DLR vs EQIX vs GDS Stock Comparison

Digital Realty Trust, Equinix and GDS Holdings Prices as of Oct 26, 2026 Peers: Industry group
EQIX Equinix Inc
$967.65 -4.0% 1M +15.3% 1Y
Market cap
$98.60B
P/E
64.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$9.81B
Div. yield
–
Data Centers Technology
5 wins
GDS GDS Holdings Ltd
$22.81 -30.4% 1M -34.7% 1Y
Market cap
$4.34B
P/E
8.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$1.75B
Div. yield
–
Data Centers Technology
5 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Equinix leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Equinix 5, GDS Holdings 5, Digital Realty Trust 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionDLREQIXGDSLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $63.45B $98.60B $4.34B EQIX
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 83.7x 64.3x 8.2x GDS
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 60.8x 54.9x 43.9x GDS
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +17.4% +9.6% +15.8% DLR
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 11.2% 15.6% 30.1% GDS
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 2.0% 5.6% 1.0% EQIX
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 5.6x 4.0x 3.1x GDS
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months -2.6% +15.3% -34.7% EQIX
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +2.2%/yr +3.2%/yr -17.5%/yr EQIX
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 27.6% 25.8% 57.0% EQIX
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 45/100 56/100 69/100 GDS

Percentile Scorecard

DLREQIXGDS

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisDLREQIXGDS
Valuation 10 #10 of 11 35 #25 of 38 95 #3 of 38
Growth 67 #4 of 10 37 #23 of 36 57 #16 of 36
Profitability 22 #8 of 10 82 #7 of 34 73 #10 of 34
Financial Health 80 #3 of 11 49 #20 of 38 51 #19 of 38
Shareholder Returns – 75 #6 of 21 –
Overall 45 56 69
  • DLR ranked among 11 companies in Infrastructure REITs
  • EQIX ranked among 39 companies in Cloud Computing
  • GDS ranked among 39 companies in Cloud Computing

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodDLREQIXGDSSPY
1 month -2.2%-4.0%-30.4% -0.8%
3 months -10.8%-7.6%-27.3% +3.5%
6 months -11.1%-11.2%-48.1% +7.0%
Year to date +12.8%+26.3%-34.6% +12.2%
1 year -2.6%+15.3%-34.7% +13.0%
3 years +42.7%+36.2%+137.9% +86.3%
3 years, per year +12.6%+10.9%+33.5% +23.1%
5 years +11.3%+17.3%-61.7% +68.6%
5 years, per year +2.2%+3.2%-17.5% +11.0%
10 years +80.8%+163.0%— +258.0%
10 years, per year +6.1%+10.2%— +13.6%

Risk

MeasureDLREQIXGDSSPY
Volatility, 1Y 27.6%25.8%57.0% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 27.0%23.1%58.0% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.810.552.00 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y -0.100.59-0.61 1.02
Max drawdown, 5Y -51.1%-40.4%-91.8% -25.4%
From 52-week high -14.4%-13.3%-52.0% -1.8%
52-week high $203.91$1,115.94$47.52 $779.14
52-week low $147.93$726.09$22.14 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleDLREQIXGDS
P/E now vs peer median 81.5xmedian 24.3x 62.3xmedian 29.6x 8.2xmedian 29.6x
P/S now vs peer median 9.5xmedian 6.4x 9.7xmedian 4.2x 2.7xmedian 4.2x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 27.0xmedian 15.8x 26.1xmedian 24.2x 11.1xmedian 24.2x
P/FCF now vs peer median -127.5xmedian 18.4x -37.0xmedian 15.1x 4.9xmedian 15.1x
P/B now vs peer median 2.3xmedian 2.3x 6.6xmedian 3.9x 1.1xmedian 3.9x
PEG now vs peer median 4.42median 0.72 2.88median 0.38 0.12median 0.38

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsDLREQIXGDS
Revenue $6.77B $9.81B $1.75B
Gross profit – $5.05B $436.56M
Operating income $986.10M $2.14B $82.93M
Net income $792.24M $1.53B $542.46M
Free cash flow -$506.74M -$2.58B $952.99M
R&D – – $4.66M
EPS (diluted) $2.10 $15.46 $2.57
Cash & equivalents $1.86B $979.00M $2.20B
Total debt $73.26B $19.70B $15.20B
Shares (diluted) 361.54M 99.14M 205.57M
Enterprise value $52.40B $87.17B -$3.94B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricDLREQIXGDS
P/E 81.5x 62.3x 8.2x
P/FCF -127.5x -37.0x 4.9x
P/Operating cash flow 21.8x 24.2x 9.2x
P/S 9.5x 9.7x 2.7x
P/B 2.3x 6.6x 1.1x
P/Tangible book 2.5x 7.2x 1.1x
EV/EBITDA 27.0x 26.1x 11.1x
EV/EBIT 82.5x 52.8x 78.8x
EV/Revenue 12.0x 11.5x 3.7x
EV/FCF -160.6x -43.7x 6.9x
EV/Operating cash flow 27.4x 28.7x 12.7x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 4.42 2.88 0.12

Growth

14 metrics
MetricDLREQIXGDS
Revenue growth (1Y) 17.4% 9.6% 15.8%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 9.7% 7.2% 8.1%
Gross profit growth (1Y) – 12.7% 27.6%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) – 8.2% 14.4%
Operating income growth (1Y) -40.3% 44.5% -57.2%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 17.3% 17.1% -5.5%
Net income growth (1Y) -42.6% 54.2% -14.6%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 23.2% 23.8% 71.9%
EPS growth (1Y) -46.0% 52.5% -26.4%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 18.5% 21.6% 65.7%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 24.9% 12.9% 15.3%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 20.6% 9.4% 20.0%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 19.9% -860.2% 3.3%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 26.1% -142.7% -11.1%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricDLREQIXGDS
Gross margin – 51.5% 24.9%
EBITDA margin 44.5% 44.1% 33.5%
Operating margin 14.6% 21.8% 4.7%
Pretax margin 7.8% 17.4% 14.8%
Net margin 11.2% 15.6% 30.1%
FCF margin -7.5% -26.3% 54.3%
Operating cash flow margin 43.8% 40.2% 29.3%
Return on equity 3.1% 10.7% 12.5%
Return on assets 1.6% 3.7% 4.4%
Return on invested capital 2.0% 5.6% 1.0%
Return on capital employed – 5.8% 0.8%
Asset turnover 0.1x 0.2x 0.1x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 3.7x 2.6x 0.9x
Stock comp / revenue 1.5% 5.4% 2.5%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricDLREQIXGDS
Debt / assets 34.2% 48.0% 31.9%
Debt / equity 0.7x 1.4x 0.9x
Net debt / EBITDA 5.6x 4.0x 3.1x
Debt / FCF -36.8x -7.6x 4.2x
Liabilities / assets 48.7% 65.0% 64.8%
Equity / assets 51.3% 35.0% 35.2%
Interest coverage 2.1x 3.8x 0.4x
Current ratio – 1.1x 1.8x
Quick ratio – 0.9x 1.4x
Cash ratio – 0.6x 1.1x
Altman Z-score – 2.81 0.62

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricDLREQIXGDS
Dividend yield 2.8% 2.1% –
Net buyback yield -4.6% -0.1% –
Shareholder yield -1.8% 2.0% –
Payout ratio (earnings) – – –
Payout ratio (FCF) – – –
Dividend growth (1Y) – – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusDLREQIXGDS
Forward P/E 60.8xFY2026 54.9xFY2026 43.9xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $2.87FY2026 $17.61FY2026 $0.52FY2026
EPS growth, next FY -19.8%FY2026 +28.0%FY2026 +550.0%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after -12.2% +10.8% -103.8%
Revenue, next fiscal year $7.40BFY2026 $10.81BFY2026 $1.96BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +21.1%FY2026 +17.3%FY2026 +20.4%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +0.6% -0.7% +1.6%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersDLREQIXGDS
Held by institutions 100.0% 97.5% 50.9%
Institutions holding 1,325 1,356 198
Change in shares held, QoQ +18.3% +3.3% +15.4%
Institutions buying 745 727 120
Institutions selling 383 420 61
Buyers to sellers 1.95 1.73 1.97

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

DLREQIXGDS
DLR 1.00 0.76 0.21
EQIX 0.76 1.00 0.20
GDS 0.21 0.20 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, DLR, EQIX and GDS?

Equinix (EQIX) is the largest by market capitalisation: Digital Realty Trust (DLR) $63.45B, Equinix (EQIX) $98.60B, GDS Holdings (GDS) $4.34B.

Which stock is cheaper, DLR, EQIX and GDS?

GDS Holdings (GDS) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Digital Realty Trust (DLR) 83.7x, Equinix (EQIX) 64.3x, GDS Holdings (GDS) 8.2x). On next year's consensus earnings, GDS Holdings (GDS) is cheapest (Digital Realty Trust (DLR) 60.8x, Equinix (EQIX) 54.9x, GDS Holdings (GDS) 43.9x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Digital Realty Trust (DLR) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Digital Realty Trust (DLR) +17.4%, Equinix (EQIX) +9.6%, GDS Holdings (GDS) +15.8%.

Which company is more profitable?

GDS Holdings (GDS) has the highest net margin (Digital Realty Trust (DLR) 11.2%, Equinix (EQIX) 15.6%, GDS Holdings (GDS) 30.1%). On return on invested capital, Equinix (EQIX) leads (Digital Realty Trust (DLR) 2.0%, Equinix (EQIX) 5.6%, GDS Holdings (GDS) 1.0%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Equinix (EQIX) returned the most: Digital Realty Trust (DLR) -2.6%, Equinix (EQIX) +15.3%, GDS Holdings (GDS) -34.7%. Over five years, Equinix (EQIX) compounded fastest (Digital Realty Trust (DLR) +2.2%/yr, Equinix (EQIX) +3.2%/yr, GDS Holdings (GDS) -17.5%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Equinix (EQIX) has been the steadiest (Digital Realty Trust (DLR) 27.6%, Equinix (EQIX) 25.8%, GDS Holdings (GDS) 57.0%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, DLR, EQIX and GDS?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Equinix (EQIX) leads on 5. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.