Australian data center operator NextDC saw its stock price rise by over 42% on Thursday, following announcements by Goodman Group and the US-listed data center operator Digital Realty that they would acquire up to 9.9% of the company's shares.
NextDC stated in the regulatory documents issued on the same day that these two companies conducted post-market bookbuilding on Wednesday, seeking to purchase shares at a price of A$9.50 per share.
The board of directors referred to this move as "opportunistic" and noted that it occurred two weeks after the company disclosed power supply delays at its Melbourne M3 data center and lowered its guidance for the fiscal year 2027.
The company stated that it was unaware of the outcome of this stock purchase. Goodman and Digital Realty informed investors that they currently have no intention of making an acquisition offer, but reserve the right to do so in the future.
As the rise of NextDC occurred, U.S. data center stocks weakened overnight. The stock price of CoreWeave fell by about 9%, and Iren declined by approximately 11.2% on Wednesday.
This round of selling occurred after the Democratic Party's comprehensive victory in the U.S. mid-term elections. As a result, markets have raised expectations for increased scrutiny over data center development, and there may even be restrictions, which could slow down the infrastructure construction of AI.
