We recently published a list of Jim Cramer On 9 Stocks That Are Rallying Despite Tariff Worries. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) stands against other stocks that Jim Cramer discusses as rallying despite tariff worries.
On Monday, Jim Cramer, the host of Mad Money, told viewers that they should not be too surprised by President Donald Trump’s decision to impose steep tariff hikes, a move Trump had promised during his campaign. Cramer emphasized that just because there were numerous announcements coming from the president does not necessarily mean the world was falling apart. Trump had been clear about his intentions, including putting tariffs on countries like Mexico, Canada, and China.
Cramer addressed the widespread panic that gripped many investors when Trump announced the tariffs. The tariffs were steep: 25% on Mexico, 20% on Canada (with an exception for oil, which would be hit with 10%), and 10% on China. Cramer found it surprising that so many people were caught off guard by these moves, given that they were in line with Trump’s campaign promises.
“Yet that’s all I heard last night and this morning where once again we heard that the world was ending with the market looking like it’s about to fall apart only to rebound when we got an amenable statement from the president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum.”
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“Sheinbaum said that she had a good 30-minute conversation with respect and that “It’s about collaboration, coordination without losing sovereignty.” I like that… I know that a month from now, everything could change.”
Cramer further explained that while Mexico does face a $162 billion trade deficit with the U.S., Trump’s focus on halting illegal immigration and combating fentanyl smuggling was still central to his agenda. In Cramer’s view, this initial agreement with Sheinbaum was a victory for Trump, even if it was just a preliminary step. The market, which had been in turmoil before Sheinbaum’s comments, reacted positively to her peace offering. Cramer highlighted that Trump could now claim a win, as the agreement likely involves Mexico purchasing more American goods.
“So here’s the bottom line: Stop panicking when Trump does something you think is crazy, and remember that he promised to do most of this stuff before he was elected, and he still won. Many might say this is a precarious moment. I heard that again and again. I simply say you got what your country voted for, whether you like it or not, really it doesn’t matter. So get used to the turmoil. You don’t have to enjoy it. Remember that in the end, the president sure does.”
Our Methodology
For this article, we compiled a list of 9 stocks that were discussed by Jim Cramer during the episode of Mad Money on February 3. We listed the stocks in the order that Cramer mentioned them. We also provided hedge fund sentiment for each stock as of the third quarter of 2024, which was taken from Insider Monkey’s database of 900 hedge funds.
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).
A single diner enjoying an elegant meal in a sophisticated restaurant setting.
Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 28
Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) runs full-service restaurants and is home to popular brands like Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse. Cramer noticed the company stock’s recent gain as he said:
“There’s some real crazy stuff that happened today. If you offered a value meal, your stock went up higher. Brinker, Darden, Dutch Bros, McDonald’s, Starbucks, they all moved higher.”
In December 2024, discussing Darden (NYSE:DRI), Cramer said:
“Take a look at the stock of Darden today, the parent of Olive Garden and Longhorn Steakhouse, it’s up almost 15%. Now, these places are not cheap… One of my favorites is not cheap… Despite the prices, Darden numbers are outstanding and that’s because all of these prices… they actually represent premium value. 14 bucks for an endless pasta bowl is a good deal. 35 smackers for a dynamite porterhouse cut? I know it sounds like a lot, but go compare it to other steakhouses, you’ll find it is a steal.”
Overall, DRI ranks 2nd on our list of stocks that Jim Cramer discusses as rallying despite tariff worries. While we acknowledge the potential of DRI as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that 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 DRI 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.
