In this piece, we will look at the stocks Jim Cramer recently discussed.
In his latest appearance on CNBC’s Squawk on the Street, Jim Cramer commented on today’s inflation release which saw inflation drop for the second time in a month for the first time since 2020. Cramer shared that markets were unmoved by the release since the tariff narrative and a potential recession was the dominant theme driving their performance. According to him:
“Yeah look I think that if you had gotten this number not long ago before the tariff ruckus you would say you know what the Fed is really got an opportunity with the consumer slowing down to cut. And it’s probably gonna be on tap. But because things are so convoluted, and we keep reading these articles about how scared everybody is, I think you can scare people into. . .we’re taking it as if it’s not significant. It’s incredibly significant. And I think that the President doesn’t make it easier. Because there’s just news constantly and you get a very inflationary thing that was just mentioned about. Wine and champagne. But these numbers are very calm. And they should make us calm. But we’re anything but.”
He also lamented that negativity and pessimism were driving the market. Cramer urged viewers to not look too much into negativity. “I warn people that I can very easily make a positive call on almost everything that’s being called negative,” he outlined. This ‘negativity’ according to Cramer is in consumer behavior. Sharing his takeaways from comments from two of America’s biggest retailers, he opined: “[T]he consumer’s actually paying a little more attention. To what they buy. And that maybe they’re trying to stretch their dollars a little more.”
Yet, despite the negative reports, Cramer believes that consumers aren’t fearful. Instead, he believes:
“I think the consumer is somewhat more stretched. But it’s not so different but people want, let’s just be a little, I’m gonna be a little, out there. . .But I think you can phrase these questions in a way that makes people nervous. And it makes people feel like the wrong answer is to say no, the consumer’s still on fire. Because I don’t think the consumer’s really, really crushed here. I don’t think the consumer is really happy. I think the consumer is confused and baffled. Like many of us.”
The CNBC TV host also shared his thoughts on a recent note that called the American economy a wait-and-see economy. According to him:
“Right and I think that’s very good. I’ve been working all morning on the tariff. On the possibility of the 200% tariff. I’m in the liquor business, my wife’s in the liquor business. Really good handle on, on Mexico and the tariff and where it’s placed to bring agave. And you know, if you just work on what’s going on with champagne, it’s actually devastating to people who are buyers of expensive champagne. Because it’s about a thirty to forty percent shelf price increase. Well that would be, 200% tariff would roughly double the shelf price. 200% double the shelf price. . . so it’s pretty punitive. And I think you should be saying, well wait a second, I’m gonna switch to Flint Michigan champagne or something.”
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 on March 13th.
For these stocks, we also 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 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).
13. Kohls Corp (NYSE:KSS)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q4 2024: 26
Kohls Corp (NYSE:KSS) is an embattled retailer whose shares have lost 41% year-to-date. The losses are on the back of a massive 24% dip in March which followed the firm’s same-store sales and fourth-quarter revenue dropping. Kohls Corp (NYSE:KSS)’s shares weren’t helped by the fact that the firm also announced that it would cut its dividend to 12.5 cents from 50 cents to control its costs. In his previous remarks, Cramer has given up faith in the company. He believes that the firm is facing structural problems that its sales drop might be too steep to recover from. This time around, he commented on Kohls Corp (NYSE:KSS) in the context of bonds:
“Well I mean look. You have outfits like Kohl’s. Okay. And Kohl’s is a big outfit. But when you read the same store, you get that same store going down six. Well if you’re a bond holder you gotta say well wait a second, that’s, I gotta lay that off. So you know you’ve got some bad sales reports. And a bad sales report, particularly in retail, is something you gotta run from.”
12. American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q4 2024: 33
American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO) is an American apparel and personal care products retailer known for its American Eagle brand of goods. The shares haven’t performed well lately as they have lost 52% over the past year and are down by 35% year-to-date. American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE:AEO)’s stock has struggled due to several pessimistic earnings reports which have warned of a sales slowdown. Cramer, though, commented that the market might be too focused on negativity:
“There’s this outfit American Eagle Outfitters, AEO, and when you read the comment today, you would, the commentary from the analyst, it’s just a disaster. If you read the actual conference call, almost everything is really great. But you can easily pull lines.”
11. The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q4 2024: 37
The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM) is a well-known food products company whose shares have lagged their peers in losses primarily due to coffee prices. The food industry has entered 2025 after a tough 2024 which saw it navigate dropping consumer demand and higher costs – both due to inflation. The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM)’s shares are flat year-to-date and fell by 5% in March. The stock fell during the same time period the firm addressed a BofA conference. Here is what Cramer said about The J. M. Smucker Company (NYSE:SJM):
“And that’s the Twinkies was that unfortunate buy by JM Smucker. JM Smucker stock acts very well versus the facts unfortunately although a lot of that’s driven by Uncrustables which has been a big win.”
10. Brown-Forman Corporation (NYSE:BF-B)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q4 2024: 38
Brown-Forman Corporation (NYSE:BF-B) is a well-known alcoholic beverages company primarily because of its Jack Daniel’s whiskey. Cramer hasn’t been a fan of the alcoholic beverages industry for a while due to several reasons. The CNBC host believes that firms have raised prices too much and unless they cut them, they might not see demand improve. He also believes that the younger generation is drinking less for a secular headwind. Specifically for Brown-Forman Corporation (NYSE:BF-B), Cramer has commented several times that the firm misjudged its brand spending. His latest comments reiterated the same:
“[On why BF-B wasn’t down on Trump’s champagne tariff news] Because it’s been down almost everyday for the last two years! I mean because their sales are so bad. Plus you know they put all this money behind these different versions of Jack Daniel’s. Like the Tennessee Honey. And they forgot spending money on their main, on the main prize, which is Jack Daniel’s. And that really hurt them.”
9. Zeta Global Holdings Corp. (NYSE:ZETA)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q4 2024: 39
Zeta Global Holdings Corp. (NYSE:ZETA) is a software company that provides customers with marketing analytics services. Its shares are up by 34% over the past twelve months despite a massive 52% drop in November 2024. Zeta Global Holdings Corp. (NYSE:ZETA)’s shares sank after a short seller report accused the firm of revenue round-tripping, or false revenue recognition. The firm has denied these reports, and since the dip, the stock has lost another 19% and is down by 25% year-to-date. Cramer revealed that he’s invited Zeta Global Holdings Corp. (NYSE:ZETA)’x management to Mad Money:
“Okay so I have this outfit someone called and asked me about Zeta Global. When you call and you ask about something I don’t know it, I put em on if they want to come on. It’s enterprise software.”
8. PACCAR Inc (NASDAQ:PCAR)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q4 2024: 39
PACCAR Inc (NASDAQ:PCAR) is an American truck manufacturer headquartered in Bellevue, Washington. As a result, its shares depend on economic activity which makes it unsurprising that they have lost 15% over the past year and 4% year-to-date. PACCAR Inc (NASDAQ:PCAR)’s stock dipped by 11% in March after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said that it would reevaluate the Biden administration’s rules. This generated fears that advance demand for PACCAR Inc (NASDAQ:PCAR)’s products might not surface. Cramer’s comments were in line with this news:
“[On stock moving after EPA’s latest comments] Well, they’ve always, anytime there has been like a tightening of the rules, they always, these companies have done well in pre buy. It’s like wow, I can go buy all the engines now before the tariffs so to speak of the EPA. And they lost that wind behind their back.
“[On whether the share performance is a function of transport stocks] Well, the transport’s, are not good. Uh, look, you don’t know what the traffic’s going to be coming from Mexico or Canada. You don’t know who to, what the tariffs, is the tariff going to be at the border? Is the tariff going to be on what is the final sale? Well let’s just pull back.”
7. Ralph Lauren Corp (NYSE:RL)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q4 2024: 43
Ralph Lauren Corp (NYSE:RL) is a high-end apparel company. The firm’s clientele has allowed it to perform well in an inflationary environment that has cut demand for several apparel companies and retailers. Ralph Lauren Corp (NYSE:RL)’s shares are up by 18.4% over the past year. However, they have lost 6% year-to-date, with the dip being pronounced since late February as since then the stock has bled 21%. If you’re wondering why, take a look at what Cramer said about Ralph Lauren Corp (NYSE:RL):
“Here’s an example of the kind of thing that I see that I don’t like, Ralph Lauren had an amazing quarter. Just fantastic, Patrice Louvet. Stock goes down almost everyday but nothing’s really happened.”
6. Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q4 2024: 45
Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) is one of the largest American auto manufacturers. President Trump’s tariffs on Mexico and Canada which carry a significant potential to upend the US car industry due to supply chain complications have ensured that the firm has been a regular part of Cramer’s recent shows. The CNBC host has advised viewers to stay cautious when considering buying Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F)’s shares. This time around, he commented on the firm with respect to fresh aluminum tariffs announced by the President:
“The answer is that the President is making a point. Which is that, uh, it’s time that you understand that we do wanna favor Ford and GM. Cause you don’t take any Ford and GM. And that’s good because Ford and GM are gonna get hurt really badly by the aluminum tariff. And it’s gonna move people to be buying used cars.”
5. Cummins Inc. (NYSE:CMI)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q4 2024: 53
Cummins Inc. (NYSE:CMI) is an industrial machinery manufacturer geared towards the needs of the transportation industry. As a result, the shares depend quite a bit on the state of the economy as robust output means greater demand for the firm’s products. Cummins Inc. (NYSE:CMI)’s shares are up by 16% over the past year but have lost 9% year-to-date. Some of the stock’s recent losses are attributed to the EPA’s announcement of evaluating the Biden administration’s rules. Investors are fearful that this might not lead to advance demand for Cummins Inc. (NYSE:CMI)’s products ahead of the rules being enforced. Here is what Cramer said:
“[On stock moving after EPA’s latest comments] Well, they’ve always, anytime there has been like a tightening of the rules, they always, these companies have done well in pre buy. It’s like wow, I can go buy all the engines now before the tariffs so to speak of the EPA. And they lost that wind behind their back.”
“[On whether the share performance is a function of transport stocks] Well, the transport’s, are not good. Uh, look, you don’t know what the traffic’s going to be coming from Mexico or Canada. You don’t know who to, what the tariffs, is the tariff going to be at the border? Is the tariff going to be on what is the final sale? Well let’s just pull back.”
4. Dollar General Corporation (NYSE:DG)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q4 2024: 53
Dollar General Corporation (NYSE:DG) is a discount retailer that has surprisingly struggled in an inflationary environment which would typically mean that its shares benefit. The stock is down by 50% over the past year as it is yet to recover from a massive 32% drop in August. Dollar General Corporation (NYSE:DG)’s shares sank as the firm cut its same-store sales growth forecast for 2024 to a 1.3% midpoint which was significantly down from an earlier 2.35%. Here’s what Cramer said about the firm:
“Flip that over, Dollar Gen, there’s really nothing really great and people decide well that’s a good one. But that’s because they’re finally closing some stores that are underperforming.”
“I’m always trying to figure out what’s better than feared versus what’s better. This morning Dollar General reported better than feared numbers. They’re still opening stores like mad. They’re going to close some underperformers. But the reason why I liked this one is because we all know that these stocks have been in a real slide. And a lot of them have been in a real slide because people say Walmart’s been taking it to them. I think this is, well wait a second, maybe that thesis is, is not as pertinent. Maybe wherever they have stores, where there’s no Walmart competition they’re doing a little better. At my Dollar General I go in, and there’s some real bargains and then there’s things that are so much more than a dollar. I get confused. But it’s where no other store is. So it’s, you know it’s kind of like it’s got the market to itself. They opened well, but they choose real estate well they do well. And I felt that they’re putting up willy, nilly. And I think they’re doing much more targeted. I like it.”
3. Airbnb Inc (NASDAQ:ABNB)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q4 2024: 54
Airbnb Inc (NASDAQ:ABNB) is a real estate technology company that allows property owners to rent out their property. A large portion of the firm’s hypothesis is tied to the travel industry. After Monday’s stock market selloff, Cramer commented on the shares in line with the broader travel industry as he lamented that the ‘bull market’ in travel stocks appeared to be over. To wit, Airbnb Inc (NASDAQ:ABNB)’s shares are down by 9% year-to-date on the back of a 26% drop since mid-February. Here’s what Cramer said about the firm:
“Look, travel’s been the biggest engine, okay. It’s been the biggest engine of the economy in the last six months. And you can hurt it. I mean we obviously got, we also had some terrible instances with planes. But you can hurt travel and travel’s really, I mean AirBnB there’s negative comment out today from one of the analysts. Saying you know that February was bad. We know that the airlines just spoke, not that good. Someone upgraded Expedia yesterday, saying things were fine. But I do think that when you take the best bull market we have and you put chinks in it, we should then scramble. We scramble. Because we are running out of places that have bull markets.”
2. Tapestry, Inc. (NYSE:TPR)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q4 2024: 57
Tapestry, Inc. (NYSE:TPR) is a well-known firm that owns brands such as Coach and Spade. Its relatively affluent clientele has allowed the firm to withstand the storm that has hit the broader retail market over the past year or so. Tapestry, Inc. (NYSE:TPR)’s shares are up by 45.7% over the past year but have lost 22% since mid-February. In his previous remarks about the firm, Cramer urged viewers to not give up on the stock since it was undergoing some turbulence. Here are his latest comments about Tapestry, Inc. (NYSE:TPR):
“And Tapestry today. . .that’s just zeitgeist. That’s just people saying well look I. . .we’re pulling back, I’m going to get away from these uh expensive so to speak, apparel companies. And they’re not that expensive. But, it does, it’s worrisome, because no one can come out and say, hey listen, that’s not true. You have a zeitgeist moment that is really affecting everything. It’s a shame. Doesn’t have to be this way.”
1. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q4 2024: 58
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL) has been one of Cramer’s top cruise ship stocks recently. Ahead of its recent share price dip on the back of worries of the Trump administration eliminating tax exemptions for the sector, the CNBC host commented that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL), along with peers, had benefited from a stronger dollar and a resurgence in travel after the coronavirus pandemic. Despite the fact that the shares have dropped 21% since late February, he remains a believer. Here are Cramer’s latest comments about Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE:RCL):
“Yeah, Royal Caribbean. I mean we pushed that very hard last night saying that their numbers are very good. Jason Liberty, just been on the show, the CEO a couple of weeks ago and he said things are good. And that’s like, the bookings yesterday were bad I don’t think so.”
RCL is a stock Jim Cramer recently discussed. While we acknowledge the potential of RCL 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 time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than RCL but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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