We recently published a list of Jim Cramer’s Latest Lightning Round: 7 Stocks in Focus. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) stands against other stocks that Jim Cramer discusses in latest lightning round.
On Thursday, Jim Cramer, the host of Mad Money, pointed out that the ongoing fears surrounding President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariff policies continued to impact the market. The concerns, coupled with uncertainty regarding the implementation of these tariffs, contributed to significant market declines that day. He highlighted that the Dow dropped by 537 points, the S&P 500 fell by 1.39%, and the Nasdaq tumbled by 1.96%. Cramer stated:
“It can all be traced to a gratuitous message on his social media platform that said that April 2nd, tariffs are going to go on, not that anyone thought they wouldn’t.”
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Cramer pointed out that if one did not know better, it might seem as though the president purposely wanted to derail a recovering market. He added that the administration’s actions felt like a reminder of the way Walmart runs its business, always striving to lower prices for consumers, but in this case, the prices being slashed are in retirement accounts like 401(k)s and IRAs. Cramer further explained:
“What I think President Trump doesn’t understand right now is just how easy it is to send this market down.”
Cramer noted that the market has become extraordinarily sensitive to trade issues, and there is often something that goes wrong whenever new actions are announced, especially when they are driven by the president’s frustration.
Cramer also raised concerns about the unpredictability of the president’s decisions, which are often influenced by anger and frustration. He expressed confusion over why Trump makes these moves, suggesting that some believe the president actually prefers quick, dramatic downturns in the market, rather than a slower, more controlled descent. He added:
“But the quick and noisy retribution to the action of our thoughtless trade associates takes us by surprise and the uncertainty is crushing us.”
One example Cramer highlighted was Trump’s sudden announcement of a 200% tariff on French wine, champagne, and other alcoholic products coming from Europe. The president posted the statement in all caps, emphasizing its importance. Cramer pointed out that while such a move might benefit certain producers like those in Napa, it would likely cause a significant price increase on beverages like champagne, which would see their prices triple on store shelves. He questioned whether the White House fully understood the consequences of such decisions and said that he did not know.
Our Methodology
For this article, we compiled a list of 7 stocks that were discussed by Jim Cramer during the episode of Mad Money aired on March 13. We listed the stocks in ascending order of their hedge fund sentiment as of the fourth quarter of 2024, which was taken from Insider Monkey’s database of over 1,000 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 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).
Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 120
Cramer was asked about Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) during the lightning round and here’s what he said:
“Okay, if you believe that the data center is coming to end the world, why do we need more power? Why do we need more utilities? If you think it’s okay then I think at this point, I would actually pull the trigger on Vistra.”
Vistra (NYSE:VST) is a company that supplies electricity and generates power for a diverse group of customers, ranging from residential to commercial and industrial sectors. Meridian Hedged Equity Fund stated the following regarding Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) in its Q4 2024 investor letter:
“Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) is an integrated retail and power generation company with operations across the U.S., primarily serving Texas and the Midwest. We believe Vistra is well-positioned to capitalize on the structural tightening of power markets, as electricity demand accelerates, and baseload generation capacity continues to retire. This trend has been amplified by the rapid growth of AI, which is driving unprecedented demand for data centers and the power required to run them. These factors create a favorable pricing environment for Vistra’s generation fleet, especially its nuclear and gas assets. The company has locked in much of this value via hedging, providing clear visibility into future cash flows. Vistra has also successfully grown its retail business and completed a strategic acquisition of Energy Harbor, which added a portfolio of nuclear, retail, and renewable assets.”
Overall, VST ranks 1st on our list of Jim Cramer discusses in latest lightning round. While we acknowledge the potential of VST 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 VST 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.
