting $1.2 billion.
• In order for the above numbers to justify the analysts price target, the company would need to trade at a PE ratio of 70.5x on those 2027 earnings, down from 87.8x today. This future PE is greater than the current PE for the US Specialized REITs industry at 26.1x.
• Analysts expect the number of shares outstanding to grow by 0.2% per year for the next 3 years.
• To value all of this in today's terms, we will use a discount rate of 6.09%, as per the Simply Wall St company report.

Equinix Future Earnings Per Share Growth

Risks

• There is a risk that energy constraints and long-term development cycles could impact Equinix’s ability to serve customers effectively, potentially affecting their future revenue growth and operational costs.
  
• The demand for large campuses to optimize economies of scale poses execution risks, which might delay potential revenue realization and affect net margins if operations are not efficiently managed.
  
• Increasing competition in the digital infrastructure space could impact Equinix's ability to maintain its pricing power, potentially pressuring their net margins and revenue growth.
  
• Changes in currency and power price adjustments, as seen with varying revenue growth across regions, could lead to financial volatility that might impact Equinix’s overall earnings.
  
• The need for large capital expenditures to support their xScale and other growth initiatives presents a risk if the generated income does not meet expectations, negatively impacting net margins and cash flow.

Valuation

• The analysts have a consensus price target of $1000.17 for Equinix based on their expectations of its future earnings growth, profit margins and other risk factors. However, there is a degree of disagreement amongst analysts, with the most bullish reporting a price target of $1100.0, and the most bearish reporting a price target of just $758.0.
• In order for you to agree with the analyst's consensus, you'd need to believe that by 2027, revenues will be $11.2 billion, earnings will come to $1.6 billion, and it would be trading on a PE ratio of 70.5x, assuming you use a discount rate of 6.1%.
• Given the current share price of $960.84, the analyst's price target of $1000.17 is 3.9% higher. The relatively low difference between the current share price and the analyst consensus price target indicates that they believe on average, the company is fairly priced.
• We always encourage you to reach your own conclusions though. So sense check these analyst numbers against your own assumptions and expectations based on your understanding of the business and what you believe is probable.