NEW YORK, December 30, 2025, 00:11 ET — Market closed
- DigitalBridge shares ended Monday up 9.7% after SoftBank agreed to buy the firm for $16 a share in cash
- The deal values DigitalBridge at about $4 billion on an enterprise-value basis, a measure that includes debt
- Traders are watching the deal spread, regulatory reviews and the next SEC filings for merger details
DigitalBridge Group, Inc. shares jumped 9.7% to $15.27 on Monday after SoftBank Group said it would buy the digital infrastructure investor for about $4 billion, or $16 a share in cash. SoftBank said the offer represents a 15% premium to DigitalBridge’s Dec. 26 close and about 50% to the stock’s “unaffected” 52-week average closing price as of Dec. 4. About 86 million shares changed hands, far above recent averages. Nasdaq+1
The deal lands at a moment when investors are trying to put a price on the plumbing behind the AI boom — the data centers, fiber networks and towers that move and store the data. For SoftBank, it is also a bet that owning and financing more of that infrastructure will matter as computing demand rises.
For markets, the timing matters because it puts a cash floor under a company that sits in the middle of the AI buildout, while leaving a long runway for deal risk. DigitalBridge’s close on Monday was about 4.6% below the $16 offer, a gap that merger-arbitrage traders — investors who seek to capture the difference between a buyout price and a stock’s trading price — will read as a signal of uncertainty and time value.
“The buildout of AI infrastructure represents one of the most significant investment opportunities of our generation,” DigitalBridge Chief Executive Marc Ganzi said in the announcement. The companies said DigitalBridge manages about $108 billion of infrastructure assets, spanning data centers, cell towers, fiber networks and edge infrastructure. SEC
SoftBank said it will indirectly acquire all outstanding common stock for $16 per share in cash, and DigitalBridge will continue to operate as a separately managed platform led by Ganzi after the close. The companies said the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals, and is expected to close in the second half of 2026.
DigitalBridge filed a Form 8-K with U.S. regulators on Monday describing the merger agreement and pointing investors to upcoming proxy materials tied to the shareholder vote. The filing said additional details required under SEC rules would be provided in a separate current report.
On Wall Street, some analysts moved quickly to align targets with the cash offer. TD Cowen downgraded DigitalBridge to “Hold” from “Buy” and set a $16 price target after the deal announcement, TheFly reported. TipRanks
The transaction also broadens the spotlight on listed digital-infrastructure plays, where demand is being shaped by AI-driven workloads and the power-and-network constraints that come with them. Big data-center operators such as Equinix and Digital Realty remain bellwethers for how investors value that capacity.
What comes next is mostly process, not product. Traders will track whether regulators raise objections, whether shareholder litigation emerges, and whether any competing bid surfaces — a standard risk in long-dated public-company takeovers.
Before the next U.S. session, investors will be scanning for follow-on SEC filings that lay out merger mechanics, voting thresholds and any break-fee or “no-shop” restrictions, which can limit a target’s ability to solicit other offers. Deal desks will also watch whether the spread to $16 widens or narrows as more detail comes out.
Another near-term watchpoint is the company’s next earnings update, even if the deal shifts attention to closing odds. Nasdaq’s earnings calendar lists Feb. 19, 2026 as an estimated next report date, noting the timing is derived from an algorithm and may not be confirmed by the company.
Technically, the $16 cash price is now the obvious reference level for the stock, acting as a ceiling unless investors begin to price in a higher bid. If the transaction hits turbulence, the market’s first question will be where the shares settle without the takeout premium — and whether AI-infrastructure optimism can keep support under the name while the deal clock runs into 2026.
