Alphabet rises as Tigress Financial reiterates buy, citing cloud, search strength
Sean Gallup

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) shares rose fractionally in early trading on Friday as investment firm Tigress Financial reiterated its strong buy rating, citing the tech giant's strength in cloud computing and search.
Analyst Ivan Feinseth, who also has a $160 price target on Alphabet (GOOG) (GOOGL) shares, noted that both cloud and search are the highlights of the core business, while investments in artificial intelligence and an increased focus on cost and operating efficiencies should help elsewhere.
As such, Feinseth said that the recent near-term weakness in the stock is a "major buying opportunity" for investors. 
"Search-driven ad spending and Cloud revenues will continue to drive accelerating Business Performance trends," Feinseth wrote in a note to clients. He also pointed out that any innovation in cloud will be an additional growth catalyst. 
Alphabet (GOOG) (GOOGL) has other positive attributes, the analyst said, including the company's recent deal with the NFL to bring Sunday Ticket to YouTube TV and YouTube. Feinseth said the deal, which starts in the 2023 season, will leverage the strength of YouTube's platform and help it gain "significantly valuable content."
Feinseth also highlighted the company's strong balance sheet and cash flow, which can help with acquisitions and boosting shareholder returns, including via buybacks.
Last month, Citi said Google (GOOG) (GOOGL) winning the rights to the NFL Sunday Ticket subscription could help "accelerate" YouTube TV's subscriber growth.