Barron's Latest Picks And Pans: Activision, Boeing, Carvana, Moderna, Wendy's And More

• This weekend's Barron's cover story takes a close look at what it will take to fix Boeing.
• Other featured articles discuss reliable growth stocks, whether inflation is different this time and who has the early lead in the metaverse.
• Also, see the prospects for a COVID-19 vaccine maker, a real estate investment trust, a video game leader, a fast-food chain and more.

"Boeing's Fix-It Job: How the Company Can Win the Future" by Al Root explores why shares in Boeing Co BA, the world's largest aerospace company, could rally more than 35%. Will Chief Executive Officer Dave Calhoun take the bold steps Barron's believes are needed to restore the company's engineering supremacy?

In "Meet 10 Standout Stocks for Reliable Growth," Andrew Bary discusses how companies like Amazon or Visa that can generate double-digit compound growth in revenue and earnings, year after year, are rarities. Are J B Hunt Transport Services Inc JBHT or STAAR Surgical Company STAA among 10 smaller candidates that could do just that?

Jack Hough's "Why Carvana's Stock Has Room to Run" suggests that, even beyond this year's wild ride due to manufacturing shortages, Wall Street expects that online car dealership Carvana Co CVNA will continue to grow its revenues at rates of better than 30%.

With two big acquisitions announced this year, VICI Properties Inc VICI is expanding its footprint on the Sunset Strip and ready to cash in on the return of business travelers. So says " A Growing Gambling REIT That Yields 4.8%" by Lawrence C. Strauss. This New York-based real estate investment trust offers a generous payout too.

In Leslie P. Norton's "Productivity Will Battle Inflation and Send Stocks Higher, Says Ed Yardeni," discover why one analyst believes inflation will be different than it was in the 1970s, and what that may mean for the likes of Alphabet Inc GOOGL and Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN.

"The Metaverse Is Here—Like It or Not" by Max A. Cherney points out that corporate mentions of the metaverse, a collective virtual shared space, are up five times this year. See which companies Barron's feels have an early lead, including, of course, Facebook, Inc. FB.

See also: Benzinga's Bulls And Bears Of The Week: Apple, Coinbase, Starbucks, Virgin Galactic, Walmart And More

Even analysts who were feeling lukewarm about Wendys Co WEN stock walked away impressed after it reported earnings this past week, according to Ben Levisohn's "Wendy's Was a Meme Stock. Now It's a Real Stock." Discover why Barron's believes that is a good omen for this fast-food chain's future.

In "Why an Analyst Says Activision Blizzard Is a Buying Opportunity," Max A. Cherney features an analyst who makes a case that shares of videogame publisher Activision Blizzard, Inc. ATVI, maker of Call of Duty and Guitar Hero, pulled back in the wake of a California lawsuit, but the decline offers a chance to buy the shares.

Josh Nathan-Kazis's "Investors Question Moderna's Surge This Year" claims that Moderna Inc MRNA stock was up more than 300% year to date last week, the biggest gain in the S&P 500, until the vaccine manufacturer disclosed its latest earnings. Are investors right to question the company's valuation?

Also in this week's Barron's:

• Why inflation is likely to grow hotter under Senate budget plan


• The dollar, 50 years have the end of the gold standard


• Whether the utilities power play is over


• An ETF that will benefit from climate change regulations


• Whether falling lumber prices will mean cheaper houses


• Whether a tougher regulatory climate has put a damper on M&A


• Why good intentions will not stop the eviction crisis


• Whether banks are a good bet if interest rates spike


• How many Dow companies have mandated COVID-19 vaccines


• Investment opportunities in China's push to digitize health care


• When the current wave of COVID-19 cases will peak

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

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