In this piece, we will look at the stocks Jim Cramer discussed.
In a recent appearance on CNBC’s Squawk on the Street, Jim Cramer discussed the impact of the Justice Department serving the Federal Reserve with grand jury subpoenas and threatening criminal indictment as part of the Federal Reserve’s overhaul of its historic buildings. When asked about the reaction by the bond market, the CNBC TV host tied the performance to macroeconomic indicators:
“Well the bond market actually doesn’t react to the President, thank heavens. You know, look, we’ve got lower inflation, I think that things are better, I think that’s why we have a Fed chief that has really made a series of cuts that were rather aggressive. Despite the fact that we have a pretty good economy. The President would tell you that. David, does the President tell you every day that we don’t have the greatest economy in the world? Which usually means we got to be a little bit careful about inflation. Right now we’ve got a good economy, not a great economy, and plenty of reasons why rates can go lower. . .”
Our Methodology
To make our list of the stocks that Jim Cramer talked about, we listed down the stocks he mentioned during CNBC’s Squawk on the Street aired on January 12th. We also provided hedge fund sentiment for each stock as of the third quarter of 2025, which was taken from Insider Monkey’s database of 978 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 427.7% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 264 percentage points (see more details here).
10. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings: 166
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s been in the news as the year starts to settle. The firm made the news earlier this week after it announced that it would use Google’s Gemini to power an upcoming version of Siri. The announcement was key as far as Cramer was concerned since he had predicted that it would occur as the stock struggled at the start of 2026. Along with the CNBC TV host, analysts have also been busy discussing Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s shares this month. For instance, Bank of America kept a Buy rating and a $325 share price target as it commented that strong services growth and iPhone demand could create favorable outcomes in the upcoming report. However, Keybanc maintained a Sector Weight rating, sharing that its spending index for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) had dropped below the three-year average. Cramer discussed the consumer technology company’s deal with Google, his discussions with SVP Services Eddie Cue, and the shares:
“Well look it’s nutty to try to figure out the impact away from that. But, you know, Carl you can sit there and you can think, who can’t be regulated by the government directly. Maybe they have a better shot. Would the President say, you know what I don’t like how much Apple is charging for services? They made too much money. Which is something we’re going to hear this morning, Apple just announced that service business is terrific, something which by the way is exactly the opposite of what Wall Street is saying.
“And by the way Carl, we’re not even talking about Apple having better than expected service revenue. Apple’s been down, down, down since the year began because people think the service revenue is going to be disappointing. That’s clearly wrong, we’ve got a statement on the tape today saying it’s actually pretty good, so let’s keep that in mind.
“You know Apple’s been a big dissapointer since the year began and the reason is frankly people felt that services were coming down, that literally the numbers would be too high for Apple because of that. I spoke to Eddie Cue, obviously very important number two at Apple, and it’s just the opposite. Services are incredibly strong, much stronger than people expect. All the people who thought that that was not the case are dead wrong. I think the numbers will come up, they can’t do that yet. And. Eddie also told me, look, Gemini’s the winner. It looks like Apple foundation model is going to be built on Gemini, there are a lot of people who felt that who is, maybe their going to do a fair look, they did, they did a fair look and they decided, Google is the best. So it’s really fabulous for Gemini, and I would argue, it is really good for Apple.
“Yes, those businesses are all better than expected. Now, services, fantastic gross margins. Apple should be up. The fact that Alphabet’s down is just plain stupid. That’s been a big winner all morning. So I just say those are the two places to go if you wanted to make some money, Eddie Cue, very optimistic, to me it seems the numbers are just plain too low, and the people who’ve been selling it, are dead wrong. You want to own Apple, not trade it, it’s been the right thing to do, it’ll be the right thing to do today.”
9. Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBD)
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings: 70
Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBD) is at the center of attention once again due to being at the center of takeover attention from multiple media giants. The bidding war started last year after Paramount Skydance made a bid for the firm. Paramount was later joined by Netflix and Comcast. Cramer and his co-host David Faber have discussed the deal on several occasions since it was announced. More recently, Cramer asserted that if Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBD) was offered a higher offer price, then it might be more open to Paramount’s advances. However, Paramount seems to have lost patience, as after increasing the bid offer to $22.50 from an initial $19, the firm sued Warner Bros. and demanded that the latter share more details about the bid from Netflix. In this appearance, the CNBC TV host insisted that the lawsuit was the incorrect move:
“Yeah David, it’s curious, when I listened to your [inaudible] interviews with the chairman, we know where the CEO is, David Zaslav. This is not the way to get the job done. It’s kind of a big waste of time, and a lot of attorney’s fees for Paramount. David, isn’t it ironic that there is a price that you could pay, and Netflix has to lose, and yet they won’t pay it?”
Contrarius Global Equity Fund also discussed Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBD) in its third quarter 2025 investor letter:
“Importantly, while there has been some rotation within the Fund, certain of the Fund’s holdings that have rerated are still regarded as extremely attractive. Our top three positions at 30 September—Tesla, Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBD) and Paramount Skydance (Paramount)—have been amongst our largest holdings for some time. All three have been large contributors to performance over the past year. while Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount have also performed well of late, they continue to trade well below our estimate of their intrinsic value. Their more recent outperformance should be seen in the context of their underperformance over prior years. While meaningful outperformers over the last year, both Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount have been negative contributors over five years. We believe that there is substantially more value in both. Our Q2 2023 Quarterly Commentary discussed the investment case for both of these companies. In addition, while not necessary for our investment case, we believe that there are meaningful catalysts in the short to medium term from expected consolidation in the US media sector.”
8. Paramount Skydance Corporation (NASDAQ:PSKY)
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings: 37
Paramount Skydance Corporation (NASDAQ:PSKY) news in January after it decided to sue Warner Bros. Discovery as part of its acquisition attempt that kicked off in 2025. Following Paramount’s bid, Warner has also seen interest from Comcast, and more importantly, Netflix. With the deal having the potential to reshape the media landscape, the firm demanded in its lawsuit that its target disclose its discussions with the streaming giant. The lawsuit came after Paramount Skydance Corporation (NASDAQ:PSKY) gradually increased its bid offer from $19 to $22.50. In his previous comments, Cramer commented that Warner might be interested if the offer price increased to $34. Naturally, the CNBC TV host wasn’t impressed after he learned about the lawsuit:
“Yeah David, it’s curious, when I listened to your [inaudible] interviews with the chairman, we know where the CEO is, David Zaslav. This is not the way to get the job done. It’s kind of a big waste of time, and a lot of attorney’s fees for Paramount. David, isn’t it ironic that there is a price that you could pay, and Netflix has to lose, and yet they won’t pay it?”
Contrarius Global Equity Fund discussed Paramount Skydance Corporation (NASDAQ:PSKY) in its third quarter 2025 investor letter:
“Importantly, while there has been some rotation within the Fund, certain of the Fund’s holdings that have rerated are still regarded as extremely attractive. Our top three positions at 30 September—Tesla, Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Skydance Corporation (NASDAQ:PSKY) (Paramount)—have been amongst our largest holdings for some time. All three have been large contributors to performance over the past year. while Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount have also performed well of late, they continue to trade well below our estimate of their intrinsic value. Their more recent outperformance should be seen in the context of their underperformance over prior years. While meaningful outperformers over the last year, both Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount have been negative contributors over five years. We believe that there is substantially more value in both. Our Q2 2023 Quarterly Commentary discussed the investment case for both of these companies. In addition, while not necessary for our investment case, we believe that there are meaningful catalysts in the short to medium term from expected consolidation in the US media sector.”
7. Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO)
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings: 50
Pharma giant Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) created quite the buzz last month after its weight loss pill secured approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), following which the shares jumped by more than 7%. The weight loss pill marked a key win for Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) as the firm has reportedly lagged behind Eli Lilly in the weight loss drug industry. After the approval, BMO Capital reiterated a Market Perform rating and a $46 share price target for the company. The financial firm outlined that Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) had secured a crucial win as the pill was the first treatment of its kind in the industry. It added that the pharmaceutical company could benefit from a first-mover advantage in the space. However, Cramer cautioned that doctors might be hesitant in advising patients to switch from Lilly’s weight loss drug to the pill. At the JPMorgan Healthcare Conference, the firm’s CEO commented that as many as 1.5 million users could be using compounded weight loss drugs as they were driven by cheaper weight loss treatments. Cramer was also reporting from the healthcare conference in this appearance, and he briefly commented on Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO):
“Right, we’ve got Novo, which I think in a battle obviously with Lilly. . . .I think we have to accept Carl that the vaccine business is under fire.”
6. Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE)
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings: 84
Pharma giant Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE)’s shares are down by 4.7% over the past year and flat year-to-date. UBS initiated coverage of the stock in January as it set a Neutral rating for the shares and a $25 share price target. UBS explained that between $15 billion to $20 billion in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE)’s revenue is tied to drugs that will lose patent protection over the next three years. The commentary followed BMO’s note in December, which had kept an Outperform rating and a $30 share price target on Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE)’s shares. BMO pointed towards the pharma company’s coronavirus business as it outlined that its sales could dip by 23% annually to $5 billion. Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) appears to be focusing on its drug pipeline as the firm reported positive data for its PADCEV (enfortumab vedotin) drug for bladder cancer when combined with Merck’s blockbuster drug Keytruda. However, instead of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE)’s pipeline, Cramer discussed the firm in the context of Health Secretary RFK Jr.:
“Pfizer, you know, principal vaccine company in the country. I think we have to accept Carl that the vaccine business is under fire. I don’t think that Dr. Bourla is ready for a fight with RFK Jr. I think RFK Jr. wins on this. Let’s see what Pfizer has to say, cause they actually have a lot of important vaccines that maybe should be called into question.”
5. Medtronic plc (NYSE:MDT)
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings: 58
Medtronic plc (NYSE:MDT) is a medical device company. Its shares are up by 12.9% over the past year. The past couple of months have seen several analysts discuss the firm. For instance, in December, Truist kept a Hold rating on Medtronic plc (NYSE:MDT)’s shares and reduced the price target to $107 from $110, as per The Fly. The financial firm pointed out that the company’s near-term valuation could experience macroeconomic headwinds. Truist’s action came after Stifel had also kept a Hold rating on Medtronic plc (NYSE:MDT)’s stock, along with a $105 share price target. Stifel’s commentary followed the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of the medical device company’s HUGO platform, which it believes can lead to inroads into the hotly contested US surgical market. More recently, William Blair and Piper Sandler commented on the firm in January. The former upgraded the shares to Outperform from Market Perform, as it opined that the firm could deliver high single-digit earnings per share growth. The latter maintained a Neutral rating and a $105 share price target. With Medtronic plc (NYSE:MDT) expected to report numbers soon, Cramer briefly commented on the upcoming announcement:
“We have Medtronic, looks like better than expected numbers coming there.”
4. Moderna Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA)
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings: 42
Moderna Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA)’s shares are up by 16% over the past year and by 31% year-to-date. The stock has had a great start to 2026 as the firm made optimistic remarks related to its full-year 2025 revenue. During the JPMorgan Healthcare Conference, Moderna Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) raised the revenue guidance to $1.9 billion, which was close to the high end of the previous estimate of $1.6 billion to $2 billion. The firm also cut its operating expenses estimate by $200 million and bumped its cash balance estimate to $8.1 billion. Before the guidance update, Jefferies had kept a Hold rating on Moderna Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA)’s shares and $30 share price target. The financial firm outlined that Moderna Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) should focus on smoothing its coronavirus vaccine business. After the revenue target update, RBC Capital maintained its Sector Perform rating and a $25 share price target. RBC pointed out that Moderna Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA)’s phase three melanoma trial could be a key catalyst in 2026 and added that headwinds such as optimistic revenue growth guidance and vaccine mandate revision remained. Cramer discussed the revenue target:
“I hope they do it. I hope they do it. That’s been a serial disappointment to me for about eight years now. Sorry.”
3. McKesson Corporation (NYSE:MCK)
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings: 73
McKesson Corporation (NYSE:MCK) is one of the largest healthcare products and services providers in America. Its shares have gained 42% over the past year but are down by 5% since late November. In December, Deutsche Bank raised McKesson Corporation (NYSE:MCK)’s share price target to $904 from $861 and kept a Buy rating on the stock. As part of its coverage, the financial firm commented that the healthcare company’s plans to exit its surgical business, through a spin off could be dilutive but also contribute to share price performance. During the same month, TD Cowen kept a Buy rating and a $1,000 share price target for McKesson Corporation (NYSE:MCK)’s stock. The financial firm cited optimism in the health company’s ability to achieve growth and meet its long-term targets. Cramer commented on McKesson Corporation (NYSE:MCK) in the context of President Trump’s feelings about its industry. When asked what he expected to see at the JPMorgan Healthcare Conference, the CNBC TV host replied:
“Most favored nation, the President trying to get pricing down and do direct. Maybe that cuts out the middleman. You can see that it might be bad for McKesson, the President has said he doesn’t like that group. That stock keeps hitting a 52 week high, so, that stock defies the President. Look out.”
2. Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT)
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings: 104
Supermarket giant Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) is one of Jim Cramer’s favorite stocks. Throughout 2025, the CNBC TV host reiterated his opinion that, along with Costco, it had played an important role in keeping prices low for American consumers. Bernstein kicked off the year on a strong note for Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) as it increased the share price target to $129 from $122 and kept an Outperform rating on the shares. The financial firm pointed out that medium to high-income consumers are likely to remain in a stronger position in 2026. A TD Cowen analyst speaking to CNBC also took a similar tone to Walmart Inc. (NASDAQ:WMT) as Cramer. The analyst pointed out that the retailer’s strategy of competing with Amazon is nicely shaping up. Here are Cramer’s thoughts on the matter as he discussed the retailer partnering with Google for Gemini:
“Absolutely and I think that this is something they already have with ChatGPT. Obviously, Gemini continues to, I think, gain strength. You want to have the same kind of deal that they have with ChatGPT. Which is a more intuitive ordering system, kind of like Amazon, literally, I think people would say this is better than Amazon in some ways. Because, I have to tell you, Gemini reaches the point very quickly, where you want to buy it, buy something from Walmart. Walmart also added to the NASDAQ-100, replaces Astrazeneca. David, not a lot of money is indexed to the NASDAQ-100 but people are still buying it in part because of that. Stock was up five at one point which is pretty ridiculous. But it just reminds me David, there is going to be an economic component, a commerce component to the ChatGPT and to Gemini that actually is going to be very valuable for the customers, very valuable for Walmart, and of course, extremely valuable for Gemini and ChatGPT.”
1. Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN)
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings: 332
Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN)’s shares have gained a modest 5% over the past year. Cantor Fitzgerald started the year by slashing the share price target to $260 from $315 and keeping an Overweight rating on the shares. The financial firm pointed out that AI’s potential to generate synergies could lead to tailwinds for internet stocks. While Cantor cut the target, Jefferies raised it to $300 from $275 and kept a Buy rating. Jefferies outlined that despite weak performance by Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN)’s shares in 2025, the firm was in a strong position with its Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud business. AWS, according to the financial firm, provides the software company with exposure to AI inference opportunities. However, according to Cramer, investors need to be mindful of Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN)’s retail business when analyzing the stock:
“Absolutely, it’s funny, just with the drones that Walmart has, where they’re ahead of Amazon. Look, I think Amazon’s disappointment in the market is directly related to Walmart. Which has come on very strong, has some very good ecom initiative where they can deliver to your home. Everybody’s close to a Walmart in the whole country. So I think that when you see Walmart up and you see Amazon down, don’t just presume that’s because Amazon Web Services may not be as strong. I think Amazon Web Services is strong, be thinking Walmart that Walmart is a legitimate challenger, they have a great balance sheet and they’re everywhere.”
While we acknowledge the potential of AMZN to grow, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than AMZNz and that has 100x upside potential, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock.
READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires.
Disclosure: None. Insider Monkey focuses on uncovering the best investment ideas of hedge funds and insiders. Please subscribe to our free daily e-newsletter to get the latest investment ideas from hedge funds’ investor letters by entering your email address below.
z
