Barron's Picks And Pans: Time Warner, United Technologies And More - Centene (NYSE:CNC), Brookfield Asset Mgmt (NYSE:BAM)

Featured stories this weekend in Barron's ponder the prospects for the entertainment giant behind "Batman v Superman" and an industrial conglomerate.

Barron's also offers looks at an alternative asset manager and a newly independent crane maker.

Other featured articles include the 2016 Barron's Energy Rountable, and the best presidential pick for investors, the markets and the economy.

"Time Warner Could Return 25% in Next Year" by Jack Hough makes a case that shares of

Time Warner IncTWX

, the entertainment giant behind Warner Bros., HBO and Turner Broadcasting, now trade at a bargain price. Plus the box-office success of "Batman v Superman," which had the best debut ever for a superhero film, only adds to the company's appeal. In "United Technologies Revs Up Its Growth Engines," Lawrence C. Strauss takes a closer look at how shares of

United Technologies CorporationUTX

, the maker of Pratt & Whitney engines and Otis elevators, could get a 20 percent return thanks to its launch of a new jet engine, new elevator contracts in China and subsiding research-and-development costs. Bill Alpert's "How Fair Are Brookfield's Fair-Value Estimates?" points out that although this alternative asset manager reaps cash flow from rents, tolls and management fees, in recent years profits at

Brookfield Asset Management IncBAM

are heavily dependent on its own property valuations. Discover what Barron's found out when it put some of those estimates to the test.

The new chief executive officer at

Manitowoc Company IncMTW

is a skilled turnaround expert, according to "Challenge: Reviving Manitowoc Cranes" by David Englander. See how his plan to restructure the newly independent crane maker and improve its margins could lead to higher profitability, even if demand remains subdued, and could hoist the shares. In Ben Levisohn's "Energy Roundtable: 12 Oil Rebound Picks," four experts provide insight into the turmoil in the energy sector. See their predictions for oil prices, OPEC production cuts, master limited partnerships and more. They also name a dozen stocks and bonds positioned to ride the next boom, including

Enterprise Products Partners L.P.

EPD

and

Pioneer Natural ResourcesPXD

. Also in this week's Barron's:

Why John Kasich is the best presidential pick for investors, the markets and the economy
Whether initial public offerings will pick up anytime soon
The next wave of cloud-computing companies
Why Visa Inc V shares can double in the next four years
Whether Centene Corp CNC is on the mend
Whether Hain Celestial Group Inc HAIN has room for growth
What to do about negative rates
Five top small-caps that are surging back

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

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