Barron's Weekend Stock Picks: Freshpet Caught In Crosshairs Of Activist Hedge Fund, GM Struggles To Maintain Rally And Snowflake Faces Headwinds

Benzinga reviews this weekend's top stories covered by Barron's. Here are the articles investors need to read.
In "Freshpet Activist Might Unleash Less Change Than Expected," Carleton English writes that Jana Partners' proxy battle with food and treats manufacturer Freshpet Inc (NASDAQ: FRPT) will most likely come up short as the activist hedge fund — and the company's largest shareholder — attempts to reshape Freshpet's board.
"GM Chief Financial Officer Paul Jacobson Scoops Up Shares" by Ed Lin discusses Jacobson's faith in General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) even though the auto manufacturer failed to sustain a rally following strong fourth-quarter earnings.
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In "RingCentral and 8×8 Stock Are Soaring. An Activist Discloses Large Stakes," Eric J. Savitz explores the recent impact of Sylebra Capital, a Hong Kong-based activist investment firm, on the shares of cloud-based communications companies RingCentral Inc (NYSE: RING) and 8x8 (NASDAQ: EGHT).
In "Paramount Stock Rises as Shari Redstone's National Amusements Gets Fresh Investment," Connor Smith explains how a $125 million investment in Paramount's (NASDAQ: PARA) controlling shareholder will support National Amusements' "stewardship of Paramount Global."
"Snowflake Stock Gets Another Downgrade, Amid Ongoing Growth Concerns" by Savitz highlights the challenges that cloud company Snowflake (NYSE: SNOW) faces — including competition from Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) and software company Databricks — after it reduced guidance for the January 2024 fiscal year for the third consecutive quarter.
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