Here's What Key Metrics Tell Us About Alphabet (GOOGL) Q4 Earnings

For the quarter ended December 2025, Alphabet (GOOGL) reported revenue of $97.23 billion, up 19.1% over the same period last year. EPS came in at $2.82, compared to $2.15 in the year-ago quarter.The reported revenue compares to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $94.79 billion, representing a surprise of +2.58%. The company delivered an EPS surprise of +9.73%, with the consensus EPS estimate being $2.57.While investors closely watch year-over-year changes in headline numbers -- revenue and earnings -- and how they compare to Wall Street expectations to determine their next course of action, some key metrics always provide a better insight into a company's underlying performance.Since these metrics play a crucial role in driving the top- and bottom-line numbers, comparing them with the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated about them helps investors better project a stock's price performance.Here is how Alphabet performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:Total TAC (traffic acquisition costs): $16.6 billion compared to the $16.18 billion average estimate based on 11 analysts.Headcount (Number of employees): 190,820 versus 191,102 estimated by four analysts on average.Revenues- United States: $55.44 billion compared to the $54.08 billion average estimate based on three analysts. The reported number represents a change of +17% year over year.Revenues- Other Americas (Canada and Latin America): $6.87 billion compared to the $6.92 billion average estimate based on three analysts. The reported number represents a change of +19.8% year over year.Revenues- APAC: $18.53 billion versus $17.85 billion estimated by three analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +22.2% change.Revenues- EMEA: $33.06 billion versus the three-analyst average estimate of $32.4 billion. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +17.3%.Revenues- Google properties: $74.46 billion compared to the $72.98 billion average estimate based on 10 analysts. The reported number represents a change of +15.4% year over year.Revenues- Google Cloud: $17.66 billion versus the nine-analyst average estimate of $16.25 billion. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +47.8%.Revenues- YouTube ads: $11.38 billion compared to the $11.82 billion average estimate based on nine analysts. The reported number represents a change of +8.7% year over year.Revenues- Google advertising: $82.28 billion compared to the $80.97 billion average estimate based on nine analysts. The reported number represents a change of +13.6% year over year.Revenues- Google Search & other: $63.07 billion versus $61.27 billion estimated by nine analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +16.7% change.Revenues- Google Network: $7.83 billion compared to the $7.8 billion average estimate based on nine analysts. The reported number represents a change of -1.6% year over year.View all Key Company Metrics for Alphabet here>>>Shares of Alphabet have returned +8.1% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +0.9% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), indicating that it could perform in line with the broader market in the near term.Free Report: Profiting from the 2nd Wave of AI ExplosionThe next phase of the AI explosion is poised to create significant wealth for investors, especially those who get in early. It will add literally trillion of dollars to the economy and revolutionize nearly every part of our lives.Investors who bought shares like Nvidia at the right time have had a shot at huge gains.But the rocket ride in the "first wave" of AI stocks may soon come to an end. The sharp upward trajectory of these stocks will begin to level off, leaving exponential growth to a new wave of cutting-edge companies.Zacks' AI Boom 2.0: The Second Wave report reveals 4 under-the-radar companies that may soon be shining stars of AI’s next leap forward.Access AI Boom 2.0 now, absolutely free >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks