Barron's Latest Picks And Pans: Microsoft, Exxon Mobile, Zendesk And Largest US Radio Station Operator

Benzinga reviews this weekend's top stories on Barron's, for additional information on the latest market news, Benzinga Pro offers a 24/7 news feed, live chat and charting software.

"Gas Prices Soar to Records, but Exclusive Data Show Gas Stations Aren’t the Problem," by Avi Salzman and Marc Lajoie, notes that the average price of gas in the U.S. hit a record $5 a gallon, up more than 50% from a year ago, but the profits of gas stations are actually down this year.

In "Zendesk Gave Up on a Sale. An Activist Wants to Change the Board," Carleton English writes that investors are increasingly uneasy with Zendesk Inc ZEN, as the cloud-based customer-service software provider plans to remain a stand-alone company.

"IHeartMedia Stock Tumbles as Morgan Stanley Turns Cautious on Ad Outlook," by Eric Savitz, looks at why a Morgan Stanley analyst cut his rating on IHeartMedia Inc IHRT, the largest U.S. operator of radio stations.

In "Exxon May Be Making ‘More Than God.’ But Apple and Alphabet Are More Profitable," Andrew Bary writes that Exxon Mobil Corp (NYSE XOM) is expected to generate about $41 billion of net income in 2022, but it’s far from the most profitable company in the country.

"Microsoft Could Be Halting TV Advertising to Cut Costs," by Angela Palumbo, reports that Microsoft Corp MSFT may halt its television advertising campaigns to save money as concerns grow that consumer spending is slowing.

Also in this week's Barron's:

Food Stocks Are a Refuge for Investors on a Down Day

3 Boring Chip Stocks Could Buck a Slowing Economy, Says Morgan Stanley

A Break in Inflation Is on the Way, but It's the Wrong Break

These 6 Energy Stocks Could Still Get You a Piece of the Gusher

FDA Advisors Support the First New Gene Therapy in Nearly 5 Years

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