New York, Feb 12, 2026, 06:25 EST — Premarket
- Equinix jumped roughly 8.6% ahead of the bell after projecting stronger revenue for 2026.
- The company is forecasting revenue between $10.12 billion and $10.22 billion for 2026, topping what Wall Street had penciled in.
- Attention is now turning to how quickly capital spending ramps up, along with when the postponed hyperscale leasing agreement will finally close.
Equinix (EQIX.O) jumped 8.6% to $941.81 ahead of the bell Thursday. The REIT’s fresh 2026 guidance drew a positive response from investors. Shares closed Wednesday at $867.52, up 1.3%. 1
The bid carries weight: Equinix stands as a bellwether in the “AI buildout” story playing out in U.S. stocks, with soaring needs for power, cooling, and network-focused infrastructure bumping up against steeper financing costs. What investors want now is clear—evidence that bookings and prices actually match the billions data center operators are funneling into expanding capacity.
Equinix insisted demand hasn’t faded, projecting 2026 revenue between $10.12 billion and $10.22 billion—beating the analyst consensus of $10.07 billion. For the first quarter, sales guidance landed at $2.50 billion to $2.54 billion, also ahead of the Street, as customers accelerate generative AI deployments and shift more data near cloud and network centers. Fourth-quarter revenue came in at $2.42 billion, just under estimates, a shortfall blamed on a site leasing deal now set to close early 2026. Net income from continuing operations climbed to $264 million, reversing a year-ago loss. Shares jumped more than 6% in after-hours trading on Wednesday. 2
Equinix bumped up its 2026 outlook in its latest earnings release, citing a pickup in bookings and a boost in recurring revenue. The company now expects an adjusted EBITDA margin near 51% and capital expenditures between $3.655 billion and $4.155 billion for that year. The quarterly cash dividend is rising 10% to $5.16 per share. For 2026, Equinix forecasts adjusted funds from operations (AFFO) per share at $41.93 to $42.74, a key cash-flow measure for REITs. “Demand for our solutions has never been higher,” CEO Adaire Fox-Martin said. 3
During the call, Fox-Martin flagged stronger deal flow and called out recent customer wins linked to private networking for AI workloads. One example: Salesforce rolled out Equinix’s Fabric Cloud Router across 14 countries and 21 metro areas. She noted the company has already locked in about 45% of its Q1 goal and inked over $100 million in extra pre-sales—pushing its runway through 2026. 4
Equinix executives pointed to xScale, the company’s hyperscale arm focused on sprawling sites for cloud and internet giants. One major lease at the Hampton, Georgia campus didn’t make it over the line in Q4; management now expects that deal to wrap up in the first quarter. They’re also seeing AI-driven deployments come in with greater power needs and a higher share of liquid-cooled setups compared to legacy workloads. 5
Equinix, in an updated SEC filing Wednesday, laid out revised details on U.S. federal income tax matters connected to its status as a REIT and its share ownership. 6
External analysts mostly leaned positive, though opinions split. Bank of America called Equinix a top choice in the sector. Barclays described growth as “strong and above consensus expectations.” Still, Raymond James pointed to a “multi-year transition” ahead, warning of significant capex requirements. 7
Equinix goes head-to-head with fellow data center operators like Digital Realty, with the company’s stock often moving in line with AI infrastructure spending trends. Equinix’s guidance isn’t just about a single quarter—it’s really a question of how quickly new capacity can come online, and at what price.
Still, that bull case counts on flawless execution. Rising construction expenses, tight power supplies in major metros, shaky currencies, and more delays in big leasing deals could all dampen earnings—even as capex looks likely to stay high.
Next up, investors are eyeing whether the early gains stick once regular trading kicks off. They’re also watching for any movement on the delayed Hampton leasing deal, plus updates on the dividend schedule. Equinix announced its $5.16 quarterly dividend will go out March 18 to shareholders on record as of Feb. 25. 8
