Analyst Ratings February 12, 2026

Citizens Keeps Market Outperform on Equinix, Sees $1,200 Target as Capacity Buildout Gains Traction

Research house cites accelerating deployments and an expanding backlog even as Equinix’s latest quarter missed consensus estimates

By Derek Hwang EQIX
Citizens Keeps Market Outperform on Equinix, Sees $1,200 Target as Capacity Buildout Gains Traction
EQIX

Citizens has reaffirmed a Market Outperform rating on Equinix with a $1,200 price objective after the data center operator released quarterly results. The target implies nearly 40% upside from the current share price of $867.52 even as the stock trades at a high P/E of 78.88. Citizens points to accelerating capacity deployments and an expanding backlog as drivers for materially stronger 2026 results versus 2025, while Equinix’s Q4 2025 results missed Wall Street EPS and revenue expectations but saw little share movement in aftermarket trading.

Key Points

  • Citizens reaffirmed a Market Outperform rating on Equinix and left its price target at $1,200.00, implying nearly 40% upside from the current $867.52 share price.
  • Equinix reported after-hours results that Citizens interprets as early evidence of strategy execution, with accelerating capacity deployments contributing to a reacceleration in revenue growth and a growing backlog.
  • Equinix missed consensus Q4 2025 forecasts: EPS of $2.69 versus an expected $3.71 and revenue of $2.42 billion versus $2.46 billion; shares remained stable in aftermarket trading.

Citizens has maintained a Market Outperform rating on Equinix and kept a $1,200.00 price target following the company’s most recent quarterly disclosure. That target equates to roughly a 40% increase from the current share price of $867.52, a valuation that sits alongside a high trailing P/E ratio of 78.88.

Equinix reported results after the market close on Wednesday and, according to Citizens, showed early evidence of executing the strategic plan first detailed at the company’s June 2025 bi-annual investor meeting. The firm, a specialized REIT with a reported market capitalization of $85.18 billion, has sustained revenue growth of 5.63% over the past twelve months.

Citizens highlighted that market participants had previously underappreciated Equinix’s message about accelerating capacity deployments translating into revenue growth. That dynamic, the research house says, is now beginning to appear in financial results as a reacceleration of revenue growth accompanied by a growing backlog of demand.

Looking ahead, Citizens expressed a view that Equinix’s 2026 performance should be "meaningfully better than 2025". The firm bases this on the visibility of additional capacity coming online and on what it characterized as significantly improving industry trends. The research note also referenced takeaways from a recent PTC conference in Hawaii, where attendees observed that enterprise capacity is becoming "increasingly rare" in the data center marketplace.

Separately, Equinix’s fourth-quarter 2025 financials fell short of analyst projections. The company reported earnings per share of $2.69 versus an expected $3.71 and posted quarterly revenue of $2.42 billion against forecasts of $2.46 billion. Despite these misses, Equinix shares were largely unchanged in aftermarket trading. The company did not report any material changes to analyst coverage or any merger activity alongside the results.

Investors weighing Equinix’s path forward should consider the juxtaposition of a bullish medium-term capacity story and near-term headline misses in quarterly results. Citizens’ reiterated target and outlook reflect confidence that capacity deployments and improving industry dynamics will lead to stronger financial outcomes in 2026, while the recent earnings shortfall serves as a reminder of execution and timing risk.


Market and sector context

The developments are relevant to stakeholders across the data center and REIT sectors, as well as enterprise IT buyers and cloud service providers that consume data center capacity. The balance between high valuation metrics and evidence of rising capacity utilization will be a focal point for investors assessing equity returns in the sector.

Risks

  • Near-term earnings and revenue misses - Q4 2025 results were below consensus and could signal execution or timing risks that affect short-term investor sentiment. (Impacts data center operators, REIT investors, and technology infrastructure markets)
  • High valuation - the stock trades at a P/E ratio of 78.88, which increases sensitivity to earnings volatility and could amplify downside if growth slows. (Impacts equity investors and broader REIT valuation comparisons)
  • Reliance on capacity deployments - the bullish case depends on additional capacity coming online and converting to revenue; delays or lower-than-expected uptake would affect projected 2026 improvements. (Impacts data center supply-demand dynamics and enterprise customers)

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