During the most recent episode of Mad Money, Jim Cramer described the current stock market as a “short sellers paradise,” offering an ideal moment for those betting against U.S. stocks. He pointed to an important deadline approaching: April 2nd when major tariffs are set to take effect.
“We have a tariff deadline, beckoning a frightening deadline, actually April 2nd when the big tariffs are going to kick in, that means we’re headed for a moment of maximum fear as regular stock buyers either flee to the sidelines or move the money to Europe.”
READ ALSO: Was Jim Cramer Right About These 23 Stocks?
Cramer emphasized that he does not see how the White House could back down from its stance, suggesting that if the administration wants to maintain credibility, it has no choice but to move forward with the tariffs. He explained that for President Trump, showing resolve by sticking to his promises is a signal of strength, even if it means sacrificing the stock market in the process. Cramer believes that this willingness to endure short-term market pain in favor of long-term trade objectives is a clear sign that the White House is committed to its strategy. He went on to say:
“For years, we’ve been conditioned to believe that everyone must do their part to get prices down because we don’t want inflation to get out of control. Unfortunately, someone isn’t doing it.”
The rising costs brought on by tariffs are forcing the Federal Reserve to pay more attention to inflation, complicating the financial space. Cramer remarked that this creates a difficult situation for money managers who now feel compelled to sell due to the economic uncertainty stirred up by Washington. Wall Street, he added, is already adjusting its estimates, factoring in the potential long-term impact of tariffs.
“But what happens in this market after the tariffs are implemented? Maybe another month of wrangling, maybe two months, maybe the whole summer. It could be real bad. So we end up with this build-in negative that could sink 10 ships.”
Methodology
For this article, we compiled a list of 14 stocks that were discussed by Jim Cramer during the episode of Mad Money on April 1, 2024. We then calculated their performance from April 1st, 2024, market close to March 24th, 2025, market close. We have also included the hedge fund sentiment for the stocks, which we sourced from Insider Monkey’s Q4 2024 database of over 900 hedge funds. The stocks are listed in the order that Cramer mentioned them.
Please note that this article mentions Jim Cramer’s previous opinions and may not account for any changes to his opinions regarding the stocks that are mentioned. It is primarily an examination of how his previously provided opinions have panned out.
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 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).
14. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 150
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) is the largest health insurer in the United States. Back then, Cramer highlighted regulatory setbacks and cybersecurity issues but saw short-term rebound potential:
“The nation’s largest health insurer with a stock that fell 6% in the quarter. This stock was hurt by higher medical costs, just like Humana […] Tonight, to add insult to injury, the health insurers got some bad news about Medicare Advantage Plans—the government’s not allowing them much of an increase in their policies […] Of the six losers I’m covering tonight, UNH probably has the best chance for a bounce back from where it bottoms tomorrow or Wednesday.”
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) has gained 5.47% since that episode, supporting Cramer’s view that it had rebound potential.
The stock saw a steep intra-day decline in February this year, after a media report claimed that the DOJ would investigate the company. Jim Cramer shared his thoughts on it on the 21st of February:
“Well look, I’ll go over the math of what it does to UnitedHealth. This is gonna be one of those long battles, government may win, may not, stock’s down as if, all the stocks are down as if this is the government really cracking down on them. I hate to say it because I think that there are a lot of people that feel that they, uh, that Medicare billing practices, if you read the article, are wrong. Carl, these companies, they’re survivors. And, uh, you buy this uh, yeah you buy it because UnitedHealth is very powerful. I’ve often felt that UnitedHealth is every bit as powerful as the government. Because they are, strong, sprawling, and ready to fight. And the government has historically not been able to take on this group. They haven’t really taken on the middle-man either. Look I mean we have strong corporations in our country and you know UnitedHealth is not going to have to, in the end, I am telling you that I do not think this is going to be significant to their earnings. That’s what I’m saying.
“Yeah look, I mean again, I come back, why do we have higher payments for Medicare Advantage. I mean this stuff is so opaque. Uh, they, these companies have had a lot of scrutiny against them. You’re gonna need legislation. I don’t think you’re going to be able to do anything with the Justice Department. Civil fraud division by the way. You have the legislation. Then there’s an issue. But when you have these lawsuits it tends not to bring about any sort of practice. Look, I’m not being cynical. I know that there are people that just say how can you not, how can you not think that this is gonna break up everything? Well, I mean, think about the history of the government. Winning against these big companies, they don’t. And I am saying that, down twelve percent, you buy UnitedHealth. We’ll have portfolio managers come on within the next six days, and there’ll be a huge number of people who bought em. Cause well, it’s been these, it’s been these long lawsuits. So I’m just saying, get ahead of it right now.”
13. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 166
The iPhone maker, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), remains one of the most valuable companies in the world, known for its consumer electronics and software ecosystem. In that older episode, Cramer was cautious in the short term but supportive long term:
“This could trade down to $160, its 52-week low, because the company thought to have no growth or may actually have down revenues. If the latter comes true, Apple will actually have a hard time staying at 160. […] but Apple does have two things going for it. First is the developers Conference in June where we might hear about some new exciting stuff and arguably more important we’ll see if management embraces Jensen Huang’s vision of the Vision Pro as an Omniverse-enabled tool for the enterprise not just the consumer product.”
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has climbed 29.84% since that episode, validating Cramer’s long-term bullish stance.
As of March 2025, Apple is struggling to regain investors’ confidence after the company failed to deliver on its promises regarding Siri and its “Apple Intelligence”. Here’s what Cramer said about it on the 21st of March:
“We’ve had a series of pieces about how Apple’s struggling with Siri. There’s no doubt about it. There is a Siri gate going on. There were some firings. But the fact is this that there were too many people in Apple. Now I think that Apple is a great stock but I recognize when something’s going to go lower.”
12. Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 83
Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) is a global leader in semiconductor manufacturing, known for its CPUs and data centre products. Cramer discussed Intel as a potential turnaround candidate back then after being one of the year’s losers:
“Intel could really rally simply thanks to easy comparisons versus last year. […] Pat Gelsinger has demonstrated flashes of brilliance. […] All Pat has to do is say that margins are going to get better, and that’ll do it.”
Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) has faced a lot of troubles over the past year, having dropped 45.60% since that episode. That is the worst performer in this list.
In his recent remarks, Cramer maintained his optimism on Intel and how the company’s new CEO could help turn things around:
“Oh I love him. This guy is serious, serious guy. Now look, Intel’s got its own problems. They’re very, very tough. Because it did miss whole eras of chips. But Lip-Bu Tan, I urge everyone to go watch the YouTube video when he gets the Robert Noyce award. This is in 2022. He explains what he’s going to do and where he is. He saved Cadence. Took it from one billion to 48 billion. So 48 bagger. And he is remarkable. And smart. And he’s gonna really make them go faster. He was a great venture capitalist, a great businessperson. And he saw generative AI coming because this is from 2022. I really like him. He’s got a lot of work to do but I no longer feel you need to sell Intel. And I’ve been saying to sell Intel since Lisa Su told me sell Intel.”
11. NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 73
NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) is one of the world’s largest athletic footwear and apparel companies. Cramer was cautious on Nike at the time, citing pricing concerns and increased competition:
“Consumers are rebelling against anything that costs too much right, and Nikes are considered expensive. I think we got some positive press about the China business but it’s the U.S. that I’m worried about. […] Historically, it’s been hard to keep Nike stock down for long, but I want to see this quarter.”
NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) is another U.S. company that has struggled a lot over the past year. The stock has fallen by 27.19% ever since.
Jim Cramer has changed his stance on Nike. Discussing the company’s most recent earnings report, here’s what he said in one of his programs on the 21st of March:
“Yes, Sarah, you know that Nike had a, it was tough to listen to because of the inventories.
“Look, let’s just cut to the chase. What really killed us? . . .is when you hear a company just basically saying look, macroeconomic is bad, I wanna read the words. . .’we expect revenues,’ this was devastating, this is from Matthew Friend, and you know straight shooter right,. . .’we expect Q4 revenues to be down in the mid-teens range,’ why?, okay ‘unfavorable shipment time in North America,’ ‘two points of negative impact from foreign exchange,’ and of course, ‘400 to 500 basis points down creating restructuring charges for gross margins,’ look you’re not gonna want to own that stock if you hear that. But do you want to sell it Sarah at 65? That’s the question.”
And if we just want to focus, listen, Sarah, if we only want to focus on how Nike Jordan’s are doing, then we are doing a disservice to people. We know that they’ve got that wrong locker, we know that Donahue almost wrecked this company. Which is really a kind of a land speed record. . . I don’t know I would put Donahue in the fastest ever to crash a car.
“But Sarah, let’s talk about a stock that is bad. . . Nike is the paradigm of what is wrong. But, it’s a great franchise so you have to say at 65, is that company worth something? You know the negatives last night were heavy, no real positives. But is that stock deserving of say fifty dollars, fifty five dollars? Is that where you should trade.
“Well, the uncertain consumer seems to be certain when they’re buying on ON, a little more certain when they’re buying Hoka. I think the uncertain consumer turns certain when they’re buying New Balance. I think that as you know, the Adidas consumer doesn’t seem all that uncertain. I don’t want to hear uncertain. If you’re going to talk about win, you should talk about loss. The company had a huge series of losses. Look I know Corporate America likes to say you know what, don’t worry, let’s forget about the past. Corporate America. . .never wants to be able to say we were gutted by a previous CEO. Because that’s just not the way it’s done. I’m gonna do it. I cannot believe, how that man, the previous CEO, gutted anything that was new, relied on the old, it failed. Decided to sabotage people like Mary Dillon, at Footlocker. Now they have to take back all the inventory. They have no place to put it other than the Nike factory stores. Look there’s a lot of damage. And I think what happened is, there was much more damage than people realized, Sarah. And the other guys didn’t have damage. The other guys didn’t sit still. And I think the company should start acknowledging that not only do they have to win, but the other guys have to lose. And you have to beat them. And I think that while they talk a good competitive game and they talk about the Ohio State football program. . .what they didn’t talk about is how to beat the other guy. Yes, they’re gonna return to sport. . .but that means you’re going to have to design, and you can’t start designing overnight!”
10. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 46
Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) operates as a global pharmacy-led health and wellbeing enterprise. Cramer addressed Walgreens as part of the Dow laggards list at the time:
“We had the CEO Tim Wentworth on the show talking about a game plan. And I think he can turn this thing around within the year. I know it’s not within the month or the current quarter, but he is basically turning this towards becoming a real pharmacy, and that could take a little time to rebuild. But there’s no hurry to buy this one; this story is going to take a long time to play out.”
Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) has declined 42.94% since that episode.
Although Jim Cramer still talks highly about the company’s CEO, it looks like he changed his stance in recent episodes. Here’s what he said on the 17th of March this year:
“No, it’s over. They’ve got a deal, they’ve got a terrific deal with Sycamore. It’s just, Mr. Wentworth gave you the best he could and I would just take the, what your position you have off the table and go by Costco, which I think is not gonna need any help whatsoever.”
9. The Boeing Company (NYSE:BA)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 103
The Boeing Company (NYSE:BA) is a leading aerospace and defence corporation, manufacturing commercial jets and military aircraft. Cramer appeared bearish on Boeing as the stock was the worst performer within the Dow at the time:
“Everybody on Earth knows this thing is a dog because it gets so much well-earned bad publicity. […] Only by acquiring Spirit AeroSystems for $5 billion, $1 billion above where its trading, can this company sway the regulators, who haven’t been appeased, even with the resignation of the CEO Dave Calhoun. […] This one might be a long-term renter on the poorly performing list.”
The Boeing Company (NYSE:BA) is down 4.54% since that episode. Although the stock was able to bounce back in recent months, Cramer’s latest comments came on the 11th of March, where he highlighted his concerns about President Trump’s tariffs:
“If this 50% tariff gets implemented, it’s going to get passed on to you. Cars, trucks, planes will all get more expensive because we have no choice. We can’t get enough aluminum from anywhere else; it doesn’t work. So prices must go up for the vehicles of every major auto company, including the one you buy. And how would Boeing, which builds planes mostly out of aluminum, handle it? I have no idea. 70-80% of their planes are aluminum-based.”
8. ONEOK, Inc. (NYSE:OKE)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 47
ONEOK, Inc. (NYSE:OKE) is a leading midstream service provider, primarily operating in natural gas liquids systems. When a caller inquired about ONEOK in that older episode, Cramer was very positive:
“I like ONEOK very, very much. It still yields five. Keep your position, and if it comes back down, I would actually buy more. That’s how much I like it.”
ONEOK, Inc. (NYSE:OKE) has risen 28.34% since that episode, echoing Cramer’s confidence in the stock.
Cramer remains bullish on the stock based on his latest comments from the 7th of March:
“I have to tell you, I think ONEOK may be the best-run pipeline company in the country and I think you should own it… Enbridge is good too. Don’t wanna hurt people’s feelings.”
7. 3M Company (NYSE:MMM)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 79
3M Company (NYSE:MMM) is a diversified industrial giant known for products ranging from adhesives to healthcare solutions. In that older episode, Cramer saw improving prospects for 3M, mostly due to its spinoff and change in leadership:
“This spin-off of Solventum is part of a broader simplification and cleanup effort by the outgoing CEO Mike Roman […] Clearly, Wall Street likes that 3M is bringing in a new leader. […] Right now, I feel better about this company’s prospects than I have in so many years. I sure wouldn’t stand in your way if you wanted to start buying some of this stock. I know it’s still risky, but it hasn’t been this attractive in years. Buy, buy you heard it, buy.”
3M Company (NYSE:MMM) has surged 62.93% since that episode, strongly supporting Cramer’s call that the stock was attractive at the time.
Here are Jim Cramer’s latest remarks on the stock as of the 10th of February:
“Can you imagine if my father had bought shares in a nice dividend stock for me, 3M, rather than national video… In retrospect, I learned the most about stocks from two 3M board games. Yes, they used to have board games. Those board games were called Acquire and Stocks & Bonds.”
6. Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 44
Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) is a biotechnology company best known for its mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine. When asked about Moderna back then, Cramer remained supportive:
“I’m a believer in the technology. I want you to stay in it, and if anything, I’d be a buyer under 100. I really do believe in them and their technology.”
Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) has plummeted 67.64% since that episode, contradicting Cramer’s bullish outlook on the biotech.
Cramer’s comments for the firm in 2025 however have revolved around the firm failing to follow up with similar products. He believes that Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) has not delivered its promised cancer vaccines, but the firm’s massive cash pile can prove to be the firm’s saving grace. The firm doesn’t generate a profit as it nearly spends all of its revenue on research and development. Here are Cramer’s latest remarks from the 17th of January:
“No Moderna’s been one of the biggest disappointments of the year. I think, Stephane Bancel, he would be very good more on science, maybe if they had more of a, somewhat CEO in there, that would be terrific.”
5. Tyler Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:TYL)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 44
Tyler Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:TYL) provides software solutions for local governments and public sector institutions. When a caller asked about Tyler, Cramer gave a positive view on the stock a year ago:
“That’s a very well-run company, and that government business is a good business. I think it’s a buy.”
Tyler Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:TYL) has jumped 37.85% since that episode, reinforcing Cramer’s positive take on the company.
4. Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 84
Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) is a global leader in networking hardware and cybersecurity solutions. Cramer endorsed holding Cisco during that older episode:
“I like the Splunk deal. I think it’s going to give a couple of quarters of some pretty good lift, and you’ve got a 3% yield, so I would certainly hold on to that.”
Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) has risen 21.84% since that episode, aligning with Cramer’s recommendation to hold.
Cramer’s most recent comments about Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) surrounded the firm’s recent deal with AI GPU giant NVIDIA. Through the deal, the pair will work on NVIDIA’s ethernet connectivity system. Here is what Cramer said on the 25th of February:
“People are talking about NVIDIA. And there is a nice deal this morning with Cisco. I think it’s actually much more important than people realize. Cisco’s the first to qualify. It’s going to be a real partnership. And that uh Chuck Robbins working closely with Jensen. But there is an overwhelming sense that this market keys on NVIDIA at a moment when we have no idea what the federal government’s gonna do to NVIDIA.”
3. Vita Coco Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:COCO)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 20
Vita Coco Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:COCO) is a beverage company best known for its coconut water products. Cramer was upbeat about Vita Coco’s growth potential at the time:
“I think Vita Coco is a good stock. That’s a nice little story, and you get a nice little story like that, it could be like a Celsius. You never know, it just keeps going up and up.”
Vita Coco Company, Inc. (NASDAQ:COCO) has rallied 51.40% since that episode, showing that Cramer’s optimism was well founded.
2. Fastly, Inc. (NYSE:FSLY)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 28
Fastly, Inc. (NYSE:FSLY) is a cloud computing services provider, specializing in edge computing and content delivery networks. In that older episode, Cramer was critical of Fastly:
“That’s not one of my favorites. I’m not going to endorse that stock. I didn’t think the last couple of quarters were that good. Maybe someone takes them over, but I see nothing that makes me want to buy it.”
Fastly, Inc. (NYSE:FSLY) has declined 44.76% since that episode, backing up Cramer’s bearish view on the company.
The host of Mad Money spoke about the stock again on the 6th of February this year, retaining his bearish stance on it:
“No, I mean they’ve missed a quarter too often. If you want to be in that, you wanna be in CloudFlare, which just reported tonight. Matthew Prince, doing an absolutely terrific job.”
1. Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:PLTR)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 64
Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:PLTR) specializes in big data analytics and software solutions, particularly for defence and government clients. Cramer liked the stock back then:
“I like it. They had a good quarter, and they have a good defense business. I like their defense work, and they’ve owned that franchise.”
Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:PLTR) has been one of the best performing stocks of the past year, skyrocketing 323.23% since that episode.
On March 14th this year Cramer praised the firm’s CEO Alex Karp and shared his optimism about the firm’s ability to work with Elon Musk’s DOGE to help cut costs at the Pentagon. Here are his latest comments:
“The winners will become not winners. Except for Palantir because they own the media.
. . .he’s [Karp] good. The odd thing about Karp is that is as noisy as he is, he actually delivers. And I think that they would do great things. I’m actually looking for them to be able to help the Defense Department really take the costs out. Because we do have great ideas. But most importantly, the problem with the Defense Department is procurement. And Alex Karp and his team have answers for procurement. Which is congratulations, it’s a byzantine world and they’ve got it figured out. Unleash them and not just . . .Musk.”
While we acknowledge the potential of PLTR 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 time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than PLTR but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires.
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