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 recent stock market performance that saw six consecutive record closes in a row. Cramer shared that bullish market news, such as mergers in railroad companies, was driving stocks higher even though some firms had reported disappointing earnings. He also commented that the bullishness meant that other sectors might also perform well:
“No I mean look what’s amazing is this that we have a sea of green even though we’ve just been through some serious declines. And some of that, is David’s world. I mean you sit there and you say, wait a second, Norfolk Southern, Union Pacific, and then you got Chart Industries, that’s another deal that would never be done in the old regime. And then you start thinking, wow, the medium sized banks are going to be doing well. . .so you’ve got M&A versus some isolated earnings misses.”
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 29th.
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. Norfolk Southern Corporation (NASDAQ:NSC)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q1 2025: 49
Norfolk Southern Corporation (NASDAQ:NSC)’s shares fell by 3% after Union Pacific announced that it would acquire the firm. Mergers in the railroad market have been a regular feature of Cramer’s morning show, as he and co-host David Faber were the first to discuss them. Here’s what Cramer said after news of the deal broke:
“Well what’s incredible if you look at the actual rails, it makes so much sense. There’s so little overlap. You wanted East-West. It’s [inaudible] be great thing. There is tremendous congestion, where the two in the Midwest, in Chicago area, it’s so, I don’t see a lot of the overlap that would make you not like it. I think that, if you were a regulator in the previous regime, you might say, you know what, these two will never compete if we let them merge. So we can’t let them merge because now they won’t go against each other. But the fact is, they were never going to go against each other. That’s not, the rails, stop doing that years ago.
“This is a deal where you just would never have seen it. . .I think that they have a feeling that this one’s gonna go. Don’t matter what [inaudible] get it. And, I would argue that if you think there’s going to be big reindustrialization, Carl, you do want it. It makes sense to have this type of seamless rhythm. The rails are, look I think we all wish that we didn’t, that we had more rails in the country, they’re much cleaner, 400 miles to the diesel gallon. You could argue that other countries have them in a much more you, in a superb way, and we’re a little disjointed, This makes a lot of sense.”
11. Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q1 2025: 85
Union Pacific Corporation (NYSE:UNP)’s shares, like those of Norfolk Southern, dipped by a little over 2% after it announced that it would take over the latter. Investors were worried about the deal’s financing affecting the firm’s income statement and balance sheet. Here’s what Cramer said about the deal:
“Well what’s incredible if you look at the actual rails, it makes so much sense. There’s so little overlap. You wanted East-West. It’s [inaudible] be great thing. There is tremendous congestion, where the two in the Midwest, in Chicago area, it’s so, I don’t see a lot of the overlap that would make you not like it. I think that, if you were a regulator in the previous regime, you might say, you know what, these two will never compete if we let them merge. So we can’t let them merge because now they won’t go against each other. But the fact is, they were never going to go against each other. That’s not, the rails, stop doing that years ago.
“This is a deal where you just would never have seen it. . .I think that they have a feeling that this one’s gonna go. Don’t matter what [inaudible] get it. And, I would argue that if you think there’s going to be big reindustrialization, Carl, you do want it. It makes sense to have this type of seamless rhythm. The rails are, look I think we all wish that we didn’t, that we had more rails in the country, they’re much cleaner, 400 miles to the diesel gallon. You could argue that other countries have them in a much more you, in a superb way, and we’re a little disjointed, This makes a lot of sense.”
10. CSX Corporation (NASDAQ:CSX)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q1 2025: 68
CSX Corporation (NASDAQ:CSX)’s shares have gained 9.8% year-to-date, and like other railroads, it has also been a frequent feature of Cramer’s morning show. The CNBC TV host has discussed the firm in the context of the emerging trend of mergers in the railroad industry. His previous comments about CSX Corporation (NASDAQ:CSX) have hinted at hesitance at the firm’s management for the deal. This time, after railroad giant Union Pacific announced that it would acquire Norfolk Southern, Cramer wondered whether Burlington North would buy CSX:
“But the fact is, they were never going to go against each other. That’s not, the rails, stop doing that years ago. So, I look at this and I say, Vena makes sense. The only issue is, okay, so, does Burlington North have to go buy CSX? And they do.”
Previously, the CNBC TV host discussed CSX Corporation (NASDAQ:CSX) and the dynamics of the railroad industry:
“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.”
9. Baker Hughes Company (NASDAQ:BKR)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q1 2025: 67
Baker Hughes Company (NASDAQ:BKR) is an oil and gas production equipment company that has managed to perform better on the stock market when compared to rivals and peers SLB and Halliburton. The stock has gained 9.6% year-to-date on the back of a 16% gain in July due to the firm’s latest EPS and revenue beating analyst estimates. Cramer’s previous comments about Baker Hughes Company (NASDAQ:BKR) have pointed to the strong performance, and this time, he discussed the specifics of the strong performance:
“[$13.6 billion deal to buy Chart] Oh my god, that deal is so smart, particularly in light of liquefied natural gas. They’ve always had the great equipment. They’ve also had, remember they used to have the [inaudible]. They had the welders. You need a lot of welders. That’s a great deal.
“And Baker Hughes is so smart. . . .Baker Hughes has done so much, they were very coherent last week, good call. So much to be able to make it so they’re more than just oil service. You’ve got to hand it to them they’re not letting the price of oil get them down.”
Here are Cramer’s previous remarks about Baker Hughes Company (NASDAQ:BKR):
“But not as many as you would think. I mean, look, oil and gas, you would think that would be terrible with oil in the 60s, they’re doing pretty well. Well, Schlumberger and Haliburton have a hard time. Baker Hughes actually had a good quarter. But then, out of nowhere, you get this LNG deal. And you say, wow, I mean there’s an industry that’s got customers for the rest of its duration.”
8. Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q1 2025: 68
Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB), like its peer Halliburton, hasn’t performed well on the stock market in 2025. The shares have lost 11% year-to-date as the firm is yet to recover from its post-Liberation Day tariff announcement. Yet, operationally, Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB) seems to be recovering as its second-quarter earnings report beat analyst revenue and EPS estimates. Cramer’s previous comments about the firm have pointed to the discrepancy between the firm’s performance and that of Baker Hughes. This time, he reiterated that Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB) is performing poorly:
“Because look at Haliburton and look at Schlumberger. Great companies. SLB. They are doing so terribly.”
Cramer’s previous remarks about Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB) maintained that the firm was performing poorly:
“But not as many as you would think. I mean, look, oil and gas, you would think that would be terrible with oil in the 60s, they’re doing pretty well. Well, Schlumberger [has] a hard time. . .But then, out of nowhere, you get this LNG deal. And you say, wow, I mean there’s an industry that’s got customers for the rest of its duration.”
7. Halliburton Company (NYSE:HAL)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q1 2025: 54
Halliburton Company (NYSE:HAL)’s shares have performed poorly this year as they have lost 19.2% year-to-date. While Cramer doesn’t frequently discuss the firm, his few comments have seen the CNBC TV host ponder whether the stock’s dividend yield is too high and pointed out that, along with peer SLB, it hasn’t been able to perform well in 2025. This time, he reiterated concerns about Halliburton Company (NYSE:HAL) performance:
“Because look at Haliburton and look at Schlumberger. Great companies. SLB. They are doing so terribly.”
Cramer mentioned Halliburton Company (NYSE:HAL)’s poor performance in his previous remarks as well. Here is what he said:
“But not as many as you would think. I mean, look, oil and gas, you would think that would be terrible with oil in the 60s, they’re doing pretty well. Well . .Halliburton [has had] a hard time. . . But then, out of nowhere, you get this LNG deal. And you say, wow, I mean there’s an industry that’s got customers for the rest of its duration.”
6. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q1 2025: 139
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) has been one of the most controversial firms in 2025. Its shares, once thought to be a bellwether against volatility, have lost 47% year-to-date. The stock was gutted in April after poor earnings, and UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) added further fuel to the fire in July when it shared that 2025 earnings would be worse than expected. Here’s what Cramer said about the latest announcement:
“[On firm saying 2025 earnings will be worse than expected]That was just jaw dropping. I mean this is UnitedHealth, which I think people should understand is the gold standard. Even, by the way, Optum, which has been so good and not that good. David, this was. . .the only thing they didn’t talk about, who knows what’s going on with the government, but I don’t know how you could miss by seven bil. That’s a huge, huge number.
“I am just in shock. This is, the inability to be able to forecast what was the seemingly most forecastable set of numbers, is driving me crazy.
Here are Cramer’s previous remarks about UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH):
“UnitedHealth is very, very tricky, and it might be a long-term turn, but I will tell you this, Steve Hemsley is the only person I know who could possibly turn this thing around. Hemsley’s back as CEO, he was amazing. I think you have to have fortitude to be in it. I don’t like the situation because there’s so many winners, as you say, but at least I want people to know that I think Hemsley’s is the real deal.”
5. Centene Corporation (NYSE:CNC)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q1 2025: 72
Centene Corporation (NYSE:CNC) is an American healthcare benefits and insurance company. Its shares have lost 57% year-to-date, to even outpace the losses of beleaguered benefits management giant UnitedHealth. Centene Corporation (NYSE:CNC)’s stock was gutted in July when it crashed by 40% after the firm shocked the market by withdrawing its 2025 earnings guidance due to concerns about Obamacare commercial plans. Centene Corporation (NYSE:CNC)’s shares dipped again after its second quarter earnings, but then pared back the losses after the firm assured investors that it expects to improve profitability in 2026. However, the massive 2025 losses forced Cramer to criticize Centene Corporation (NYSE:CNC) :
“I mean Centene last week, that stock has just been one of the most horrible stocks in the group.”
Here are his previous remarks about Centene Corporation (NYSE:CNC):
“Well, you know, like I heard today, Medicaid may be, they involve Medicaid, Medicaid could be cut back, and that’s not good for Centene, as I read it. Centene, though, sells at eight times earnings. I really think it’s a gem of a company. But then again, as you say, I am biased… But I’m going to say thumbs up to Centene at eight times earnings.”
4. Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q1 2025: 60
Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO), the Danish healthcare company, hasn’t performed well in 2025. The shares have lost a whopping 43% year-to-date and sank by 22% in July after the firm cut its full-year growth guidance to 8% to 14% from an earlier 13% to 21%. Crucially, Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO)’s downbeat guidance was on the back of worries about its weight loss drug Wegovy. Investors weren’t pleased that the firm expects to struggle in the hot weight loss drug market. As for Cramer, he believes incompetence might have a role to play in Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO)’s woes:
“Now that is, I felt, that borders on incompetence, given the fact that we know all of the different uses that are coming. But this company has been challenged, they seem way out of their league.”
Previously, the CNBC TV host discussed Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO)’s exposure to sectoral tariffs by President Trump:
“[If market should start thinking about sectoral tariffs after Trump’s latest remarks] I mean when I heard it first I said okay, so they put a tariff on Novo Nordisk. It’s really good for Eli Lilly. Now that’s not necessarily what we’re talking about but remember this price differential right now. . CVS, Eli Lilly versus Novo. So for Wegovy versus Zepbound. Be interesting to see what happens, I think it’s very bullish for Eli Lilly.”
3. Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q1 2025: 119
Weight loss drug giant Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)’s shares have struggled in 2025 as they have lost 2.3% year-to-date. Yet, despite the stock’s woes, Cramer has remained optimistic about the firm. While the CNBC host has reduced the frequency of discussions surrounding Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) lately, his earlier remarks have not only praised the firm’s lead in the weight loss drug industry but also cited hope for a robust drug pipeline and plans to expand manufacturing presence in the US. This time, he commented that Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) is better than Novo Nordisk:
“[On LLY shares being down] Right, I mean we sold some Lilly for the trust. I mean, Lilly’s just back to where it was last week. Lilly’s better.
“And their’s is the better product too. . .”
Here are Cramer’s previous comments about Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY):
“What I’m thinking, as someone who owns Eli Lilly for the Charitable Trust and who wishes I owned PepsiCo, is that there might be a short-term peak in the use of these drugs (GLP-1s). The Achilles heel of these drugs is that they’re too effective. At some point, you lose enough weight, and you might think you can stop taking them… Whatever the case, if Eli Lilly is going to break out from this level, it needs breakthroughs in new areas, heart, brain, that it just doesn’t have right now, or there has to be some new data that shows something else positive that the GLP-1 drugs can do.
And of course, it’s got to start coming in pill form because people are tired of taking needles. I still like the stock of Eli Lilly. We have a huge gain in this one for the Charitable Trust. We’re going to hang on to it for now. But PepsiCo’s breakout, a lack of Lilly’s breakthroughs, and a reminder that at one point we were thinking of buying the airlines because of these GLP-1 drugs means that I no longer feel as certain about Lilly’s future without science that says these drugs do a lot more than just control diabetes and make you lose some weight.”
2. Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. (NYSE:SWK)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q1 2025: 32
Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. (NYSE:SWK) is one of the largest home appliances companies in the world. Its shares have lost 15% year-to-date as the firm has yet to fully recover from the 27% drop in the days after April’s Liberation Day tariff announcements. July hasn’t been a good month for Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. (NYSE:SWK)’s stock either, as the shares dipped by 7.2% after the firm announced a whopping $800 million gross annualized tariff impact. Naturally, Cramer was stunned:
“Another one that I’m looking at, Stanley Black & Decker, I mean, 800 million dollars in tariff problems. I mean that’s the first one that I’ve heard that’s like woah, are you kidding me? Now they had a lot of China exposure. They moved exposure to Mexico. I mean, wherever they go, President Trump seems to find them. The sales lagged, the tools volumes are weaker, outdoor growth, lighter. Just keep an eye on these things, because, and this one is going to yield an outsized yield, which always gets me worried.”
Previously, he outlined that he’d sold Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. (NYSE:SWK) for his charitable trust:
“… Look, it’s not just Dow. We were attracted to two stocks from our Charitable Trust because of their high yields: Best Buy and Stanley Black & Decker… Stanley would benefit from a potential turn in housing because it seemed natural that once the Fed got inflation under control, it would start cutting rates. Both stocks initially soared same thesis. We sold… Stanley at a small loss, thankfully avoiding a much larger downturn later on… Now, when Stanley last came on the show, they told us they don’t expect to turn until 2027, which was disconcerting because it immediately made me feel the dividend could be in jeopardy between now and then, especially because the company has so much exposure to Chinese manufacturing. Right now, Stanley has plenty of coverage, but its free cash flow is going the wrong way, and I think you’d be reaching for yield if you bought this stock here…”
1. Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE:WHR)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders In Q1 2025: 35
Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE:WHR)’s stock has lost 27% year-to-date, with the latest dip coming in July after the firm cut its 2025 midpoint profit-per-share guidance to $7 from an earlier $10, cut the dividend to $3.60 per share from $7, and guided revenue growth to flat from an earlier 3%. Cramer discussed the poor figures:
“Whirlpool, they’re hurt by the fact that the Koreans, Chinese knew that there was going to be tariffs. So they sent a lot over. Whirlpool, therefore, didn’t do the sales and they cut their dividend pretty big.
“[On whether they were supposed to be a beneficiary of America First] They were a beneficiary. We thought that, that was the point.
“[On dividend cut] Oh that was so awful. Now, by the way, I posted, this is what I’m talking about in terms of how hard it is to get information on the web, alright? So what did Perplexity say about Whirlpool? Oh my, well this is the problem with generative AI. Because they said, and I absolutely love it, dividend, Whirlpool maintained its dividend 70th year of already increasing payouts! Remains committed! There you go. They cut their dividend. And Perplexity says, their dividend’s great as ever.”
Yet, ahead of the earnings, Cramer was quite optimistic about Whirlpool Corporation (NYSE:WHR):
“Let’s talk earnings. Monday, after the close, we hear from two companies that I actually have a fascination about. One is Celestica and the other is Whirlpool… How about Whirlpool? The president’s tariffs on steel made Whirlpool’s competitors more pricey than America’s own. This stock could really fly if we get the kind of opportunity to sell unfettered, full-priced washers and dryers without the dumping of our so-called trading partners.”
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