Jun 01, 2016

Data Center REITS on a Cloud

By Michael Buck

Data Center REITS on a Cloud

Over the last few years, the cloud has been a prominent buzzword and investment theme. The National Institute of Standards and Technology defines cloud computing as “...a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction.” In other words, the cloud is a remote network of servers that perform computing functions historically conducted on a personal computer or local server.

Cloud computing and data centers are often mentioned together because the servers that provide the computing power to the cloud are generally housed in data centers that have very specific capabilities, particularly with regard to power and cooling (you can’t just throw hundreds of servers into a big warehouse and flip a switch). In recent years, enterprises have grown increasingly comfortable with the level of security, cost, and flexibility offered by cloud data centers. This has led to an explosion in traffic, creating a need for more data center capacity (Exhibit 1).

Exhibit 1: Cloud Data Center Traffic Growth


Source: Cisco Global Cloud Index, 2014-2019

Most would not consider that the cloud is also having an effect on real estate companies. However, as demand for cloud computing and cloud data centers has risen, several publicly-traded data center Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) that provide turnkey solutions have emerged as prime beneficiaries of this trend. Not surprisingly, cloud providers have been the driving force behind the accelerating leasing volumes reported in recent quarters by five data center REITs (Exhibit 2).

Exhibit 2: Leasing Volume of Data Center REITs


Source: Jefferies, company reports

This acceleration in leasing volumes has caused investors to adopt a more bullish outlook for the earnings power of data center REITs, leading to substantial outperformance relative to the MSCI US REIT Index in recent months (Exhibit 3). Outperformance may continue as analysts are forecasting that the percentage of enterprise workloads in the cloud will increase from 20-25% to 30-40% over the next several years, capital expenditures by cloud providers has accelerated, and several cloud providers have dozens of RFPs outstanding for several hundred megawatts of data center capacity. As one data center REIT CEO described it on a recent conference call, “We are in the very early stages of cloud right now. I’d say we’re in the first inning.”

Exhibit 3: Relative Strength of Data Center REITS vs. MSCI US REIT Index


Source: Factset, Driehaus

This information is not intended to provide investment advice. Nothing herein should be construed as a solicitation, recommendation or an offer to buy, sell or hold any securities, market sectors, other investments or to adopt any investment strategy or strategies. You should assess your own investment needs based on your individual financial circumstances and investment objectives. This material is not intended to be relied upon as a forecast or research. The opinions expressed are those of Driehaus Capital Management LLC (“Driehaus”) as of June 2016 and are subject to change at any time due to changes in market or economic conditions. The information has not been updated since June 2016 and may not reflect recent market activity. The information and opinions contained in this material are derived from proprietary and non-proprietary sources deemed by Driehaus to be reliable and are not necessarily all inclusive. Driehaus does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of this informa­tion. There is no guarantee that any forecasts made will come to pass. Reliance upon information in this material is at the sole discretion of the reader.


About Michael Buck

Michael Buck is a portfolio manager and a senior analyst on the US Growth Equities Team with a focus on the consumer discretionary, consumer staples and financials sectors. To follow Michael on our Twitter feed, look for tweets ending in MB.

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