HAGENS BERMAN, NATIONAL TRIAL ATTORNEYS, Encourages EQIX Investors Who Suffered Substantial Losses to Contact Firm’s Attorneys
SAN FRANCISCO, March 20, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Hagens Berman urges Equinix, Inc. (NASDAQ: EQIX) investors who suffered substantial losses to submit your losses now.
Visit: www.hbsslaw.com/investor-fraud/EQIX
Contact An Attorney Now: EQIX@hbsslaw.com
844-916-0895
Equinix, Inc. (NASDAQ: EQIX) Investigation:
On Mar. 20, 2024, Equinix shares declined sharply after activist short seller Hindenburg Research took aim at the data center provider, alleging that Equinix’s senior management was manipulating key financial metrics to boost the appearance of profitability and trigger executive stock grants.
Hindenburg’s detailed allegations have led prominent investors’ rights law firm, Hagens Berman, to open an investigation into possible violations of the U.S. securities.
Hindenburg’s report, entitled “Equinix Exposed: Major Accounting Manipulation, Core Business Decay And Selling An AI Pipedream As Insiders Cashed Out Hundreds of Millions,” is based in part on interviews with 37 former Equinix employees and a forensic review of the company’s financial statements.
Significantly, Hindenburg’s forensic review concludes that:
(1) Equinix inflates its adjusted funds from operations (“AFFO”), the key profitability metric for REITs, by at least 22% during 2023 alone;
(2) “[a] key accounting trick to boost AFFO is to misclassify ‘maintenance CapEx’ as ‘growth CapEx,’ giving the appearance that the company’s cost to maintain its revenue base is lower than it actually is, making the company appear more profitable[;]”
(3) “[w]hen Equinix transitioned to become a REIT in 2015, it began using AFFO as a key metric in determining executive bonuses[;]”
(4) “[d]uring our investigation, former employees and executives provided an array of examples of obvious maintenance CapEx being classified as growth CapEx in order to boost reported AFFO[]” and “[t]his manipulative practice stems from top management[;]” and
(5) “[w]e estimate that Equinix’s manipulation of maintenance CapEx has resulted in a cumulative $3 billion boost to AFFO since its 2015 conversion to REIT status.”
Hindenburg observes that Equinix’s questionable AFFO accounting has substantially contributed to $295.8 million in stock award grants to top executives. Hindenburg further contends that “Equinix positions itself as a way to play AI, but former executives confirmed the rise of AI and machine learning workloads will strain power capacity” because, according to a former executive “‘every single site in the estate is oversold by 25%.’”
Lastly, Hindenburg notes “[n]one of these issues seem lost on management and insiders, who have been awarded compensation based on manipulated AFFO metrics and have cashed out $476 million since the company’s conversion to REIT status, including over $100 million since 2023.”
In response, the price of Equinix shares fell as much as $47.68, or down about 5.6%, during intraday trading on March 20, 2024.
“We’re investigating the propriety of Equinix’s financial reports,” said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the investigation.
If you invested in Equinix and have substantial losses, or have knowledge that may assist the firm’s investigation, submit your losses now »
If you’d like more information and answers to frequently asked questions about the Equinix investigation, read more »
Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding Equinix should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the new program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Reed Kathrein at 844-916-0895 or email EQIX@hbsslaw.com.
About Hagens Berman
Hagens Berman is a global plaintiffs’ rights complex litigation law firm focusing on corporate accountability through class-action law. The firm is home to a robust securities litigation practice and represents investors as well as whistleblowers, workers, consumers and others in cases achieving real results for those harmed by corporate negligence and fraud. More about the firm and its successes can be found at hbsslaw.com. Follow the firm for updates and news at @ClassActionLaw.
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Contact:
Reed Kathrein, 844-916-0895
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