What Makes GDS Holdings Limited (GDS) an Investment Choice?

Fund Performance - Baron Emerging Markets Fund returned 10.89% in Q3 2025, outperforming the MSCI Emerging Markets Index at 10.64% and the MSCI Emerging Markets IMI Growth Index at 11.48% [1] - Year-to-date, the fund achieved a return of 31.79%, compared to 27.53% for the MSCI Emerging Markets Index and 28.19% for the Proxy Benchmark [1] - The firm expressed satisfaction with the quarterly results despite the underperformance of Indian equities during the same period [1] GDS Holdings Limited - GDS Holdings Limited, a data center operator in China, had a one-month return of 12.39% and a 52-week gain of 72.84%, closing at $36.02 per share with a market capitalization of $6.898 billion on December 09, 2025 [2] - The company is viewed as benefiting from the growth of China's AI ecosystem, cloud computing, digital payments, and short-form video, which are expected to provide growth tailwinds for data center operators [3] - GDS has competitive advantages including access to large-scale power in Tier-1 cities, a strong track record in development, and leading market share in the third-party carrier-neutral data center space [3] Investment Insights - The company reinitiated investment in GDS Holdings, anticipating significant cash flow growth from approximately $200 million to $1 billion over the next two years based on definitive contracts [3] - The investment in GDS's mainland China business is valued at only 11 to 12 times EBITDA, indicating a steep discount compared to global peers and suggesting considerable upside potential [3] - GDS recently listed a subset of its assets into a public REIT vehicle, which is now valued at more than 20 times cash flow, further enhancing its investment appeal [3]