Alphabet Inc. continues its robust performance into 2025, with a strategic emphasis squarely on expanding its artificial intelligence capabilities. Following a share price surge exceeding 60% since the start of the year, the stock is currently consolidating near the $315 mark. This strength is underpinned by a multi-billion dollar investment program targeting data centers, energy supply, and AI application development.
Financial Performance Provides Ample Fuel
The company’s latest quarterly results demonstrate the financial horsepower behind its ambitious plans. For the third quarter of 2025, Alphabet reported consolidated revenue of $102.3 billion, a 16% year-over-year increase.
Key financial highlights include:
* Revenue from Google Services: $87.1 billion (+14%)
* Operating Income: $31.2 billion (Adjusted for a $3.5 billion EU antitrust fine, this represents an operating margin of 33.9%)
* Earnings Per Share (EPS): $2.87, significantly surpassing consensus estimates of $2.29
This combination of strong top-line growth and high profitability supports the current valuation and creates substantial financial flexibility for the company’s massive infrastructure expansion.
Strategic Acquisition: Securing the AI Foundation
A central piece of recent news is Alphabet’s planned acquisition of Intersect, a specialist in data center and energy infrastructure. The deal, valued at $4.75 billion in cash plus the assumption of debt, is designed to secure long-term computing power and energy supply—a critical bottleneck for AI-driven tech giants.
The transaction encompasses several gigawatts of energy and data center projects currently in development or under construction. It also brings onboard Intersect’s specialized team, known for strategically siting data centers adjacent to dedicated power generation capacity. An existing joint project in Haskell County, Texas, which combines data center and energy infrastructure at a single site, will continue.
CEO Sundar Pichai stated that the acquisition will enable Alphabet to scale capacity more rapidly and tightly integrate new energy generation with additional computing demand, addressing a key prerequisite for sustained AI growth.
Should investors sell immediately? Or is it worth buying Alphabet?
Google Cloud Momentum Adds Further Tailwinds
The company’s cloud division provides additional positive momentum. Google Cloud ended Q3 2025 with a remarkable remaining performance obligation (RPO) of $155 billion, representing a 46% sequential quarterly increase. The segment generated $15.2 billion in revenue, up 34% from the prior year, driven primarily by demand for AI infrastructure and generative AI solutions.
Wall Street’s Varied Perspectives
Analyst sentiment on Wall Street remains broadly positive, with a consensus rating hovering around “Moderate Buy.” The average price target stands near $315.90, close to the current trading level. However, several institutions have set more bullish targets:
* JPMorgan Chase: Raised its target to $385, maintaining an “Overweight” rating.
* Citigroup: Increased its target to $350 with a “Buy” rating.
* HSBC Global Research: Upgraded the stock to “Strong Buy.”
Based on trailing earnings, Alphabet shares currently trade at a price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple of 30.5x. Some valuation models suggest a “fair” P/E could be as high as 37.4x. A PEG ratio of approximately 1.81 indicates that expected growth is already factored into the valuation but may not be excessively priced.
Scaling Ambitions and Associated Investments
The scale of Alphabet’s AI operations is immense. The Gemini app now boasts over 650 million monthly active users, while the company’s proprietary models process roughly 7 billion tokens per minute via direct API usage. This magnitude explains the intense pressure to expand data center and energy infrastructure.
Consequently, Alphabet is preparing for significantly higher capital expenditures. For 2025, the company guides for capital investments (Capex) between $91 and $93 billion, with further increases anticipated for 2026. While this aggressive spending is intended to secure a leadership position in AI infrastructure, it has the potential to pressure margins in the near term.
Other Bets: Waymo Faces Scrutiny
Not all segments are without challenges. Alphabet’s autonomous vehicle subsidiary, Waymo, recently committed to revising its emergency protocols following an incident during a power outage in San Francisco. Increased regulatory attention remains an operational and reputational risk within the “Other Bets” portfolio, though it does not currently dominate the overall corporate narrative.
Ad
Alphabet Stock: Buy or Sell?! New Alphabet Analysis from December 25 delivers the answer:
The latest Alphabet figures speak for themselves: Urgent action needed for Alphabet investors. Is it worth buying or should you sell? Find out what to do now in the current free analysis from December 25.
Alphabet: Buy or sell? Read more here...








