On February 15, 2023, VNET issued a press release announcing “its board of directors (the “Board”) approved and authorized the issuance of up to 555,000 newly created Class D ordinary shares to Mr. Sheng Chen, the Executive Chairman of the Board. The Class D ordinary shares will have the same rights as the Company’s existing Class B ordinary shares except for voting rights, and holders of Class D ordinary shares shall be entitled to 500 votes per share on all matters submitted to shareholder vote.” In addition, the press release stated the “issuance of the newly created Class D ordinary shares is an initiative by the Board to protect the Company’s interests and continued stability.”
On this news, the price of VNET’s American Depository Shares (“ADS”) fell $0.14 per ADS, or 2.85%, to close at $4.78 on February 16, 2023.