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 the recent purchase price index and reports of investment services costs rising. Cramer doubts whether the data paints an accurate picture of the US economy:
“And then, warehouse services. Well, I mean like, that’s why we have robots. So give me a break. The one’s that are really bad, are going to get better. Which is one of reasons I think why the bonds are not going crazy. They look through it, and I think people just say, where are they getting this information? And I don’t think that’s such a bad question to ask after what happened. Where are they getting, when you say talk about the freight recession that the trucking companies have and you see that the freight rates are up, I don’t know who they’re talking to. Who? There’s no freight, there’s a recession.
“. . .Investment services are up? Well, I mean, how is that possible? Unless you’re talking about jamming people with private equity or something?”
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 August 14th.
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).
12. Tapestry, Inc. (NYSE:TPR)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q1 2025: 73
Apparel company Tapestry, Inc. (NYSE:TPR)’s shares have gained 53% year-to-date despite a rather massive 15.7% drop in August. The shares fell after the firm’s fiscal fourth quarter earnings report. The results saw Tapestry, Inc. (NYSE:TPR) guide full-year fiscal 2026 earnings to $5.30 to $5.45 per share, which fell short of analyst estimates of $5.49. At the heart of the lower guide was the firm’s warning that it expected tariffs to hit its income statement. Cramer was surprised by Tapestry, Inc. (NYSE:TPR)’s earnings report:
“[On shares being down due to impact from tariffs] Now there’s one where if you want to have a consumer price index problem, I didn’t that there’s was going to be as bad as it is. And that’s Coach. And you know, wow, I mean they didn’t signal that beforehand. It was kind of, quizzical.”
Previously, the CNBC TV show host discussed Tapestry, Inc. (NYSE:TPR) in significant detail:
“Late last year, the Biden administration’s Federal Trade Commission blocked yet another merger, Tapestry’s $8.5 billion acquisition of Capri Holdings… Despite all the tariff uncertainty, Tapestry was able to raise its sales and earnings guidance. What’s driving the strength? Now, a lot of it’s because the Coach brand keeps getting better and better… Now, why is Coach winning? I think this is another example of what we have seen in the consumer discretionary space for a while now. Consumers want value, not necessarily absolute value, but relative value. They want high-quality goods at reasonable prices…
… The way I see it, even with the once red-hot Kate Spade doing terribly right now, Tapestry’s been putting up great numbers, so if they can turn around Kate Spade, that would be pure upside. In the end, giving up on the Capri Holdings acquisition turned out to be a brilliant move for Tapestry. Rather than buying a bunch of struggling brands, they made a much better investment in their own stock, sold off the unexciting Stuart Weitzman business, and have turned their core Coach brand into a powerhouse.
When your competitors are in bad shape, you don’t try to take them over, you just eat them alive, which is what Coach has been doing to Michael Kors… Given the stock’s incredible performance since last October, obviously the expectations here are high… I don’t think the stock is crazy expensive here, trading at just under 22 times this year’s earnings estimate, 18% earnings growth business looks good.
But considering that the stock’s up 69% for the year, this quarter, I’m calling it inherently risky. Here’s the bottom line: Ideally, I want Tapestry to report a good quarter that doesn’t quite satisfy the shareholder base, causing a sell-off that allows you to buy this stock at a lower price. But if you like the story, you got my blessing to put on a small position before the quarter because from my perspective, Tapestry’s management knows exactly what they’re doing and they’re doing it well.”
11. Ulta Beauty, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q1 2025: 42
Ulta Beauty, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA) is a specialty beauty retailer whose shares have gained 21% year-to-date despite the headwinds faced by the broader cosmetics sector. Ulta Beauty, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA)’s shares jumped by 15% in May after the firm’s first-quarter revenue and earnings beat analyst estimates. More importantly, the firm’s comparable same-store growth of 2.9% was significantly higher than analyst estimates of 0.37%. However, Ulta Beauty, Inc. (NASDAQ:ULTA)’s shares dipped by 1% in August after it announced that it was concluding its partnership with Target. Here is what Cramer said about the announcement:
“[On Ulta and Target concluding their partnership next year] I thought that was very significant because that had been something over and over again, Brian Cornell, CEO of Target, had been telling as a great relationship. I think that Ulta has been, if you look at the chart, incredibly strong stock.
“Ulta Beauty had been the primary way that Elf sold into Target. That’s been their number one way. So you maybe want to look at Elf. And say maybe Elf is going to be hurt a little bit. But then start covering because of Rhode, Hailey Bieber’s.”
10. Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q1 2025: 62
Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) is one of the largest retailers in America, whose shares have lost 24% year-to-date. Cramer isn’t a fan of the stock as he has asserted several times in his previous remarks that the firm needs to reduce prices to increase foot traffic in its stores. However, the CNBC TV host prefers Costco and TJX instead, despite believing that Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) has a good balance sheet. This time, he commented on the end of the firm’s partnership with Ulta Beauty:
“I thought that was very significant because that had been something over and over again, Brian Cornell, CEO of Target, had been telling as a great relationship. I think that Ulta has been, if you look at the chart, incredibly strong stock.
“Target, the exact opposite [of being a strong stock].”
Here are Cramer’s previous thoughts about Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT):
“It’s easy to spot housing wins extended to beaten-down stocks like the Target or Kohl’s. I’m not a fan of Kohl’s, but I am a fan of Target. And the new buyers, the people who aren’t trapped by Fed dogma, know that there’s fundamental worth to Target, and it’s probably higher than here. You don’t need to worry about what that… worth truly is yet because we’re nowhere near when Target reports.”
9. CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRWD)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q1 2025: 64
CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRWD) is a cybersecurity company whose shares have gained 23% year-to-date. However, the shares have trimmed back some of their gains in August after the earnings report of peer firm Fortinet. In its earnings, Fortinet revealed that it might have accounted for half of its firewall refresh cycle, a fact that worried analysts about the slowing growth in the cybersecurity industry. However, Cramer continues to be a believer in CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRWD):
“I was busy working on, jeez what I was doing, I was working on George Kurtz versus Chuck Robbins.
“I know that George Kurtz, at Crowdstrike, has made inroads in a lot of different places. . . Crowdstrike’s cutting down quite a bit. . . .Crowdstrike is a cloud based company that has a lot of, there’s room for everybody. There’s room for everybody. But I think George Kurtz in his own way is an incredibly competitive person. Now this is usually at the point where I mention he won Le Mans, and David says, you know, you’ve said that over and over again.”
Here are Cramer’s previous thoughts about CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRWD):
“Oh Crowdstrike is what, the second most high valuation company after, Palantir. But I don’t care. I think it’s terrific.”
8. CoreWeave, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRWV)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q1 2025: 36
CoreWeave, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRWV), the AI computing infrastructure provider, saw its shares fall by a whopping 33% in August after the firm’s second quarter earnings report saw it post a 27-cent loss, which was higher than the 21-cents analysts were expecting. The massive dip, which came just as CoreWeave, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRWV)’s lockup period expired, indicated just how jittery Wall Street is about AI, as the firm had beaten analyst revenue and revenue guidance estimates. Cramer commented on an “undercurrent” driving CoreWeave, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRWV)’s shares:
“And by the way we have not mentioned the undercurrent of what’s really happening on here today, which is the CoreWeave lockup. The expiration of CoreWeave, CoreWeave has absolutely been crushed. And that comes after today. Michael Entrator talking about competitive. But be aware that there’s an undercurrent there and a lot of people were in that stock and they’ve been pulling away. . . I believe that there’s going to be a lot of selling there.”
Previously, Cramer called CoreWeave, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRWV) one of the biggest winners out there:
“How about big winners? Take CoreWeave, one of the biggest winners this year, gigantically from its $40 price in March. Ben Stoto and I told you to buy this one. It had the misfortune of reporting on the eve of Mr. Bullish’s deal. The numbers were nicely better than expected, befitting the boom in data centers. Unfortunately, the stock plummeted more than 20% today. Why? Because the lockup on insider selling expires tomorrow night. Although there are a bunch of short stories out there, trying to say it was a problem with demand. That’s wrong. Demand is on fire. Totally wrong narrative.
What does matter, though, is a ton of stock coming at you. Remember when I said that the underwriters are only bringing small slivers of stock to the market? Tomorrow, a huge chunk of supply loses the restraints and can start selling, and I think that CoreWeave will go lower. And if you want to buy it, buy it after that.”
7. CVS Health Corporation (NYSE:CVS)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q1 2025: 73
CVS Health Corporation (NYSE:CVS) is a pharmaceutical retailer whose shares are among the top performers in the industry. They have gained 55% year-to-date and are up by 16.8% since late July. CVS Health Corporation (NYSE:CVS) has performed well on the stock market as its rivals continue to struggle. In his previous remarks about the firm, Cramer has commented on the competitive dynamics and speculated that the stock could go even higher. Here are his latest comments about CVS Health Corporation (NYSE:CVS):
“[On a Baird upgrade] I think that they are the last man standing, with Rite Aid pulling back and Walgreen, they’re shutting a huge amount of Walgreen since they were sold. I think that by the way, David Joiner, non-promotional. Did a remarkable job in terms of health insurance. They are the one to bet on if you want to be in that area. I don’t want to be in that area after reading Semblest let’s just put a gun to my head with five bullets I don’t want to go there, just bad ratio.”
Previously, Cramer discussed CVS Health Corporation (NYSE:CVS)’s stock price:
“Right, and remember, Walgreens shrinkings, Rite-Aid gone away, 185 million people now go to these, including 60 million people who use two or more of their offerings. David, I’ve got to tell you, they are, if you remember, the one that was the worst, they’re now the first. David Joiner, congratulations, you know how to price your business. And, they’re getting out of the individual exchange plans in 2026. Goodbye Medicaid?
“Guidance goes, six, six twenty, from five seventy five, six dollars, there’s a stock that going to . . .one hundred dollars!”
6. Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q1 2025: 60
Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) is a pharmaceutical retailer whose shares are up this year primarily due to its acquisition by Sycamore Partners for a $10 billion price tag. The deal came after months of business struggles, which forced the firm to reduce its operating footprint. Cramer’s previous comments about Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA) have discussed the specifics of the deal. Here are his latest thoughts:
“[On a Baird upgrade] I think that they are the last man standing, with Rite Aid pulling back and Walgreen, they’re shutting a huge amount of Walgreen since they were sold. I think that by the way, David Joiner, non-promotional. Did a remarkable job in terms of health insurance. They are the one to bet on if you want to be in that area. I don’t want to be in that area after reading Semblest let’s just put a gun to my head with five bullets I don’t want to go there, just bad ratio.”
Here are Cramer’s previous thoughts about Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:WBA):
“Positive news here in the M&A front. Walgreens. Sycamore’s buying them. They reported a very good quarter last night. First upside surprise that I can recall. Remember Sycamore’s getting the actual drug stores. But I think this is actually very hopeful for Sweeney and his team. I also think David that perhaps, they get to sell some of these healthcare clinic businesses and you’re gonna find that this is, it’s going to work. I can’t believe it.
“I know, that’s why I thought, if this quarter had been really bad I would have said oh boy, they bought more than they could chew. It did not happen. I also think that I am worried about Amazon, and I’ve said it to them over and over again, Amazon is your drugstore. But it’s good to see.”
5. The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q1 2025: 68
The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW) is a paint and chemicals company whose shares have struggled in tandem with the broader sector’s woes. However, the shares might have been in the red this year had it not been for a 10% since July end. The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW)’s shares appeared to have benefited from growing optimism about an interest rate cut after a shocking labor market report. Cramer linked the share price performance to the home renovation market:
“Now I like SHW but we’ve got to be careful. . . But Sherwin-Williams is a belief that people are gonna fix up their house. There’s going to be renovation. That’s always been what you have right here. I think Sherwin-Williams shouldn’t be a Sell.”
Here are his previous thoughts about The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW):
“[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.”
4. The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q1 2025: 102
The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) is a home improvement products retailer. Its shares have gained a modest 2.8% year-to-date on the back of an 8.7% jump since July’s close. Investors, it appears, are betting on growing home building and renovation on the back of interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve after a shocking jobs report. Cramer’s previous comments about The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) have attributed the stock’s performance to home building stocks. Here are his latest comments:
“One of the things that I’m learning to say on my conference call is we own Home Depot. It’s been now a terrific win. But Home Depot is a thesis play. In other words, Home Depot is a buy that we believe that there’s going to be a double rate cut. I don’t think there will be. I think the actual business is not strong right now. Partly because we did not have a good gardening season.”
Previously, Cramer discussed The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) in the context of home building stocks:
“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.”
3. Dow Inc. (NYSE:DOW)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q1 2025: 43
Dow Inc. (NYSE:DOW)’s shares are among the worst performers on the stock market in 2025 as they have lost 40% year-to-date. The firm has struggled due to sluggishness in the broader industrial sector and worries about the impact of tariffs on global trade. Dow Inc. (NYSE:DOW) also shocked investors in July when it slashed its dividend in half and revealed that its packaging revenue had dropped by 8.9% to $5 billion. Cramer isn’t a fan of the stock:
“Dow, can I have a reason? It’s like you’ve got to give me a reason to recommend the stock. You can’t just say you know what we’re going to buy it because it’s low. Cause a lot of that is going to derived by China and I’m not seeing it.”
After Dow Inc. (NYSE:DOW) halved its dividend, Cramer was full of words for the firm:
“A dividend sucker is born every minute. Last week, chemical giant Dow cut its dividend in half, taking it from 70 cents per quarter to 35 cents, saving about $1 billion annually… I heard that the dividend would protect the stock. When Dow’s dividend yield was 5%, the presumption was that you had to buy. Why? Because that was better than the 10-year treasury yield. See, people said you were basically being paid to wait for the chemical business to turn around…
Now, I’ve always championed the notion that we should be looking for what I call accidental high yields, stocks that have fallen so low, not based on the company, but on a market-wide move. Now, these stocks can be terrific investments, but was Dow an accidental high-yielder? If you look at its history, you know that Dow cut its dividend in March of 2009 from 42 cents to 15 cents. So it’s not like they have a long track record of consistency. No. The lesson of Dow is that if you see a yield that’s too high, it’s not a sign of safety, it’s a sign of danger…
I knew it was unsustainable. How did I know this? Two reasons: the declining cash flow and the declining stock itself. The stock was saying, the stock was screaming, my yield’s unsafe. The lesson here is you can’t reach for yield, which is exactly what people were doing, and they were buying Dow for that 5% yield. It’s not a defense, it’s a red flag, what it says is sell.”
2. Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q1 2025: 45
Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL)’s shares dipped by 3.9% in August after peer firm Tapestry warned that it would have to take a $160 million hit to its income statement due to tariffs. Like Tapestry, Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) is also a luxury apparel retailer, and investors were worried that business similarities between the two could also affect the firm’s operations. Cramer’s previous comments about Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) have praised the firm’s latest earnings call but warned that investors were in no mood for stocks with tariff exposure. Here are his latest thoughts:
“Ralph Lauren getting hit for 12 off of Tapestry. And not really as analogous as you think.
“But I thought the Ralph Lauren quarter was really good. And that they were being cautious. Being cautious makes a lot of sense. It doesn’t pay.”
Here is what Cramer said about Ralph Lauren Corporation (NYSE:RL) after its latest earnings report:
“Today, something happened on the Ralph Lauren conference call that was a harsh reminder not to expect that this market cares at all about what’s already happened. It only cares about what’s going to happen next… I gotta tell you, I loved it. Patrice Louvet is an amazing CEO, and Ralph Lauren’s been a terrific performer, a real standout in apparel. The actual quarterly results were phenomenal… Louvet was effusive about the business… which is what made me say this one could be a real winner today on Squawk on the Street.
… That’s everything I wanted to hear. Music to my ears… So I go out hard in favor of the stock on Squawk on the Street before the market opens, okay, emphasizing how Ralph Lauren’s never outta style brand can transcend all the negatives that we keep hearing about every day.
There’s only one problem: they can’t yet. They can’t actually transcend the coming negatives…
I believe that all the good things that Louvet talked about at the top of the call about the brand, the iconic company, the classic styles, well, I think they’re going to win out. I think Ralph Lauren, the company, can navigate its way through this manmade thicket. Still, though, today’s action is a textbook reminder and example of what can go wrong as we go into the fall when the tariffs hit.
I can’t blame anyone, particularly the management of Ralph Lauren, for being cautious. So I buy the weakness in Ralph Lauren, but you have to recognize that this market is rushing headlong toward the stocks of companies with no tariff exposure and away from companies like Ralph Lauren.”
1. The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q1 2025: 77
The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) is an off-price retailer whose shares have gained 9.5% year-to-date, primarily on the back of a 6.5% gain since late August. The shares appear to have benefited from dipping consumer strength, which could push them towards discount stores. Cramer’s previous comments about The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) have discussed earnings and the share price to comment that despite strong earnings, the stock doesn’t rise because investors are shunning stocks with tariff exposure. This time, he discussed The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) when asked if he was as worried about retail stocks with respect to tariffs as Wall Street:
“No I’m not. Although look, I think people could say Jim your charitable trust has TJX. Isn’t that the exact opposite of these branded plays?”
Here’s what Cramer previously said about The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX):
“And look, this is not isolated to tech. In retail, we had terrific names that reported great quarters, Costco and TJX, but then they failed to go up. Wow. They went down… It’s all rotation from companies that are excellent to ones with stocks that got too cheap. We’ll be safe if the market returns to Costco and TJX.”
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