Digital Realty brings companies and data together by delivering the full spectrum of data center, colocation, and interconnection solutions. PlatformDIGITAL, the company's global data center platform, provides customers with a secure data meeting place and a proven Pervasive Datacenter Architecture (PDx) solution methodology for powering innovation and efficiently managing Data Gravity challenges. Digital Realty gives its customers access to the connected data communities that matter to them with a global data center footprint of 300+ facilities in 50+ metros across 25+ countries on six continents.

Digital Realty Trust, Inc.

Key Points
To invest in chipmakers, look to Nvidia and TSMC.
The data center buildout will benefit companies like Nebius Group, Digital Realty Trust, and Credo Technology Group.
The biggest thing happening in the stock market this month is the massive tailwind behind artificial intelligence stocks. The biggest hyperscalers -- Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, and Meta Platforms -- have announced plans to spend as much as $650 billion this year on AI investments, including capital expenditures for chips and outfitting data centers.
While stocks in those companies have slipped a bit as investors absorb the effect of those massive spending commitments, I think now is the time for investors to look hard at AI infrastructure companies. These five names will be among the biggest beneficiaries of the global AI buildout.
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1. Nvidia
Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) deserves the top spot on any list of AI stocks to buy. Its graphics processing units (GPUs) are the backbone of data centers, as they are bundled by the hundreds to perform highly complex AI tasks. Nvidia's GPUs are the current gold standard for developing, training, and running AI platforms.
Nvidia is scheduled to report quarterly earnings on Feb. 25, and I'm expecting a big jump in the stock afterward. Its last report, covering the fiscal third quarter of 2026 (ending Oct. 25, 2025), showed record revenue of $57 billion, with $51.2 billion from its data center segment.
All indications are that demand for Nvidia's Blackwell GPUs remains strong, and its next-generation Vera Rubin chips are expected this year. Nvidia is set for another strong year.
2. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (NYSE: TSM), best known as TSMC, is in the catbird seat right now. Nvidia and other chipmakers design the chips, but they don't have the capability to manufacture them. For that, they turn to a foundry, and TSMC is the foundry of choice for top chipmakers. It produced more than 11,800 products using 288 separate processes in 2024.
TSMC specializes in making powerful chips with small transistors. The smaller the transistors in a chip, the more efficient and powerful it is. As recently as 2023, TSMC got more than half of its revenue from chips larger than 7 nanometers, but in the fourth quarter of 2025, chips that were 3nm or 5nm accounted for 63% of its shipments.
3. Nebius Group
We've already covered chips, both designing them and manufacturing them. Now let's turn to AI data centers, and for that, my top pick is Nebius Group (NASDAQ: NBIS). Nebius is a Dutch company that builds data centers to provide full-stack AI cloud platforms that developers and hyperscalers alike can use to train and run AI programs.
Nebius uses Nvidia GPUs in its data centers and is rapidly expanding its operations. It had 220 megawatts of power connected for its data centers at the end of 2025, but plans to have between 800 megawatts and 1 gigawatt of connected power by the end of this year.
Nebius also has contracts worth up to $19.4 billion with Microsoft and $3 billion with Meta Platforms to provide AI computing capacity. As it expands, you can expect it to land even more.
4. Digital Realty Trust
If you want another way to invest in data centers, consider Digital Realty Trust (NYSE: DLR). This differs from Nebius Group in that it's a real estate investment trust, or REIT, which means that it's required to return at least 90% of its taxable income to shareholders in the form of dividends.
Digital Realty has more than 300 data centers in 50 metropolitan markets, and counts Nvidia, Amazon, Microsoft, and Alphabet among its customers. Its revenue was $1.6 billion in the fourth quarter, up 14% from a year ago. Earnings per share was $0.24, versus $0.15 the previous year.
On top of that, Digital Realty Trust pays a dividend yield of 2.8% -- something that you won't get from Nebius.
5. Credo Technology Group
We've covered chips and data centers, but we haven't covered how those data centers make chips work together. For that, you need Credo Technology Group (NASDAQ: CRDO).
Credo makes what it calls Active Electrical Cables (AECs), which are considered better than conventional copper cables to connect clustered chips in data centers. AECs use signal processors in the wiring that help move data faster and more efficiently.
Earnings for the second fiscal quarter of 2026 (ending Nov. 1, 2025) showed revenue of $268 million, up 272% from a year ago. The company is expecting revenue between $335 million and $345 million in the next fiscal year.
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Patrick Sanders has positions in Nebius Group and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Amazon, Digital Realty Trust, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

5 Best Artificial Intelligence Stocks to Buy in February

Equinix Inc.’s EQIX fourth-quarter 2025 adjusted funds from operations (AFFO) per share of $8.91 missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $9.07. The figure improved 12.5% from the prior-year quarter.
Results reflect higher expenses adversely impacting the performance. Recurring revenues increased year over year, led by strong demand for digital infrastructure and services. The company surpassed more than 500,000 total interconnections. EQIX hiked its dividend.
Total quarterly revenues of $2.42 billion missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.47 billion. The top line increased 7% year over year.
For full-year 2025, AFFO per share came in at $38.33, higher than the prior-year figure by 9.5%. The figure missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $38.48. Total revenues came in at $9.22 billion, up 5.4% year over year, but lagged the consensus mark of $9.26 billion.
EQIX’s Q4 in Detail
Recurring revenues were $2.29 billion, up 9.7% from the year-ago quarter. Non-recurring revenues decreased 25.9% to $126 million.
Revenues from the Americas and the EMEA rose 7.2% and 7.7% year over year to $1.07 billion and $836 million, respectively. The same for the Asia Pacific increased 5.6% to $513 million.
Adjusted EBITDA came in at $1.19 billion, up 16.2% year over year. The adjusted EBITDA margin was reported at 49%.
AFFO rose 13.9% from the year-ago period to $877 million.
EQIX spent $139 million on recurring capital expenditure in the fourth quarter, up 20.9% on a year-over-year basis. Non-recurring capital expenditure was $1.30 billion, up 48.7% year over year.
Cash sales and marketing expenses surged 17.6% to $160 million. Cash general and administrative expenses flared up 6.4% to $301 million.
EQIX’s Balance Sheet Position
Equinix had $7.2 billion of available liquidity as of Dec. 31, 2025. This comprised cash, cash equivalents of $3.2 billion, short-term investments and a $4 billion undrawn revolver. It excludes restricted cash.
As of Dec. 31, 2025, total gross debt was around $19 billion. Its net leverage ratio was 3.8, and the weighted average maturity was 6.5 years as of Dec. 31, 2025.
EQIX’s Dividend Raise
Equinix’s board of directors announced a quarterly cash dividend of $5.16 per share, an increment of 10% over the prior-quarter figure. The dividend will be paid out on March 18 to shareholders on record as of Feb. 25, 2026.
2026 Guidance by EQIX
For the first quarter of 2026, Equinix projects revenues between $2.496 billion and $2.536 billion, implying around a 3-5% increase over the prior quarter. Adjusted EBITDA is expected in the range of $1.283- $1.323 billion.
For the current year, AFFO per share is estimated between $41.93 and $42.74. This suggests an increase of around 9-11.5% from the previous year. This is higher than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $40.63.
For 2026, Equinix estimates generating total revenues in the band of $10.123-$10.223 billion, indicating growth of 10-11% from 2025 on an as-reported basis. Management predicts an adjusted EBITDA of $5.141-$5.221 billion and an adjusted EBITDA margin of 51%.
EQIX’s Zacks Rank
Equinix carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Equinix, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
Performance of Other REITs
Digital Realty Trust DLR reported fourth-quarter 2025 core FFO per share of $1.86, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.83. FFO also increased 7.5% year over year. Results reflected steady leasing momentum with better rental rates amid rising demand.
Healthpeak Properties, Inc. DOC reported fourth-quarter 2025 FFO as adjusted per share of 47 cents, topping the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 45 cents. The figure compared favorably with the prior-year quarter’s 46 cents. Results reflected better-than-expected revenues and growth in total merger-combined same-store cash (adjusted) NOI. Higher interest expenses affected the results to some extent.
Note: Anything related to earnings presented in this write-up represents funds from operations (FFO), a widely used metric to gauge the performance of REITs.
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Equinix Q4 AFFO & Revenues Miss Estimates but Grow Y/Y, Dividend Hiked

Key Points
While high-performance processing was the top investment opportunity in the early days of AI’s mainstreaming, data centers themselves have become the next top prospects.
The names most likely to lead this segment of the industry’s ongoing growth, however, aren’t your typical technology companies.
Investors would be best served by adapting to the way the business is changing and the kinds of companies this change favors.
It was a rough week for most artificial intelligence (AI) stocks last week. As revealed in several of last quarter's earnings reports, not every investment in AI tech is paying off as soon or as much as hoped. Investors would be wise to rethink which of these names are actually must-haves.
However, if you think this recent reality check is going to slow the expansion of the industry, think again. This expansion is very much needed. Indeed, ARK Invest's Cathie Wood believes the AI data center business is set to grow from $500 billion per year now to $1.4 trillion by 2030, jibing with an outlook from technology consulting outfit Gartner.
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These predictions, of course, can and should impact how investors plug into this fast-growing market. While hardware powerhouse Nvidia and decision-intelligence software specialist Palantir Technologies will still feature prominently in AI's future, it's the data center sliver of the business where you'll find the industry's top growth opportunities right now.
But these businesses are different from the typical hardware or software name. Real estate investment trusts (REITs) like Equinix (NASDAQ: EQIX) and Digital Realty Trust (NYSE: DLR) are arguably the best way to play AI's second act. Here's why.
Why REITs work better for this business
It's an "anything goes" industry right now. Sometimes it makes sense to use third-party processor chips, for instance, while other times it's better to design your own. Likewise, several technology giants that have experience building and operating their own data centers are still opting to use third-party AI data centers. Most access to AI data centers, in fact, is leased rather than owned, requiring recurring rent payments from their users.
And this preference raises an important question for investors: If the next slate of top AI investment opportunities is recurring income-oriented rather than growth-oriented (via one-off sales of hardware), what's the optimal way of being in the business?
Not as a conventional company, as it turns out. Rather, real estate investment trusts -- or REITs, for short -- may offer the biggest and best ultimate bottom lines.
In simplest terms, REITs own portfolios of revenue-bearing real estate ranging from office buildings to hotels to apartment complexes to shopping malls and more. And this "more" can include cloud-based access to data center servers, storage, and AI computing platforms. All of these businesses, of course, enjoy reliable cash flow, which makes them well-suited for supporting sustained dividends.
REITs enjoy a structural tax advantage that even most ordinary dividend-paying companies don't. That is, as long as a REIT distributes the majority of its profits to shareholders in the form of dividend payments, none of this profit is first taxed at the corporate level. With companies facing typical corporate tax rates of between 20% and 25%, this means REIT holders ultimately receive this much more value compared to similar investment options.
A closer look at both prospects
While they're not the only data center operators to be structured as REITs, Digital Realty Trust and Equinix are two of the few players to be structured this way, however, and are certainly two of the biggest and most important such names.
Digital Realty Trust says it's the world's largest data center platform, and the claim isn't difficult to believe. The company owns more than 300 different facilities in more than 50 cities serving over 5,000 customers, including the likes of software giant SAP and telecom powerhouse AT&T. It's on pace to do a little over $6 billion worth of business this year and turn that into a per-share profit of roughly $3.60 versus 2024's comparison of $1.61. Digital Realty has grown its top line for 20 consecutive years, proving that it can adapt to an ever-changing technology landscape. Newcomers will be stepping into a forward-looking dividend yield of right around 3%.
Equinix is sized similarly to Digital Realty Trust. Like its rival, the company is consistently profitable, supporting dividend payments that are expected to reach just over 2.3% of the stock's current price in the year ahead. This REIT is somewhat different from Digital Realty by virtue of offering software-defined networking solutions for clients that may need to regularly update how their platform interconnects.
Whatever the case, analysts are firmly bullish on both names. The majority of analysts covering EQIX currently rate the stock as a strong buy, with a consensus target of $965 that's 20% above the ticker's present price. The analyst community also suggests DLR is undervalued by almost as much. That's not a bad way to start out a long-term trade.
Adapt to the opportunity
But what if you just don't need income right now? What if you'd rather have the growth?
That's just it. Although you'll get the (taxable) income whether you want it or not, you'll still experience most of the continued proliferation of AI data centers.
Equinix's most recent dividend increase upped its per-share payment to the tune of 10%, for perspective. While Digital Realty Trust suspended its dividend growth back in 2023, so it could invest more in AI architecture at that critical time for the business, its revenue and earnings have continued to grow. Indeed, analysts are looking for 2025's full-year revenue to be up 12% year over year once its fourth-quarter numbers are released, with comparable growth in the cards at least through 2028. Given the forecasts for the AI data center industry's growth, both of these REITs are likely to see strong growth for far longer than that.
The trick here is redefining what an AI pick can and should look like.
Should you buy stock in Digital Realty Trust right now?
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James Brumley has positions in AT&T. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Digital Realty Trust, Equinix, Nvidia, and Palantir Technologies. The Motley Fool recommends Gartner and SAP. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

2 Data Center REITs That Could Triple Your Money as AI Infrastructure Hits $1.4 Trillion

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Digital Realty (DLR) Q4 2025 Earnings Transcript

For the quarter ended December 2025, Digital Realty Trust (DLR) reported revenue of $1.63 billion, up 13.9% over the same period last year. EPS came in at $1.86, compared to $0.51 in the year-ago quarter.
The reported revenue represents a surprise of +3.52% over the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.58 billion. With the consensus EPS estimate being $1.83, the EPS surprise was +1.75%.
While investors closely watch year-over-year changes in headline numbers -- revenue and earnings -- and how they compare to Wall Street expectations to determine their next course of action, some key metrics always provide a better insight into a company's underlying performance.
Since these metrics play a crucial role in driving the top- and bottom-line numbers, comparing them with the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated about them helps investors better project a stock's price performance.
Here is how Digital Realty Trust performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:
Net Earnings per Share (Diluted): $0.24 compared to the $0.33 average estimate based on seven analysts.
Revenues- Rental revenues: $1.07 billion versus $1.07 billion estimated by seven analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +12.1% change.
Revenues- Tenant reimbursements- Utilities: $356.08 million compared to the $317.59 million average estimate based on seven analysts. The reported number represents a change of +17.7% year over year.
Revenues- Tenant reimbursements- Other: $34.41 million versus $38.72 million estimated by seven analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a -10.8% change.
Revenues- Tenant reimbursements (Utilities + Other): $390.49 million compared to the $356.31 million average estimate based on seven analysts. The reported number represents a change of +14.4% year over year.
Revenues- Fee Income: $45.69 million versus $30.69 million estimated by seven analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +96% change.
Revenues- Interconnection and other: $123.41 million compared to the $121.3 million average estimate based on seven analysts. The reported number represents a change of +9.8% year over year.
Revenues- Other: $0.37 million versus the six-analyst average estimate of $1.4 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +830%.
Shares of Digital Realty Trust have returned +7.7% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +0.5% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), indicating that it could perform in line with the broader market in the near term.
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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Compared to Estimates, Digital Realty Trust (DLR) Q4 Earnings: A Look at Key Metrics

(RTTNews) - Digital Realty Trust Inc. (DLR) revealed a profit for fourth quarter that Dropped, from last year
The company's earnings came in at $98.65 million, or $0.24 per share. This compares with $189.57 million, or $0.51 per share, last year.
The company's revenue for the period rose 13.9% to $1.634 billion from $1.435 billion last year.
Digital Realty Trust Inc. earnings at a glance (GAAP) :
-Earnings: $98.65 Mln. vs. $189.57 Mln. last year. -EPS: $0.24 vs. $0.51 last year. -Revenue: $1.634 Bln vs. $1.435 Bln last year.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Digital Realty Trust Inc. Bottom Line Declines In Q4

Key Points
Many investors chase AI chip and software stocks.
But data center REITs offer more stable returns and reliable dividends.
Digital Reality is a top player in that growing market.
When investors want to profit from the AI boom, they generally gravitate toward chipmakers like Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) or software companies like Palantir (NASDAQ: PLTR). They probably pay less attention to real estate investment trusts (REITs), which are buying up data centers, renting out the space, and paying out most of that income as dividends.
One of the largest data center REITs is Digital Realty (NYSE: DLR), which operates more than 300 data centers across over 50 metropolitan areas. It serves over half of the Fortune 500, and its top customers include IBM, Oracle, and Meta. Let's see why it's a reliable long-term play on the cloud and AI markets.
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What does Digital Realty do?
Digital Realty is a triple-net-lease data center REIT, meaning its tenants are responsible for their own maintenance, insurance, and property taxes. Like other REITs, it must pay out at least 90% of its taxable income as dividends to maintain a lower tax rate.
From 2020 to 2024, Digital Realty's core funds from operations (FFO) per share -- a key profitability metric for REITs -- rose at a 2% CAGR from $6.22 to $6.72. For 2025, it expects its core FFO per share to rise 9%-10% to $7.32-$7.38. That will easily cover its forward dividend of $4.88 per share, yielding 2.9%.
Digital Realty has kept its occupancy rate in the mid-80s over the past five years, and it expects that ratio to expand by 100-200 basis points to 83.9%-84.9% in 2025. Its business continues to grow even as it streamlines its portfolio by divesting its older "non-core" data centers, which have less growth potential than its higher-growth hyperscale data centers.
Why is Digital Realty a worthwhile investment?
At $165, Digital Realty still looks reasonably valued at 22 times its trailing core FFO per share. For conservative, income-oriented investors, that lower valuation makes it an appealing alternative to the higher-growth AI stocks, many of which are trading at premium valuations. Its dividend could also become more attractive if interest rates continue to decline.
The market's demand for its AI-ready data centers should soar over the next few years as more companies scramble to upgrade their AI infrastructure to handle the latest AI applications. It might not be as exciting as Nvidia or Palantir, but its swelling backlog, budding network of partnerships and joint ventures, and overseas expansion should all support its long-term growth.
Should you buy stock in Digital Realty Trust right now?
Before you buy stock in Digital Realty Trust, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Digital Realty Trust wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
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Leo Sun has positions in Meta Platforms. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Digital Realty Trust, International Business Machines, Meta Platforms, Nvidia, Oracle, and Palantir Technologies. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Forget Tech Stocks: The Real Estate Play That's Cashing In on AI

The following companies are expected to report earnings after hours on 02/05/2026. Visit our Earnings Calendar for a full list of expected earnings releases.
Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN)is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2025. The internet company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 16 analysts that follow the stock is $1.98. This value represents a 6.45% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year AMZN has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 3rd calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 23.42%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2025 Price to Earnings ratio for AMZN is 32.45 vs. an industry ratio of -1.80, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry.
Fortinet, Inc. (FTNT)is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2025. The security company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 14 analysts that follow the stock is $0.66. This value represents a 1.49% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year FTNT has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 3rd calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 18.18%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2025 Price to Earnings ratio for FTNT is 34.08 vs. an industry ratio of 963.40.
Digital Realty Trust, Inc. (DLR)is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2025. The reit company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 10 analysts that follow the stock is $1.83. This value represents a 5.78% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year DLR has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 3rd calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 6.18%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2025 Price to Earnings ratio for DLR is 22.69 vs. an industry ratio of 13.30, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry.
Monolithic Power Systems, Inc. (MPWR)is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2025. The semiconductor company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 7 analysts that follow the stock is $3.63. This value represents a 14.51% increase compared to the same quarter last year. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2025 Price to Earnings ratio for MPWR is 84.27 vs. an industry ratio of 57.60, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry.
Microchip Technology Incorporated (MCHP)is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2025. The semiconductor company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 8 analysts that follow the stock is $0.33. This value represents a 153.85% increase compared to the same quarter last year. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2026 Price to Earnings ratio for MCHP is 68.62 vs. an industry ratio of 57.60, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry.
Roblox Corporation (RBLX)is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2025. The gaming company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 8 analysts that follow the stock is $-0.49. This value represents a 48.48% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year RBLX has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 3rd calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 30.19%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2025 Price to Earnings ratio for RBLX is -40.17 vs. an industry ratio of 23.20.
Ventas, Inc. (VTR)is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2025. The reit company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 5 analysts that follow the stock is $0.89. This value represents a 9.88% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year VTR has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 3rd calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 1.15%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2025 Price to Earnings ratio for VTR is 22.34 vs. an industry ratio of 13.30, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry.
Bloom Energy Corporation (BE)is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2025. The alternative energy company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 4 analysts that follow the stock is $0.15. This value represents a 54.55% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year BE has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 3rd calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 66.67%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2025 Price to Earnings ratio for BE is 2455.83 vs. an industry ratio of 27.90, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry.
Strategy Inc (MSTR)is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2025. The financial services company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 1 analyst that follows the stock is $-18.06. This value represents a 464.38% decrease compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year MSTR and beat the expectations the other two quarters. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2025 Price to Earnings ratio for MSTR is -4.18 vs. an industry ratio of 5.60.
Mettler-Toledo International, Inc. (MTD)is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2025. The medical instruments company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 5 analysts that follow the stock is $12.76. This value represents a 2.82% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year MTD has beat the expectations every quarter. The highest one was in the 3rd calendar quarter where they beat the consensus by 4.99%. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2025 Price to Earnings ratio for MTD is 32.96 vs. an industry ratio of 1.20, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry.
Equity Residential (EQR)is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2025. The reit company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 9 analysts that follow the stock is $1.04. This value represents a 4.00% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year EQR has met analyst expectations three times and beat the expectations the other quarter. Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2025 Price to Earnings ratio for EQR is 15.77 vs. an industry ratio of 9.10, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry.
VeriSign, Inc. (VRSN)is reporting for the quarter ending December 31, 2025. The internet software company's consensus earnings per share forecast from the 1 analyst that follows the stock is $2.29. This value represents a 14.50% increase compared to the same quarter last year. In the past year VRSN Zacks Investment Research reports that the 2025 Price to Earnings ratio for VRSN is 27.17 vs. an industry ratio of 16.50, implying that they will have a higher earnings growth than their competitors in the same industry.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

After-Hours Earnings Report for February 5, 2026 : AMZN, FTNT, DLR, MPWR, MCHP, RBLX, VTR, BE, MSTR, MTD, EQR, VRSN

Key Points
Data centers have taken center stage of the artificial intelligence movement.
These companies’ business models are distinctly different than those of the names that have led the AI charge thus far.
Investors should seek out prospects that optimize the recurring revenue nature of the data center business.
There's little doubt that data centers themselves are one of the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution's next big investment opportunities, boding well for owners/operators like Vertiv and CoreWeave, and just as well for data center construction specialists like Applied Digital. Is it possible that investors are looking right past the best way to plug into this next phase of AI's existence?
That may well be the case. And it's got everything to do with how the business works. A name like Digital Realty Trust (NYSE: DLR) could quietly be the ideal way to play the explosion of the AI data center industry.
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In the right place with the right structure
Nvidia may have gotten the ball rolling by being the first (and practically only) supplier of processing chips powerful enough to support a true AI platform. But its business was largely built on one-off sales of these processors. To grow its revenue, it needs to improve its technology and/or find new customers.
The data center business is a bit different, though. While plenty of AI technology companies can and do build their own data centers, it's often cheaper, easier, and faster to simply pay a third-party for ongoing access to their AI data center platform.
Digital Realty Trust is one of these third parties. It owns more than 300 data centers in 50 different cities, serving over 5,000 customers. It's the world's biggest data center operator, in fact.
That's not the crux of the argument for owning a stake in this company, however. It's how it's structured. Digital Realty is a real estate investment trust, or REIT, for short. That just means as long as the majority of its profits driven by its recurring rental revenue are passed along to shareholders in the form of dividends, then these profits aren't first taxed at the corporate level.
In other words, this REIT lets shareholders pocket more of the net benefit of being in the artificial intelligence data center industry, which Precedence Research expects to grow at an average annualized pace of more than 27% through 2035.
Different, but still more to like than not
There are some AI-related downsides to factor in. For instance, this asset-intense business doesn't have the sort of explosive growth that the likes of Nvidia and several AI software developers like Palantir have been reporting. Digital Realty's third-quarter top-line growth of 10% is in line with its recent history and analysts' forward-looking expectations.
It's also difficult to ignore the fact that this REIT hasn't actually raised its yearly payout since 2022, opting instead to invest aggressively to meet the explosion of AI-driven demand for data center services.
Nevertheless, there's also no denying that the data center aspect of the AI business is distinctly different than the hardware side of it. The AI data center industry could grow. It's built to generate rising recurring income, though. That's why the smart-money way of plugging into it is with a company like Digital Realty that's optimally structured to make the most of this recurring revenue model.
The forward-looking dividend yield of just under 3% isn't too shabby either, offering regular income from a sector that's not exactly known for doing so.
Should you buy stock in Digital Realty Trust right now?
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James Brumley has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Digital Realty Trust, Nvidia, Palantir Technologies, and Vertiv. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Could This REIT Be the Best Way to Play the Data Center Surge?

First Industrial Realty Trust (FR) came out with quarterly funds from operations (FFO) of $0.77 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.76 per share. This compares to FFO of $0.71 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.
This quarterly report represents an FFO surprise of +1.24%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this real estate investment trust would post FFO of $0.74 per share when it actually produced FFO of $0.76, delivering a surprise of +2.7%.
Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus FFO estimates three times.
First Industrial Realty Trust, which belongs to the Zacks REIT and Equity Trust - Other industry, posted revenues of $188.41 million for the quarter ended December 2025, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.37%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $175.59 million. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates three times over the last four quarters.
The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future FFO expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call.
First Industrial Realty Trust shares have added about 1.8% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 1.1%.
What's Next for First Industrial Realty Trust?
While First Industrial Realty Trust has outperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock?
There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's FFO outlook. Not only does this include current consensus FFO expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately.
Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of estimate revisions.
Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for First Industrial Realty Trust was favorable. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to outperform the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and the current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus FFO estimate is $0.72 on $188.58 million in revenues for the coming quarter and $3.15 on $772.55 million in revenues for the current fiscal year.
Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, REIT and Equity Trust - Other is currently in the bottom 28% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.
One other stock from the same industry, Digital Realty Trust (DLR), is yet to report results for the quarter ended December 2025. The results are expected to be released on February 5.
This real estate investment trust is expected to post quarterly earnings of $1.83 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +5.8%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 0.3% higher over the last 30 days to the current level.
Digital Realty Trust's revenues are expected to be $1.58 billion, up 10% from the year-ago quarter.
Should You Invest in First Industrial Realty Trust, Inc. (FR)?
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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

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