GDS Holdings Ltd. (9698) AI Stock Analysis

• Market Cap: HK$67.76B
• Dividend Yield: N/A
• Average Volume (3M): 10.96M
• Price to Earnings (P/E): 22.9
• Beta (1Y): 1.70
• Revenue Growth: 1.73%
• EPS Growth: N/A
• Country: HK
• Employees: 2,276
• Sector: Technology
• Sector Strength: 88
• Industry: Information Technology Services
• EPS (TTM): 0.44
• Shares Outstanding: 1,607,430,500
• 10 Day Avg. Volume: 9,067,041
• 30 Day Avg. Volume: 10,961,922
• PEG Ratio: -0.11
• Price to Book (P/B): 1.34
• Price to Sales (P/S): 3.05
• P/FCF Ratio: -30.61
• Enterprise Value/Market Cap: N/A
• Enterprise Value/Revenue: N/A
• Enterprise Value/Gross Profit: N/A
• Enterprise Value/Ebitda: N/A
• 1Y Price Target: HK$45.00
• Price Target Upside: 6.33% Upside
• Rating Consensus: Moderate Buy
• Number of Analyst Covering: 2
• EPS Forecast (FY): 0.17
• Revenue Forecast (FY): HK$14.15B

• Rating: 58 Neutral
• Price Target: HK$46.00 ▲(8.70% Upside)
• Action: Upgraded Date: 01/28/26
• Date: Action: Upgraded 01/28/26

The score is held back primarily by deteriorating top-line performance, negative free cash flow, and high leverage despite strong margins and ROE. Technicals are supportive with an uptrend and positive MACD, but overbought signals add near-term risk. A high P/E further limits the score due to expensive valuation.

Positive Factors

Recurring contract-based colocation revenue

GDS earns recurring fees from colocation, power and managed services under multi-year contracts with enterprises and cloud providers. That contracted, usage-linked revenue base supports predictable cash flows and operating leverage as facilities scale, a durable strength for 2–6 months.

High profitability and strong ROE

Sustained high net margins and a 20% ROE indicate efficient operations and the ability to convert revenue into earnings. High profitability can fund reinvestment, absorb cyclical volatility, and supports competitive positioning in the capital-intensive data center industry over the medium term.

Strategic data-center footprint in key hubs

A presence in major Chinese economic hubs aligns GDS with long-term secular demand from cloud providers and enterprises. Strategic locations reduce customer churn risk, enable premium pricing for latency-sensitive workloads, and support steady demand over multiple quarters.

Negative Factors

Sharp revenue contraction

A nearly 70% drop in reported revenue is a material structural concern: it reduces fixed-cost coverage in a capital-fixed business, undermines scale-driven margin sustainability, and weakens ability to fund expansion or absorb shocks over the next several quarters.

Negative free cash flow and weak cash conversion

Significant negative FCF and low OCF-to-net-income ratio show earnings are not translating into cash. That limits internal funding for capex, maintenance and growth, increases reliance on external financing, and elevates medium-term liquidity and execution risk.

Elevated financial leverage

A debt-to-equity near 1.9 raises interest and refinancing risks in a capital-intensive model. High leverage reduces financial flexibility to invest or weather further revenue weakness, and magnifies downside if cash generation remains impaired over the coming quarters.

GDS Holdings Ltd. Business Overview & Revenue Model

Company Description

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. It serves cloud service providers, large Internet companies, financial institutions, telecommunications and IT service providers, and large domestic private sector and multinational corporations. The company was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in Shanghai, the People's Republic of China.

How the Company Makes Money

GDS Holdings generates revenue primarily through its colocation services, where customers rent space, power, and cooling for their servers and IT equipment within GDS's data centers. This is complemented by cloud computing services, which provide scalable resources on-demand. The company also earns income from managed services, offering clients operational support and IT management. Key partnerships with major cloud service providers and enterprises enhance its market presence, while long-term contracts with customers contribute to stable revenue streams. Additionally, GDS benefits from the growing demand for data services in China, driven by increased internet usage and digitalization across sectors.

GDS Holdings Ltd. Financial Statement Overview

Summary

Profitability is strong (TTM net profit margin 41.56% and ROE 20.16%), but fundamentals are pressured by a sharp revenue decline (-69.7%), negative free cash flow (FCF growth -67.23%), and elevated leverage (debt-to-equity 1.88).

Income Statement

GDS Holdings Ltd. shows a strong net profit margin of 41.56% in the TTM, indicating high profitability. However, the revenue growth rate is negative at -69.7%, suggesting a significant decline in sales compared to the previous period. The EBIT and EBITDA margins are healthy, reflecting efficient operational management, but the sharp revenue drop is a concern.

Balance Sheet

The company has a high debt-to-equity ratio of 1.88, indicating significant leverage, which could pose financial risks. However, the return on equity is positive at 20.16% in the TTM, showing effective use of equity to generate profits. The equity ratio is moderate, suggesting a balanced asset financing structure.

Cash Flow

The free cash flow is negative, with a growth rate of -67.23% in the TTM, indicating cash flow challenges. The operating cash flow to net income ratio is 0.36, showing that operating cash flow covers a portion of net income, but the negative free cash flow to net income ratio highlights cash flow inefficiencies.

Breakdown	TTM	Dec 2024	Dec 2023	Dec 2022	Dec 2021	Dec 2020
Income Statement
Total Revenue	11.20B	10.32B	9.96B	9.33B	7.82B	5.74B
Gross Profit	2.55B	2.22B	1.92B	1.94B	1.78B	1.55B
EBITDA	5.94B	4.39B	1.36B	4.19B	3.23B	2.34B
Net Income	5.61B	3.43B	-4.29B	-1.27B	-1.19B	-669.21M
Balance Sheet
Total Assets	78.61B	73.65B	74.45B	74.81B	71.63B	57.26B
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments	13.44B	7.87B	7.71B	8.61B	9.97B	16.26B
Total Debt	46.96B	44.46B	47.99B	44.68B	37.79B	24.63B
Total Liabilities	51.83B	49.98B	54.32B	50.63B	47.10B	31.69B
Stockholders Equity	26.67B	23.54B	19.96B	24.07B	24.47B	25.57B
Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow	-766.33M	-1.03B	-4.19B	-4.95B	-8.50B	-7.70B
Operating Cash Flow	3.31B	1.94B	2.07B	2.86B	1.20B	320.89M
Investing Cash Flow	-4.81B	-8.76B	-6.33B	-11.27B	-13.69B	-9.38B
Financing Cash Flow	15.49B	17.06B	3.14B	4.86B	8.12B	20.14B

GDS Holdings Ltd. Technical Analysis

• Technical Analysis Sentiment: Positive
• Last Price: 42.32
• 50DMA: Positive
• 100DMA: Positive
• 200DMA: Positive
• MACD: Positive
• RSI: Neutral
• STOCH: Neutral

Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For HK:9698, the sentiment is Positive. The current price of 42.32 is above the 20-day moving average (MA) of 41.95, above the 50-day MA of 40.99, and above the 200-day MA of 34.83, indicating a neutral trend. The MACD of -0.47 indicates Positive momentum. The RSI at 52.79 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 64.79 is Neutral, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Positive sentiment for HK:9698.

GDS Holdings Ltd. Peers Comparison

Name	Overall Rating	Market Cap	P/E Ratio	ROE	Dividend Yield	Revenue Growth	EPS Growth
2176	74 Outperform	HK$812.00M	9.99	48.52%	12.99%	2.82%	10.06%
0696	64 Neutral	HK$30.70B	4.89	9.65%	2.44%	12.23%	36.90%
Sector *	61 Neutral	$37.18B	12.37	-10.20%	1.83%	8.50%	-7.62%
9698	58 Neutral	HK$67.76B	22.90	5.43%	―	1.73%	―
0354	54 Neutral	HK$10.33B	9.44	4.70%	1.06%	5.43%	-6.88%
0861	48 Neutral	HK$3.81B	141.36	-4.20%	2.65%	-6.07%	86.55%
3680	39 Underperform	HK$2.01B	4.07	4.78%	―	-25.92%	―

GDS Holdings Ltd. Corporate Events

GDS to Realize 6.5x Return on Partial Exit From DayOne, Redirect Proceeds to China Core Business

GDS Holdings Limited has agreed to sell US$385 million worth of its ordinary shares in Singapore-headquartered hyperscale data center platform DayOne Data Centers back to DayOne at the same valuation as DayOne’s recently completed US$2.0 billion-plus Series C fundraising. The transaction allows GDS to recycle about 95% of its original principal in DayOne at nearly a 6.5x multiple, while retaining a remaining equity stake valued at over US$2.2 billion, and the company plans to redeploy the proceeds into new high-return opportunities in its core China data center business, potentially strengthening its domestic growth pipeline and capital efficiency.

The most recent analyst rating on (HK:9698) stock is a Hold with a HK$30.00 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on GDS Holdings Ltd. stock, see the HK:9698 Stock Forecast page.

GDS Holdings to Announce Q3 2025 Financial Results

GDS Holdings Limited has announced a board meeting scheduled for November 17, 2025, to approve its unaudited financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2025. The results will be announced on November 19, 2025, after the Hong Kong market closes and before the U.S. market opens. The company will also hold an earnings teleconference call on the same day to discuss these results, providing stakeholders with insights into its financial performance and operational strategies.

The most recent analyst rating on (HK:9698) stock is a Hold with a HK$34.00 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on GDS Holdings Ltd. stock, see the HK:9698 Stock Forecast page.