In this piece, we will look at the stocks Jim Cramer recently discussed.
In a recent appearance on CNBC’s Squawk on the Street, Jim Cramer discussed why fighter and bomber pilots lead to high defense spending. Cramer shared that redundancies built within aircraft are costly, and wondered whether the value of a human life and the high costs are spurring interest in uncrewed aerial systems:
“And to have, they gotta the guy, when. . .you build a fighter pilot, you build a bomber, they have triple redundancy. Now triple redundancy is really expensive. One engine gets shot, then another,and then they have the third. That’s really expensive. That’s one of the [inaudible] reasons why they’re overrun. Right, so how about you take out the human being and you don’t have to have any redundancies. . .and frankly a lot better. Because we lose a pilot, and we can’t do that. We don’t want soldiers, we don’t want people getting killed.”
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 July 22nd.
For these stocks, we also mentioned the number of hedge fund investors. 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).
11. Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q1 2025: 85
Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP)’s shares are flat year-to-date as they have yet to recover from a 12% drop in April after President Trump announced his Liberation Day tariffs. Over the past month, the stock is flat due to a 3.5% jump since late July after a robust earnings report saw its profit-per-share of $3.03 beat analyst estimates of $2.91 per share. Cramer discussed Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP) in the context of a merger with CSX:
“Well look they have a direct corridor, CSX, direct corridor connects South East Mexico, Texas, US Southeast. That’s Union Pacific. Why would you let that happen? Why would you make it so that you have two railroads that have that area and not make it so that there’s one. And I think Joe Hinrichs, the CEO of CSX, might not want this deal. He’s young. He took over the railroad. He just got there.”
Previously, Cramer discussed Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP)’s merger and stressed that it was a possibility:
“CSX is going to merge with Union Pacific, am I off the rails? I am in charge of the rails. It’s just the way, the people refuse to believe that this is a different government.”
10. Kohl’s Corporation (NYSE:KSS)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q1 2025: 31
Kohl’s Corporation (NYSE:KSS) is one of the most well-known retailers in America. It is also a frequent feature of Cramer’s morning show, with the CNBC TV host initially criticizing the firm and then taking a lighter tone. This time, he commented on Kohl’s Corporation (NYSE:KSS)’s share price performance during the recent resurgence of social-media-driven bets termed as the ‘meme stock’ mania:
“I didn’t have Kohl’s. Which looks to be a meme stock. It’s up very big. . . .they had news, the quarter was just okay. Just okay.
[on whether the quarter would justify a 100% move in the stock] Absolutely not. [There’s a] Very big short position. And there’s a Reddit section that is very excited about it. This is the new world, David.”
“Kohl’s did not blow up. I mean Kohl’s is, got new management. Kohl’s is doing okay. I just think that what matters is that, this is in control of a group of people who are motivated. It’s a short squeeze.”
“I look at Kohl’s and I think, look it’s not going to die. I mean I think it’s got, the last quarter was good. But at the same time, they decided to gut it, I mean Goldman raised the price from five to seven.
“If Kohl’s had any horses, it would very quickly chin up a secondary. I don’t know whether Michael Bender understands this. He’s the interim CEO. But that’s what he should do. He should use this to raise cap.
“But I just look at Kohl’s and I think, look a few minutes ago before this day started, they were looking bad. They’re now looking great. They do have a lot of borrowing. I mean this is not a clean balance sheet by any means. Not at all.
“Yeah they got Sephora. But they have six billion in debt. And they have a chance to just, to take advantage of it. David it would be advantageous if they take enough money to cut that debt to say to five billion.”
9. AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AMC)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q1 2025: 17
Any discussion of meme stocks would be incomplete without AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AMC), and this was also the case during the show. The shares have lost 22% year-to-date as the firm has failed to convince investors about any potential turnaround. Cramer’s previous comments about the firm have discussed its balance sheet and advised viewers against buying the shares. This time, he commented on AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AMC) in the context of his advice to Kohl’s to use the recent share price gains to issue stock and clean up the balance sheet:
“Yeah Adam Aron, he had a really good call there, to be able to raise some capital. He saved the chain. He also sold some stock. By the way he said he was selling it for estate purposes. And who am I to say that it’s not? We don’t know why people sell stock. That’s what he said.”
In his earlier comments about AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AMC), Cramer discussed the firm’s finances:
“Wedbush just upgraded AMC last week. AMC, yeah, lowly worm precisely because it’s got so much IMAX exposure, something that can help the movie theater chain defend its market share… That said, the analyst acknowledged that, ‘They do not see substantial growth in 2025, 2026, or beyond for AMC.’ Personally, I wouldn’t buy AMC stock. It’s a money loser with a hideous balance sheet. Again, the movie theater business is in bad shape with the exception of IMAX, which is why AMC stock is down over 40% for the past 12 months while IMAX is up more than 60%.”
8. Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. (NYSE:CLF)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q1 2025: 43
Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. (NYSE:CLF) is an American steel manufacturer whose shares have gained 16.7% year-to-date. July has been a good month for the stock as it has gained 17.4% since the 18th. Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. (NYSE:CLF)’s shares have gained on the back of a strong earnings report, which saw the firm share that it expects greater-than-expected demand from the key automobile sector. Cramer discussed Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. (NYSE:CLF) in the context of recent remarks made by the firm’s CEO:
“I mean I talked to Cleveland-Cliffs last night. To Lorenzo Goncalves. And he needs capital. He absolutely wants to lower the amount of debt. But he’s also conscious that it would be incredibly dilutive.
“He’s trying to get Canada to have tariffs, too. Big tariffs. Look he’s worried about transshipment. He’s trying to stop transshipment. He thinks there are a lot of countries that dump through Canada, that dump through Mexico.”
In his earlier remarks, the CNBC TV host discussed Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. (NYSE:CLF) after its quarterly earnings:
“What do we make of this incredible comeback in Cleveland-Cliffs stock today, the vertically integrated steel maker focused on value-added steel products, particularly for the auto industry. This stock plunged from the low 20s early last year down to five bucks and change this past May when President Trump approved, and you know I’m against this, the Nippon Steel acquisition of U.S. Steel, which Cleveland-Cliffs also wanted to buy.
But shortly after the deal was approved, Cliffs got a gift from the administration. The president doubled the tariff on steel imports from 25% to 50%. In response, the stock jumped 23% in a single session. And it’s never looked back because, well, the president may have saved the industry, and it exploded higher once again today, up more than 12% when Cleveland-Cliffs reported a better-than-expected quarter. There’s a sense that business will only get better as we process the higher steel tariffs.”
7. D.R. Horton, Inc. (NYSE:DHI)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q1 2025: 67
D.R. Horton, Inc. (NYSE:DHI) is an American home building company whose shares jumped by a strong 17% in July after the firm reported its fiscal third quarter earnings. The report saw the firm post strong figures despite a sluggish housing market. D.R. Horton, Inc. (NYSE:DHI)’s revenue and earnings of $9.23 billion and $3.36 beat analyst estimates of $8.76 billion and $2.88. As a result, investors wondered whether they were too pessimistic about the housing market. D.R. Horton, Inc. (NYSE:DHI)’s results also make Cramer’s remarks self-explanatory:
“By the way, Horton’s not a short squeeze.”
In an earlier appearance, Cramer commented on D.R. Horton, Inc. (NYSE:DHI)’s shares and the market sentiment surrounding them:
“And people are willing to forgive today. . .There is a bias today. Towards saying that things are a little bit better. This is not a bad day. . . .Horton, not good, the market likes it. So there is an element of forgiveness today that I want to note for the companies that are reporting.”
6. Oscar Health, Inc. (NYSE:OSCR)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q1 2025: 41
Oscar Health, Inc. (NYSE:OSCR) is a healthcare coverage plan and reinsurance provider. The shares have gained 6.7% year-to-date, primarily on the back of a 52% jump in June after investor optimism about the Trump administration’s push towards Medicare efficiency. Oscar Health, Inc. (NYSE:OSCR)’s stock was dealt a blow in late July after the firm’s latest earnings report saw it cut its full-year operating earnings from an earlier midpoint of $250 million to a loss of $250 million. Naturally, investors weren’t impressed. Here’s what Cramer said about Oscar Health, Inc. (NYSE:OSCR):
“They told us that was going to happen. All the analysts were right on, on that. So I mean I don’t know how much the stock should go down from here.
“Okay so here’s a good example of finally, if you keep, if the analysts keep telling you that there’s a problem, and you get the problem. The stock doesn’t go down.”
The CNBC TV host discussed Oscar Health, Inc. (NYSE:OSCR) ahead of its earnings. Perhaps his remarks were prescient:
“David I’m hearing this Oscar Health could be in a little bit of a jam. That’s Mark Bertolini. Now I think Bertolini is terrific. . .Yeah but there’s a price target, price target ten dollars, when the stock hit 15, by Wells. I thought they had a price target at 16, they cut it to 10. ‘Pricing not adequate to cover costs.’ . .just be aware that that sector is still untouchable.”
5. Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:SRPT)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q1 2025: 47
Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:SRPT) has had a controversial time on the stock market in July. The firm’s shares have lost 18.6% during the month as the FDA required it to recall a drug after patient deaths. However, Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:SRPT)’s stock rose by 16% on the 28th after the firm denied that a patient death in Brazil was due to its Elevidys drug. Cramer commented on the firm after it agreed to stop its drug shipments:
“[On voluntary pause on shipments after headlines suggested they were defying the request earlier] Yeah I knew that, when you go, you don’t court homicide. Being arrested for it so to speak. . .and then people died, and you can’t. Look, we all know when you have someone die in a trial, that’s the end.”
Previously, he discussed Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:SRPT) after the firm rejected the FDA’s request to stop its shipments:
“[On firm announcing to not comply with the FDA request to stop shipping] Okay, if RFK Jr. agrees with that I guess they don’t need to. I mean this is part of the new government. And the new government, some people would say, is not in keeping what keeping the government of Hamilton and Jefferson, the founding fathers. And I would come back and say, they too have become irrelevant right now. They could be relevant later on but I’m not auditioning for the show of Hamilton here.
“Look they should be prosecuted if they go after them. Because they kill people. And historically, the FDA is a very good institution. . .our FDA’s the best in the world. They may think it’s not, I know it is. . .And that’s it. You know if you kill people with the trial, that drug is stopped. And last I looked, I would prosecute anyone, any company uses that, I would prosecute the CEO for homicide. Why don’t you just say, listen, I’m going against a charge of homicide because you’re killing people with that. The FDA wants to prove, this is a horrible disease, and the FDA would like, wanted, when this was approved to say, alright, we’ll do anything, these people have nothing. There’s no hope. So we’ll do this. But you can’t kill people on a trial. That’s the FDA’s rule. It’s not like Jim Cramer says, that’s the history of the FDA!”
4. Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q1 2025:
Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR) is a stock that Jim Cramer has a bittersweet relationship with. His trust has continued to hold the shares despite the fact that they have lost 11.7% year-to-date. The stock has struggled amidst trade tensions between the US and China. In this appearance, Cramer discussed Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR)’s recent earnings and linked them to market sentiment:
“I want people to know how wrong this market can be. I read Danaher this morning, big company. And I saw that they’re better than expected. In both divisions that I was really worried about. Including the biotech. They actually contained China. Life sciences was much better than expected. CFO left, I don’t mind that he left. Operating margin was better than expected and the stock was down eight. Okay. It was down eight. And I said, okay. You know, keep the, it’s the charitable trust, keep the shoe laces away from me, take my belt away. But, it turns out, that it mattered that all these were good. This is the beginning of a Danaher move. But it went from 182, which was just catastrophic, to be up now. And I think that, what I want people to understand. Don’t look at the stock. Look at the company. Because if you looked at the company, it was a lot better than the stock. . .now I think maybe this is the bottom. I don’t know. But every division was good and I only expected one division to be good. This used to be a great company. Maybe it can be a great company again.”
3. NXP Semiconductors N.V. (NASDAQ:NXPI)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q1 2025: 49
NXP Semiconductors N.V. (NASDAQ:NXPI) is a semiconductor company that manufactures application sensors, power controllers, and other products. The firm’s primary customers are in the auto industry. NXP Semiconductors N.V. (NASDAQ:NXPI)’s shares have gained 10.8% year-to-date but fell by 1.4% after the firm’s latest earnings report. The results saw it forecast $3.25 billion in midpoint revenue and $3.42 in midpoint earnings for the third quarter, both of which missed analyst estimates. Cramer ascribed the weak performance to the auto industry:
“That’s auto. You know, it was auto. Choppy.”
Previously, the CNBC TV host discussed NXP Semiconductors N.V. (NASDAQ:NXPI)’s stock and recommended viewers to buy it:
“Oh my god. So you know… we got a Texas Instruments upgrade early today. We got an Analog Devices upgrade earlier this week. NXPI is the last of the Internet of Things semiconductor company, with a lot of auto, and auto looks good to me. I think you buy NXPI on Monday morning. I do not kid you, Monday morning, we’re going to take a shot at that one.”
2. The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q1 2025: 68
The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) is one of the biggest paint and chemicals companies in the US. Its shares are flat year-to-date on the back of several factors such as analyst downgrades and weak earnings. The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)’s shares lost 5.7% in June after Citi downgraded the shares to Neutral from Buy due to a higher-for-longer interest rate cycle at the Fed. Then, The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) cut its outlook due to soft demand in July. Cramer discussed the cut:
“[On firm saying demand softness expected to continue if not deteriorate in H2] Yeah that’s the do it yourself division. Which is really bad.”
Previously, he discussed The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) and Home Depot:
“Sherwin-Williams, okay, Dow stock now, by the way. I think Sherwin-Williams, look, I like the stock of Home Depot. Home Depot, which is, by the way, less expensive… I think some people are selling it because ICE is lining up in front of Home Depot, and I think the stock’s getting hit because of that.”
1. The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q1 2025: 102
The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) is one of the largest home improvement retailers in America. Its shares have lost 2.9% year-to-date due to persistent sluggishness in the housing market. In his previous remarks about the firm, Cramer also attributed some of the weakness surrounding The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) to a slow gardening season. This time, he discussed the impact of Sherwin-Williams’ bearish outlook for H2 2025 on the shares:
“Home Depot’s up seven and my charitable trust owns that. And now I look at that and I think that’s because of Horton being up and Lennar being up and Pulte being up. But that’s not what references, it’s Sherwin Williams. And that means that maybe it’s too high.”
In an earlier appearance, the CNBC TV host commented on The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)’s link to the housing market:
“Home Depot, now here’s a company that’s seen as being synonymous with the housing market, and the housing market stinks. Well, not enough homes being sold, gotta be bad, right? Well, wait a second. This stock’s now been in the doghouse for ages. It’s also why we’ve been buying for the Charitable Trust. Like Costco, people don’t seem to want to buy Home Depot unless it’s within spitting distance of its highs. They want to buy Home Depot when it’s hot. I want to buy Home Depot when it’s not.
First, let’s deal with this big misperception about Home Depot. It’s not just about home sales. It’s geared to remodeling and renovation. That’s why the despot just spent $18.5 billion to buy a company called SRS Distribution last year that helps contractors with building materials, mainly roofing and pool supplies, and landscaping.
They just spent $5.5 billion on GMS, a drywall, steel framing, and ceiling products distributor. In other words, in the last year, Home Depot’s only improved its position in remodel and renovation while it waits for the housing market to come back. Now, why does this matter? Because you don’t get many chances to buy the stock of Home Depot at a considerable discount to its high. People would rather buy Home Depot at $439, its high from last year, than $373, where it’s trading now. I look at it like this: How often can you buy a quality franchise like Home Depot when it’s not running, when it’s not near its high? Not often.”
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