We recently published a list of Jim Cramer Says You Should Buy These 10 Stocks. Since Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) ranks 5th on the list, it deserves a deeper look.
Jim Cramer last week talked about the decline of tech stocks after the latest CPI report, saying investors “abandoned” tech stocks like “rats from the sinking ship.”
“It was titanic! They took their money and went all in on small and medium-sized companies we call the Russell 2000 because we got a much softer than expected consumer price index.”
Cramer said that the latest CPI number shows inflation “has been beaten” and interest rates are “coming down.” The CNBC host said if we keep getting positive data, he won’t be surprised to see not one but two or three rate cuts this year.
Cramer wondered how major tech companies could fall on the low inflation numbers, and answered his own question by saying that sometimes in the backdrop of lower bond yields stocks of companies that “need lower rates” can suddenly rise.
“What happened today always happens when rates plunged,” Cramer said.
However, Cramer said that there isn’t enough positive data available yet to keep supporting this rally of stocks that benefit from lower rates, adding that such short-term rallies last for about three days. Cramer predicted that big tech stocks will be back after a “few more plunging days.”
For this article we watched several latest programs of Jim Cramer and picked 10 stocks he’s bullish on. With each company we have mentioned the number of hedge fund investors. 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).
Wells Fargo & Co (NYSE:WFC)
Number of Hedge Fund Investors: 73
Jim Cramer was recently asked by a caller whether Morgan Stanley is a good stock pick in the banking industry. Cramer instead pitched Wells Fargo & Co (NYSE:WFC) as a better buy.
“The only one I’d still buy in that group is Wells Fargo of Charlie Scharf (WFC CEO). That would be the stock to buy.”
Like Cramer, many other analysts are praising Charlie Scharf’s plans to make Wells Fargo & Co (NYSE:WFC) efficient. During the first quarter the company saw a 10% increase in investment banking revenue, while trading revenue jumped 15% increase YoY, amounting to $1.8 billion. The bank has notably expanded its credit card portfolio, with card balances increasing by 30% from FY19 to FY23. This growth is fueled by new product offerings and a focus on high-quality customers, with over 80% of credit cardholders having FICO scores above 660.
In 2024 Wells Fargo & Co (NYSE:WFC) is expected to generate about $23 billion of pre-tax income, and $25 billion in 2025. Analysts believe the Federal Reserve could lift restrictions (imposed following compliance issues in 2016) from the bank, including the asset cap, this year, unlocking further growth catalysts.
ClearBridge Value Equity Strategy stated the following regarding Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) in its fourth quarter 2023 investor letter:
“Stock selection in the financials sector proved to be the largest contributor to relative outperformance. Banking stocks such as Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) saw their share price rise during the quarter as investors anticipated Fed rate cuts that would reduce deposit costs while retaining economic strength and minimizing the risk of credit losses.”
Overall, Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) ranks 5th on Insider Monkey’s list titled Jim Cramer Says You Should Buy These 10 Stocks. While we acknowledge the potential of Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC), 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 WFC but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
READ NEXT: Analyst Sees a New $25 Billion “Opportunity” for NVIDIA and Jim Cramer is Recommending These Stocks.
Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
