We recently compiled a list of the Jim Cramer Reveals 12 Stocks Investors Should Monitor Closely. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Salesforce.com Inc. (NYSE:CRM) stands against the other stocks that should be monitored closely according to Jim Cramer.

In a recent episode of Mad Money, Jim Cramer discussed the current state of the economy, noting that there are essentially two separate economies at play. One economy is struggling with higher interest rates, making it harder for businesses and individuals to thrive, while the other seems unaffected by these rates. This division explains why, even after a double rate cut, the stock market, including the Dow, S&P, and Nasdaq, still experienced declines.

“There really are two economies in this country. There’s one that needs lower interest rates because business is slowing and it’s harder to find a job, and then there’s another that says we don’t really care about where the rates are. That’s how we can get a double rate cut today and still see the Dow dipping 103 points, the S&P declining 29 points, and the Nasdaq shedding 31 points.”

Jim Cramer: Tech Companies Flourish Despite Economic Concerns

Jim Cramer highlights that many companies, especially retailers and restaurants serving low-income customers, are worried about high interest rates and needed the recent double rate cut to improve their forecasts. While this cut benefits the housing and industrial sectors, which initially rose in stock prices before selling off, the tech sector in Silicon Valley remains largely unaffected. Cramer describes tech leaders as having escaped the constraints of interest rates, focusing on innovation and catering to businesses rather than consumers. Their success relies more on their ability to innovate than on interest rate fluctuations.

“There are so many companies I talk to that truly worry about the economy and say they can’t make their forecasts because rates are too high. We’ve been hearing that from most retailers and restaurants, especially those that cater to the less well-off. They needed this double rate cut—believe me. It’s great for housing, and it can help the industrials; those stocks ran in anticipation and sold off when we got what we wanted. That is a very typical action.

But how about the tech economy, the one based out here where we are right now? When you’re talking to companies in Silicon Valley, it almost feels like the people who run these companies are like inmates who escaped from the asylum of interest rates years ago. What they do is exploit opportunities that allow them to become integral to the enterprise. They don’t really care about the consumer; they’re selling to businesses that then sell to you. So their total addressable market doesn’t hinge on interest rates; it hinges on how innovative they are. That’s a story you’ve heard from all the companies we’ve interviewed. These are companies about innovation.”

Additionally, he explains that tech companies are not selling everyday goods like homes, washing machines, or cars. Unlike housing, which relies on lower mortgage rates to boost sales, the tech sector focuses on creating software that simplifies the home-buying process. While lower rates can encourage new businesses, many startups are too small to need extensive software solutions.

“You see, these tech companies aren’t selling homes; they aren’t selling washing machines or cars or steel or plastic—things worth less than a dollar that are sold for more than a dollar at a dollar store. Housing, of course, needs lower mortgage rates to get sales going. Tech doesn’t care about mortgage rates; they just want to create software that reduces some of the friction you encounter in the process of buying a home. Lower rates make it more likely that people start new companies, but most new companies are too small to need major enterprise software. Companies we talk to can see small-cap companies go up, but big enterprise software? Not so much.”

Cramer notes that the Federal Reserve cut rates to help control inflation, which benefits more businesses overall. However, in the tech industry, the focus is on increasing efficiency through automation, often resulting in fewer employees. These tech companies aim to avoid being affected by the Fed’s decisions because relying on them would indicate weakness and vulnerability to the economic cycle, which they actively seek to evade.

“The Fed wanted to be sure that inflation is contained and going in the right direction, which then allowed them to relent and cut by 50 basis points. Now, more businesses in the East can thrive, but out here, the presumption is that all enterprises are trying to raise margins, often by automating everything that can be automated, which means using fewer people. These tech companies are automators; they never want to be hostage to the Fed. They don’t want you to be hostage to the Fed because that would be a sign of weakness—a sign of cyclicality. Oh, they hate cyclicality. Why be hostage to the business cycle if you don’t have to?”

Rising Stars: Artificial Intelligence (AI) Boosts Profits Even as Sales Slow

Finally, Jim Cramer emphasizes that many people see artificial intelligence as a key player in today’s market. Companies that leverage AI can improve their profit margins, which boosts earnings even if their overall sales are declining. This means that even without increasing sales, AI can help businesses become more profitable.

Our Methodology

This article summarizes Jim Cramer’s latest Morning Thoughts, in which he analyzed several stocks. We selected 12 companies and ranked them by their ownership levels among hedge funds, beginning with those that are least owned and moving to those that are most owned.

At Insider Monkey we are obsessed with 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).

Salesforce.com Inc. (NYSE:CRM)

Number of Hedge Fund Investors: 117

Jim Cramer reported that during his one-on-one interview at Dreamforce in San Francisco, Salesforce.com Inc. (NYSE:CRM) CEO Marc Benioff criticized other companies in the artificial intelligence space. He specifically called out Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), highlighting the billions spent on its AI tool, Copilot, which he deemed wasteful. Benioff emphasized that AI should serve as an agent capable of making informed decisions based on user data.

“Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff called out all other purveyors of artificial intelligence in my one-on-one interview at Dreamforce in San Francisco. He took a direct shot at Microsoft, noting the billions of dollars wasted on its AI tool Copilot. You want to use AI as an agent that can understand decisions based on your data, he said.”

Salesforce.com, Inc. (NYSE:CRM)’s positive outlook is backed by strong Q2 2024 earnings, with $8.6 billion in revenue, a 17% increase from last year, and a net income of around $1.2 billion. This success comes from significant growth in subscription and support revenue, driven by high demand for its cloud solutions. As more businesses go digital, Salesforce.com, Inc. (NYSE:CRM)’s strong position in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) allows it to capture a larger market share.

Salesforce.com, Inc. (NYSE:CRM) is also investing heavily in artificial intelligence through its Einstein platform, which enhances customer experiences and streamlines sales, especially with new generative AI features. Strategic acquisitions like Slack and Tableau have expanded its product range, improving collaboration and analytics.

With a diverse and growing customer base, Salesforce.com, Inc. (NYSE:CRM) appeals to both small businesses and large enterprises. Salesforce.com, Inc. (NYSE:CRM) focus on sustainability and social responsibility resonates with market trends, enhancing its reputation. Recent innovations in product features and an expanded partner ecosystem highlight Salesforce.com, Inc. (NYSE:CRM)’s commitment to improving user experience and collaboration, showcasing its growth potential in the tech industry.

Ithaka US Growth Strategy stated the following regarding Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM) in its Q2 2024 investor letter:

“Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM) is the largest pure-play cloud software company, holding a leading market share in customer relationship management applications and a top-five market share position in the company’s other clouds (Marketing, Service, Platform, Analytics, Integration, and Commerce). The company’s software subscription term-license model differs from the traditional perpetual-license software model in two respects:

(1) the software is hosted on centralized servers and delivered over the internet, as opposed to traditional enterprise software that is loaded directly onto customers’ hard drives or servers; and (2) the revenue model is subscription-based, typically charging monthly fees per user as opposed to charging one-time licensing fees. The stock’s weak relative performance followed its fiscal first-quarter earnings announcement, where the company missed top-line and cRPO (current remaining performance obligations) estimates while also issuing weak forward guidance.”

Overall CRM ranks 6th on our list of the stocks that should be monitored closely according to Jim Cramer. While we acknowledge the potential of CRM as an investment, 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 CRM but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.