Barron's Picks And Pans: Dollar Tree, Kroger, Volkswagen And More

• This weekend's Barron's cover story takes a look at the media empire built by mogul John Malone.
• Other featured articles examine the prospects for a European carmaker, a discount retailer and a big grocer.
• Also, supply chain stocks face headwinds and a boom for defense stocks.

"Inside the Malone Matrix" by Andrew Bary suggests that media mogul John Malone has assembled 10 cable and entertainment companies under the Liberty flag. See why Barron's believes they offer investors great value, as well as what may be in store for Charter Communications Inc CHTR as well as Liberty Global PLC LBTYK.

Nicholas Jasinski's "As Tariffs Hit, Supply Chains Become a Hot Topic for Investors" points out that, with mounting trade tensions rippling through global supply chains built over the past two decades, the companies are faced with recasting the chains or passing costs to customers. See what that could mean for the likes of Cummins Inc. CMI.

In "Defense Stocks to Enjoy a Boom With New Congress" by Bill Alpert, a leading analyst re-evaluates the aerospace and defense sector in the wake of the midterm elections and shares a few of his top stock picks. Find out whether Boeing Co BA and Lockheed Martin Corporation LMT made the cut.

The world's largest car maker is still suffering from the diesel emissions crisis, according to "Volkswagen Stock Is Cheap and Has Lots of Horsepower" by Vito J. Racanelli. But with a new cost-cutting chief executive officer and a raft of potential valuable brands, the Frankfort-traded shares of Volkswagen now look very cheap, contends Barron's.

See Also: Bulls & Bears Of The Week: Apple, Disney, Ford, Target And More

In Avi Salzman's "Dollar Tree Stock Is as Big a Bargain as Its Wares," a case is made that Dollar Tree, Inc. DLTR has had trouble with its acquisition, Family Dollar stores, but that the decline in its shares is overdone. Are better days are coming for the Virginia-based discount retailer in this age of point-click-and-buy?

"Why It's Time to Take Those Kroger Profits" by Jack Hough indicates that Kroger Co KR has had some wild swings, but it has executed on its strategy and is up some 29 percent since before the summer. The big grocer's outlook looks bright, but is it time to ring up the register on the shares as this article recommends?

Also in this week's Barron's:

• The election and NAFTA replacement
• Capital gains deferment as the next hot thing in investing
• The best way to own the entire stock market in just one fund
• The prospects for corporate bond funds.

Photo credit: mcsquishee, Flickr