Barron's Picks And Pans: Broadcom, Mohawk Industries, NextEra Energy And More

This weekend's Barron's presents the wisdom and picks from its 2018 Mid-Year Roundtable.

Other featured articles discuss how to play the Ackman comeback and why utilities are worth another look.

Also, the prospects for a big chip maker and a flooring manufacturer.

"2018 Mid-Year Roundtable: Good News for Stockpickers" by Lauren R. Rublin indicates that the broad market could struggle in the second half, but the Barron's panel of investment experts sees plenty of bargains in energy, media, retail and tech. Their 34 picks include Arrow Electronics, Inc. ARW, Kroger Co KR and Sony Corp SNE.

Andrew Bary's "Ackman's Comeback: How to Ride His Revival" points out that this hedge fund manager's publicly traded vehicle is up more than 10 percent this year and trades at a discount to its net asset value, offering an opportunity for investors. See what that means for the likes of Automatic Data Processing ADP and Herbalife Nutrition Ltd HLF.

In "Why Utility Stocks Are Worth a Second Look," Teresa Rivas makes a case for utility shares as once-again attractive alternatives to bonds, given their dividend yields of more than 3 percent. Are investors giving these stocks a second look, as Barron's suggests, and if so, do they like what they see? The story reviews the prospects for NextEra Energy Inc NEE and others.

Shareholders of Broadcom Inc AVGO have had reason to crow as the big chip company has built a formidable record doing deals, says "Broadcom Runs Low of Targets, Testing the Faith of Investors" by Tiernan Ray. But find out why a recent acquisition in software has raised questions about where the company may be headed.

See also: The Evolution Of Amazon's Prime Day

In Avi Salzman's "Truck Driver Shortage Is Pressuring Businesses," see how a shortage of truck drivers is causing transportation costs to rise much faster than costs in other areas of the economy. Barron's believes that is creating headaches for companies such as PepsiCo, Inc. PEP and Tyson Foods, Inc. TSN.

"Mohawk Finds a Floor" by Vito J. Racanelli points out that this American flooring manufacturer has an enviable long-term record of steady growth, a clean balance sheet, well-regarded management and a strong prospect of long-term gains. Has a market overreaction given investors a second crack at Mohawk Industries, Inc. MHK?

Also in this week's Barron's:

What Justice Kavanaugh would mean for investors

How much house is really needed in retirement

How to play a Chinese stock rebound

How tariffs are affecting business confidence

Whether trade disputes will derail China

Where cheese prices are headed

The long-term wager in online sports betting

How to best help disaster victims

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

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