I Squared Capital Acquires Cogent Fiber Data Centers for $225M
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: May 26 2026
0mins
I Squared Capital entered into a definitive Purchase and Sale Agreement to acquire a portfolio of ten data center facilities from Cogent Fiber for $225M in cash. The acquisition will seed a new U.S. data center operating platform focused on colocation, high-density deployments, and AI inference infrastructure. I Squared has committed up to $1B to build the platform through targeted capital investment, customer-led expansion, and additional acquisitions. The seed portfolio comprises approximately 53 megawatts of installed power capacity and approximately 259,000 square feet of available colocation space across nine U.S. markets: Chicago, Atlanta, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Kansas City, Baltimore, Houston, Nashville and Stockton. Together, these nine markets serve a combined population of over 63 million people. All ten facilities are purpose-built data centers owned fee simple and have room for expansion. In addition, these facilities are capable of supporting higher-density deployments, including liquid-cooling-enabled configurations. Upon closing, I Squared will establish a new, standalone operating platform to own, operate, and grow the business with a seasoned management team in place from day one. The data center facilities offer a compelling combination of owned real estate, existing high density-enabled power infrastructure, multi-carrier interconnection, and attractive geographic footprint, providing the foundation for a scaled platform. The facilities have diverse and dense fiber connectivity, with close proximity to the local internet exchanges, positioning them well for a broad range of workloads including retail colocation, wholesale colocation, content, and latency sensitive AI inference workloads. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2026, subject to customary regulatory approvals including the expiration of the applicable Hart-Scott-Rodino waiting period.
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Analyst Views on CCOI
Wall Street analysts forecast CCOI stock price to rise
4 Analyst Rating
1 Buy
2 Hold
1 Sell
Hold
Current: 12.185
Low
21.00
Averages
22.33
High
23.00
Current: 12.185
Low
21.00
Averages
22.33
High
23.00
About CCOI
Cogent Communications Holdings, Inc. is a facilities-based provider of Internet access, private network services, optical wavelength and optical transport services and data center colocation space and power. The Company operates two networks: an Internet protocol (IP) Network designed and optimized to transmit packet routed data and an Optical Wave Network designed to provide optical wave and transport services. It delivers its services primarily to businesses, large and small, communications service providers and other bandwidth-intensive organizations in approximately 57 countries across North America, Europe, Asia, South America, Oceania and Africa. It offers on-net Internet access services through its own facilities, which run from its IP Network to its customers’ premises. The Company provides its on-net Internet access and private network services to its corporate, net-centric and enterprise customers.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
Cogent Sells 10 Data Centers for $225 Million
- Transaction Completion: Cogent Communications Holdings, Inc. announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Cogent Fiber, LLC, has successfully closed the sale of 10 data centers for an aggregate purchase price of $225 million in cash, marking a significant step in the company's asset optimization strategy.
- Wide Facility Distribution: The sold data centers are located in major U.S. cities, including Phoenix, AZ, Anaheim and Burbank, CA, and Atlanta, GA, showcasing Cogent's extensive national footprint in the data center market.
- Use of Proceeds: The funds obtained from this transaction will assist Cogent in further investing in the expansion of its low-cost, high-speed internet access and private network services, enhancing its competitiveness in the bandwidth-intensive business sector.
- Market Positioning: As a facilities-based internet service provider, Cogent continues to focus on delivering efficient network solutions to clients through its global service network across 306 markets, further solidifying its market position.
See More
Cogent Sells 10 Data Centers for $225 Million
- Transaction Completion: Cogent Communications Holdings, Inc. announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Cogent Fiber, LLC, has successfully closed the sale of 10 data centers for an aggregate purchase price of $225 million in cash, enhancing the company's financial flexibility and optimizing asset allocation.
- Facility Distribution: The sold data centers are located in major U.S. cities, including Phoenix, AZ, Anaheim and Burbank, CA, and Atlanta, GA, which broadens Cogent's market reach and strengthens its influence in the data center sector.
- Strategic Implications: This transaction not only provides immediate cash flow for Cogent but also supports future investments and expansions, reflecting the company's strategic decision to optimize its asset portfolio and focus on core operations.
- Market Positioning: As a provider of low-cost, high-speed internet access and private network services, Cogent further solidifies its service capabilities across 306 markets through this sale, enhancing its competitive edge in bandwidth-intensive businesses.
See More
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- GitLab Layoffs: GitLab announced a workforce reduction of approximately 14% and an exit from 22 countries, signaling that enterprise clients are still managing costs tightly even amidst a broader market recovery, reflecting direct pressure from higher rates and geopolitical uncertainty on spending.
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- Rumble Stock Volatility: Rumble's shares have experienced over 50 moves greater than 5% in the past year; despite today's decline, the market does not seem to alter its fundamental perception of the business, with a year-to-date increase of 32.4%, yet still trading 15.8% below its 52-week high.
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Cogent Communications Dividend and Volatility Analysis
- Dividend Expectation Analysis: Cogent Communications Holdings, Inc. has a recent dividend yield of 0.5%, which, while typically tied to profitability fluctuations, can be assessed for sustainability through historical dividend charts.
- Trading History Review: The current price of CCOI stock is $17.20, reflecting a relatively high volatility of 93% based on the trailing twelve months, providing investors with a basis for evaluating risk versus reward.
- Options Trading Dynamics: On Tuesday, the put volume among S&P 500 components reached 2.81 million contracts, while call volume was at 6.80 million, indicating bullish sentiment with a put:call ratio of 0.41, significantly lower than the long-term median of 0.65.
- Market Sentiment Interpretation: The current options trading data suggests that investors are favoring call options, reflecting an optimistic outlook on the future performance of Cogent Communications stock, although the overall dividend yield remains contingent on profitability fluctuations.
See More
I Squared Capital Acquires Data Centers for AI Infrastructure
- Acquisition Overview: Investment manager I Squared Capital announced on Tuesday the acquisition of 10 data center facilities from Cogent Fiber for $225 million in cash, marking its latest investment in AI infrastructure.
- Platform Development Plans: I Squared intends to use these assets as a 'seed' for a new U.S. data center operating platform, committing an additional $1 billion for upgrades, expansions, and acquisitions to enhance its market competitiveness.
- Market Trend Shift: The deal spans nine locations and underscores the shift from large centralized data centers to those closer to end-users for AI inference, reflecting the distinction between 'learning' and 'doing.'
- Facility Value Assessment: Gautam Bhandari, co-founder of I Squared Capital, emphasized that location, power, and connectivity are the three variables determining a data center's long-term value, and the acquired facilities possess all three in markets where new supply is severely constrained.
See More
Cogent Communications Sells 10 Data Centers for $225M
- Significant Transaction Value: Cogent Fiber is selling 10 data center facilities for $225 million in cash, which not only provides substantial cash flow but also enhances the company's financial flexibility to support future investments.
- Diverse Facility Locations: The facilities are located in major U.S. cities, including Phoenix, AZ, Anaheim, CA, and Burbank, CA, which will aid the new entity in rapid expansion across different markets due to geographical diversity.
- Transaction Timeline: The deal is expected to close on or after June 12, 2026, providing ample preparation time for both parties to ensure a smooth transaction and mitigate potential risks.
- Positive Stock Reaction: Cogent Communications' stock rose by 9.03% to $19.80, reflecting the market's positive sentiment towards the transaction and indicating investor confidence in the company's future growth potential.
See More
Cogent Sells 10 Data Centers for $225 Million
- Transaction Completion: Cogent Communications Holdings, Inc. announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Cogent Fiber, LLC, has successfully closed the sale of 10 data centers for an aggregate purchase price of $225 million in cash, marking a significant step in the company's asset optimization strategy.
- Wide Facility Distribution: The sold data centers are located in major U.S. cities, including Phoenix, AZ, Anaheim and Burbank, CA, and Atlanta, GA, showcasing Cogent's extensive national footprint in the data center market.
- Use of Proceeds: The funds obtained from this transaction will assist Cogent in further investing in the expansion of its low-cost, high-speed internet access and private network services, enhancing its competitiveness in the bandwidth-intensive business sector.
- Market Positioning: As a facilities-based internet service provider, Cogent continues to focus on delivering efficient network solutions to clients through its global service network across 306 markets, further solidifying its market position.
See More
Cogent Sells 10 Data Centers for $225 Million
- Transaction Completion: Cogent Communications Holdings, Inc. announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Cogent Fiber, LLC, has successfully closed the sale of 10 data centers for an aggregate purchase price of $225 million in cash, enhancing the company's financial flexibility and optimizing asset allocation.
- Facility Distribution: The sold data centers are located in major U.S. cities, including Phoenix, AZ, Anaheim and Burbank, CA, and Atlanta, GA, which broadens Cogent's market reach and strengthens its influence in the data center sector.
- Strategic Implications: This transaction not only provides immediate cash flow for Cogent but also supports future investments and expansions, reflecting the company's strategic decision to optimize its asset portfolio and focus on core operations.
- Market Positioning: As a provider of low-cost, high-speed internet access and private network services, Cogent further solidifies its service capabilities across 306 markets through this sale, enhancing its competitive edge in bandwidth-intensive businesses.
See More
Stocks Decline Amid Rising Oil Prices and Interest Rates
- Strong Labor Market: The SADP report for May revealed the addition of 122,000 jobs, surpassing the consensus estimate of 110,000, indicating a firm labor market; however, this data has also heightened rate hike expectations, diminishing the relief companies had anticipated.
- GitLab Layoffs: GitLab announced a workforce reduction of approximately 14% and an exit from 22 countries, signaling that enterprise clients are still managing costs tightly even amidst a broader market recovery, reflecting direct pressure from higher rates and geopolitical uncertainty on spending.
- Market Overreaction: The stock market's reaction to news has been overly severe, and while significant price drops can present good buying opportunities for high-quality stocks, overall market sentiment remains influenced by macroeconomic factors.
- Rumble Stock Volatility: Rumble's shares have experienced over 50 moves greater than 5% in the past year; despite today's decline, the market does not seem to alter its fundamental perception of the business, with a year-to-date increase of 32.4%, yet still trading 15.8% below its 52-week high.
See More
Cogent Communications Dividend and Volatility Analysis
- Dividend Expectation Analysis: Cogent Communications Holdings, Inc. has a recent dividend yield of 0.5%, which, while typically tied to profitability fluctuations, can be assessed for sustainability through historical dividend charts.
- Trading History Review: The current price of CCOI stock is $17.20, reflecting a relatively high volatility of 93% based on the trailing twelve months, providing investors with a basis for evaluating risk versus reward.
- Options Trading Dynamics: On Tuesday, the put volume among S&P 500 components reached 2.81 million contracts, while call volume was at 6.80 million, indicating bullish sentiment with a put:call ratio of 0.41, significantly lower than the long-term median of 0.65.
- Market Sentiment Interpretation: The current options trading data suggests that investors are favoring call options, reflecting an optimistic outlook on the future performance of Cogent Communications stock, although the overall dividend yield remains contingent on profitability fluctuations.
See More
I Squared Capital Acquires Data Centers for AI Infrastructure
- Acquisition Overview: Investment manager I Squared Capital announced on Tuesday the acquisition of 10 data center facilities from Cogent Fiber for $225 million in cash, marking its latest investment in AI infrastructure.
- Platform Development Plans: I Squared intends to use these assets as a 'seed' for a new U.S. data center operating platform, committing an additional $1 billion for upgrades, expansions, and acquisitions to enhance its market competitiveness.
- Market Trend Shift: The deal spans nine locations and underscores the shift from large centralized data centers to those closer to end-users for AI inference, reflecting the distinction between 'learning' and 'doing.'
- Facility Value Assessment: Gautam Bhandari, co-founder of I Squared Capital, emphasized that location, power, and connectivity are the three variables determining a data center's long-term value, and the acquired facilities possess all three in markets where new supply is severely constrained.
See More
Cogent Communications Sells 10 Data Centers for $225M
- Significant Transaction Value: Cogent Fiber is selling 10 data center facilities for $225 million in cash, which not only provides substantial cash flow but also enhances the company's financial flexibility to support future investments.
- Diverse Facility Locations: The facilities are located in major U.S. cities, including Phoenix, AZ, Anaheim, CA, and Burbank, CA, which will aid the new entity in rapid expansion across different markets due to geographical diversity.
- Transaction Timeline: The deal is expected to close on or after June 12, 2026, providing ample preparation time for both parties to ensure a smooth transaction and mitigate potential risks.
- Positive Stock Reaction: Cogent Communications' stock rose by 9.03% to $19.80, reflecting the market's positive sentiment towards the transaction and indicating investor confidence in the company's future growth potential.
See More
