Jim Cramer, the host of Mad Money, recently discussed the rise of Bitcoin and expressed his admiration for the digital currency’s growth. However, he was careful to emphasize that Bitcoin should not replace traditional investments, particularly stocks, but rather should complement them in a diversified portfolio.
“I want to discuss Bitcoin, really I do, not to the detriment of stocks but in addition to stocks. I come to praise Bitcoin, not bury it.”
Cramer recalled the moment when President-elect Donald Trump began giving importance to cryptocurrency during his administration. On July 27, Trump declared that the U.S. government would fully embrace Bitcoin if he won the election. At the time, Bitcoin was valued just under $70,000. Cramer also noted Trump’s promise to create a strategic Bitcoin reserve and make America the global leader in cryptocurrency.
Cramer highlighted Trump’s statement, “If crypto is going to define the future, I want it to be mined, minted, and made in the USA.” Regardless of whether one agrees with the policy, Cramer remarked, Trump’s words were a clear signal of how beneficial the growing popularity of cryptocurrency could be for its owners.
READ ALSO Jim Cramer’s Lightning Rounds: 12 Stocks Under the Spotlight and Jim Cramer’s Game Plan This Week: 10 Stocks to Watch
Cramer then shared insights from Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, who suggested that many investors see Bitcoin as a store of value, similar to gold. He went on to say:
“I’ve always endorsed keeping up to 10% of your portfolio in gold as a kind of insurance against the world’s lunacy. But for years now, I’ve also been saying Bitcoin’s a fine alternative to gold for that 10% position. Why not? I think the federal budget deficit is at impossible levels. I don’t want to be wedded to a currency backed by the full faith and credit of a country that owes $36 trillion.”
Cramer also acknowledged that some people might have gone all-in on Bitcoin and praised their decision. However, he recommended balancing Bitcoin investments with stocks. For instance, if Trump were to make a move to encourage buying Tesla, Cramer commented, having both stocks and crypto would give investors an edge.
“While we could become the bitcoin network, especially since President-elect Trump christened us as the bitcoin nation, I actually think there’s more to investing than just owning cryptocurrencies… Bitcoin’s part of the most obviously diversified portfolio in recent history. Buying and holding stocks can be just as lucrative as buying Bitcoin six days after Biden dropped out of the race. Or maybe, just maybe, it can make you even more money.”
10 Best Jim Cramer Stocks to Buy According to Analysts
Our Methodology
For this article, we compiled a list of 29 stocks that Cramer was bullish on during episodes of Mad Money aired over the last 2 weeks. We narrowed the list to 10 stocks that were most favored by analysts. We listed the stocks in ascending order of their average analyst price target upside as of December 9. The average price target upside was calculated while the market was open. We also mentioned the hedge fund sentiment around each stock, which was taken from Insider Monkey’s Q3 database of 900 hedge funds.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).
10 Best Jim Cramer Stocks to Buy According to Analysts
10. Ollie’s Bargain Outlet Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:OLLI)
Average Price Target Upside: 7.70%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 32
Commenting on Ollie’s Bargain Outlet Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:OLLI), Cramer remarked:
“Now, earlier this week, Ollie’s Bargain Outlet caught a rare downgrade. It’s this purveyor of closeout merchandise [that] has been an outstanding performer for many years. It’s a highly promotional moment for retail. This kind of off-price chain tends to be a big winner. Ollie’s gets tractor trailer, if your tractor trailer’s full of unsold premium price merchandise, and they get it for next to nothing, and then they sell the stuff to you at bargain basement prices. I don’t want to get off this horse.”
Ollie’s Bargain Outlet (NASDAQ:OLLI) is a retailer offering a variety of brand-name products. On December 10, it released its financial results for the third quarter. Net sales for the third quarter of fiscal 2024 rose by 7.8%, reaching $517.4 million, compared to $480.1 million in the same period of fiscal 2023. This increase in net sales was driven by the expansion of new store locations. Gross margin improved by 100 basis points, rising to 41.4% in the third quarter of fiscal 2024, up from 40.4% in the third quarter of fiscal 2023.
This gain in gross margin was mainly attributed to more favorable supply chain costs. Ollie’s Bargain Outlet (NASDAQ:OLLI) has also acquired seventeen store locations through the Big Lots bankruptcy proceedings. Of these, fifteen locations were acquired during the third quarter of fiscal 2024, with two additional locations acquired after the quarter ended. Furthermore, on December 6, the company was the winning bidder in a bankruptcy sale to secure leases for seven more former Big Lots stores.
9. EPAM Systems, Inc. (NYSE:EPAM)
Average Price Target Upside: 7.73%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 39
Cramer recently highlighted how EPAM Systems, Inc. (NYSE:EPAM) stock is gaining as part of “the return of the enterprise software primacy over hardware”.
“Next is EPAM Systems, which is an enterprise software company for platform engineering development. Now the stock’s come roaring back leading, it is part of the return of the enterprise software primacy over hardware. EPAM’s strength is a green light to buy Salesforce and ServiceNow, the two biggest enterprise software plays that I like.”
EPAM Systems (NYSE:EPAM) provides digital platform engineering, software development, infrastructure management, consulting, design solutions, and expertise in emerging technologies like AI, robotics, and virtual reality. On December 6, Goldman Sachs analyst James Schneider raised the rating on the stock to Buy from Neutral and upped the price target to $295 from $275.
Schneider noted that the demand environment for IT Services is steadily improving as we approach 2025, and the firm has become more optimistic about the sector. The firm believes that challenges in key industries, such as Financials, are easing, and anticipates that discretionary demand will increase throughout 2025, driven by a more favorable regulatory and interest rate environment, as well as the release of pent-up demand.
EPAM Systems’ (NYSE:EPAM) full-year outlook reflects the impact of recent acquisitions, including NEORIS. The company now projects revenue between $4.685 billion and $4.695 billion, indicating flat year-over-year growth at the midpoint. This includes an inorganic revenue contribution of 2.4%, with 1.2% coming from NEORIS.
On an organic constant currency basis, excluding the exit from Russia, revenues are expected to decline by 2.3% at the midpoint. The company forecasts non-GAAP income from operations to be between 16.0% and 16.5% of revenue and expects non-GAAP diluted EPS to range from $10.73 to $10.81.
8. EQT Corporation (NYSE:EQT)
Average Price Target Upside: 9.61%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 48
Commenting on natural gas stocks possibly thriving under the new administration, Cramer said that EQT Corporation (NYSE:EQT) is a buy.
“First, you could own some producers. Now I happen to like a company called EQT, which is exclusively focused on natural gas operations in the Appalachian Basin across Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio. After spending a couple years trading sideways, EQT has caught fire since the election, climbing 22% to its highest level since late 2022. Well, even before the election, this stock was getting some buzz. Bank of America reinstituted coverage with a buy rating in late October. Then the next day, EQT reported a terrific beat and raise quarter, which did shock me.
Earlier this year, EQT made a pipeline acquisition buying Equitrans, all stock deal valued the combined company [at] more than $35 billion, that closed in July. In the latest conference call, EQT CEO, Toby Rice, a real smart fellow… about the merger [said]… I’m gonna quote, ‘Transform EQT into America’s only large scale, vertically integrated natural gas business’, and true, before noting that the integration is well underway and saying that all sorts of efficiencies are being unlocked along the way. If the natural gas rally truly has legs, then I gotta tell you: EQT (is a buy).”
EQT (NYSE:EQT), a leading U.S. natural gas production company, merged with Equitrans Midstream Corporation in March to form a vertically integrated natural gas business valued at over $35 billion. By the third quarter, it had completed more than 60% of integration tasks and realized over 50% of the expected synergies from the acquisition within just three months. You can read about the company’s third-quarter results that we discussed in our article, Jim Cramer’s List of 7 Energy Stocks for the Trump Trade.
In late November, the company announced a deal with Blackstone Credit & Insurance (BXCI) to form a new midstream joint venture (JV) that includes EQT’s high-quality contracted infrastructure assets such as the Mountain Valley Pipeline, FERC-regulated transmission and storage assets, and the Hammerhead Pipeline. BXCI will invest $3.5 billion for a non-controlling equity stake in the JV, which values the venture at approximately $8.8 billion, or 12x EBITDA.
The transaction gives EQT (NYSE:EQT) access to significant equity capital while retaining rights to future growth projects, including the Mountain Valley Pipeline expansion. The company plans to use the proceeds to reduce its debt and redeem senior notes, expecting to exit 2024 with around $9 billion in net debt.
EQT’s CEO, Toby Z. Rice, noted that the JV allows the company to maintain the benefits of its Equitrans acquisition, while CFO Jeremy Knop highlighted that EQT has exceeded the high-end of its $3-$5 billion asset sale target, securing $5.25 billion in projected cash proceeds ahead of schedule.
7. Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ:AVGO)
Average Price Target Upside: 11.78%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 128
Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ:AVGO) is set to report its fourth-quarter earnings on December 12. Cramer commented on the company and said:
“Finally, one of my favorite stocks reports, Broadcom, symbol AVGO by the way. It reports, and this tends to run up into the quarter and then sell off when we see the actual sales and earnings. I expect that to happen again as Broadcom makes equipment from networking and artificial intelligence as well as hardware, phones, and servers, and hardware’s a little out of fashion all of a sudden. Now, we own Broadcom for ages for the Charitable Trust and I’ve urged investing club members to buy Broadcom on these very dips I just mentioned. It’s been a terrific successful strategy. This time should be no different. So let’s understand, it goes down at the report and that’s your chance to pull the trigger.”
Broadcom (NASDAQ:AVGO) is a company specializing in the design, development, and supply of semiconductor devices, with a well-established history in semiconductor design. It expects strong AI demand, projecting a 10% growth in AI revenue for Q4 of fiscal 2024, bringing total AI revenue to over $3.5 billion and pushing annual AI revenue to around $12 billion.
The company continues to advance its AI-related offerings. It recently launched its 3.5D eXtreme Dimension System in Package (XDSiP) platform, enabling consumer AI customers to develop custom accelerators (XPUs). The company introduced the first Face-to-Face 3.5D XPU and has over five products in development, with production shipments expected to start in February 2026.
Additionally, Broadcom (NASDAQ:AVGO) has improved its VeloCloud products to better support AI workloads. In November, it introduced VeloRAIN, which uses AI to boost performance and security, and launched the VeloCloud Edge 4100 and 5100 appliances, designed for large businesses. It also started Titan, a partner program to help VeloCloud service providers grow as more companies adopt AI.
6. Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ:ADBE)
Average Price Target Upside: 13.86%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 123
Cramer commented on Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ:ADBE) before it reports its Q4 and FY2024 earnings on December 11, saying:
“As I mentioned earlier, the enterprise software stocks have been roaring, reacting very positively to pretty much everything these days. So maybe we should start thinking about buying the stock of Adobe, which has some of the very best software to help businesses with marketing and web design. I like this company very much, but it’s been stuck in enterprise software purgatory. Not anymore. Maybe it has a real run by just delivering good numbers.”
Adobe (NASDAQ:ADBE) is a prominent software company known for offering a wide range of products and services, particularly in digital media creation and document management. Recently, the company has made significant strides in integrating AI into its products.
During its third-quarter earnings call, management highlighted how the integration of AI, particularly in generative features, into its core products has led to higher customer retention, as users tend to stick with the tools that incorporate these advanced capabilities. The company projects its total revenue for the fourth quarter to fall between $5.50 billion and $5.55 billion. It expects non-GAAP earnings per share to be in the range of $4.63 to $4.68.
Furthermore, Adobe (NASDAQ:ADBE) expects to see a net new annual recurring revenue (ARR) of approximately $550 million from its Digital Media segment. This segment’s revenue is forecasted to be between $4.09 billion and $4.12 billion. In addition, the company expects its Digital Experience segment to generate revenue between $1.36 billion and $1.38 billion, with subscription revenue from this segment ranging from $1.23 billion to $1.25 billion.
5. Oscar Health, Inc. (NYSE:OSCR)
Average Price Target Upside: 21.51%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 45
Talking about Oscar Health, Inc. (NYSE:OSCR), Cramer said:
“I have to tell you that until I saw that Mark Bertolini is the CEO, I didn’t really have much in store for this, but Bertolini is a winner and a hitter.”
Oscar Health (NYSE:OSCR) is a health insurance company based in the U.S., providing individual and small group plans. Under CEO Mark Bertolini, the company has moved toward profitability by diversifying its growth strategy, focusing on Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs). The company aims to become a leader in Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangements (ICHRA) as more states support this benefit. Bertolini also noted a shift in policy at both state and federal levels toward improving healthcare marketplaces.
Oscar Health’s (NYSE:OSCR) Bertolini recently discussed the stability of the individual healthcare market, noting that the ACA now covers 22.2 million people with a low-cost trend of 3.5%, making it the largest and most stable market in the U.S. He emphasized that the future of healthcare lies in expanding this market with affordable, competitive products.
Regarding potential changes to Obamacare or the ACA, Bertolini pointed out that people like their healthcare, which helped prevent major changes during the Trump administration. He highlighted the lower rate increases in the ACA compared to other insurance markets and called for regulatory changes to encourage more people to join the individual market.
4. LandBridge Company LLC (NYSE:LB)
Average Price Target Upside: 21.52%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 12
Talking about LandBridge Company LLC (NYSE:LB), Cramer stated, “I’ll tell you that’s a winner. I would just hold onto it.”
LandBridge Company (NYSE:LB) engages in the ownership and management of land and resources to support oil and natural gas development, primarily within the Delaware Basin. The stock has a consensus Buy rating from 7 analysts and its average price target of $79.50 implies a 21.52% upside, as of December 9.
In the third quarter, the company acquired 1,280 surface acres in Winkler County, Texas, and entered into a purchase agreement for an additional 5,800 acres in Lea County, New Mexico. These acquisitions bring the company’s total surface ownership to around 227,000 acres. Further adding to its land portfolio, the company secured a lease development agreement for approximately 2,000 acres of land in Reeves County, Texas. This land is designated for the development of a data center and related facilities.
LandBridge Company (NYSE:LB) made a significant acquisition in the Southern Delaware Basin, purchasing 46,000 acres, known as the Wolf Bone Ranch, for $245 million from a subsidiary of VTX Energy Partners, LLC. This acquisition, which includes plans for additional water infrastructure and a potential water distribution hub for New Mexico, is expected to drive revenue growth.
Along with other acquisitions, the company expanded its land holdings by approximately 53,080 acres in the fourth quarter of 2024. These moves are expected to contribute to future revenue growth, with a projected 2025 EBITDA multiple of 7.6x.
3. Dell Technologies Inc. (NYSE:DELL)
Average Price Target Upside: 26.37%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 60
Before Dell Technologies Inc. (NYSE:DELL) reported its earnings, Cramer highlighted its partnership with Nvidia and praised its CEO.
“After the close, we have some big tech names reporting, including some that we own for the Charitable Trust. CrowdStrike, Dell Technologies, Workday. I think we might see these go 3, 4, 3… Dell is the best partner of Nvidia when it comes to [the] implementation of Blackwell, which is the new generation of AI chips. I buy some now and then I buy some after it pulls back and hey, if the stock doesn’t come in after, well then you still got a good position on. I am a huge believer in Michael Dell and I think we’re lucky to be able to invest alongside him.”
Dell Technologies (NYSE:DELL) is recognized for its cutting-edge solutions in AI servers, unstructured data storage, AI PCs, and networking. In partnership with NVIDIA, it has created the Dell AI Factory, a comprehensive solution that integrates servers, storage, networking, workstations, services, and validated solutions to help businesses fully leverage artificial intelligence.
The company reported its third-quarter results for fiscal 2025 on November 26, showing a 10% increase in revenue to $24.4 billion. The company also saw a 14% rise in adjusted earnings per share, reaching $2.15. While these figures reflect strong growth, they slightly missed analyst expectations. A key factor behind the shortfall was the slower-than-anticipated recovery in the PC market, which impacted the company’s performance.
Dell Technologies (NYSE:DELL) attributed the weaker-than-expected guidance to the timing of the PC refresh cycle, which it believes has shifted into 2025. As a result, the company’s Client Solutions Group (CSG) business may take longer to gain momentum. However, the company remains optimistic about a rebound in the consumer PC market. It noted several factors that could drive recovery, including an aging install base, AI-driven hardware improvements like longer battery life, and the end of support for Windows 10, which could create further demand for new devices.
2. Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE:ANF)
Average Price Target Upside: 29.60%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 51
Before Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE:ANF) released its third-quarter earnings report, Cramer commented:
“Now we’ve seen a bunch of retailers’ reports not sweating numbers yet in many cases, their stocks still roared. Meanwhile, others like Target get clubbed like baby seals. It’s treacherous to start buying these now because many of these stocks have run mightily in the last few days… Abercrombie bombed last quarter. After listening to the success that is Gap last night, I don’t think ANF gets it wrong twice. They’re too good for that.”
Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE:ANF) s a well-established name in the retail sector, recognized for its range of offerings, including apparel, personal care items, and accessories. On November 26, it reported its third-quarter earnings, marking its sixth consecutive quarter of double-digit sales growth and surpassing expectations once again.
For the quarter, the company reported a net income of $131.98 million, or $2.50 per share, compared to $96.2 million, or $1.83 per share, in the same period last year. Sales for the quarter reached $1.2 billion, a 14% increase from $1.06 billion in the prior year. Fran Horowitz, the company’s CEO, highlighted that every region saw double-digit growth during the quarter.
The Americas grew by 14%, EMEA increased by 15%, and APAC saw a notable 32% rise in sales. Additionally, Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE:ANF) brands performed strongly, with each showing growth. Abercrombie brands posted an 11% increase in comparable sales, building on a 26% rise from the previous year. Hollister, another key brand, saw a 21% growth in comparable sales, following a 7% increase in the prior year.
1. Coterra Energy Inc. (NYSE:CTRA)
Average Price Target Upside: 31.26%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 39
Cramer called Coterra Energy Inc. (NYSE:CTRA) the “shrewdest operators in the industry” and said:
“I still very much like Coterra Energy, currently the only energy holding in my Charitable Trust… This is another exploration production play, although it’s more balanced between oil and gas. In fact, after a pair of acquisitions announced earlier this month, Coterra’s revenue mix will tip a bit more in favor of oil. Next year, we like to say it’s more oily, less gassy. It does happen to have the lowest cost natural gas of any company in our country and that’s because of the legacy of the old Cabot Oil & Gas which created Coterra when it merged with Cimarex and rebranded the combined company.
I like Coterra Energy because it’s one of the shrewdest operators in the industry. I trust them to handle whatever environment we already have, making it a great long-term holding. When reported late last month, Coterra announced that they’d signed three new liquified natural gas supply agreements to sell a total of 200 million cubic feet per day, indexed to international price points.
Now that’s huge because international price points are much, much higher than domestic ones. The actual sales won’t take place until 2027, 2028. That was a bummer to me, but… Look, they’re gonna unlock a lot of demand and I think it’s going to, it gives it a great, great glide path for the next couple years. When we spoke to Coterra’s CEO Tom Jorden a couple weeks ago, he told us that ‘there’s more of that to do’ and you know what that meant. That meant be patient, he’s gonna do some more deals but no deals that aren’t accretive.”
Coterra (NYSE:CTRA) is an independent oil and gas company involved in the exploration, development, and production of oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids. On December 5, JPMorgan analyst Arun Jayaram raised the stock’s price target to $31 from $29 and maintained an Overweight rating on the stock. The firm anticipates that natural gas producers will benefit from “three key secular demand trends” in 2025: the expansion of liquefied natural gas export capacity, growing power demand due to electrification, and the shift from coal to gas.
JPMorgan also updated its exploration and production models through 2030, supporting its view of long-term gas prices remaining above $3.50 per MMBtu. The firm believes prices must rise to encourage additional supply growth from the Haynesville and other higher-cost gas basins. Furthermore, JPMorgan expects the oil market to transition from balanced in 2024 to a surplus in 2025 due to increased supply, prompting a shift to a “more defensive stance.”
In Q3, Coterra (NYSE:CTRA) secured three long-term natural gas sales agreements, starting in 2027-2028, boosting its strategy with exposure to international LNG markets. In November, the company also announced $3.95 billion in acquisitions from Franklin Mountain Energy and Avant Natural Resources, expanding its presence in New Mexico and the Permian Basin. These acquisitions are expected to add 60,000 to 70,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day by 2025, with the deals closing in Q1 2025.
While we acknowledge the potential of Coterra Energy Inc. (NYSE:CTRA) as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than CTRA but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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