Barron's Picks And Pans: 'Meg Whitman Divides And Conquers'

• This weekend's Barron's examines the prospects for Meg Whitman's half of the old Hewlett-Packard.
• The prospects for a clinical lab operator, a homebuilder and a water resources company are also examined.
• A follow-up story takes a look at where a consumer goods giant goes from here.

"Meg Whitman Divides and Conquers at HPE" by Robin Goldwyn Blumenthal makes a case that Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co HPE has 35 percent or more upside, now that its CEO is spinning off units and focusing on more profitable products. One expert quoted in the article says the "market is very slow to recognize what Meg Whitman is doing with this company."

In "LabCorp Looks Ready to Pass Every Test," Jack Hough points out that Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings LH has a diverse revenue base and lucrative drug-development business. See why even with per-share earnings expected to rise at a double-digit clip, Barron's believes the stock still looks like a bargain and could rise as much as 20 percent.

Avi Salzman's "Home Builder CalAtlantic's Shares Have Room to Grow" suggests that because CalAtlantic Group Inc CAA has been expanding in the nation's fastest-growing regions, its shares could rally up to 25 percent, even though the builder, a result of a merger between Ryland and Standard Pacific, has had a hard time attracting the attention of Wall Street.

See also: 7 Productivity Apps That Shave 10 Hours Off Your Work Week

See why this California-based water resources company soon could cash in, according to "A Turnaround Is in the Works at PICO Holdings" by David Englander. The principal asset of PICO Holdings Inc PICO is a sizable stake of water rights, mainly in Nevada and Arizona. The company also has talked about stock buybacks and special dividends, says Barron's.

In Jack Hough's, "More Gains to Come at Newell," find out why Barron's still likes Newell Brands Inc NWL, even though its shares are up 35 percent since Barron's recommended them in January. The maker of everything from Sharpies to Mr. Coffee to Graco strollers is expected to announce soon which underperforming brands it intends to ditch. Which ones will make the cut?

Also in this week's Barron's:

• The markets react to a tightening presidential race
• Whether Bayer's takeover of Monsanto Company MON will succeed
• Who wins and who loses as smartphone cameras get better
• Why some value fund managers are stocking up on tech stocks
• When active fund managers will shine again
• How to find reasonably priced high-payout stocks
• Why both presidential candidates are ignoring U.S. debt
• Reasons to stay focused on the Federal Reserve
• Whether to buy the dip in Oracle Corporation ORCL

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

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