BUZZ — Australia's NextDC rises; Jefferies maintains 'buy', says funding secured through FY28

(Updates) * Shares of Australia's NextDC rise as much as 4.1% to A$9.220, posting their biggest intraday pct gain since September 22 * Jefferies says data centre operator has sufficient liquidity to fund development through FY28 * Says NextDC has about A$10 billion ($6.92 billion) of liquidity against its FY27-FY28 capex forecast of A$8.2 bln following recent convertible bond raise * Says rising interest costs remain manageable, with EBITDA expected to cover interest payments even if debt costs rise by 100 to 200 basis points * Brokerage says NextDC's current share price largely reflects value of its property assets, with little value attributed to operating business or future development pipeline * Jefferies maintains "buy" rating with an unchanged A$17 price target * NextDC stock down 3.4% so far this week, heading for worst weekly performance in nearly two months * YTD, stock down 45.7%, including the session's moves ($1 = 1.4455 Australian dollars) (Reporting by Paridhi Minda in Bengaluru) ((Paridhi.minda@thomsonreuters.com)