Barron's Picks And Pans: Chipotle, Snap, AMD And More

• This weekend's Barron's cover story considers what's in store for a once-hot burrito chain.
• Other featured articles offer a peek at the outlook for a semiconductor maker and for a casual dining company.
• The prospects for a social media IPO and an independent power producer are also examined.

"Chipotle: Can It Be Fixed?" by Jack Hough is this week's cover story. While the once-hot fast-casual chain is getting past its food-safety issues, and Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. CMG CEO Steve Ells should be able to improve service and win back customers, rising costs could cut into an earnings rebound, says Barron's. Could the stock fall as much as 35 percent?

In "Snap's Coming IPO Looks Like One to Avoid," Andrew Bary takes a look at why Snapchat's parent is preparing to come public at an eye-popping valuation. Could it be the next Facebook FB or the next Twitter TWTR? See why Barron's believes that the higher Snap's post-IPO stock price goes, the greater will be the risk that any misstep could clobber its investors. Is this a deal to avoid?

Tiernan Ray's "This Time, AMD's Revival Is for Real" makes a case for sweeping changes at Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. AMD to elevate it in cloud computing and for shares to double in a year. This despite the fact that the stock already has grown fivefold in the past year. Are AMD's days as a second banana to Intel INTC and Nvidia NVDA now behind it?

Casual dining stocks are out of favor, according to "Brinker International Sets the Table for Growth at Chili's" by David Englander. However, improvements at the Chili's chain could win Brinker International, Inc. EAT shares some new fans. Will the negativity around this stock be short-lived, and can the stock rise by 20 percent or so in the coming year?

In Andrew Bary's "Vistra Energy's Promising Next Act," discover why this Texas electricity producer's depressed shares could get a jolt from higher power prices. Shares of Vistra Energy VSTE look like a bargain compared to other independent power producers, according to Barron's, and the article offers five catalysts for a rally, including a possible New York Stock Exchange listing.

Also in this week's Barron's:

• Why a benign jobs report calmed the markets
• Whether the dollar is likely to fall this year
• How much Snap is a threat to other media companies
• Whether the fiduciary rule still has momentum
• JPMorgan's new kind of actively managed exchange traded fund
• Steps for training a good junior advisor
• Betting on the dogs of the S&P 500
• The real cost of health care in retirement
• Mario Gabelli's latest big buy
• Whether President Trump will alienate Japan too