Why Jim Cramer Sold Best Buy Co (BBY)

We recently published a list of Jim Cramer Talked About 7 Stocks & Stagflation Fears. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE:BBY) stands against other stocks that Jim Cramer talked about.

On Friday, Jim Cramer, the host of Mad Money, shared his thoughts on the events of the week, especially reflecting on how fear can be easily spread by discussions about potential tariffs. He pointed out that much of the day was filled with fear-mongering over the possibility of tariffs impacting anyone who buys or sells imported goods.

“You saw it all morning, although fortunately at least on our hour, we decried the negativity and suggested that perhaps we should take a glass-half-full approach. I’m in the minority.”

READ ALSO: Jim Cramer Recently Talked About These 12 Companies and Jim Cramer’s Game Plan: 9 Stocks in Focus

He noted, “The market can’t get to where it might have to go, which is conceivably lower because there are many people who still believe that the tariffs will mean nothing.” Cramer mentioned that while it will be worse than that he does not believe the situation is as catastrophic as some might fear.

“Then there are other people, chiefly I think traders, who decided that the administration’s slapdash approach to these tariffs has created so much confusion that we could be headed for a stagflation economy and nobody hates stagflation more than Wall Street.”

In such an environment, Cramer noted, only short sellers would stand to profit. That said, Cramer mentioned that he does not think the direct consequences of the tariffs will be as severe as some expect. He believes that most people won’t feel much of a difference and that it won’t trigger another round of price hikes like those seen during the pandemic.

“In the end, what I saw here is bigger than a head and shoulders pattern…. The charts can’t stop it. The bears can’t stop it. But the palpable sense of dread that analysts and some of my compadres in the media can keep you out of it, they can. What can I say? Journalists’ fear mongering has done more to keep you out of big, long-term winners than any other force.”

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 21. 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).

Why Jim Cramer Sold Best Buy Co., Inc. (BBY): “Tariffs Are a Game-Changer”

A busy retail store showcasing a wide range of consumer electronics.

Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE:BBY)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 38

Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE:BBY) was mentioned during the episode, and here’s what Cramer had to say:

“Of course, I want to be empirical here. Some industries will be hurt badly because they have a huge concentration of products from overseas. We sold our Best Buy for the Charitable Trust because of the tariffs.”

Best Buy (NYSE:BBY) is a retail company that offers a selection of technology products, such as computers, smartphones, electronics, home appliances, entertainment products, and various other items. Carillon Tower Advisers stated the following regarding Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE:BBY) in its Q4 2024 investor letter:

“Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE:BBY) pulled back after its second-quarter earnings release exceeded expectations. Investor sentiment grew tepid over concerns that election outcomes could impact the company’s business. Sales also may have been hindered by a compressed holiday season and a lack of innovative new products.”

Overall, BBY ranks 1st on our list of stocks that Jim Cramer talked about. While we acknowledge the potential of BBY 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 BBY but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.