We recently compiled a list of the Jim Cramer Talked About These 11 Stocks Recently. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) stands against the other stocks Jim Cramer talked about recently.
Jim Cramer, the host of Mad Money, recently shared his thoughts on the surge in cruise stocks, offering a perspective that diverges from the usual focus on the tech sector. According to Cramer, the excitement over DeepSeek’s impact on technology has caused many to overlook simpler, more accessible opportunities. While questions about power plants, data centers, and the future of companies like Nvidia are complex, Cramer finds comfort in identifying opportunities that are easier to grasp. One such opportunity, he pointed out, is with the cruise line operators.
Cramer cited a comment from the CEO of a cruise operator who mentioned that the current macro environment favors experiences over material goods as spending on leisure and travel continues to rise and said:
“Hey, to me it means the cruise lines were cyclical stories before Covid, but now they’ve become genuine secular growth plays and they may stay that way for a generation.”
He emphasized that many investors are still struggling to accept the rapid growth of cruises in such a short time span, despite travel being a massive $2 trillion industry. Cruises, within that context, offer significant value, Cramer noted.
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He also highlighted an important factor that has changed the cruise industry since the pandemic: many cruise companies have become far more disciplined in managing their capacity. Unlike before, when too many ships would flood the market, operators are now taking a more cautious approach, which has made the industry more resilient. This shift, according to Cramer, has strengthened the position of cruise lines moving forward. Despite this, he observed that travel and leisure stocks remain undervalued, as many analysts continue to doubt the staying power of the cruise industry.
While Cramer acknowledged that there are still underperforming companies in the market, including a struggling airline stock he pointed out, he firmly stated that he would prefer to own shares in the worst cruise line over the best airline.
Our Methodology
For this article, we compiled a list of 11 stocks that were discussed by Jim Cramer during the episode of Mad Money on January 28. 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 row of iconic five-star hotel properties from the company situated along the skyline of a major city.
Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 60
Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) operates and franchises hotels, residences, timeshares, and yachts worldwide under various well-known brands. Talking about the company, Cramer remarked:
“Stepping back, I think the travel and leisure stocks remain undervalued because so many analysts keep thinking this story just can’t last… Same reason why Marriott stock keeps climbing.”
On January 28, Marriott (NASDAQ:MAR) reported impressive global growth for 2024, marking a significant achievement with a record 123,000 new rooms added, resulting in a net room growth of 6.8% for the year. As of the end of 2024, the company had more than 577,000 rooms in its development pipeline, setting the stage for continued expansion in the years ahead.
By year’s end, the company had expanded its reach to over 9,300 properties, spanning 144 countries and territories. In its largest market, the U.S. and Canada, Marriott’s (NASDAQ:MAR) portfolio had surpassed 1 million open rooms, distributed across 6,307 properties. Additionally, nearly 263,000 rooms, spread across 2,161 properties, were in the development pipeline in this region alone.
Overall MAR ranks 6th on our list of the stocks Jim Cramer talked about recently. While we acknowledge the potential of MAR 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 timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than MAR 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.
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