On Friday, Mad Money host Jim Cramer outlined what investors should focus on in the week, especially pointing to earnings reports from major banks.
“Rumor, innuendo, intrigue these are the stuff of great novels, of fabulous miniseries, riveting plays, and now they’re the stuff of the stock market.”
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He noted the chaotic nature of the current environment and remarked that “this tape has it all,” and emphasized how unpredictable developments from the White House have added to the turbulence. Cramer noted that information is being released constantly, through press conferences, posts on Truth Social, or casual remarks, and that each has the potential to move vast sums of money across asset classes.
“Trillions of dollars in and out of bonds, of currency, of gold, of crypto,” he said, all based on impulsive statements. He pointed out the sheer volume of contradictions in the news cycle and stressed, “Except this isn’t an eight-part blockbuster, it’s our money.” Cramer lamented how even social media activity, like tweets, can trigger massive swings in the markets. He noted that Friday’s market action felt like it was shaped entirely by this dynamic.
Cramer questioned whether the market might be in the process of forming what he called a “liberation day bottom,” a moment when selling pressure finally ends because investors feel that all the bad news is out. But he acknowledged the uncertainty of that theory as he said, “Not sure, I’m just not sure.” He added:
“Have you ever noticed the weekends don’t provide relaxation anymore because the president’s got advisors? He’s got to put people out. He wants to tweet. He’s got meetings. No relaxation time, no downtime…. Monday’s trading, well, let’s just say that it looks like that it’s earning season so it’s gonna be even harder than usual.”
Our Methodology
For this article, we compiled a list of 15 stocks that were discussed by Jim Cramer during the episode of Mad Money aired on April 11. We listed the stocks in the order that Cramer mentioned them. We also provided hedge fund sentiment for each stock 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).
Jim Cramer’s Game Plan: 15 Stocks to Watch
15. Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 144
Ending his game plan for this week with Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX), Cramer remarked:
“Finally, after the close, Netflix reports. Now, we’re lucky to have Friday off for Good Friday because studying the hydra-headed Netflix call requires a huge amount of time. I always leave a lot of time for it. See, each time it reports, management talks about the rollout of its ad-supported subscription tiers, and the darn ad business is incredibly lucrative. It is what still draws me to the stock. There was a time when the Netflix quarterly conference call was the most exciting thing that happens to us in this business. But the bottom line, that was before the election. These days nothing coming out of Netflix can possibly keep up with the endless drama from the White House.”
Netflix (NASDAQ:NFLX) is a global streaming service. It delivers movies, TV shows, and original programming to millions of users worldwide.
14. Blackstone Inc. (NYSE:BX)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 67
Highlighting Blackstone Inc.’s (NYSE:BX) data center business, Cramer commented:
“Okay, we also hear from Blackstone, that’s the private equity firm, on Thursday morning. Now, normally, we wouldn’t be all that focused on this one, but Blackstone has this gigantic data center business within the company and we need to keep up on these because there are all sorts of doubters now about the data center. That had been a theme that I thought could last for some time, and right now people feel that theme is over. Now, Blackstone will tell us otherwise it could help the beleaguered stock of NVIDIA and a bunch of the companies like Vertiv if Blackstone is positive on data centers.”
Blackstone (NYSE:BX) is a well-known firm in alternative asset management. It focuses on real estate, private equity, hedge fund strategies, credit, secondary fund investments, public markets, and multi-asset approaches.
13. American Express Company (NYSE:AXP)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 71
Ahead of American Express Company’s (NYSE:AXP) earnings report, Cramer advised to listen to the conference call before making any trading decision.
“We recently featured American Express as part of its 150th birthday celebration. Now, this is a company that trades on new card signups, especially from younger people and I think that it’ll deliver on that strength when it reports on Thursday morning. Be careful though because American Express’ stock trades badly the morning it reports. Badly, meaning it doesn’t reflect the fundamentals one way or the other. So it might drop eight points or go up eight points and then reverse. I just want you to listen to the call before you pull the trigger. Trust me on this. I know I’m right.”
American Express (NYSE:AXP) provides various payment options. Its services include credit cards, charge cards, banking products, travel support, expense tracking, merchant tools, fraud protection, and loyalty programs.
12. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 150
Calling UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) a “universal buy”, Cramer said:
“How about a gimme? I think this company’s the only gimme that I’ve seen this week. This is as close to one as you’re gonna find, not too high a price-to-earnings multiple, not yet overly loved, purely domestic business, has pricing power. This is it. It’s a universal buy.”
UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) is a healthcare organization that offers health plans, care services, pharmacy support, and wellness programs. It also delivers software, consulting, and data tools to companies in the healthcare sector. Burke Wealth Management stated the following regarding UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) in its Q4 2024 investor letter:
“UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH): Before I discuss our decision to reduce United Health, I want to express our sadness and disgust regarding the tragic murder of UHC CEO Brian Thompson. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family. His murder played no role in our decision to reduce UNH.
We cut our weighting in United Health in half following sluggish third quarter earnings and the initial discussion of 2025 guidance that highlighted one too many headwinds for us to maintain a 6% weighting in the stock. The big issue weighing on the managed care stocks during 2024 has been a reduction in Medicare Advantage reimbursement rates. 2024 was year 1 of a 3 year plan by the government to reduce reimbursements for Medicare Advantage plans. For UNH, 2024 was a year of share loss in the Medicare Advantage business as they had to craft plans with higher copays and lower levels of coverage in order to profitably compete in the space. Competitors like Humana and CVS Aetna weren’t quite as aggressive as UNH in 2024 on adjusting their Medicare Advantage plans and those companies achieved the winners curse of selling more money losing plans. Both of those stocks were down 45% for the year as they suffered one earnings debacle after another. UNH managed through the early phases of this more challenging reality better than its competition. As we looked forward to 2025, we expected to see a rebound in Medicare Advantage market share as competitors chose greater price discipline over bankruptcy. We got that. However, joining Medicare Advantage on this list of concerns was higher than expected Medical Loss Rates (the percent of premiums UNH pays for medical care) due to higher utilization in certain popular drugs that the Inflation Reduction Act removed copays from as well as continued disruption related to the Change Health cyber-attack from April. The disruption from the cyber-attack will ultimately pass but is already taking longer to work through than anticipated. Basically, following the attack UNH gave its hospital partners wider leeway when it came to approving treatments to ensure that any treatments that normally would be approved would not be held back as a result of the attack. Naturally, the approval pendulum swung further than planned and this continues to be an issue that UNH will have to work through with hospital partners and customers. The utilization spike related to the Inflation Reduction Act was a new item of concern courtesy of a few pages tucked neatly inside a thousand page bill that nobody read. More benefits for people, yes. Higher premiums coming as a result, yes. Inflation Reduction an appropriate name for a bill that provides this combination, no. All told, the combination of these three headwinds means that 2025 is going to be a year of 8%-10% earnings growth rather than the long-term target of 14%-16% growth. We will continue to assess this position and the appropriate weighting as we move through 2025.”
11. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 186
Coming to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM), Cramer noted:
“A few minutes after 2:00 AM on Thursday, we get to listen to Taiwan Semiconductor talk. Now, lots of people think that this call has become a proxy for NVIDIA, this is NVIDIA’s foundry. If it’s strong, Nvidia flies. Now, that linkage is now antediluvian and it hasn’t held up under closed scrutiny in the last couple of quarters. Well, I’m going to listen but this time only for the color on the entire semiconductor space. Not as a one-for-one for Nvidia.”
Taiwan Semiconductor (NYSE:TSM) specializes in manufacturing, packaging, testing, and selling integrated circuits and other semiconductor products. During March 24’s episode of Squawk on the Street, Cramer remarked:
“Stargate and Taiwan Semi are the two that matter the most. Taiwan Semi if they can build the two-nano, the small ones, not the large ones that go into cars. If Taiwan Semi works out, then that’s a hedge against what we read about every day in the papers about what the Chinese government is doing.”
10. Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 96
Mentioning that Costco Wholesale Corporation’s (NASDAQ:COST) business performed well in March, Cramer stated:
“We’ve also got retail sales. Now, I keep hearing that sales were weak and that this month’s been strong because of demand being pulled through ahead of the tariffs. But I don’t know. I looked at Walmart, Amazon, and Costco, and their businesses were all really strong in the month of March. I bet the retail number is strong too and the long-term interest rates might even go higher than they did this week. This would, I should have pointed out that interest rates went up so much this week that it really disturbed a lot of the trading.”
Costco (NASDAQ:COST) operates through a membership warehouse model. It sells bulk quantities of name-brand and store-brand items at lower prices to shoppers looking for value. It is worth noting that in early April, Cramer said:
“Costco. Huge winner. Why? Because they have a club. The club’s [inaudible] is to pass on anything and it’s still gonna be cheaper. So we cannot lump all these together. We lump them initially. Costco’s gonna be down as much as. Target. But then we have to come back and say maybe Target should stay down but Costco should go up. So there’s like a secondary look at things.”
9. Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 339
Cramer mentioned Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) and said:
“We’ve also got retail sales. Now, I keep hearing that sales were weak and that this month’s been strong because of demand being pulled through ahead of the tariffs. But I don’t know. I looked at Walmart, Amazon, and Costco, and their businesses were all really strong in the month of March. I bet the retail number is strong too and the long-term interest rates might even go higher than they did this week. This would, I should have pointed out that interest rates went up so much this week that it really disturbed a lot of the trading.”
Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) offers various services that include e-commerce, subscription-based programs, and advertising tools. Last week, Cramer commented:
“But I do believe right now there’s negotiations, let’s say with Amazon. Amazon has a lot of stuff that is made, that’s branded, and I don’t think that stuff’s coming here. I think that stuff’s frozen until they come up with negotiations. […] You’re Amazon, you want to screw the Chinese, the Chinese want to screw you. The only thing you can do is have some sort of meeting of the minds and someone has to pay. […] I’m looking to see whether Amazon’s going to go out of stock on some key things because they were made in China and they canceled the purchase order. I think that they will.”
8. Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 116
Discussing retail sales data that is to be announced on Wednesday, Cramer mentioned Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) and said:
“We’ve also got retail sales. Now, I keep hearing that sales were weak and that this month’s been strong because of demand being pulled through ahead of the tariffs. But I don’t know. I looked at Walmart, Amazon, and Costco, and their businesses were all really strong in the month of March. I bet the retail number is strong too and the long-term interest rates might even go higher than they did this week. This would, I should have pointed out that interest rates went up so much this week that it really disturbed a lot of the trading.”
Walmart (NYSE:WMT) is a retail business that offers a wide range of products. Its selection includes groceries, health items, electronics, clothing, and private-label goods.
7. ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 86
Cramer highlighted ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML) during the episode as he said:
“ASML Holding, that’s a Dutch company, is a crucial semiconductor capital equipment business. It also reports and I fear that it will miss as it did last time, causing all the high-end semiconductor stocks to roll over. And by the way, AMAT was up big today. That would go down big if ASML misses. Talk about opaque. I don’t even know if these guys know how they’re doing right now. It is such a complicated company.”
ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) develops high-tech semiconductor equipment such as lithography, metrology, and inspection systems. It supports chip manufacturers in producing different semiconductor technologies and provides system upgrades and technical assistance.
Generation Investment Management stated the following regarding ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML) in its Q4 2024 investor letter:
“ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML), a Dutch company and a recent addition to our portfolio, is a critical enabler of the semiconductor industry. They provide advanced lithography equipment, which is essential for producing semiconductors. As demand for chips accelerates – driven by AI, electrification, and broader applications across the economy – ASML stands to benefit significantly.
ASML operates in a near-monopolistic position in lithography machines, thanks to decades of engineering expertise and innovation. Over the past five years, the company has grown revenues at 20% annually. We expect the company’s revenue growth to moderate but continue to grow strongly, in line with the semiconductor industry. Margins are likely to expand over time, underscoring ASML’s high quality and earnings potential.
There are risks. Short-term volatility in orders, and geopolitical trade restrictions, could affect growth. Over the long term, disruptive innovation outside of lithography poses a challenge, though we believe ASML’s position is secure. We therefore find the valuation of the company attractive. We are confident in its ability to compound value over the coming years.”
6. Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 66
As Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) is set to report on April 15, Cramer remarked:
“Wednesday morning, Robert Ford from Abbott Labs will tell his usual terrific story about the company’s strong franchises while having to mention the special baby formula lawsuits that have hurt the stock’s valuation for such a long time. It was 14 points higher not that long ago during that ridiculous rotation where I told you I had to sell some. These stocks are now all the way back down. That rotation was horrendous and I’ll still like to find out what firms did that because they should be kept away from anybody’s money.”
Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) is a healthcare company involved in researching, developing, producing, and promoting a broad range of medical products. On March 14, during an episode of Squawk on the Street, Cramer said:
“Now I do wanna point out a stock that we’ve been selling for the Charitable Trust, Abbott Labs. There’s a lawsuit that’s been overturned, we talked about that when Robert Ford was on last time. About a very particular kind of specialized infant baby food. A shocking overturning and I’m getting ready to wanna buy the stock back.”
5. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 47
Cramer mentioned J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) as part of his game plan as he stated:
“After the close, we get to hear J.B. Hunt… Now these guys are their own worst enemies. I’m on their call… and they are like so downbeat. It’s incredible. It’s like they’re down on themselves. I want to send them a, I don’t know, the Michelin man down there, give them a couple of laughs. They need some help. Please be more upbeat.”
J.B. Hunt (NASDAQ:JBHT) offers transportation, delivery, and logistics services. It operates using its own fleet and internal resources. When Cramer was asked about the company on April 8, he replied:
“Okay, don’t want to be bigger than a small position. It is a transport, it is a trucking company and we could be going into recession and it’s not a good group going into a recession.”
4. Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 98
Discussing drug stocks, Cramer mentioned Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) and discussed:
“The drug stocks have been having a huge conundrum, right? I mean they have danced to the tune of a new FDA, which falls under the purview of a different kind of guy, RFK Jr. at Health and Human Services. He’s not exactly pharma-friendly. Meanwhile, they’re supposed to be manufacturing all their drugs here or else they’ll be hit with big tariffs.
Vaccines are no-nos, at least allegedly. Monkeys are not to be used for testing anymore. It should be used, AI should be used. And in the case of Johnson & Johnson, reports Tuesday morning, we get an update on the firm’s legal strategy against those suing the company for cancer that was allegedly caused by J&J’s baby talc powder. This stock has been stuck in a range forever. It’s a wild one, but at least it’s not in a perpetual downturn like some of the other pharma companies. I think it could reverse course and break out as long as we get some big news on any new drug. And by the way, it has a lot of great drug franchises, more than almost every other one.”
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) is a healthcare company engaged in researching, developing, manufacturing, and marketing a broad range of medical products.
3. Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 113
Commenting on Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC) during the episode, Cramer said:
“Tuesday, we hear from two more big banks and by this time, I gotta tell you, when we see the numbers from Bank of America and Citigroup, our eyes are going to glaze over. They shouldn’t but they will. I think that Bank of America will be the usual fine self and Citigroup’s gotten so loved that it’s probably going to roar no matter what is said, such is the admiration for CEO Jane Fraser and she certainly earned it.”
Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) is a long-standing financial institution. It offers services such as savings accounts, checking accounts, loans, investment management, and wealth planning. Hardman Johnston Global Equity Strategy stated the following regarding Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC) in its Q4 2024 investor letter:
“Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC) is the second largest bank in the developed world and operates the third largest branch network in the US. With 86% of revenues coming from the US, the bank is a clear beneficiary of the lower regulatory environment expected from the incoming administration. The company’s business is highly diversified across retail, commercial, wealth management, and investment banking, with significant scale across all verticals. Management believes there is a big opportunity going forward in growing and monetizing its mass retail client base. Wealth is another huge opportunity, with the Merrill Lynch platform enabling customers to make more transactions and purchase additional products. Lastly, Bank of America has an opportunity to increase efficiency through cost reduction and online banking. Our expectation is for the bank’s ROE to move significantly higher, driving EPS growth and higher multiples.”
2. Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 101
As Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C) is set to report on April 15, Cramer commented:
“Tuesday, we hear from two more big banks and by this time, I gotta tell you, when we see the numbers from Bank of America and Citigroup, our eyes are going to glaze over. They shouldn’t but they will. I think that Bank of America will be the usual fine self and Citigroup’s gotten so loved that it’s probably going to roar no matter what is said, such is the admiration for CEO Jane Fraser and she certainly earned it.”
Citigroup (NYSE:C) delivers financial products that include cash management, trading services, and investment banking. After the company reported earnings in January, Cramer said:
“Last week we finally got some positive action for the stock market in 2025 with the S&P 500 gaining nearly 3% and turning positive for the year. Cooler inflation data pushed down long-term interest rates and we got flooded with great earnings reports. So what performed best during last week’s rally? When you look at the top performers, there are really some interesting patterns here. Two of the big banks that reported strong quarters made the list. Both Goldman Sachs, which we own for the Charitable Trust, and Citigroup rallied 12%.”
1. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 81
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS) was mentioned during the episode, and here’s what he had to say:
“Alright, well, let’s start with Goldman Sachs, right? That’s what it’s, it’s the first bank stock. It’s the first stock that reports this week and I’ve gotta tell you, usually doesn’t report on Mondays. It’s interesting. JPMorgan stole the show today with a monster good quarter. Wells Fargo was too run of the mill. That one hurt me for my Charitable Trust. I don’t know… Morgan Stanley, better. Goldman’s by far the most controversial. Why? Because as an investment bank, its business can be pretty episodic.
I think Goldman can do it because Goldman’s a changed firm, one that’s no longer gripped by the picaresque tradition of Wall Street. I bet CEO David Solomon can deliver on the top and bottom lines and the top because of trading, that used to be their forte, and the bottom because of rationalization of the bank’s table of employment. Basically, they can beat the numbers by firing a bunch of people, which they’ve been doing. It’s smart to do that. We’re in a different market.”
Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) is a financial firm known for investment banking. It also provides wealth management services and other financial solutions.
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READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires.
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