Alphabet Stock Investors: Here's the Most Important Metric to Follow

Alphabet shares have doubled in 12 months despite a recent 15% pullback. The key metric investors should monitor is Google Cloud's backlog, which nearly doubled to $462 billion in Q1 2026—nearly 6x the segment's annualized revenue. With 63% YoY revenue growth and expanding enterprise customer base, Google Cloud's backlog trajectory will signal whether Alphabet's massive $185 billion capital expenditure is justified.