We recently published a list of Jim Cramer’s Top 10 Must-Watch Stocks for Savvy Investors. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ:AVGO) stands against Jim Cramer’s must-watch stocks for savvy investors.
Friday Madness
In a recent episode of Mad Money, Jim Cramer described September 6, Friday, as a dismal trading day following a critical non-farm payrolls report. Bulls hoped for weaker-than-expected hiring and steady wages to prompt the Federal Reserve to consider cutting rates. They got what they wished for, but this led to a surprising turn of events: instead of rallying, the market saw a sharp decline, with the Dow falling 410 points, the S&P dropping 1.73%, and the NASDAQ plummeting 2.55%.
“What an ugly day. Just hideous. We came into today knowing we’d have a critical non-farm payrolls report. If you were a bull, you wanted to see weaker-than-expected hiring with wages pretty much in line, because that’s what the Fed needs to see before it can start cutting rates. Voila, we got exactly what we wished for. Maybe we should have been careful, though, because as soon as we got what we wanted, the bulls vanished and the sellers came out of the woodwork, crushing practically everything. The Dow fell 410 points, the S&P plunged 1.73%, and the NASDAQ plummeted 2.55%.”
Cramer noted that September often brings significant profit-taking, making it historically the weakest month for the market. While this might seem like circular reasoning, it’s more plausible than suggesting that fear of a severe economic slowdown drives the sell-off. In fact, big tech companies, which are central to ongoing powerful trends like data centers and accelerated computing, should be seen as buying opportunities during market dips.
“This market has a September problem. Come September, we’re always hit with a tremendous amount of profit-taking, which is why it’s the weakest month of the year. I know that’s somewhat circular reasoning—we sell because we’ve always sold—but it makes more sense than saying people sold tech because they fear a hard landing. Tech, especially big tech, is something you buy, not sell, into weakness if you’re worried about a more severe slowdown.
Why? Well, because big tech is all about powerful secular themes that can keep going even during a recession—and we’re not getting one. I’m talking about the data center, accelerated computing—they’re not going anywhere. Nevertheless, when anything jars the big tech themes of the moment, the market’s reaction is swift, harsh, and horrible.”
Jim Cramer discussed the aftermath of NVIDIA’s recent report, noting that despite his belief that AI is not a bubble, the stocks related to AI have seen substantial gains, particularly in August. He pointed out that September often triggers increased selling, even when companies report results that meet expectations.
“Look at what happened after the company reported last night. I don’t believe AI is a bubble, but these stocks are still up a great deal, especially in August. And September tends to bring out sellers when you get just in-line numbers.”
The Upcoming Debate Between Harris and Trump
Jim Cramer also commented on the upcoming debate between Vice President Harris and former President Trump, scheduled for Tuesday night. He questioned how much the economy will be a focus, speculating that Trump might try to link Harris to recent inflation trends, while Harris may present herself as a more moderate alternative to President Biden.
“Tuesday night’s the great debate between Vice President Harris and former President Trump. I don’t know how much of a role the economy will play in the debate. If Trump’s on his game, he’ll try to tie Harris to the inflation we’ve experienced since COVID. I suspect that Harris will try to portray herself as more moderate than President Biden.
Either way, I doubt there’ll be anything specifically market-moving, even if the candidates say something newsworthy about their tax plans. Keep in mind that the winner in November likely won’t have the Senate votes to totally rework the tax code, whether we’re talking about Harris’s capital gains tax or Trump’s 19th-century-style tariffs.”
Jim Cramer Urges Investors: “Please Do Not Give Up the Ship Here”
Then he discussed the upcoming release of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) on Wednesday, which will provide another update on inflation. He emphasized that if inflation remains steady or decreases, the Federal Reserve will have more flexibility to lower interest rates and potentially avoid a recession, addressing concerns from many sellers. Cramer urged investors to stay confident and not to abandon their positions based on these uncertainties.
“Wednesday, we get another read on inflation—this time from the Consumer Price Index. What can I say? As long as inflation stays the same or goes lower, the Fed has plenty of leeway to cut interest rates and prevent a recession—the thing so many sellers are worried about. That’s why I keep telling you, please do not give up the ship here.”
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Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ:AVGO)
Number of Hedge Fund Investors: 130
Jim Cramer discusses Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ:AVGO)’s recent earnings report, noting some weakness in AI orders that caused a broader decline in tech stocks. While Cramer believes AI is not a bubble, he observes that tech stocks, which have been performing well, experienced a sell-off in September, particularly after Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ:AVGO)’s report met expectations but did not exceed them.
Cramer mentions that Melius Research MD Ben Reitzes suggested that Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ:AVGO)’s struggles might be due to some fluctuations in orders from Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG), a point not explicitly clear from the earnings call but one that makes sense to Cramer. Despite these, he still expects Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ:AVGO) to recover.
“Broadcom gave us results that showed a tad bit of weakness in artificial intelligence orders, and the pin action took down the whole darn cohort. I don’t believe AI is a bubble, but these stocks are still up a great deal, especially in August. And September tends to bring out sellers when you get just in-line numbers. That’s what we got from Broadcom. It was in line, it wasn’t a shortfall.
Ben Reitzes, who I quote a lot because he’s really smart, said Broadcom was hurt by some choppiness in Google orders. That wasn’t clear from the conference call, but it makes a lot of sense. That business will bounce back.
The issue here isn’t Broadcom’s reaction, which took down most of the tech. No, it’s the overreaction to Broadcom that seemed to cascade into finance and then anything cyclical. The pain was palpable. To me, this is all about the zeitgeist, not the facts, because so many companies are doing well despite the slowing economy. However, you can’t waste time arguing with the sellers who suddenly want nothing whatsoever to do with this market. Nothing’s going to stop them from taking profits out of fear.”
Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ:AVGO) is a strong investment opportunity, driven by impressive financial results and its key role in AI and semiconductor markets. In fiscal Q3 2024, Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ:AVGO) reported a substantial 47.3% increase in revenue, reaching $13.07 billion, which exceeded analyst expectations. This growth is mainly due to its successful AI semiconductor solutions and the integration of VMware, which added $5.8 billion to its revenue. Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ:AVGO)’s AI segment is expected to generate $12 billion in fiscal 2024, thanks to its advanced AI networking and custom compute solutions for data centers.
Although Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ:AVGO)’s stock fell slightly after it projected Q4 revenues of $14 billion—just under Wall Street’s forecast of $14.04 billion—analysts remain positive about the company’s future. The rising demand from hyperscale customers for AI networking and custom accelerators highlights Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ:AVGO)’s strong position in the AI hardware market. Analysts, including those from Oppenheimer, point out Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ:AVGO)’s diversified business model and robust earnings potential, making it a promising long-term investment with considerable growth potential.
Mar Vista Focus strategy stated the following regarding Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ:AVGO) in its Q2 2024 investor letter:
“During the quarter, we established new investments in Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ:AVGO) and Meta Platforms. We initiated a position in Broadcom in Q2. As a skilled aggregator, Broadcom acquires firms, streamlines their operations, and invests R&D dollars in mission critical products that generate industry leading profit margins, robust cash flows and high returns on invested capital. Its primary markets include AI accelerators targeting generative AI applications, networking & wireless semiconductors, and mission-critical infrastructure software solutions.
Broadcom is well-positioned to benefit from the rapidly expanding demand for custom AI accelerator chips that support the evolution of the generative AI market. The company is the second-largest producer of AI accelerator chips behind Nvidia and leads the market in custom AI ASIC chips. Its customers include leading hyper scalers like Alphabet and Meta who are turning to Broadcom for custom silicon due to its performance and cost advantages. We believe the company is a direct beneficiary of a multi-year capital cycle driven by hyper scalers building out next-generation AI factories…” (Click here to read more)
Overall AVGO ranks 1st on our list of Jim Cramer’s must-watch stocks for savvy investors. While we acknowledge the potential of AVGO 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 AVGO 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.
