Barron's Picks And Pans: IBM, GE, Procter & Gamble And More

• This weekend's Barron's takes a look at how the holiday outlook has brightened for some retail chains.


• Other featured articles discuss a long-suffering tech giant finally showing signs of renewed life and whether an industrials colossus is a safe bet after its dividend cut.


• A leading oilfield services provider and a consumer products giant are also featured.

"IBM: Blue Chip at a Bargain Price" by Jack Hough points out that this long-suffering computer giant's shares are cheap as it shows signs of renewed life. Shares have underperformed during Virginia Rometty's tenure, but financial results are finally improving. Can shares of International Business Machines Corp. IBM gain 30 percent over the next year, as Barron's believes?

Vito J. Racanelli's "The Holiday Outlook Brightens for Retail Chains" takes a look at how spending gains and digital moves could help raise the sector's stock prices. "The consumer is in the mood to spend," says one expert quoted in the article. See how Target Corporation TGT, Wal-Mart Stores Inc WMT and others have risen to the challenge.

In "GE's Dividend Cut Doesn't Eliminate Risk," Jack Hough discusses why buying General Electric Company GE shares after the big payment cut might not be as safe for dividend investors as it seems. See what Barron's feels is the lesson to be learned from this episode and what the biggest risk is for shareholders now. And see how GE's move stacks up against the biggest dividend cuts ever.

See also: The Future Of Trucking? Wall Street Weighs In On Tesla Semi, Roadster Unveiling

The recent sell-off might be a chance to pick up shares of Baker Hughes A GE Co BHGE at a bargain, according to "Buy Battered Baker Hughes" by Ben Levisohn. With GE's commitment to the company now called into question, what is in store for Baker Hughes — and its shareholders — in the long run? And what part do expectations for the wider industry have to play?

In Leslie P. Norton's follow-up article, "Activist Investor Nelson Peltz Stays in the P&G Picture," see why Barron's believes the recount victory for the activist investor Nelson Peltz is good for shares of Procter & Gamble Co PG, but many hurdles remain. What does Peltz want from management, and what do analysts expect from the company with a Peltz pick on the board?

Also in this week's Barron's:

• What unicorns are really worth


• A special report on what's next for exchange traded funds


• Seeking safe dividend stocks in a pricey market


• Whether Asian stocks will double


• Yale's endowment learns a hard lesson


• How Cisco Systems, Inc. CSCO can get its groove back


• Diverging opinions on the fate of the tax bill


• Whether GE's revival plan is sufficient

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

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