Barron's Picks And Pans: More Roundtable Picks, Alphabet, GameStop And More

• This weekend's Barron's cover story is the second part of the 2017 Barron's Roundtable coverage.
• Other featured articles offer a peek at the outlook for a tech giant and for a videogame retailer.
• The prospects for a dental supplies provider and a streaming media giant are also examined.

"User's Manual for a Mixed-Up Market" by Lauren R. Rublin is this week's cover story and part two of coverage of the 2017 Barron's Roundtable. The panel of nine experts shares why they see value in housing, health care, auto parts and infrastructure plays, where to find 6 percent yields and why the outlook for India and Japan is sunny. Their picks include Viacom, Inc. VIAB.

In "Digital Ad Growth, YouTube Will Lift Alphabet 20%," Jack Hough suggests that Google is playing catchup in cloud services, helped by artificial intelligence and machine learning. And see what Barron's believes are two key milestones for advertising to watch for this year, and why Alphabet Inc GOOG GOOGL should be a major beneficiary of that. Can shares reach $1,000?

Jack Willoughby's "Why GameStop Can Win Its Toughest War Game" takes a look at why, facing weak videogame sales, GameStop Corp. GME has diversified by selling AT&T Inc. T phones and Apple Inc. AAPL products. And the stock is very cheap for a company with strong cash flows to support its diversification plan and some growth catalysts. Investors collect a 6 percent dividend yield, too.

Shares of veterinary and dental supplier Patterson Companies, Inc. PDCO took a hit last year, and now they look undervalued, according to "Patterson Stock Could Return 20%" by David Englander. The end of a 20-year exclusive distribution relationship looks like an opportunity for investors, says Barron's, and increased profits and a higher stock price are bound to follow.

In Emily Bary's follow-up story, "Don't Bet Against Netflix," Barron's admits that it underestimated the company's ability to build a worldwide customer base. Netflix, Inc. NFLX has returned 300 percent since Barron's wrote about it in 2013. Risks remain for shareholders, says the article, but it is also risky to bet against Netflix — as long as it continues to beat subscriber expectations.

Also In This Week's Barron's

• Will Trump's "Ayn Rand capitalism" work?
• Trump's dollar dilemma.
• When stocks trading near 52-week highs are bargains.
• Whether Applied Materials, Inc. AMAT is a takeover target.
• The debt that may be lurking in stock funds.
• What to look for in water-focused exchange traded funds.
• The science of negotiation for advisors.
• Whether raging inflation is on the horizon.
• An exclusive first look at a $1 million watch.
• Would Jamie Dimon wear orange Crocs?