In this article, we will take a detailed look at Jim Cramer is Talking About These 10 Stocks Amid Global Selloff.
Jim Cramer in his latest program on CNBC talked about the brutal market selloff of Monday and said days like these could make you “cry yourself to sleep.” Cramer said that this “nasty” selloff was expected.
“It’s exactly what you’d expect at this point in the rate cycle, the point where the Fed is about to start cutting rates to bolster the economy. But the economy is going down,” Cramer said.
Cramer said that the Monday selloff was “vicious enough” to make any investor think why they should stay in the market, but that’s exactly “what you have to do.” He thinks the latest decline is a buying opportunity for long-term investors.
Jim Cramer said that the selloff started because money managers who were borrowing money from Japan to invest in US stocks were caught with their “pants down” when Japan increased interest rates. As a result, these funds were forced to sell their stocks. He thinks it’s not possible to call a bottom on this decline yet “until we know these sellers are done unwinding their trades.”
Cramer said that another key reason why investors were selling on Monday was the notion that the Fed is late on cutting rates. But Cramer said a 25 bps rate cut wouldn’t have mattered a lot and if Fed Chair Jerome Powell sees there is a need for an urgent rate cut, he’d do it.
“He’s got horse sense,” Cramer said.
Jim Cramer said there are no “safe havens” in tech and while he reiterated his bullish view on some notable tech stocks, he advised investors to be ready for “pain” in the near term if they want to invest in technology.
“If you can’t take the pain, then get the heck out of it.”
For this article we watched several latest programs of Jim Cramer and picked 10 important stocks he’s talking about. With each stock 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).
10. Ford Motor Co (NYSE:F)
Number of Hedge Fund Investors: 41
When asked about Ford Motor Co (NYSE:F) in a latest program, Cramer said that he’s got his own “reservations” about Ford Motor Co (NYSE:F) and decided to sell the stock for his charitable trust.
“They have failed to deliver what I expected them to do,” Cramer said.
Ford Motor Co (NYSE:F) is getting crushed after posting second-quarter results. Ford fell short on profitability and free cash flow amid increased warranty costs and higher manufacturing expenses. Ford Motor Co (NYSE:F) also missed its EBIT estimates by around 25%.
Ford Motor Co (NYSE:F) problems aren’t expected to be resolved anytime soon amid the broader slowdown in the auto industry and the company-specific issues. While Ford increased its free cash flow guidance, it was mainly due to cost savings rather than strong sales expectations.
To resolve the problem of mounting warranty costs, Ford Motor Co (NYSE:F) is increasing quality control and also delaying the launch of updated models like the Bronco, Explorer, and Maverick for further inspections. This may result in negative competitive pressure as rivals Stellantis (STLA) and General Motors (GM) launch new models.
Capital expenditure is expected to stay near the lower end of the guidance range, potentially leading to a future CAPEX surge.
9. Home Depot Inc (NYSE:HD)
Number of Hedge Fund Investors: 70
A caller asked Jim Cramer whether he should hold on to Home Depot Inc (NYSE:HD). Cramer said he likes the company’s 2.5% dividend yield and strong balance sheet. He believes a decline in interest rates would benefit Home Depot Inc (NYSE:HD).
“This stock trades on transactions of homes. When rates go lower you get more transactions and that’s why it’s a good stock to hold and below $350 I would buy the stock.”
Analysts believe Home Depot Inc (NYSE:HD) acquisition of specialty trade distribution company SRS Distribution was a master stroke from the company since it gave Home Depot a 17% market share in an industry with a total addressable market of $1 trillion. SRS is a residential specialty trade distribution company across several verticals serving professional roofers, landscapers and pool contractors. Home Depot Inc (NYSE:HD) is also investing in technology to improve business. Its pro intelligence tool and CRM platform that use data science for better insights and cross-selling opportunities are expected to boost sales and client relationships. In the first quarter, online sales saw a 3.3% increase, with nearly half of all online transactions fulfilled through physical stores.
During the first quarter, Home Depot Inc (NYSE:HD) paid $2.2 billion in dividends and $600 million in share buybacks. With a net leverage ratio of 1.5x EBITDA and an A credit rating, Home Depot Inc (NYSE:HD) is expected to generate $16.7 billion in free cash flow, representing 4.6% of its current market cap. The company currently yields 2.5%, with a cash payout ratio of 54%. Home Depot’s dividend has a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.7% and has been increased annually for 14 consecutive years, including maintaining it during the Great Financial Crisis.
Polen Focus Growth Strategy stated the following regarding The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) in its Q2 2024 investor letter:
“In the second quarter, the top relative contributors to the Portfolio’s performance were all names we do not hold: The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD), Meta Platforms, and AbbVie. With Home Depot, much of the quarter’s weakness came in April, as a higher-than-expected inflation reading caused investors to question the likelihood of imminent rate cuts in 2024. Given Home Depot’s sensitivity to interest rates, as it relates to home improvement projects, the stock sold off in the period.”
8. Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA)
Number of Hedge Fund Investors: 74
A caller recently asked Jim Cramer about his thoughts about Ferrari and Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA). Cramer said he likes Tesla more than Ferrari.
“Elon Musk is frankly trying to portray it as a tech company. If it’s a tech company then you can buy it right here.”
Amid a decline in EV sales growth, Elon Musk’s only option is to go all-in on AI. After a Twitter poll that overwhelmingly voted in favor of Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) investing capital in xAI, Musks’ AI company, the CEO of Tesla said he’d discuss investing $5 billion in xAI with Tesla.
Elon Musk said in a latest earnings call with analysts that massive discounts from Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) competitors created headwinds for the company in the most recently reported quarter.
Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) has also delayed its robotaxi event until October. All possible catalysts for Tesla stock lie far into the future and the reality is revealing itself to Elon Musk who admitted during the latest earnings call that he’s been overly optimistic about robo taxis.
“It’s difficult, obviously, my predictions on this have been overly optimistic in the past. So I mean, based on the current trend, it seems as though we should get miles between interventions to be high enough that — to be far enough in excess of humans that you could do unsupervised possibly by the end of this year. I would be shocked if we cannot do it next year.”
During the second quarter, Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) automotive gross margin fell to 18.47% from 19.22% the previous year. Non-automotive revenue, now 22% of total sales compared to 14.67% in Q2 2023, has a lower gross margin, negatively impacting overall profitability. Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) is still heavily reliant on EVs where demand is falling. Tesla energy business is not strong enough to offset declines in the core business.
Cathie Wood recently set a $2600 price target on Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) for 2029, which presents a whopping 1300% upside potential from the current levels. Wood thinks the robo taxi project has the potential to deliver $8 to $10 trillion in revenue by 2030.
However, many believe Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) won’t be able to live up to the hype around its robo taxi plans. Each robo taxi is expected to have a price target of around $150K to $200K, with some estimates suggesting Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) would need about $35 billion to develop a global feet of such cars. Amid inflation and lack of preference for electric cars, American families will probably stay away from spending a fortune on robo taxis, which could cause a blow to Tesla Inc’s (NASDAQ:TSLA) plans in the future.
Alger Focus Equity Fund stated the following regarding Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) in its Q1 2024 investor letter:
“Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) is an electric vehicle manufacturer with a technological lead in its large and rapidly growing addressable market. In our view, Tesla is a transportation company that is setting the pace for industry innovation. During the quarter, shares detracted from performance after the company reported fiscal fourth quarter results, where revenues and earnings missed analysts’ estimates. Weaker-than-expected automotive revenues were partly driven by a reduced average selling price, which was down 15% year-over-year. Moreover, management decided to forgo providing volume guidance, though they did acknowledge they are in a lower growth phase given the uncertain consumer environment particularly as it relates to high ticket purchases.”
7. Intel Corp (NASDAQ:INTC)
Number of Hedge Fund Investors: 77
Cramer reminded investors that he warned them about Intel Corp (NASDAQ:INTC) “again and again and again….” He highlighted that the company missed the latest quarter on “all fronts” and suspended its dividend.
“It is not safe,” Cramer said of Intel Corp (NASDAQ:INTC).
Intel Corp (NASDAQ:INTC) shares recently saw a bloodbath following the company’s weak Q2 results and disappointing guidance. The results show the AI growth everyone was talking about won’t come cheap. Intel Corp (NASDAQ:INTC) expects its gross margin in the third quarter to decline to 34.5% from 38.7% reported in the second quarter, which was a significant decline from the company’s expectation of 43.5%.
While Intel Corp (NASDAQ:INTC) has suspended its dividend and announced massive layoffs, its problem of inventory won’t be resolved anytime soon. Intel has 137 days of inventory, worth over $11.2 billion. This is much higher than the industry average of 90 days. Intel Corp (NASDAQ:INTC) has close to $52 billion in long-term debt and analysts believe its cost-cutting measures along with AI growth initiatives won’t let it fix this problem soon. S&P Global recently put the stock’s credit rating on “watch” saying:
“While these cost-cutting measures, including significant capital expenditure reductions, could alleviate some near-term cash-flow-generation challenges, it is unclear whether these steps will be sufficient to maintain its business competitiveness and enable healthy growth.”
Raymond James said in a report after earnings that Intel’s margin issues are expected to continue until 2025. AI PC growth has become a larger headwind for margins, as the higher cost of external wafers offsets modest average selling price premiums.
Amid these factors, investors are better off looking for other AI stocks and avoiding Intel for now until there’s visibility on how exactly Intel Corp (NASDAQ:INTC) would resolve its core problems.
ClearBridge Large Cap Value Strategy stated the following regarding Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) in its Q2 2024 investor letter:
“The massive ramp up in spending on AI spending has crowded out spending in other technology verticals such as software and traditional enterprise infrastructure. This has also driven a market where “AI winners” have enjoyed strong multiple expansion, while perceived “AI losers” have been severely punished. One example of a perceived AI loser temporarily cast aside was the Strategy’s top detractor for the quarter, Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC), whose shares declined as it put out financial targets for 2027 that were below Wall Street expectations, and also noted that demand for its core PC and server chips remained depressed. We take a contrarian view of Intel and do not think it will be an AI loser, but rather see underappreciated opportunity as AI PCs ramp over the next few quarters in enterprises, where Intel has a stronghold. We also believe that the company’s technology roadmap remains intact, which we believe will lead to a stabilization in market share in its core PC and server markets. Both markets remain depressed, but we believe that aging infrastructure and the ongoing growth of IT workloads will lead to a cyclical recovery in both markets, which should benefit shares.”
6. Danaher Corp (NYSE:DHR)
Number of Hedge Fund Investors: 98
A caller recently asked Jim Cramer about Illumina.
“No, no Illumina. I like Danaher,” Cramer said.
Danaher Corp (NYSE:DHR) is in the news after the company posted stronger-than-expected second-quarter results mainly due to its Biotech and Diagnostics businesses. Analysts believe Danaher is expected to benefit from the BioSecure Act if it’s passed because the act would increase the competitive advantage of US Medtech and Healthcare Equipment firms. Danaher Corp (NYSE:DHR) long-term outlook is positive amid expected inventory destocking, lower interest rates, and effects of Chinese stimulus measures, among other factors. Over the past five years, the stock has traded at an average forward P/E of 29.75x. Although Danaher’s current P/E on this year’s EPS is slightly above its 5-year average, it is trading at a discount based on FY25 and FY26 EPS consensus estimates. Danaher Corp (NYSE:DHR) trades 31x fiscal 2025 earnings and Wall Street expects Danaher Corp (NYSE:DHR) to grow revenue by 8% in the period while earnings growth is expected to come in at 12.30%.
L1 Capital International Fund stated the following regarding Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR) in its Q2 2024 investor letter:
“We made a number of relatively modest adjustments to the Portfolio in the June 2024 quarter, totalling less than 10% of the Fund’s investments. We divested our remaining holding in Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR). Danaher is one of the leading providers of equipment and services to the life sciences and diagnostics industries and is one the best run industrial businesses in the world. Many companies aim to emulate the ‘Danaher Business System’ of continuous improvement. We have no concerns with the quality of Danaher, the share price simply increased above our view of fair value. A core principle of our investment process is to maintain valuation discipline and we divested our investment, purely on valuation grounds. Danaher has moved to our Bench of potential future investments. Danaher’s share price has fallen around 10% since we sold our investment, and if it continues to drift down, we may have the opportunity to reinvest in a very high-quality business at a more attractive valuation.”
5. Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL)
Number of Hedge Fund Investors: 150
Jim Cramer said Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) posted a “thin” top and bottom line beat despite “severe” in China.
“Market is so negative on tech, they are not gonna give they benefit of the doubt, they never do,” Cramer said.
Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) is in the limelight after the company posted decent quarterly results, where declines in iPhone sales were more than offset by services revenue and Mac sales gains. Dan Ives of Wedbush reiterated an Outperform rating on the stock and increased his price target to $285 from $275.
“Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) Intelligence rollout has already begun with developers who will significantly enhance app capabilities as the company staggers the launch of its new AI feature along with its OpenAI partnership which Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) expects ChatGPT and all other features to be integrated into the iPhone and other devices by the end of the year. We believe AI technology being introduced into the Apple ecosystem will bring monetization opportunities on both the services as well as iPhone/hardware front and adds $30 to $40 per share.” Ives said.
Baird analyst William Power said in a note that he estimates a whopping 95% of iPhones in the world will need an upgrade at “some point” to take advantage of Apple Intelligence. The analyst mentioned lower upgrade rates at AT&T and Verizon, suggesting consumers might be waiting for AI-integrated smartphones. Based on this catalyst, the analyst upped his fiscal 2025 iPhone estimates by about 20 million units, now projecting iPhone revenue to reach $216.1 billion, a 9% year-over-year increase, surpassing the consensus estimate of 6% growth. Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) is expected to generate $418.1 billion in full-year revenue and $7.30 per share in earnings, up from previous forecasts of $394.6 billion and $6.73 per share.
However, the assumption that we will see a huge upgrade cycle of iPhone just because of AI is big and comes with a lot of risks. Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) trades at a forward PE multiple of around 35x, well above its 5-year average of nearly 27x. Its expected EPS forward long-term growth rate of 10.39% does not justify its valuation, especially with the iPhone upgrade cycle assumption. Adjusting for this growth results in a forward PEG ratio of 3.33, significantly higher than its 5-year average of 2.38.
Polen Focus Growth Strategy stated the following regarding Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) in its Q2 2024 investor letter:
“The largest relative detractors in the quarter were NVIDIA, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), and Salesforce. In a reversal from some of the concerns driving the stock down in the first quarter, Apple re-emerged as a top performer in the second quarter. The company reported better-than-feared results in its iPhone segment that quelled concerns over weakness in China. Additionally, the company forecast a return to sales growth and announced a $110 billion stock buyback plan, the largest in U.S. history. Later in the period, at its Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple introduced long-awaited new AI features that spurred some optimism around an upgrade cycle for the iPhone and, more generally, the important role Apple may be able to play in the emerging AI landscape. We continue to study Apple closely, which we previously owned the company for many years during its growth phase, to determine if it is poised for another significant revenue and earnings growth period.”
4. Salesforce Inc (NYSE:CRM)
Number of Hedge Fund Investors: 154
Jim Cramer in his latest program seemed a bit indecisive about Salesforce Inc (NYSE:CRM), saying the overall situation is “very difficult”. Cramer said that he does not like enterprise software but he can recommend Salesforce Inc (NYSE:CRM) at a certain level.
“At $240 is where I’d probably say it’s ok to buy again.”
According to Yahoo Finance data, Salesforce Inc (NYSE:CRM) is expected to see earnings growth of about 16% on a per-annum basis over the next five years. Data also shows the company is expected to deliver double-digit YoY EPS growth in the next ten out of eleven quarters.
While Salesforce Inc (NYSE:CRM) is primarily a customer relationship software company, with notable tools and platforms like Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Marketing Cloud, Tableau, MuleSoft, and Slack, its most promising platform is Data Cloud when it comes to AI and software. The platform has 90% year-over-year growth and clocking in $400 million in FY2024. What does this platform do? It helps organizations process data from various departments and third-party cloud solutions. Powered by an AI-driven data engine, it analyzes metadata in real-time to provide valuable insights, supporting sales, marketing, and customer service workflows.
As of the end of Q1 Salesforce Inc (NYSE:CRM) had $17.7 billion in cash and low financial leverage.
Mizuho Securities analyst Gregg Moskowitz thinks the company is still “well situated” to help customers in digital transformation. However, the analyst thinks Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM) would do so by prioritizing profitable growth. The analyst reiterated his Buy rating on the stock but cut his price target to $300 from $345.
Morgan Stanley analyst Keith Weiss, who has an Overweight rating and a $320 price target on Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM), said that Salesforce’s PEG ratio of 1.2 shows the market is not pricing in operational discipline and earnings growth sustainability.
“We continue to view GenAI as a tailwind for Salesforce, with benefits likely coming in CY25, but at these levels, GenAI represents a call option.”
Polen Focus Growth Strategy stated the following regarding Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM) in its Q2 2024 investor letter:
“Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM) declined nearly 20% due to a slowdown in revenue and bookings growth, part of a wider trend we’ve observed across enterprise software as companies defer spending on large projects given the uncertain macroeconomic environment. As mentioned, there has been an emerging narrative about prioritized spending on AI, cloud, and security over enterprise software spending that could eventually impair seat-based software over the longer term. Though there may be some near-term shifts in dollars toward GenAI, we believe the market for mission-critical enterprise software will remain robust well into the future. We will monitor the position closely, but we continue to believe that Salesforce is well-placed with its mission-critical software and high customer retention rates to weather these headwinds, lean on pricing power, and effectively monetize generative AI in its product suite.”
3. NVIDIA Corp (NASDAQ:NVDA)
Number of Hedge Fund Investors: 186
Jim Cramer in a latest program reiterated that NVIDIA Corp (NASDAQ:NVDA) is doing “amazing things” with generative AI and accelerated computing and they don’t have anything to do with the Fed. Despite this, Cramer said that NVIDIA Corp (NASDAQ:NVDA) stock has “become a wasteland.”
Cramer said he does not see NVIDIA Corp (NASDAQ:NVDA) decline stopping here mainly because the company does not benefit from the upcoming rate cuts.
Cramer thinks the market’s earnings estimate for NVIDIA Corp (NASDAQ:NVDA) is low, and “maybe” the company can earn $4.59 next year, which means it’s trading at 23x earnings.
“I am not selling the greatest growth stock of our generation” at 23 times earnings, Cramer said.
NVIDIA Corp (NASDAQ:NVDA) shares are on the decline amid valuation concerns. However, Morgan Stanley re-added the stock to its top picks list. Analyst Joseph Moore said:
“Visibility will actually increase as demand moves from Hopper to Blackwell, as the constraint will shift back to silicon; H100 lead times are short, but H200 lead times are already long, and Blackwell should be even longer,” the firm said.
However, the latest big tech earnings have raised some concerns on NVIDIA Corp (NASDAQ:NVDA) future growth trajectory. The company’s major customers including Meta Platforms and Alphabet have indicated that they may be overbuilding and overspending on AI chips. NVIDIA Corp (NASDAQ:NVDA) is selling about 2 million of its GPUs on an annual basis based on 2023 data. As demand moderates and competitors up their production, the company won’t be able to sustain its current growth trajectory.
Raymond James analyst Javed Mirza recently said in a report that NVDA has “triggered a mechanical sell signal” based on a moving average convergence/divergence indicator. In a technical analysis report, he stated that the stock is trading below its 50-day moving average and exhibiting early signs of selling pressure. This, according to Mirza, shows there is a looming corrective phase lasting 1-3 months. He added that a sustained break below the 50-day moving average could lead to a decline towards 94.94, representing a further 16.9% drop from current levels.
NVIDIA Corp (NASDAQ:NVDA) rapid run and soaring valuation have started to make some circles on Wall Street uneasy. New Street Research recently downgraded the stock to Neutral from Buy and set the stock’s price target at $135.
“We downgrade the stock to Neutral today, as upside will only materialize in a bull case, in which the outlook beyond 2025 increases materially, and we do not have the conviction on this scenario playing out yet.” New Street analyst Pierre Ferragu said.
Patient Capital Opportunity Equity Strategy stated the following regarding NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) in its Q2 2024 investor letter:
“NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) continued to lead both the market and the portfolio, remaining a top performer in the period gaining 36.7%. Nvidia is the market leader in designing and selling Graphics Processing Units (GPU), which has recently benefited from the insatiable demand of artificial intelligence (AI) models. The company currently captures 92% market share of data center GPUs and grew revenue, earnings and free cash flow (“FCF”) an astounding 126%, 392%, and 610%, respectively, over the last year. While we expect competition to increase, we think NVDA can continue to maintain top market share. While many are concerned with backlog times shortening, we think the rollout of the B100, which promises 2.5x better performance for only 25% more cost, later this year will create more shortages. With leading edge technology, an increasing innovation cycle and strong cash generation, the company is well positioned for the increased adoption of artificial intelligence (AI).”
2. Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META)
Number of Hedge Fund Investors: 246
Jim Cramer in a latest program talked about strong second-quarter results from Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META). Cramer said Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META) was able to make its targetted advertising better.
“Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META) is spending a huge amount to have enough to have enough computing power and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said he’ll spend maybe ten times of this after the next generation of its large language models more efficient than ever because the opportunity is so enormous.”
Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META) crushed past analyst estimates for its latest quarterly results, giving signs that the huge AI spending it’s doing would bear more results in the future. After the results, Citi said it remains “incrementally positive” on Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META) shares due to engagement and monetization gains, along with expanding margins. The firm raised its price target for META to $580 from $550.
JPMorgan said it sees AI benefiting Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META) at three levels: core Family of Apps (FoA) improvements, new opportunities and experiences, and scaling the Metaverse. It also upped META price target to $610 from $480.
Morgan Stanley also liked how Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META) is improving its recommendation systems and quality with AI.
The market has been reluctant about Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META) massive spending on AI. What does Meta want to achieve with its AI spending? The company wants to use AI to improve engagement and language models like Llama 3 to improve user interactions, boost engagement, and better monetize its 3.2 billion daily active users.
But can Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META) sustain this high spending? The company’s free cash flow margin is around 30%, and it’s well on track to report $50 billion in free cash flow this year. Based on this target the stock is trading at around 26 times this year’s free cash flow. Given the current trajectory continues Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META) can post $58 billion in free cash flow by next year, which means the stock is trading at 21 times next year’s free cash flow. With a whopping $35 billion in net cash, a strong user base, and a key position in the consumer-facing side of the AI industry, Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META) could be a solid long-term investment.
Polen Focus Growth Strategy stated the following regarding Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) in its Q2 2024 investor letter:
“In the second quarter, the top relative contributors to the Portfolio’s performance were all names we do not hold: Home Depot, Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META), and AbbVie. Meta Platforms delivered robust results in the period, with revenue growth accelerating in the first quarter. However, revenue comparisons for Meta will become more difficult from here, and its guidance for 2Q revenue fell below market expectations. After the company’s “year of efficiency,” where it cut costs in its core business, management is now indicating another ramp-up in GenAI and metaverse spending, spurring concerns about future profit margins. Metaverse spending, by our calculations, is now over $20 billion per year with little to no expected return on the foreseeable horizon.”
1. Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN)
Number of Hedge Fund Investors: 302
Jim Cramer said in a latest program that Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) results were “imperfect.” Sales of Amazon were “light” but AWS showed strengths. Cramer thinks Amazon’s revenue guidance was weak but the company has a history of guiding conservatively.
“Amazon has got to keep on spending on computing to keep up with Alphabet and more importantly Meta and Microsoft,” Cramer said.
Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) shares fell as investors digested the company’s latest quarterly report where revenue missed estimates and guidance came in soft despite AWS growth.
AWS’s revenue growth accelerated from 17.2% in Q1 to 18.8% in Q2, driven by a shift from on-premises infrastructure to cloud solutions and increasing demand for AI capabilities. Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) advertising segment added over $2 billion in revenue year-over-year, indicating significant potential in video advertising and opportunities within Prime Video offerings.
Like other tech companies, fears stemming from high CapEX are keeping investors on the sidelines. Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) spending is expected to rise amid broadband project Project Kuiper and AI growth. Investors are still figuring out whether AI monetization and ROI will come anytime soon. Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) is also facing a slowdown in consumer spending, especially for higher-ticket items like electronics and computers.
Based on Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) Q3 guidance, its revenue growth would be 11%. The stock is trading 35x its fiscal 2025 earnings estimates set by Wall Street. This shows the stock is fairly priced and investors looking for strong growth could look elsewhere.
Diamond Hill Select Strategy stated the following regarding Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) in its Q2 2024 investor letter:
“Among our top individual contributors in Q2 were Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), Texas Instruments and Mr. Cooper Group. Internet retail and cloud infrastructure company Amazon is benefiting from strong profitability, particularly in its Amazon Web Services (AWS) business. Shares also received a boost amid growing optimism around the demand for AWS as Amazon customers’ investments in generative AI projects continue growing.”
While we acknowledge the potential of Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN), our conviction lies in the belief that under the radar 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 AMZN 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 10 Stocks in June.
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