On Thursday, Jim Cramer, the host of Mad Money, shared his thoughts on the current state of the stock market, explaining that until things become more balanced, we are likely to continue experiencing what he referred to as the “Walmart White House” scenario. In this environment, he explained, there are consistently lower prices for the Dow Jones, the S&P, and, more “savagely”, the Nasdaq 100.
“Let’s say you believe that the stock market is a good proxy for the state of a country. It’s not perfect, but it certainly reflects how investors feel about America and its future trajectory. But judging by the averages, maybe we should be embarrassed or even mortified because we’re doing so much worse than similar countries, including countries that we’d written off years ago.”
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The answer, according to Cramer, lies in the fact that several European nations are faring better at this moment because these countries have central banks that have been consistently lowering interest rates in an effort to stimulate demand. On top of that, Cramer emphasized that individual European countries are taking proactive steps to jumpstart their economies.
“Now, we all know what’s keeping our stock market down. It’s being sacrificed on the altar of uncertainty and confusion about punishing our trading partners for allowing illegal immigration and fentanyl smuggling, in fairness, and also of course, tariffs.”
He reminded viewers that President Donald Trump campaigned on border security, not on boosting stock prices, so in that sense, he is following through on his promises. However, Cramer expressed frustration with how chaotic and difficult to comprehend the current policy landscape seems.
Many people, Cramer noted, believe that the market will not improve until the Dow sees a significant drop of 10 to 15%. He has been attempting to guide viewers through this difficult time, but he also questioned how much longer the disparity between the U.S. market and those of its allies can persist before it becomes too significant to ignore.
“I think we’d be in better shape if Trump rolled out the tariffs more gradually with a clear trajectory of where we’re headed rather than these endless intermittent volleys of Katyusha rockets.”
Our Methodology
For this article, we compiled a list of 73 stocks that Cramer was bullish on during episodes of Mad Money aired in January. 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 March 6. We also mentioned the hedge fund sentiment around each stock, which was taken from Insider Monkey’s Q4 database of over 1,000 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 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).
Jim Cramer and Analysts Like These 10 Stocks
10. Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN)
Average Price Target Upside: 34.01%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 339
Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) was mentioned in a bullish comment made by Cramer in January when he said:
“Amazon, I’ll tell you, this is a multi-year move. We’re not to look at it on a quarter-to-quarter basis. I think it’ll be higher long term. I’ve been behind it now for 20 years. I’m not changing my view.”
Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) is a well-known name in the global tech industry, providing a wide variety of services such as e-commerce, advertising, and subscription-based offerings. The stock has a consensus Buy rating from 75 analysts with an average price target of $270 and an upside of 34.01%, as of March 6. Over the past 12 months, AMZN stock gained more than 13%.
9. Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK)
Average Price Target Upside: 36.16%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 45
Similar to the other stocks on this list, Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE:ALK) received bullish comments and ratings from Cramer and analysts alike. In January, Cramer stated:
“There’s always a bull market somewhere and right now it’s flying at 30,000 feet high. My favorites are the two most profitable, that’s [Delta Air Lines] and [Alaska Air Group].”
Alaska Air (NYSE:ALK) operates airline services, offering scheduled flights for passengers and cargo with Boeing jet aircraft. Additionally, on March 3, JPMorgan increased its price target for ALK stock to $89 from $85 and kept an Overweight rating on the stock. The firm believes that Alaska will consistently be grouped with the Legacy peer group and should be valued accordingly.
8. ServiceTitan, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTAN)
Average Price Target Upside: 36.89%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 43
Taking its place among the stocks that have garnered bullish sentiment from both Cramer was analysts, ServiceTitan, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTAN) discussed by Cramer in January as he said:
“There’s not a lot of corporate news of any consequence, but a recently minted IPO ServiceTitan, which is [a] software as a service company to help tradespeople, is going to report and I think it’s gonna give us a great quarter, maybe one that is so good that it’ll worth be buying ahead of.”
ServiceTitan (NASDAQ:TTAN) offers cloud-based software solutions that help businesses manage various tasks such as advertising, job scheduling, dispatching, invoicing, and payment processing. The stock received a consensus Buy rating from 13 analysts and has an average price target of $120.00, as of March 6. Baron Discovery Fund stated the following regarding ServiceTitan, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTAN) in its Q4 2024 investor letter:
“ServiceTitan, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTAN) is the leading business management software platform for “the trades” (i.e HVAC, plumbing, electrical, pest control, roofing, etc.). The platform serves as a system of record offering clients nearly everything they need to run their businesses including customer relationship management (sales enablement, marketing automation, and customer service), field service management (scheduling/dispatching), enterprise resource planning (inventory), human capital management (compensation and payroll) and fintech (payments and consumer financing).
ServiceTitan operates in a large market. In just the U.S. and Canada, the trades are roughly a $1.5 trillion annual industry and ServiceTitan’s current set of solutions serve about $650 billion of this spend. This equates to about a $30 billion addressable market for the company, of which $13 billion is serviceable today. The industry is also resilient given that over 75% of U.S. residential trades jobs are non-discretionary in nature. Relative to its competition, ServiceTitan has several notable advantages including: 1) it is by far the leading end-to-end software platform built specifically for the trades that provides a strong return on investment to clients and would be very hard to catch at this point given it is virtually a one-stop-shop for all of a trade’s business’ technology needs; 2) it has a first mover advantage that allowed the company to build up broad-based customer trust over time; and 3) the company’s scale provides a big data advantage as ServiceTitan can use its industry leading data to make continuous improvements to its product offerings and connect previously disparate processes for customers…” (Click here to read the full text)
7. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL)
Average Price Target Upside: 37.33%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 58
After Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) reported its earnings in January, Cramer was bullish on it and he commented:
“Take the stock of Royal Caribbean, which soared 12% today. What did they do this time? Well, they reported a huge upside surprise, but the spectacular increase in the revenue they generate per available cruise day. How about this gem? ‘Momentum continues in 2025 with bookings accelerating since the last earnings call resulting in the best five booking weeks in the company’s history.’ Oh, and you want some excitement that got the analysts totally jazzed? In 2027, Royal Caribbean will be introducing river cruising with 10 new ships to take advantage of a fractured market.”
Cramer highlighted Royal Caribbean’s (NYSE:RCL) consistent double-digit growth over the past decade, noting its strong reputation and ability to capture market share. He pointed out that analysts often underestimate the company’s earnings potential, leading to a pattern of better-than-expected results and significant stock rallies. This ongoing trend reflects Royal Caribbean’s success and its position in the market. He added:
“Maybe Wall Street keeps getting taken by surprise because, let’s face it, this industry is full of snobs who don’t understand the appeal of going on a cruise. In fact, they probably wouldn’t be caught dead on one, which is why they can’t get their heads around these stocks. So what’s the appeal? As Jason Liberty, Royal Caribbean’s… CEO laid out in the conference call, ‘Consumers place significant value on visiting multiple destinations and this is even more important to millennial and Gen Z consumers.’ Meanwhile, the macro environment, Liberty says favors experiences over things as leisure and travel spend continue to grow.”
Royal Caribbean (NYSE:RCL) is an international cruise operator, managing well-known brands such as Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea Cruises. On March 5, Loop Capital upgraded RCL stock to Buy from Hold and maintained a price target of $250. In a research note, the analyst pointed out that the outlook provided during the company’s analyst day exceeded expectations.
The firm encouraged investors to take advantage of the recent stock pullback, noting that shares have dropped nearly 15% since its initiation last month. Loop Capital expressed a positive view on the entire cruise industry, highlighting that Royal Caribbean (NYSE:RCL) has been a leader in financial performance since the pandemic. While the stock is now trading closer to its historical valuation, the firm believes there is still potential for growth, citing expectations of over 20% annual earnings despite tough comparisons.
6. Axon Enterprise, Inc. (NASDAQ:AXON)
Average Price Target Upside: 38.21%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 64
On our list of stocks that Cramer and analysts like, Axon Enterprise, Inc. (NASDAQ:AXON) takes the 6th spot, and here’s what Cramer said about the company:
“Finally, there’s Axon, the body cam and taser company that owns the software as a service model for the local criminal justice system. I wish I had specifics about which jurisdictions are taking their package, but the growth continues to be shockingly strong both here and now overseas.
Maybe there aren’t enough analogs, but I always feel like Axon doesn’t get the attention it deserves from the analysts. I’ve liked it since it was Taser, TASR, and I like it even more even as the stock was up 130% last year, it needs a split to keep rolling.”
Axon (NASDAQ:AXON) is a company focused on creating TASER devices and providing hardware and cloud-based software solutions to support law enforcement in collecting, storing, managing, and analyzing digital evidence. On February 27, Barclays increased its price target on AXON stock to $726 from $585 and kept an Overweight rating on the stock after the Q4 report.
The analyst highlighted that Axon (NASDAQ:AXON) achieved its third consecutive year of over 30% sales growth. Additionally, the firm noted that T10 orders are continuing to surpass T7 orders, and 10 artificial intelligence Era Plan deals were finalized in Q4.
5. ServiceNow, Inc. (NYSE:NOW)
Average Price Target Upside: 38.39%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 110
Cramer was bullish enough on ServiceNow, Inc. (NYSE:NOW) in January that he recommended his viewers buy the shares post its earnings report as he noted that the stock tends to go down after it reports.
“Now, ServiceNow, let’s listen to this. This is the quarter where ServiceNow will report a number that sends the stock down in after-hours trading and you have to buy it right then and there because it will rally huge at the opening the next day, Thursday. Time and time again this happens, it goes down after the evening report. Why?
It’s pushed down by short sellers trying to keep it down and then it opens up gigantically when the shorts again are routed the next day. ServiceNow doesn’t even know how to miss. Set your clock to this one at least until some company actually attempts to compete with their artificial intelligence savvy. Buy that dip and I almost never advise buying after hours, but I’m doing it right now for ServiceNow.”
ServiceNow, Inc. (NYSE:NOW) is a leading provider of digital solutions that help businesses automate workflows and enhance operational efficiency across multiple enterprise functions. On February 19, Redburn Atlantic analyst Omar Sheikh started coverage of NOW stock with a Buy rating and a price target of $1,140.
Polen Capital stated the following regarding ServiceNow, Inc. (NYSE:NOW) in its Q4 2024 investor letter:
“Similar to last quarter, ServiceNow, Inc. (NYSE:NOW) was a top relative contributor, a testament to the consistent, high-level execution they’ve demonstrated over the past several years. The company’s latest earnings report highlighted across-the-board strength, with better-than-expected results across key metrics such as renewal rates, subscription growth, average contract value growth per $1M+ customer, etc. This is a company on offense, attacking a large and growing addressable market and positioning it for a long growth runway—especially considering their early success at integrating GenAI capabilities, which should only drive increasing workflow efficiencies for customers in the years ahead.
We trimmed our positions in UnitedHealth Group, Amazon, ServiceNow, and Gartner during the quarter. ServiceNow and Gartner were valuation-related trims. With ServiceNow, we still expect 20%+ revenue and earnings growth for the foreseeable future. Still, the strong stock price performance has reduced the future return potential somewhat, and we used the proceeds to add to our Eli Lilly position.”
4. Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ:AVGO)
Average Price Target Upside: 38.47%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 161
Both Cramer and analysts are bullish on Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ:AVGO) and in January, Cramer discussed the company’s success and said:
“Number seven was generally obvious in true Nasdaq style. I’m talking about Broadcom, symbol AVGO, up 108%. Now we had CEO Hock Tan on the show when we were in San Francisco not that long ago, and he laid out a vision where his company would be making a killing from the data center.
It’s very rare that you have a totally bankable exec come on your show telling you exactly what will happen and then that executive delivers 100%. He’s greeted with disbelief, a giant upside surprise, and a gigantic move higher. He said it all. Plus, I think Broadcom’s in inning one of this turn. It’s not too late to get on board. This one, we have a nice slug for the Charitable Trust.”
Broadcom (NASDAQ:AVGO) is a company focused on designing, developing, and providing semiconductor devices, with a strong track record in semiconductor design. On March 7, BofA raised its price target for AVGO stock to $260 from $250 while maintaining a Buy rating on the stock after a “reassuring” quarter and outlook.
The company exceeded Q4/Q1 consensus AI expectations by around 10% each, reaffirmed a $60 billion-$90 billion addressable market opportunity for 2027 across three current AI customers, and highlighted expanding customer engagement with a total of seven existing and new partnerships. Additionally, Broadcom expressed no immediate concerns about tariffs or restrictions in dealings with non-U.S. customers. The analyst also mentioned that Broadcom (NASDAQ:AVGO) dismissed recent media reports about potential mergers and acquisitions, reaffirming the stock as a “top pick.”
3. Reddit, Inc. (NYSE:RDDT)
Average Price Target Upside: 39.33%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 87
Reddit, Inc. (NYSE:RDDT) is among our top stocks liked by Cramer and analysts. In January, Mad Money’s host commented:
“It is very much a real company. Steve Huffman, the CEO, does a fantastic job… Reddit just went up huge this week. I think you gotta wait for a pullback. Reddit, I would prefer to buy it in the $150-140 range.”
Reddit (NYSE:RDDT) operates a popular platform that allows users to participate in discussions, share content, and join different communities based on their interests. On February 21, Piper Sandler analyst Thomas Champion increased the price target on RDDT stock to $220 from $210 and maintained an Overweight rating on the stock. The firm observed a decline in the Feed audience in early December but noted a recovery in January 2025. Piper stated that trends now appear to be returning to a positive trajectory.
2. GE Vernova Inc. (NYSE:GEV)
Average Price Target Upside: 40.97%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 111
Cramer was bullish on GE Vernova Inc.’s (NYSE:GEV) CEO in January when he said:
“I don’t know how far Larry [Culp] can see around the corner but now GE Vernova is a beloved company, the hottest one with momentum traders can’t get enough of it precisely because it makes the turbines and windmills, … that you need to power all those new data centers. He appointed Scott Strazik to run what became GE Vernova. The stock started trading independently at $141 about 10 months ago. Now it’s at $383. Oh and don’t forget, it’s also gonna be the company that builds small modular nuclear plants that everybody loves so much.”
GE Vernova (NYSE:GEV) is an energy company that offers products and services for the generation, transmission, and storage of electricity worldwide. Cramer is not the only one bullish on the stock as on March 5, Guggenheim raised its rating on GEV stock to Buy from Neutral, setting a price target of $380.
Despite a decline in the stock since mid-January, the analyst expressed increased confidence in GE Vernova’s (NYSE:GEV) projections following recent remarks from the firm. The analyst noted that upcoming pricing actions are expected to impact the model later in the decade, and the company’s backlog continues to grow. Additionally, progress in its power business remains strong, according to the analyst.
1. The AES Corporation (NYSE:AES)
Average Price Target Upside: 41.51%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 53
The AES Corporation (NYSE:AES) is a multi-faceted energy company that owns and operates power plants and utility services, utilizing a range of fuels and technologies to produce and supply electricity. In early January, Cramer stated, “What is that, 5% yield? It’s down way too low. I think it’s time to pick up that utility.”
On March 5, Susquehanna reduced its price target for AES (NYSE:AES) stock to $15 from $16 while keeping a Positive rating on the stock. The firm revised its model after the Q4 results, highlighting that the company provided guidance at the mid-point of its range. Additionally, AES is continuing to expand its renewable capacity and anticipates bringing more than 3 GW of renewable energy online in 2025.
While we acknowledge the potential of The AES Corporation (NYSE:AES) 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 AES but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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