In this piece, we will look at the stocks Jim Cramer recently discussed.
In a recent appearance on CNBC’s Squawk on the Street, Jim Cramer recalled the stock market crash due to the coronavirus. The COVID stock crash in 2020 was one of the worst periods in market history after the Great Recession which saw the S&P, Dow Jones, and the NASDAQ 57%, 54%, and 56%. During the COVID selloff, the S&P lost 34% between February and March while the Dow bled 25% and the NASDAQ shed 28%.
Cramer recalled what he was doing just as COVID would start to devastate the markets. He remembered that he was at his birthday party and “had a lot people at Manhattan.” At the gathering, Cramer met with hedge fund billionaire David Tepper and the pair discussed an article in the Lancet medical journal which speculated how the virus “could be like the biggest thing ever.”
However, while Cramer and Tepper wondered about the implications of the virus, his co-host David Faber wasn’t too worried. Cramer recalled: “And I remember David Faber, specifically saying that I was a . . . called me a crybaby or just an alarmist. But then the next day like the world closed. Not David’s finest hour. But it was amazing. And it was just one of those things [that] just, happened.”
However, even as markets shed a third or a quarter of their value during the pandemic, the CNBC TV host shared that these losses rarely stick over the long term. After all, according to him, even though the 2008 stock market crash was much worse, the markets have made significant gains since then.
Cramer commented that “people have to recognize that the declines are not necessarily the end of the world. And the future isn’t necessarily bad while the past is good.” He added that investors were irrational during the pandemic selloff as well. According to Cramer “There were stocks that were bought, there were people who came on air, somewhat recklessly, I’m not going to mention the names. Who drove down stocks to the point where you got bargains you wouldn’t believe.” He recalled buying the shares of one of the most well-known coffee chains in the world for his Charitable Trust at “fifty three.” The price was a bargain, according to Cramer, and he remembered thinking “wow, I mean, see you later.”
Another development that Cramer commented on was the possibility of President Trump’s policies leading to the US exporting more natural gas. Mentioning the natural gas industry in the US, President Trump, and his recent remarks about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the TV host shared:
“Right and then you do have the possibility of a massive increase in export of nat gas. We have a lot of nat gas, it’s just very hard to be able to, you can’t pump it right every second. But we are not in trouble with the amount of nat gas we have. We do I think always, we find it quizzical that Russia has been able to export it so well. I mean all that stuff with Russia, I mean look I think the President is a little bit ahistorical Ukraine may be starting the war.”
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 February 19th.
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).
11. Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q4 2024: 83
Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) is the ill-fated US chip manufacturing giant in the news in February after its best stock performance in decades. The firm’s narrative is shaped by its manufacturing problems and advanced chip manufacturing processes. Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC)’s shares have gained 29% year-to-date after a 34% run in February on the back of market hopes of a buyout of its foundry business or greater investment by the US government. The fourth quarter of 2024 has been quite notable for the firm as well since the number of hedge funds that had bought the shares jumped to 83 from an earlier 68. Cramer commented on reports of Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC)’s PC market troubles and other reports:
“Now look. They crushed Altera. They did a terrible job. I think they wrecked Altera. I know some people who kicked the tires off Altera, and they were flat tires. So if Silver Lake wants to go in there, maybe they’re going to get some bargain, uh, there are companies that have, Intel sold a company to Jabil for like nothing a couple of years ago. They can give it away and you’re, you can get a stake, and maybe you combine it. Maybe you go over to AMD and say listen, you own both, and the Justice Department doesn’t look at it. They’re competitors Altera and Xilinx, AMD and Xilinx. But look go ahead Silver Lake, I found it to be difficult to believe that they would do it unless they got it for nothing. So anyone whose buying Intel thinking that this is going to solve their balance sheet, or that maybe it creates a value that the market will do. Look at MobilEye, they tried to do that, stinks. Look, balance sheets matter. In favor of Intel is Dave Zinsner, whose a serious CFO whose now CEO. And I really like him. Against it is they have old foundries, called them factories, they are in a dog fight with ARM and with AMD. And you know those guys have knives, those guys have guns and this company has knives!”
“I was a huge fan of Gina Raimondo, but I told her over and over again, don’t go with Intel. Don’t go with Intel. That’s Gelsinger, he’s a dreamer, don’t go with them! And you know, sometimes what happens is like when [inaudible] Jim, you’re someone who’s on TV. And we’re real. And I come back and say, no, I’m real and you guys a pretenders! I mean I didn’t just fall off the, the semiconductor turnip truck, and you know I can read a balance sheet, they could have looked at the balance sheet, but they were dreamers and they got with the wrong company. They got with the wrong company. They should have gone with somebody who is a heavyweight, but most people didn’t need the money. “
10. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q4 2024: 83
Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) is a casual dining restaurant chain that specializes in Mexican cuisine. Amidst trouble in the restaurant industry in 2024 the firm performed well and ended the year with its shares up by 33%. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) is embarking on an aggressive growth strategy to rapidly grow its operational footprint in 2025. However, the shares have struggled in 2025 as it missed analyst comparable sales growth estimates of 5.7% by posting 5.4% in Q4. Cramer isn’t worried though:
“Yeah I mean look when I had Boatwright on, not many places can double the number of stores and with a four million dollar, you know, their annual [inaudible] is extraordinary. And I have to tell you that Chipotle stock has acted quite poorly. But I think its just digested. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with Chipotle, I don’t think the price point is too high. The numbers were good. I’m not concerned about that company.”
9. Carvana Co. (NYSE:CVNA)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q4 2024: 84
Carvana Co. (NYSE:CVNA) is a new-age used car retailer that has been a favorite meme stock since the coronavirus pandemic. It’s one of the best-performing stocks of the past year as the shares have gained a stunning 360%. The gains are based on several key events such as Carvana Co. (NYSE:CVNA) posting its first-ever profit and consistently raising guidance. However, the shares have struggled this year. After having gained 41% until the firm’s fourth-quarter results, the stock is down by 18.8% since then as Carvana Co. (NYSE:CVNA)’s promise of significant unit sales and operating income growth failed to impress investors. Here’s what Cramer said about the firm:
“Carvana is probably the most untold, great comeback. Cause I think that people just don’t want to believe that Carvana came back. And they ought to buy a car from Carvana. That’s what, when that thing was at five, six, I was like, I always tell a story, and I bought a car from Carvana, and I bought it for someone, and they said, I don’t know, I really don’t like that. . . but I sent it back . . .you know that was like returning something at Macy’s! Maybe even easier.”
8. Reddit, Inc. (NYSE:RDDT)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q4 2024: 87
Reddit, Inc. (NYSE:RDDT) is one of the youngest social media companies on the stock market. It has shaped up to become a key player in today’s AI age due to the vast amounts of user data on its platform that can be used to train AI models. The AI exposure has translated into robust stock price performance for Reddit, Inc. (NYSE:RDDT) as the firm’s shares gained more than 200% in 2024. However, the stock is down by 1.5% in 2025 as investors fret about a slowdown in its daily active user growth. Here’s what Cramer said about the firm:
[on META, APP, RDDT, NFLX, SPOT’s strong performance] “These are favorites, they’re long favorites. They’ve also been embraced by retail. Now some of them did not have a quarter that people wanted, Reddit did not have the quarter.”
7. Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q4 2024: 91
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. For most of the past year and 2025, its share price performance has depended on its cancer drugs and HPV vaccine called GARDASIL. Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)’s stock has lost 30% over the past year as Chinese sales of its GARDASIL vaccine have been hampered due to a tough regulatory environment in the country. Here is what Cramer said about Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK):
“Although Merck, is, maybe the ultimate laggard. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Merck perform this badly. Here’s this stock, distinguished from the company, which actually got hurt by a decision by the Chinese to not give their people two hundred million vaccines, GARDASIL, RFK, maybe it’s kind of a reciprocal thing [laughs]. . .it’s great vaccine, you may not like vaccines, but great vaccine, and the, the Chinese have chosen not to use it, they haven’t, and some of it’s with a wholesaler that apparently can’t give anymore to because they don’t have enough money. But that’s the one I’m. . . .that used to be called saint Merck, and I know it’s not high growth anymore but wow, I think it’s worth looking at because it trades like a bad tack.”
“No, in the way of what’s really going with some of these drug companies. The loss of, they have a loss of exclusivity for an unbelievable drug KEYTRUDA, but it’s not for years. The only one in this group that acts at all well is Lilly, and I do think that when you’re meeting with the President . . .the drug companies meet with the President and it’s like you don’t know what he’s going to say after.”
6. Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q4 2024: 92
Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) is a global pharmaceutical giant that has entered 2025 with a turnaround in play. Its excessive debt levels have led to weak stock price performance, with the shares being down by 4.5% over the past year. Cramer, in his previous remarks, praised Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) CEO Dr. Albert Bourla and praised the firm’s role in the coronavirus pandemic. He believes that Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) can leverage its COVID role to create a working relationship with President Trump. Here are Cramer’s latest remarks for the pharma giant:
“[on Pfizer suffering from Trump’s pharma tariffs] Last night I had Jabil building Croatian plants, GLP. I think you have to kind of sort things out, in the end you want to do, you want to buy, you want to make it, for it, you want to make it in a country, for that country. And that’s where we’re going.”
“I mean I know that we’re stunned by a lot of [inaudible] coming out of the White House. But a lot of it has happened before, a lot of it is a repetition and it’s been done to us. So I’m not saying that it isn’t a little bit odd the way it comes out. I am saying that every one of these at one time or another has occurred. Or has occurred to us. So I get it. I do think you have to make it there for there. Essentially Bourla didn’t mention that he offered to give the Chinese all the COVID vaccines they wanted. And they wouldn’t take it. I don’t know, I would have mentioned that in that interview.”
5. Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q4 2024: 95
Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) is an American retailer that sells groceries, electronics, medicines, and a wide array of other products. Its strategy of negotiating lower prices has helped the firm in today’s inflationary era. Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST)’s shares have gained 43% over the past year due to its low-price business model. Cramer has also been appreciative of the strategy in his previous appearances. Here are his latest remarks for Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST):
“Walmart and Costco and TJ Max, TJX, we own, I wish we owned Walmart but we can’t own all three, it’s very undiversified. But those are the three companies that are doing the most to cut prices. I had the previous CFO Richard Galanti at Costco, more than thirty years CFO. Who would actually target companies that are charging too much and say hey listen you know what we got a new brand coming and its called Kirkland Signature and it’s going against you. One of the great anomalies that has been solved, there are some people who really did things wrong, uh, Michael Shu at Kimberly, he went to Costco and said listen we got to solve the problem of you going against us in what he knew was that Kimberly made both, so I mean basically they were on a suicide path with Costco, they were making [inaudible] for much less. Costco targets those who don’t bring the price down. And they have been the major inflation fighter in this country.”
4. AppLovin Corporation (NASDAQ:APP)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q4 2024: 95
AppLovin Corporation (NASDAQ:APP) is one of the more unique software companies in the industry. It allows businesses to run their advertisements in video games and other non-linear mediums. As a result, AppLovin Corporation (NASDAQ:APP) benefits from the growth in users shifting to video games and other digital entertainment mediums. The firm’s shares are up by 653% over the past year primarily on the back of a massive 73% gain in November which saw it grow Q3 net income by a whopping 300% to $434 million. However, AppLovin Corporation (NASDAQ:APP)’s shares dipped by 18% after an investment letter warned that its growth was based on low-quality revenue. Here is what Cramer said:
[on META, APP, RDDT, NFLX, SPOT’s strong performance] “These are favorites, they’re long favorites. They’ve also been embraced by retail. Now some of them did not have a quarter that people wanted. . . But Applovin was spectacular, more than eight hundred [inaudible], I mean they’re like doing incredibly well. Anything that had been up huge, really got clipped yesterday.”
3. Spotify Technology S.A. (NYSE:SPOT)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q4 2024: 101
Spotify Technology S.A. (NYSE:SPOT) is the largest audio streaming company in the world which enjoys a sizable first-mover advantage in the industry. In his previous appearances, Cramer has been nothing short of praise for the firm as he believes that the firm can do little wrong when it comes to stealing share away from linear entertainment mediums. Spotify Technology S.A. (NYSE:SPOT)’s shares have gained 149% over the year and 33% year-to-date after trimming some of their gains in February following weak economic data. Here’s what Cramer said:
[META, APP, RDDT, NFLX, SPOT strong performance] “These are favorites, they’re long favorites. They’ve also been embraced by retail. Now some of them did not have a quarter that people wanted,. . . Uh, I loved the Spotify quarter but they got clipped.”
2. Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q4 2024: 115
Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) is the largest brick-and-mortar retailer in the world. The firm has leveraged its heft to carve out an important place for itself in today’s inflationary era. Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)’s low price model and ability to drive prices lower have led to its shares gaining 63% over the past year. However, the stock dipped by 9% in February after the firm’s full-year midpoint EPS guidance of $2.55 fell below analyst expectations of $2.76. Here’s what Cramer said about Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT):
“Walmart and Costco and TJ Max, TJX, we own, I wish we owned Walmart but we can’t own all three, it’s very undiversified. But those are the three companies that are doing the most to cut prices. . . .Costco targets those who don’t bring the price down. And they have been the major inflation fighter in this country other than Doug McMillan of Walmart. Walmart doesn’t get credit. Now if you go to Walmart you’re kind of astounded. . . You look at the prices at Walmart they are very reminiscent of what they were and I’m not just talking about the. . . mustard.”
1. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q4 2024: 166
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is the world’s largest technology company. Its heft and stable product demand make the stock one of the few in the technology industry that exhibits defensive traits during a time of crisis. Cramer has long maintained that he recommends owning and not trading Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s shares. This time around, he commented on the firm’s February iPhone launch and maintained his sentiment of holding the stock:
“What I love and I talked about this with Tim Cook, is that he, I said are you getting away from the, okay we got the fifteen, and we got the sixteen, got the seventeen. And you know, he pondered it, he said well you know, we’re trying to, we want to issue product when we have product. That’s very different. The street. That gives me a higher multiple. David yesterday was saying maybe the multiple’s too high, but now we have a company in Apple that doesn’t, it isn’t just constrained by when they drop one, and I then asked Tim about how much of it is software additions and he said, look, just keep in mind, when we have something, we now bring it. And the fact is that they’ve got a continual source of new products. And so therefore it doesn’t deserve to have a 22 multiple. It deserves to have a higher multiple. So I think the stock is correctly valued. It did drop down to 220 when we had a series of sells put on somewhat related to China. And they turnout to have Alibaba as a partner? Do people understand that Alibaba’s now in with the government? So you want to be with them.”
“We do have a new CFO. Luca’s moved on . . .I continue to say Apple, own it, don’t trade it, list. Not being facetious, just saying how you do it. And I said look, I can’t do it with too many companies, I have a meeting tomorrow, club meeting. Because then you get trapped.”
AAPL is a stock Jim Cramer recently discussed. While we acknowledge the potential of AAPL 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 AAPL but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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