Barron's Latest Picks And Pans: Boston Beer, Cisco, MEC, Rocket Lab, SVB Financial And More

This weekend's Barron's profiles a small stock that may have a bit part to play in a rebound of U.S. manufacturing.

Other featured articles discuss whether homebuilder stocks are bargains, utility stocks that are not feeling the love, what stands in the way of solar energy expansion and why there is hope for the movie industry.

Also, see the prospects for a regional bank, a brewer, and aerospace play, a networking giant and more.

"A Small Stock for a Big Rebound in U.S. Manufacturing" by Nicholas Jasinski makes a case that, in today's world, long and delicate supply chains can be a liability, so manufacturers are trying to remake their supply chains. See why Barron's believes that small cap Mayville Engineering Company Inc MEC may hold the answer.

In "Here's a Rare Bank Stock That's a Play on Growth," Carleton English discusses how Santa Clara, California-based SVB Financial Group SVB has carved out a profitable niche lending to and servicing tech and health care start-ups. Find out why Barron's thinks that the run-up in its stock may be just getting started.

Shaina Mishkin's "3 Home Builders That Are Relative Bargains—If You Look at Them in a New Way" suggests that D R Horton Inc DHI and the other featured homebuilder stocks may look pricey at first glance, but they are attractive when viewed from a different angle. Investors should look beyond their book value, says the article.

Boston Beer Company Inc SAM stock has tumbled 60% in less than five months. So says "It's Hard Times for Hard Seltzer. Boston Beer's Tumbling Shares Look Underpriced" by Ben Levisohn. And the decline has been driven by the same thing that drove shares higher — hard seltzer.

In Al Root's "Rocket Lab USA Stock Is Soaring. It's Time to Sell Some Shares," find out why the 77% gain in Rocket Lab USA Inc RKLB stock over the past month has left even the most bullish investors wondering what to do next. Barron's says it is time for investors to take some profits.

"Cisco Is On a Roll. It's Make or Break Time for the Stock" by Eric J. Savitz reveals why, in a big week for name-brand technology stocks, the most important moment for tech investors is likely to come on Wednesday, when Cisco Systems Inc CSCO holds its first analyst meeting in four years. Check out what Barron's expects.

Utility stocks like Consolidated Edison, Inc. ED and Edison International EIX have been lagging behind the broader market, according to Lawrence C. Strauss's "Utilities Aren't Getting Much Respect From Markets. But They Have Nice Yields. Yet, their healthy dividend yields have helped bridge the gap by bolstering otherwise solid performances.

In "2 Trends Are Hurting Solar Companies — and Biden's Big Energy Goals," Avi Salzman says that the Biden administration is betting big on solar power, but supply-chain issues are the biggest obstacle to First Solar, Inc. FSLR and its peers ramping up solar capacity in the years ahead.

Connor Smith and Janet Cho's "Disney's 'Shang-Chi' Brings Hope to the Movie-Goer Crowd" reports that Walt Disney Co DIS rolled out the martial-arts action movie over Labor Day, without streaming, and 7 million people showed up at the theaters. That is good news for Disney and AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc AMC.

Also in this week's Barron's: