Barron's Picks And Pans: Amazon, Biogen, Casey's General Stores, Hilton And More

• This weekend's Barron's cover story discusses a coming Alzheimer's crisis.
• Other featured articles discuss whether utilities are worth another look, which real estate investment trusts to focus on and how to play rising platinum prices.
• Also, the prospects for a popular trading app's IPO, a tech giant under new management, a post-pandemic lodging play, a convenience-store chain and more.

Cover story "The Coming Alzheimer's Crisis" by Reshma Kapadia discusses how COVID-19 has highlighted the shortcomings in the care and treatment of Alzheimer's, a disease that threatens livelihoods and the broader economy as the U.S. population ages. See what this could mean for the likes of Biogen Inc BIIB and Eli Lilly And Co LLY.

Avi Salzman's "In the Wake of GameStop, a New Test for Robinhood" points out that a surge in stock trading by retail investors has put investing app Robinhood in the spotlight, and it is likely to stay there for several months. See why Barron's believes that as the trading platform considers an initial public offering, the risks are mounting.

In "Platinum Prices Are Poised to Bounce Back. Here are Stocks and Funds to Play It," Andrew Bary makes the case that the scarcity of this precious metal and its use in hydrogen fuel cells is bound to revive demand. Find out whether Newmont Corporation NEM is one of the Barron's picks for playing this trend.

There is a credible investment case that Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. HLT is well positioned to weather the pandemic and emerge in good shape. So says "Hilton's 'Asset Light' Focus Primes Shares for Postpandemic Upside" by Lawrence C. Strauss. See why its shares have more upside even after a bit of a rally.

In Teresa Rivas' "Casey's General Stores Is Cheap. It's Time to Stock Up," the focus is on whether the fourth-largest U.S. convenience-store chain is primed for growth as COVID-19 fears fade and Casey's General Stores Inc CASY scoops up smaller rivals. The stock has outperformed the S&P 500 index for years, says the article.

"Amazon Sends a Clear Message–the Future Is in The Cloud" by Eric J. Savitz explains that many cloud stocks, which wouldn't exist without Amazon Web Services, trade at 20 times sales. At the same multiple, AWS would be worth $1 trillion. See what Barron's thinks the new chief executive brings to Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN.

See also: Benzinga's Bulls And Bears Of The Week: Amazon, Comcast, GE, Moderna, Tesla And More

If the U.S. Food and Drub Administration approves aducanumab, Wall Street expects Biogen shares to climb as much as 70%, according to Josh Nathan-Kazis' "Biogen's Alzheimer's Drug Faces a Big Test." However, the consequences of failure are nearly as stark. Note that this is just one of several articles in this week's Barron's, including the cover story, focused on Alzheimer's.

In "Back to the Office? Warehouse REITs Are the Place Investors Want to Be," Jack Hough examines how owners of industrial and distribution facilities are riding an e-commerce boom that is likely to drive future rents higher. Check out whether Barron's sees Duke Realty Corp DRE as one of those worth a look now.

Lawrence C. Strauss' "Investors Have Shunned Utilities Despite Their Steady Dividends. Here Are 6 to Consider for Yield" says that many utility stocks have remained unloved through much of the pandemic, their attractive yields and reliable dividends notwithstanding. Is NextEra Energy Inc NEE one worth considering?

Also in this week's Barron's:

• Why the Biden stock market won't be like the Trump market
• What coming changes to financial regulation mean for investors
• Steps to take in the aftermath of an Alzheimer's diagnosis
• How financial advisors can help families navigate Alzheimer's
• Why bonds suggest that inflation is coming
• How the yield curve could spell trouble
• What January's jobs report says about the vaccination push
• How Myanmar's coup could hurt supply chains
• A fund doesn't need tech stocks to stay on top
• Strategies for buying annuities for retirement income when rates are low

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.