Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL) put together a notable move on Monday, climbing more than 3% to close at $349.39, even as the broader conversation around artificial intelligence turned fairly cautious over the weekend.
That rally pushed the stock higher, yet one number stands out: Alphabet's price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) has slipped below 20, now at roughly 17.5. For one of the most dominant and profitable technology companies on the planet, that low a valuation looks increasingly difficult to justify.
A Rare Discount for a Dominant Business
To put that multiple in context, the average stock in the S&P 500 trades at a meaningfully higher earnings multiple than Alphabet does right now.
This is a company generating $132 billion in net income on net margins approaching 55%, with a return on equity above 51%.
Businesses of this quality rarely trade at a market discount, yet Alphabet does, with a trailing P/E of 17.5 and a forward multiple near 17. The stock is up a relatively modest 12% this year, lagging several of its mega-cap peers.
Why the AI Slowdown Chatter May Not Be All Bad
Over the weekend, calls for a slowdown in the AI race grew louder, including fresh warnings from prominent researchers about the risks of advancing the technology too quickly. Counterintuitively, that backdrop may not be the negative for Alphabet that it first appears. Google spent the early part of the AI race widely viewed as playing catch-up to OpenAI, and more recently to fast-moving rivals like Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) and xAI's Grok.
A more measured pace across the industry could actually work in Alphabet's favor, giving it room to close the gap and roll out increasingly competitive models without the pressure of an all-out sprint. For a company with Alphabet's resources, distribution, and data advantages, time is often an ally rather than an enemy.
Locking In Power for the Long Haul
Another structural story this month was about electricity rather than algorithms. On Sept. 9, Alphabet announced a 22-year power purchase agreement with Finnish energy company Fortum, securing access to up to half of the output from the Loviisa nuclear plant. The deal anchors a broader commitment to invest at least €13 billion, roughly $15 billion U.S., in AI infrastructure across Finland through 2028, the company's largest single investment in Europe.
The significance runs deeper than just the headline number, though. Power has arguably become the single biggest bottleneck in the AI buildout, and Alphabet has just locked in clean, reliable baseload electricity for two decades, keeping a nuclear plant online that might otherwise have closed in 2030. It is Google's first major nuclear deal in Europe, and it reflects a company thinking years ahead about the constraint that matters most.
GOOGL's Technical Formation Is Taking Shape
On the chart, GOOGL is looking increasingly attractive. After pulling in from its record high set back in May, the stock has now spent close to four months consolidating and ultimately digesting its prior surge to new highs. Although the stock is now down almost 15% from its 52-week high, it remains above its 200-day simple moving average (SMA) and trades close to several short-term SMAs. As time advances and the range tightens further, GOOGL may be setting up a higher-timeframe bull flag.
Institutional activity and analyst sentiment are also sending positive signals. GOOGL possesses an outright consensus Buy rating, based on 54 analyst ratings. The implied upside based on the consensus price target is particularly notable, with the $420.19 target implying 20% upside potential. In line with analyst sentiment, institutional players have purchased close to $125 billion in stock over the prior 12 months, versus almost $74 billion in outflows.
Where Things Stand
Alphabet presents an unusual combination right now: a dominant, profitable business trading at a market discount, paired with a management team making shrewd long-term bets on the infrastructure that will define the next decade of computing. The analyst community remains firmly constructive, and institutions continue to be heavy net buyers. The AI slowdown chatter is worth respecting in the near term, but for investors weighing quality against price, a sub-20 earnings multiple on a company like Alphabet is a setup that rarely lasts long.
The article "A Sub-20 P/E on GOOGL? The Market May Be Missing Something" first appeared on MarketBeat.
