Barron's Picks And Pans: Alphabet, IAC, Spotify, Under Armour And More

• This weekend's Barron's shows why Google's parent now stands out among the tech titans.
• Other featured articles examine a "dot-com hatchery" that is outperforming and why a recent IPO is no lightweight.
• Also, the prospects for a pair of apparel makers, one out-of-favor and the other expanding into the United States.

"Google's Parent Is a Bargain in Big Tech" by Andrew Bary suggests that, given its growth prospects and businesses like YouTube, Alphabet Inc GOOGL is undervalued. Also, the tech giant faces less regulatory risk than Facebook, has better growth prospects than Apple and a lower valuation than the slower-growing Microsoft.

Jack Hough's "Does Diller's IAC Deserve a 'Buffett Premium?'" points out that Barry Diller's publicly traded dot-com hatchery, IAC/InterActiveCorp IAC, has generated a much higher return than Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. BRK over the past two decades. Check out the article to see why that is.

In "Subramanian on Stocks: Buy Tech and Financials," Reshma Kapadia shows why this U.S. equity and quantitative strategist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch sees the S&P 500 headed higher as corporate earnings rise. Subramanian also shares her thoughts on how passive investing is reshaping the market, and evaluates the prospects for Facebook, Inc. FB.

It's not that easy to find much positivity on Wall Street about Under Armour Inc UAA, according to "Under Armour: Why It Might Be a 'Fresh Pick'" by David Marino-Nachison. But see why one key analyst thinks the sentiment on this footwear and apparel manufacturer may be too sour and sought to change the tune this past week.

See also: The Rise Of An Empire: All The Ways Amazon Grew Even Bigger Under Trump's Nose

In Avi Salzman's "Spotify's No Lightweight," see how the direct listing meant the existing owners of streaming service provider Spotify Technology SA SPOT could offer their shares on the New York Stock Exchange, and the unique method to sell shares ostensibly cut out those meddling middlemen-investment bankers.

"JD Sports Bets on U.S. with Finish Line Buy" by Victor Reklaitis takes a look at how a British athletic shoe company hopes to use its skills and relationships to revive retailer Finish Line Inc FINL. See why an expert quoted in the article said: "Not every shareholder will be thrilled ... but it is a key move in JD's desire to be a global player."

Also in this week's Barron's:

• Barron's Mutual Fund Quarterly
• How artificial intelligence will manage portfolios
• Toys R Us and the perils of debt
• How losing your wealth can be bad for your health
• How dual-class shares can limit corporate accountability
• Why European dividend yields look enticing
• Whether tariffs are more damaging than regulations

At the time of this writing, the author had no position in the mentioned equities.

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