Barron's Picks And Pans: Coca-Cola, Sprouts Farmers Market, Mirati Therapeutics And More

• This weekend's Barron's cover story examines the prospects for an iconic beverage giant in a post-pandemic world.
• Other featured articles discuss emerging markets stock on the rise and where to find yield in utilities.
• Also, the prospects for medical REITs, a supermarket operator, cancer-focused biotechs and more.

Cover story "Why Coke Could Be It Again" by Andrew Bary suggests that few big consumer companies have been hit harder by the pandemic than Coca-Cola Co. KO. Yet, as people return to normal in a vaccinated world, the multinational beverage giant's global exposure could help it soar to new heights.

Reshma Kapadia's "These Emerging Market Stocks Can Rival U.S. Tech Giants" says that, after a down decade, emerging market stocks are looking up. A number of internet and health-care companies in overseas markets are still in their growth trajectories, offering big opportunities. Is Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. BABA worth a look?

In "3 Medical REITs to Play a Return in Health Care," Darren Fonda makes the case that real estate investment trusts that specialize in health-care facilities are on solid footing and they have room to grow. Find out what Barron's likes about Physicians Realty Trust DOC and a couple of its peers.

NextEra Energy Inc. NEE is on a roll, up 26% this year, according to "8 Utility Stocks That Offer Safe and Growing Yields" by Lawrence C. Strauss. But there is no shortage of yield elsewhere in the utility sector, along with some downside protection. Xcel Energy Inc. XEL is just one of the Barron's picks.

In Eric Savitz's "Don't Ditch Big Tech Stocks. The Concerns Are Overblown," discover why, even as increasing regulatory scrutiny raises questions, the primary driver for companies such as Apple Inc. AAPL and Microsoft Corp. MSFT has been innovation and execution, not cheating and bullying.

See also: Benzinga's Bulls And Bears Of The Week: Boeing, Netflix, Pfizer And More

"Look Out for a Holiday-Shopping Head Fake" by Jack Hough examines why November might be the right time to dump department store stocks such as Kohl's Corp. KSS and Macy's Inc. M for tax losses. What about Nike Inc. NKE?

First Sprouts Farmers Market Inc. SFM was a COVID-19 winner, and then it was a COVID -19 loser. So says Teresa Rivas's "Sprouts Stock Is Ready for a Rebound." After losing nearly a quarter of its value during the past three months, could this Phoenix-based supermarket chain operator be poised for a rebound?

In "Bullish on Tesla, Telehealth, and the Genomics Revolution," Evie Liu shares why the CEO of ARK Investment is a student of disruption innovation, and why thinks Tesla Inc TSLA will leave Uber Technologies Inc. UBER and others in a cloud of dust.

Bill Alpert's "Cancer Meeting Could Ignite These Biotech Stocks" is focused on this year's ENA Symposium, in which cancer researchers convene online to see new data on drugs being tested by a host of biotech companies. Discover why Barron's thinks Mirati Therapeutics Inc. MRTX will be one of the most widely watched.