In this piece, we will look at the stocks that Jim Cramer recently discussed.
In a fresh appearance on CNBC’s Squawk on the Street, Jim Cramer started the show by commenting on the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) data release. The CPI is an inflation measurement, and the data for December saw prices rise by 0.4% monthly and 2.9% yearly. The monthly figure was above economist expectations of 0.3% while the annual figure was in-line. Naturally, this would suggest positive market movement but the investor reaction was muted. Commenting on the reaction, Cramer shared: “Look what can I say. People told me that, again and again, if it just came in in-line that would be bad. That turned out to be a great mis-judgement. An in-line number in an atmosphere where we felt that things are going to, that everything’s going to go explode to the top and we’re going to be seeing five percent on the ten-year and six percent on the thirty, all these crazy things. All of the table, at least for today.”
Cramer added that market sentiment is at opposite ends when it comes to interest rates and earnings. This is because Investors don’t expect the Fed to cut interest rates by much this year. According to him, “When I look at this market. . . there was a tremendous amount of negativity about interest rates but positivity about earnings. If you take the negativity about interest rates off, you look at the earnings that we saw this morning, people are going to be pretty optimistic. And it might be sustainable throughout, I don’t know, a little while. These are great numbers that we saw this morning.”
The day had started with big banks releasing a set of earnings release that sent their stocks soaring. However, Cramer’s co-host, David Faber, cautioned that when he previously appreciated positive bank earnings, the stocks ended up dipping in the aftermath. Cramer responded by agreeing with Faber’s assessment and adding “I think the difference might be that the tone of the comments at least from what I’ve talked to the, from the CEOs, on the calls, will be a little more positive. For something that we, I think we all struggle to try to get a handle on which is this notion of animal spirits. [The] Notion of optimism.”
He linked some of the optimism with the perception of the incoming administration being more friendly towards banks when it came to regulation. “You know, Carl, when you see CEOs, you try to figure out what’s happening in the country since the election. And you hear people say listen it’s a peaceful transition, you hear people say it’s a much better environment for deals,” Cramer commented. He added “But I come back and just say, what’s really going on is a belief that it, when it comes to the banks, that there was some sort of tyrannical regime. . . If they are gone, then maybe there is a runway for more than just one quarter’s growth.”
The change in government makes Cramer cautiously optimistic about the banking industry. According to him “You don’t want to be too optimistic, ever, because the bank stocks have let us down by say ten thirty, eleven in the morning. But so far it’s a different attitude is what I’m speaking to.”
Since he was spending another day at the JPMorgan Healthcare Conference, when asked about some of his biggest takeaways from the event, Cramer responded:
“I would not want to be in the processed food business. I think that this is about, let’s get diet and exercise. If that doesn’t work, then let’s go vaccine. And let’s go inoculation. Diet and exercise being front and center to wean off what the packaged food people have done to our country. That’s his [RFK Jr.] view. That’s not necessarily my view. I think that these companies do, they do things that I didn’t want my kids to be addicted to Cheerios. Well actually Froot Loops. But I think what’s really going on David is it’s the regime of what we can do for ourselves versus what happens if you can’t kick obesity. What happens if you can’t kick diabetes.”
Our Methodology
To make our list of the stocks that Jim Cramer talked about, we listed down all the stocks he mentioned during CNBC’s Squawk on the Street aired recently.
For these stocks, we also mentioned the number of hedge fund investors. Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds invest in? 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).
18. Floor & Decor Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:FND)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q3 2024: 23
Floor & Decor Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:FND) is a home improvement products retailer that focuses specifically on selling flooring products. Its shares are down by 6.13% over the past year as the home-building market in the US has remained slow. A slow industry has led to slow earnings performance for Floor & Decor Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:FND). For instance, the firm’s second-quarter earnings saw comparable sales drop by 9% annually while its third quarter saw another 6.4% drop in comparables. The subsequent impact on the stock might have been a bit too much as according to Cramer:
“What does it [QXO’s $11 billion acquisition proposal of Beacon Roofing] say about the companies like Floor & Decor, Builder’s First.
“These companies may be undervalued, they’re selling at very low multiples.”
17. Brown-Forman Corporation (NYSE:BF-A)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q3 2024: 24
Brown-Forman Corporation (NYSE:BF-A) is an alcoholic beverages firm known primarily for its Jack Daniel’s brand of whisky. The firm’s shares are down by 41% over the past year. Brown-Forman Corporation (NYSE:BF-A)’s share price has been weak due to inflation dealing a double whammy to its operations. Higher prices reduced the demand for the firm’s pricey products such as Jack Daniel’s, and at the same time, it forced Brown-Forman Corporation (NYSE:BF-A) to deal with higher input and raw material costs as well. The poor performance led to the firm announcing a 12% workforce reduction in January. Here’s what Cramer said about Brown-Forman Corporation (NYSE:BF-A):
“Brown Forman’s numbers are so, they’re horrendous.”
16. BlackRock Inc (NYSE:BLK)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q3 2024: 37
BlackRock Inc (NYSE:BLK) is one of the biggest asset management firms in the world. The firm’s shares are off to a mixed start in 2025 as after losing 5.3% in the first two weeks, the shares are up by 5.19% since then. The newfound optimism surrounding BlackRock Inc (NYSE:BLK) has been because of the firm announcing a record $11.6 trillion in assets under management for its fourth quarter to set a new record for the fourth consecutive time. The jump in assets is because of a 21% Q4 profit jump. Here’s what Cramer said about BlackRock Inc (NYSE:BLK):
“By the way, Larry had some very good numbers. That stock’s been a real dog. Stock’s down a hundred points from when they reported last. I am beginning to think that maybe this stock had fallen out of favor. But it turned out just one more example of a level of negativity in the face of what turned out to be very very good numbers. Eleven trillion dollar [inaudible] interview this morning with Andrew. I think that that’s another place to look. Cause the stock is well down from where it was.”
15. Arm Holdings plc (NASDAQ:ARM)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q3 2024: 38
Arm Holdings plc (NASDAQ:ARM) is a British semiconductor design house that is one of the most important firms in the semiconductor industry. Its chip designs are used in the majority of the world’s smartphone processors. The low power advantages offered by these processors coupled with advances in semiconductor fabrication have also grown the role played by Arm Holdings plc (NASDAQ:ARM)’s designs in the data center industry. Cramer mentioned the firm’s importance for and presence in the semiconductor industry:
“Okay, we’ve got Arm Holdings, which is integral to both cell phone and PC but increasingly AI.”
14. Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (NASDAQ:BECN)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q3 2024: 47
Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (NASDAQ:BECN) is a mid-sized Virginia-based building materials provider. The firm, as the name suggests, sells roofing products for residential, industrial, and other use cases. Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (NASDAQ:BECN)’s shares ended 2024 15.3% higher as it benefited from some industrial destocking as earlier inventory buildup dropped. In 2025, the shares are up 16.6% year-to-date primarily on the back of a now-rejected acquisition offer by QXO. Cramer is a fan of Beacon Roofing Supply, Inc. (NASDAQ:BECN) as he shared:
“Beacon Roofing is a really really good company. And it’s been through thick and thin. No matter what. Housing crisis, housing shortage, too many homes, they’ve always been the winner. But it does say, Brad Jacobs, very very smart guy. He built a great trucking company and then pretty much broke it off, created a lot of value. But what does this say about Lowe’s Corp? What does this say about Home Depot? What does it say about the companies like Floor & Decor, Builder’s First. These companies may be undervalued, they’re selling at very low multiples. Carl, there’s a lot of, this is an example. Beacon Roofing is something you don’t buy when you’re going into a depression for heaven’s sake or a slowdown. You’re buying because you think the economy’s going to accelerate. Very telling.”
13. Builders FirstSource, Inc. (NYSE:BLDR)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q3 2024: 55
Builders FirstSource, Inc. (NYSE:BLDR) is a mega building products and equipment company. The firm provides products such as wall panels, stairs, and windows that are used for building houses. As has been the case with other stocks, Builders FirstSource, Inc. (NYSE:BLDR)’s shares struggled in 2024 and closed the year 13% lower. The poor share price performance came on the back of higher interest rates depressing the construction industry. However, a recent offer by QXO to buy Beacon Roofing can mean these stocks are undervalued, according to Cramer. Here’s what he said:
“What does it [QXO’s $11 billion acquisition proposal of Beacon Roofing] say about the companies like Floor & Decor, Builder’s First.
“These companies may be undervalued, they’re selling at very low multiples.”
12. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q3 2024: 60
Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) is another home improvement retailer. 2024 was a tough year for the firm as it cut annual forecasts due to a sluggish home improvement industry. By mid-December, the firm had expected its same-store sales to drop by 3% to 3.5% annually. The estimate was an improvement over an earlier projection of a 3.5% to 4% drop, and it came after the devastation ushered by Hurricanes Helene and Milton opened up the potential for higher sales at Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)’s stores. Year-to-date, the stock is up by 3.94% and Cramer’s comments surrounded a recent acquisition offer in the home improvement industry:
“But what does this [QXO’s $11 billion acquisition proposal of Beacon Roofing] say about Lowe’s Corp?
“These companies may be undervalued, they’re selling at very low multiples.”
11. KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q3 2024: 66
KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR) is a New York-based asset management firm that has a global presence and invests in a wide variety of industries. The firm’s shares performed well in 2024 and gained 80.9% during the year. The strong share price performance came on the back of stellar earnings results and dividend hikes. Not only did KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR) increase its dividend by 6% to 18 cents in March, but the firm’s third-quarter earnings also saw its net income jump by 58% to $1.2 billion while its fee earnings soared by 79% to $1 billion. Cramer’s remarks for KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR) surrounded a recent DOJ lawsuit against the firm for allegedly evading antitrust scrutiny:
“These people, you know the classic one just this morning, I mean just the way the Biden Administration is going out, and it speaks to exactly what we’re talking about. KKR faces six hundred and fifty million dollar Department of Justice lawsuit over allegations of improper pre-merger filings. David, you’ve worked, you’ve followed KKR for years. This makes them sound like they were a bucket shop!”
10. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q3 2024: 72
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS) is one of the largest investment banks in the world. It joined other mega-bank peers in January to release their latest earnings report in January on the day Cramer’s comments that we’re covering today were aired. Following the results, The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS)’s shares closed the day 6% higher as the bank’s investment banking fees jumped by a whopping 24% while its profit more than doubled to $4.11 billion from the year-ago quarter’s $2.01 billion. Cramer commented on The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS)’s revenue coming from outside traditional business lines such as sales, trading, and investment banking:
“Yes and I’ve got to tell you, Goldman is very excited about the IPO market. Which I’ve criticized, that guys come on. There’s nothing. They said stay tuned. But it’s M&A over and over again.”
9. Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q3 2024: 72
Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) is one of the biggest domestic banks in America. Its shares gained 44.5% in 2024, with most of the gains coming during the latter half of the year. After President-elect Trump’s victory in the November election, Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC)’s stock surged by 13.8% as markets bet on the bank’s ability to benefit from a lax regulatory environment. Then, in January 2025, the shares jumped by 6.7% after Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC)’s net income forecast of $47.7 billion and a 59% investment banking fee jump in Q4 impressed investors. Here is what Cramer said:
“[On a changed regulatory environment following Trump’s win] Well look I think that the one I wanna focus on there is Wells Fargo. They’ve been burdened by the most, the worst regulatory environment since 2017. And it looks like finally, they’re putting a lot of that behind them. But more important, again, is this notion of tone.
“They are the national bank, David, they are not the international bank. They are the middle market bank, they are the bank that seems to be most connected to just the day-to-day lending in the country and a national footprint. And the numbers were really superb. And Charlie can do whatever, Charlie Scharf.
“I think that, I will say that, this is the hand that Charlie Scharf’s been waiting to play. He’s got a lot of guys that used to be at JPMorgan. We haven’t talked about JPMorgan’s numbers yet. He’s got a regulatory regime that seems to be behind him. He bought back a ton of stock when it was incredibly cheap. And he’s always been a great technologist. We haven’t even seen that work yet. So, yes, I feel like you can be bullish for more than 11 am today.”
8. Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISRG)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q3 2024: 82
Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISRG) is one of the few companies in the world capable of designing and selling robots that assist doctors during surgeries. The firm is one of the leading players in the global robotic surgery market, with estimates suggesting that it holds a 57% market share. Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISRG)’s shares are up by 60% over the past year on the back of multiple earnings beats due to strong demand for its products. The shares surged by 7.7% in January after the firm’s fiscal fourth quarter revenue growth guidance of 25% handily beat analyst estimates of 14%. Here’s what Cramer said about Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISRG):
“Healthcare’s been lagging Carl, but I would point out that Intuitive Surgical, which is just a fantastic medtech company blew away the numbers this morning. Stock’s one of the best performers, maybe even the best performer in the S&P 500. Good to see. This is a company where we have leadership. This is the DaVinci, the notion of being able to do robot, basically again robotic surgery. It’s expanded beyond where it’s started. Congratulations to them it’s a really good company.”
7. The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q3 2024: 82
The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) is one of the largest home improvement retailers in America. Over the past year, the stock has gained a modest 13% due to high interest rates making their mark on the home building market. For its fiscal year 2024, The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) expects comparable sales to drop by 2.5%, which is an improvement over the previous midpoint drop of 3.5%. Ironically, Hurricanes Helene and Milton have unlocked additional demand for the firm. Cramer’s comments for The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) revolved around a recent deal announcement (now rejected) in the home improvement industry suggesting that perhaps the stock was undervalued:
“What does this [QXO’s $11 billion acquisition proposal of Beacon Roofing] say about Home Depot?
“These companies may be undervalued, they’re selling at very low multiples.”
6. Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q3 2024: 88
Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C) is another major American bank that reported earnings on the day Cramer made his latest remarks. The shares soared by 6.5% after the bank’s $1.84 billion year-ago quarterly loss swung to a $2.86 billion profit. Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C)’s $19.58 billion in revenue and $1.34 in earnings per share also beat analyst estimates of $19.49 billion and $1.22. As was the case with its peers, the bank’s investment banking business was the star of the show. During the fourth quarter, Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C)’s investment banking business grew revenue by 35% to $925 million. Cramer’s comments for the bank surrounded Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C) ratings by Wells Fargo’s Mike Mayo:
“Hey good for Mayo that he got Citi right. Mayo’s been talking that Citi game, it turned out he was right.
“[On Mayo making Citi his top pick] It was a good call. Wells is the game.”
5. Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q3 2024: 106
Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) has been one of Cramer’s most-discussed stocks this week. Throughout the week, the host covered JPMorgan’s healthcare conference, during which he also conducted an interview of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)’s CEO David Ricks. Despite the fact that the stock fell by 6.6% after the firm’s midpoint 2025 revenue growth guidance of 32% and Q4 Zepbound and Mounjaro sales guidance of $1.9 billion and $3.5 billion missed analyst estimates of $2.08 billion and $5.35 billion, Cramer believes that the stock is a good buy. Here are his latest remarks:
[LLY falling after fourth-quarter guidance]”I thought it was very interesting what David said was they botched the launch so to speak. But even with a botched launch, they were the second biggest earnings beat in history after Jensen Huang’s NVIDIA.
“I think that Lilly is going to be traded, trading off of approvals from now on. You’ll see hypertension, you’ll see [an] incidence of cardio. You might see some things involving joints. You might see [a] heavy drinking trial going on. You might see trial after trial and success after success, and I think you’re getting one more chance. Against that David and I know you care about this passionately, people are telling me it’s got a head and shoulders chart. You know it’s a chart that’s driven the market as well as the quantum computing, obviously that’s what’s in favor, Lilly against. But I think it’s just is a great opportunity, because the numbers are not going to be the focus. The focus will be approvals, and then ultimately payers. I think every major insurer is going to be paying for GLP-1s and that’s why you own the stock. Not because of the fourth quarter.
4. NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q3 2024: 193
NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) is one of the most widely discussed stocks both on Wall Street and on Cramer’s show. January has been off to a busy start for the firm as it has remained in the spotlight because of the CES conference in Las Vegas and rumors surrounding Blackwell supply problems. For his part, Cramer believes that NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) and its CEO are ushering in a new industrial revolution. More recently, the firm has been irked by the US government’s export control rules surrounding its high-end AI GPUs. The new rules restrict the sales of these highly sought products to most countries in the world. Cramer is of the opinion that CEO Jensen Huang is being unfairly treated:
“Because that’s the way he’s being treated. Instead of the person who has done the most to advance us as a country when it comes to technology. Anytime since, okay, Musk. Those two.”
3. Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q3 2024: 202
Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) is the world’s largest search engine company. 2024 was a rough year for the stock as it struggled from headwinds stemming from a Justice Department lawsuit that generated reports that it might have to sell businesses like its Chrome browser. However, December was a great month for Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL)’s shares which soared by 11.4% after the firm announced its Willow quantum computing chip. Willow, which is designed and manufactured by Google, is capable of performing tasks that take a traditional supercomputer 10 septillion years less than five minutes. Cramer believes Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) is the only stock for those interested in quantum computing:
“But the idea that this is quantum’s hour, they’re the only, well it’s easy to say it [inaudible], the problem is, is it commercial? And there isn’t anyone who thinks that the companies that are currently trading are commercial companies. If you wanna play it, go own, go own Google.”
2. Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q3 2024: 235
Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) is one of the biggest social media firms in the world. 2025 is off to a colorful start for the firm as it scraps fact-checking for Facebook in the US and adopts a community notes-based model similar to X’s. Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META)’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast and his comments about innovation being dead have also attracted Cramer’s attention. Cramer believes that the comments are unwarranted. The CNBC host’s latest comments for Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) revolved around the firm cutting 5% of its workforce:
“[On why META stock was down] They announced layoffs.”
“I think that, I think the year of living efficiently at Meta wasn’t believed initially the first time. And it was felt that maybe there’s something wrong. And then it’s happened again. I think that this is the way Zuckerberg runs his company. I think he proves the people, we used to talk about this at Goldman. I worked at Goldman. It was like, okay we gotta get rid of the dead wood and then that of course became, not a way to put things. But I think he’s a believer that the bottom ten percent have to go. And that’s the way Wall Street used to be before we all became really soft and nice.”
1. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q3 2024: 279
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a global technology giant with a dominant position in the personal computing software and cloud computing industries. Its stock has lost steam recently as investors wait to see how its billions of dollars in AI investments will translate into a profit. More recently, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)’s President and Chief Operating Officer of Strategic Missions and Technologies, Mitra Azizirad, penned a blog post that urged businesses to be quantum-ready. The blog post stressed the need to prepare for quantum computing in 2025. Cramer, however, disagrees:
“I love the people at Microsoft. But the idea that this is quantum’s hour, they’re the only, well it’s easy to say it [inaudible], the problem is, is it commercial? And there isn’t anyone who thinks that the companies that are currently trading are commercial companies.”
MSFT is a stock Jim Cramer recently talked about. While we acknowledge the potential of MSFT as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some 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 MSFT but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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