Barron's Picks And Pans: Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Ford, Nike And More

This weekend's Barron's cover story offers a warning to health care investors.

• Other featured articles discuss possible consequences of the Saudi oil attack and seven growth stock picks for risky times.
• Also, the prospects for a recent IPO, fast-food stocks, automakers and more.

"How Opioid Lawsuits Could Hurt Investors" by Josh Nathan-Kazis suggests that litigation against health care companies such as Johnson & Johnson JNJ is reaching a critical juncture and investors should rethink their exposure to the drug supply chain.

Avi Salzman's "What the Saudi Attacks Mean for Investors" points out that the initial spike in oil prices soon faded, but the supply disruption and what is to come needs to be weighed with energy stocks, including Callon Petroleum Company CPE.

In "This IPO Is the Real Deal," Nicholas Jasinski shares how the RealReal Inc REAL marketplace is changing how consumers buy and sell used goods. See why Barron's believes that the specialty retailer's losses could turn to profits as its popularity grows.

Can't decide if you're a bull or a bear? Barron's offers stock picks for the economically agnostic in "7 Growth Stocks for Risky Times" by Jack Hough. See why the picks include Comcast Corporation CMCSA and Delta Air Lines, Inc. DAL.

In Lawrence C. Strauss's "Kellogg and 5 Other Staples Stocks for Dividends and a Bit of Growth," find out what recently has made Coca-Cola Co KO and other stocks a little more attractive for income investors.

See also: Roku's Rough Week: A Constructive Pullback For The Stock?

"If Consumer Spending Slows, Fast-Food Stocks Could Gain. Here's How to Play the Trend." by Steven M. Sears looks at how Mcdonald's Corp MCD and its peers stand to benefit in an economic slowdown.

In "Nike Defies Gravity," Evie Liu examines why shares of sneaker and apparel giant Nike Inc NKE are up so sharply in 2019, even as tariffs, Amazon.com and global worries weigh on much of the consumer sector.

No one wants to buy auto stocks like Ford Motor Company F these days. So says Al Root's "GM and Ford Trucks Are a Great Business. Why Their Stocks Don't Reflect It." That reluctance could cause investors to overlook one of the most profitable niches in the global car market.

Also in this week's Barron's:

Whether muni bond investors ignore risks of climate change

Why Saudi Arabia's markets weren't rattled by the oil attack

Why the Federal Reserve gets flak no matter what it does

Why the rise of Elizabeth Warren worries Wall Street

Five promising microcap stocks

How an international stock fund finds its winning recipe

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

Keep up with all the latest breaking news and trading ideas by following Benzinga on Twitter.