Marvell and Google: Misplaced Fear Should Drive Your Purchase Decision
Marvell shares dropped 10% after announcing what may be its most valuable customer agreement ever, and the gap between what traders feared and what the contract actually says is where the opportunity lives.
At $216.62, Marvell Technology (NASDAQ:MRVL | MRVL Price Prediction) looks mispriced on the data. The stock shed 10.28% on an earnings beat, with selling driven by a misreading of the expanded Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) custom silicon agreement despite solid fundamentals.
Marvell designs connectivity, custom silicon, and switching for modern AI data centers. Data Center now accounts for 79% of total revenue, up from 74% a year ago, growing 46% year over year in the July quarter.
Q2 FY2027 delivered $2.739 billion in revenue, up 36.55% year over year, with non-GAAP EPS of $0.94. Management disclosed a warrant letting Google acquire up to 7% of Marvell shares as purchase milestones are hit. Traders sold the dilution headline and ignored what those milestones represent.
Google Warrant Works Like a Purchase Order
The commercial agreement ties equity to Marvell silicon purchases, potentially generating up to $120 billion in cumulative custom revenue for Marvell through fiscal 2033. That scope covers custom AI inference accelerators, storage controllers, network interface controllers, and memory controllers, so Marvell need not unseat Broadcom‘s (NASDAQ:AVGO) flagship TPU to capture tens of billions in buildout spend.
Management expects custom revenue to more than double year over year in fiscal 2028 and step higher in fiscal 2029. FY2027 revenue guidance was raised to roughly $12 billion, and FY2028 growth lifted to about 50%. Non-GAAP operating margin expanded 180 basis points year over year to 36.6%, with a 38% to 40% target range by fiscal Q4.
Bear Case Risks to Weigh
Marvell trades at 60x forward earnings with a beta of 2.246, after a 181.09% one-year run. Data Center is 79% of revenue, with a handful of hyperscalers dominating the mix. Any customer shifting to in-house silicon or rivals could snap the growth curve. That same buildout has to be powered, cooled, and networked by someone, and we profiled seven of those suppliers in a free AI infrastructure report.
Long-term debt sits at $4.963 billion, non-GAAP gross margin drifted to 58.9%, and Q3 guidance calls for a step down to 57.5% to 58.5% as custom mix rises. Reddit sentiment flipped bearish, and every senior officer shows dispositions rather than open-market buys, including a 7,500-share CEO sale on August 17.
Reasons to Wait Before Committing
The stock rerated from the $72 range after the March 2026 earnings miss to $216.62 now. An Investor Day on October 6, 2026 could reset the long-term operating model and provide a firmer FY2029 custom number. Waiting carries real option value, especially with the second-half custom ramp still unproven.
Valuation and Analyst Targets
Wall Street’s consensus target sits at $278.89, implying meaningful upside from $216.62. Of 43 analysts covering the name, ratings skew strongly positive.
- Strong Buy: 8
- Buy: 30
- Hold: 5
- Sell: 0
Shares carry a forward P/E near 60, a trailing P/E of 80, and a PEG of 1.426. Year to date the stock is up 155.27% against the S&P 500.
Why the Selloff Is the Setup
At $216.62, Marvell Technology looks mispriced on the data. The Google warrant only converts if Marvell delivers, aligning Google’s equity upside with Marvell’s revenue upside. CEO Matt Murphy told analysts to assume “starting in FY29 beyond whatever you’ve modeled previously prior to the warrant for Custom Numbers definitely goes higher”, describing the full opportunity as “just a monster number.”.
Near-term catalysts include the fiscal Q3 earnings report showing custom acceleration, the October 6 Investor Day resetting the long-term model, and connectivity strength in 1.6T optics and 51.2T switching. Marvell’s Q1 FY27 print showed a similar negative day-one reaction followed by a 54.48% one-week gain and a 45.43% thirty-day gain.
The thesis breaks if custom revenue fails to double in FY2028, if a hyperscaler cancels a program, or if gross margin falls below the 57.5% floor. Keep an eye on the stock through the October Investor Day and fiscal Q3 report.
When the market punishes a company for signing its largest customer to a multi-year purchase commitment, the mispricing usually corrects.
Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.
Alex Sirois is a financial writer with experience spanning both retail and institutional investing. He has written for InvestorPlace and held roles at BNY Mellon and Bernstein, giving him a perspective that bridges Main Street portfolios and Wall Street analysis.
Alex holds an MBA from George Washington University and has built his career across multiple industries, including e-commerce, education, and translation — a breadth of experience that informs how he breaks down complex financial topics for everyday investors. His writing is conversational, actionable, and grounded in long-term, buy-and-hold investing principles.
At 247 Wall St., Alex focuses on delivering analysis that is both accessible and useful, with a clear emphasis on helping readers make more informed decisions with their money.
