Digital Realty and Goodman Group Build 9.9% Stake in Australia's NextDC

DLR and Australian property group Goodman have built a 9.9% stake in data-center operator NextDC, NextDC confirmed. The pair bought 75.2 million shares between November 3 and 6 at an average price of A$9.22, a total of about A$693 million (US$476 million), after offering A$9.50 a share for up to A$715 million.

The offer price was a 45.5% premium to NextDC's A$6.53 prior close, a large markup that FourWeekMBA framed as a raid valuing the company at A$7.4 billion. NextDC described the approach as opportunistic, while the buyers said they have no intention of making a takeover bid for now.

The move gives two of the largest data-center investors a strategic position in one of Australia's main colocation and cloud-infrastructure providers, at a time when demand for AI-ready capacity is driving consolidation across the sector. A 9.9% holding stops short of control but makes Digital Realty and Goodman influential shareholders in any future corporate action.

What to watch: whether the buyers add to the stake or seek board representation, NextDC's formal response and any defensive steps, and whether other bidders emerge for a business now carrying a visible premium.