Barron's Picks And Pans: Nike, Altaba, Viacom And More

• This weekend's Barron's cover story examines why a leading footwear giant is now struggling.
• Other featured articles discuss a cheaper way to play a Chinese e-commerce giant, what may be the best deals in private equity, and an entertainment giant that has fallen behind.
• Five top dividend plays are also examined.

"Thinking of Buying Nike Shares? Just Don't," the cover story by Jack Hough, suggests that Nike Inc NKE had a great run for much of its storied history, but of late the footwear giant has been losing traction with buyers of both its sneakers and its shares. See why Barron's says it would rather lace up with rival adidas AG (ADR) ADDYY's pricier shares than place a bet on a quick turnaround at Nike.

Andrew Bary's "Altaba's Endgame Could Reward Investors Nicely" points out that a cheap way to play Alibaba Group Holding Ltd BABA is through Altaba Inc AABA, the former Yahoo! It trades at a 30-percent discount to the value of its assets, including a 15-percent stake in Alibaba. However, management is aiming to close that gap.

In "Carlyle: The Best Deal in Private Equity," Jack Willoughby makes a case that private-equity giant The Carlyle Group LP CG finally has put its hedge fund woes behind it and expects a sharp rise in earnings. See why one key analyst projects that the stock price could double, and why a Carlyle shareholder says, "Private equity offers the best value of any of the financial-service offerings."

See also: Storms, Streaming And 'Star Wars': An Updated Disney Outlook

This entertainment company is trailing its competitors in establishing a streaming service, according to "An MTV Reboot Won't Make Viacom Cool Again" by Avi Salzman. Viacom, Inc. VIAB owns networks such as MTV, Nickelodeon, TV Land and Comedy Central, but one analyst feels its tinkering with content now is too little, too late. See what big media stock the analyst recommends instead.

In Lawrence C. Strauss's, "Five Solid Payout Plays," see why Barron's claims CVS Health Corp CVS, Texas Instruments Incorporated TXN and others are worth a look for income investors. The five selected stocks were chosen from 900 dividend-payers, ranked on dividend safety as determined by several factors, including projected payout growth.

Also In This Week's Barron's

• Whether the president has swung toward big spending.
• The trouble with the Federal Reserve's inflation target
• How the new Apple Inc. AAPL Watch could shake things up.
• The fund management trends that persist.
• Whether DACA participants steal American jobs.
• Six things retirees should know about Social Security.
• Health savings accounts as a stealth retirement strategy.
• What a market correction will look like.
• Retail stocks that can keep outperforming.