GDS (NASDAQ:GDS) Trading 5.2% Higher - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• GDS Holdings' shares increased by 5.2% to $42.79, marking a significant rise from its previous close of $40.67, although trading volume was down by 28% compared to the average.
• Wall Street analysts have mixed ratings for GDS, with Zacks Research downgrading the stock to "hold," while others like JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America maintain "buy" ratings and increased target prices.
• Institutional investors have shown interest in GDS, with Nuveen Asset Management increasing its holdings by 8.0% recently, reflecting a broader trend of institutional investment in the stock.

GDS Holdings (NASDAQ:GDS - Get Free Report) shares shot up 5.2% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $42.44 and last traded at $42.79. 2,040,458 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 28% from the average session volume of 2,832,080 shares. The stock had previously closed at $40.67.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on GDS shares. Zacks Research lowered shares of GDS from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded GDS from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their target price for the company from $34.00 to $46.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. JMP Securities raised their target price on GDS from $40.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a "market outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Daiwa Capital Markets reissued a "buy" rating on shares of GDS in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on GDS from $47.60 to $50.60 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $46.93.

GDS Stock Up 3.9%

The company has a quick ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 2.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.45 and a beta of 0.34. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $35.48 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $30.06.

Institutional Trading of GDS

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Nuveen Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of GDS by 8.0% in the 4th quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 281,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,677,000 after acquiring an additional 20,800 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in GDS during the 1st quarter valued at about $523,000. APEIRON CAPITAL Ltd acquired a new position in shares of GDS in the 1st quarter worth approximately $382,000. Perpetual Ltd purchased a new position in GDS during the 1st quarter worth $1,528,000. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of GDS by 1,678.2% in the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 65,900 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,663,000 after purchasing an additional 62,194 shares during the period. 33.71% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

GDS Company Profile

GDS Holdings Limited, together with its subsidiaries, develops and operates data centers in the People's Republic of China. The company provides colocation services comprising critical facilities space, customer-available power, racks, and cooling; managed hosting services, including business continuity and disaster recovery, network management, data storage, system security, operating system, database, and server middleware services; managed cloud services; and consulting services.

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