Jim Cramer, the host of Mad Money, on Friday talked about what investors should expect in the week as another round of quarterly earnings approaches.
This market is kind of just meandering. It’s erratic. It hates the banks one day, likes the banks another. Despises big tech one day, favors small tech the other. Passing on semis except the ones with the least intellectual property. Not liking NVIDIA, liking Sandisk. And yes, this was a week of magical investing where you buy any crazy new small-cap thing, and you turned out to be making a lot of money. Just make sure, though… it was called nuclear power, or space travel, or quantum computing, or crypto. As long as that is in the title, it made you money… Once again, the averages tell you none of this… The indices just percolate along again, punctuated by bursts of small-cap buying.
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Cramer said Thursday morning will bring the latest reading of the PCE price index, which he described as an important inflation measure. He said that he expects the data to come in restrained. He also noted that investors should be prepared for a flood of commentary from Federal Reserve officials afterward. He went on to say that President Donald Trump will eventually choose a Fed chair who will push rate cuts through, and added that, “That’s all you need to know.”
So here’s the bottom line: It’s an awfully odd week, this second week of earnings season, as light as the next week is heavy. Except for a couple of cases, I think it’s best to keep your bat on your shoulder and hope for a better set of pitches.
Our Methodology
For this article, we compiled a list of 14 stocks that were discussed by Jim Cramer during the episode of Mad Money aired on January 16. We listed the stocks in the order that Cramer mentioned them. We also provided hedge fund sentiment for each stock as of the third quarter of 2025, sourced 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).
14 Stocks on Jim Cramer’s Game Plan for This Week
14. SLB N.V. (NYSE:SLB)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 70
SLB N.V. (NYSE:SLB) is one of the stocks on Jim Cramer’s game plan for this week. Cramer showed caution ahead of the company’s upcoming report, as he remarked:
Lots of people have been loving SLB of late, that’s the old Schlumberger. They’re seeing potential contracts in Venezuela for this oil service company. But I just looked at the price of crude, though, below $60 a barrel. I think that it’s very hard for SLB to deliver special numbers when it reports on Friday.
SLB N.V. (NYSE:SLB) provides technology and services for the energy sector. It offers solutions in field development, hydrocarbon production, carbon management, and energy system integration. The company delivers well construction, reservoir evaluation, drilling, and production optimization technologies. Ariel Investments stated the following regarding SLB N.V. (NYSE:SLB) in its third quarter 2025 investor letter:
Lastly, SLB N.V. (NYSE:SLB) traded lower during the quarter, pressured by a challenging macroeconomic environment. OPEC+ supply increases and heightened geopolitical uncertainty weighed on oil prices, dampening upstream investment activity. Revenue softness and margin pressure in the Reservoir Performance and Well Construction segments impacted results, despite solid contributions from Digital and Production Systems services. Looking ahead, we see medium-term tailwinds as national oil companies accelerate investment in long-cycle projects to offset expected production declines. With unmatched scale, broad technical capabilities, and strong exposure to resilient international markets, we believe SLB remains the best-positioned oilfield services provider to meet rising global energy demand.
13. McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 40
McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) is one of the stocks on Jim Cramer’s game plan for this week. Cramer did not show much optimism around the company’s upcoming numbers, as he said:
The food stocks have been miserable, but one that still has a premium multiple because of its impressive growth from yesteryear is McCormick. We’re going to, look, you know what, we have to see if that can stick. Now, I liked this stock before, when the growth was from overseas. I frankly don’t know if it’s capable of really beating the numbers anymore, though. The packaged food business, I’m calling it the new coal in this market.
McCormick & Company, Incorporated (NYSE:MKC) produces and sells spices, seasonings, condiments, and flavor products for consumers and food manufacturers. While discussing the stock during the October 3, 2025, episode’s game plan, Cramer noted that he just does not “trust the whole group.” He commented:
Then we get results from the always reliable McCormick. Problem is, though, reliability hasn’t been enough to move the needle for this stock. The spice maker still has a premium multiple at a time when the packaged food group has fallen totally out of favor in this market. Let’s put it this way, if any food company can do well on a slowdown, it’s McCormick because spices are excellent trade down material. The stock’s down nearly 10% for the year and well off its high, so it has a fair chance to bounce, but I just don’t trust the whole group. Earlier this week, Conagra reported, and it bounced a tad on an inline number, so there’s some hope. But food’s now a tough business. It’s too hard for me.
12. Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISRG)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 99
Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISRG) is one of the stocks on Jim Cramer’s game plan for this week. Cramer was bullish on the company’s upcoming quarter, as he said:
What else? I think that the lone surprise blowout next week will come from Intuitive Surgical, which had a monster quarter last time. But I bet that the numbers still aren’t high enough. That means that the estimates can go higher. One day, these upside surprises will come to an end, I think, because competition from Medtronic may matter. Even J&J wants in this. Not yet.
Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISRG) designs and manufactures robotic systems and instruments that enable minimally invasive surgical and diagnostic procedures. Cramer mentioned the company during the episode that aired on October 22, 2025, and said:
When you want amazing and you get amazing and your stock’s up a lot, you’ll, well, then you’ll probably get a pullback. Now, I want you to contrast all this with the best-performing stock in today’s session, which is… Intuitive Surgical. Here’s a company that fell out of favor as there hadn’t been as much utilization of their incredible Da Vinci surgical machine of late.
This time, though, there was strong double-digit… procedure growth, up 16% and with the real kicker, the Leerink Partners research said that those procedures grew because of after-hours use. That’s greater leverage of fixed costs. Nobody saw that re-acceleration coming, which is how Intuitive Surgical could rally nearly 14% today.
11. Capital One Financial Corporation (NYSE:COF)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 129
Capital One Financial Corporation (NYSE:COF) is one of the stocks on Jim Cramer’s game plan for this week. During the episode, Cramer discussed the company’s performance in light of President Trump’s comments on the cap on credit card interest rates. The Mad Money host stated:
We also get results from a company we own for the Charitable Trust called Capital One Financial. You’ve probably seen their ads. Capital One’s the giant credit card issuer that’s gotten hammered when the president suggested earlier this week a temporary cap on credit card interest rates. Remember, that was last weekend. I get where he’s coming from, okay, but if you cap those rates, most Americans simply won’t be able to qualify for a credit card. These companies would rather stop lending than just lend at a loss.
Remember, it’s unsecured debt. I think the president’s moved on to the next issue, which is why the banks are rallying again. Capital One’s going up with them. The company has plenty of cash. I hope it’ll talk about its humongous buyback on its conference call. We also want a game plan about what it’s going to do with its Discover credit card network. That could be gigantic, but it hasn’t told us enough yet.
Capital One Financial Corporation (NYSE:COF) provides banking and financial services, including credit cards, loans, deposit accounts, and commercial banking solutions.
10. Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 81
Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) is one of the stocks on Jim Cramer’s game plan for this week. Cramer highlighted that the stock has been performing quite well after the CEO change, as he remarked:
After close, Intel reports. This stock’s been flying ever since Lip-Bu Tan came in as CEO. Under his leadership, Intel’s started to reclaim the mantle of America’s best semiconductor manufacturer… Of course, given how competitive that world is, Intel’s actual earnings may not be big enough. After this run, you know what, let’s give this one a rest, okay?
Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) designs and manufactures processors, chips, memory, and related hardware. Additionally, it provides software, optimization solutions, and AI-enabled platforms. Cramer highlighted the company’s comeback during the January 14 episode, as he commented:
Finally, let’s talk Intel, which has been way too hot… last year’s most surprising comeback story. The chipmaker seemed like it was being eaten alive by NVIDIA and AMD. The former CEO Pat Gelsinger, practically ran it into the ground with his ambitious plans to build semiconductor manufacturing facilities…. A lot of people were worried about this national treasure. But then they brought in Cramer fave Lip-Bu Tan as CEO, and he has managed to wrangle a bailout from the federal government, which took a nearly $9 billion stake… Once Uncle Sam got on board, even NVIDIA made a $5 billion investment in Intel. The stock’s been on fire ever since because once they cleaned up the balance sheet, Intel instantly became a much better story, and the investors had a much better bottom line.
When you look at Intel’s daily chart, you see a textbook uptrend. The stock made a terrific move higher in September. It’s been making a pattern of higher highs and higher lows ever since. The MACD line is now flashing a buy signal. Remember what I told you that when it goes over that line, it’s bullish. The on-balance volume has been steadily marching higher. Nice progression there. The only fly in the ointment for Intel is that the relative strength index, RSI, has reached overbought territory. We don’t want it over that line…. That’s why I say it’s been too much of a rocket ship. But Lang says stocks can stay overbought for weeks before the share price starts coming down, so I think we’re okay here. Right now, he thinks that Intel’s making a run at $55, oh man, and could see it eventually going into 2021 highs in the high 60s. It’s a shocking move. And perhaps only the federal government and Jensen Huang, who did the investing for NVIDIA, really caught the bottom. By the way, Jensen Huang, very good friends with the Lip-Bu Tan.
9. Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 83
Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX) is one of the stocks on Jim Cramer’s game plan for this week. Cramer noted that the stock tends to go down after it reports. He said:
Now, we know copper and gold have been red-hot, so I have to believe that Freeport-McMoRan, a copper and gold producer, will get its fair share of money coming in. I like gold, and I think that even up here, it can still be bought. As for copper, it’s a little pricey, but it is needed in the data center. Look, it’s a twofer. Stock… has tended to go down after it reports.
Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX) is a mining company producing copper, gold, molybdenum, silver, and other metals. ClearBridge Investments stated the following regarding Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX) in its fourth quarter 2025 investor letter:
Most recently this included adds to Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE:FCX), a global copper producer and one of our top contributors for the quarter, following a price drawdown related to an operational incident late in the third quarter. We believe management handled the situation effectively, and the dislocation reinforced our view that duration can be an advantage when owning high-quality assets tied to long-term secular demand.
8. GE Aerospace (NYSE:GE)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 102
GE Aerospace (NYSE:GE) is one of the stocks on Jim Cramer’s game plan for this week. Mad Money’s host highlighted the stock as a “Cramer fave,” as he commented:
Another Cramer fave, GE Aerospace also reports that morning and given all the backlog of planes, I can’t imagine it’ll be anything other than spectacular. And I don’t think that spectacular is too positive a word for a company that’s captained by the great Larry Culp. I don’t know if you saw him when we were up at Harvard Business School. I think he’s tremendous.
GE Aerospace (NYSE:GE) manufactures commercial and defense aircraft engines, power systems, and related components. In addition, the company provides maintenance, repair, and overhaul services along with spare parts for aviation and military applications. During the November 5, 2025, episode, Cramer praised the company’s CEO, as he stated:
I’m drawn to companies that are doing new things, innovating, improving, but most companies just aren’t doing that. I’m drawn to companies like the one Larry Culp re-invented, the old General Electric, now GE Aerospace. He led an amazing turn, and it produced bountiful gains for anyone who believed. It made you a huge amount of money, a life changer for all who got a piece of it…
What Larry created here, the three huge businesses that could have been, well, nothing if he hadn’t taken drastic action is testament to what you can do if you’re a thoughtful, hardworking, driven, big thinker like Larry… who saved one of the most storied companies on earth that was teetering on the precipice when he was, when he got there.
7. The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 87
The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) is one of the stocks on Jim Cramer’s game plan for this week. Cramer explained why the stock is a part of the Charitable Trust’s portfolio. He said:
Procter & Gamble reports on Thursday. Now listen to me. I don’t expect any fireworks or anything really good out of the company that’s had to pre-announce a number of negative factors ahead of the quarter. So why the heck do we own Procter for the Charitable Trust? Because it has a new CEO, because everyone knows the brands are tremendous. Most of all, because the stock’s down so much that I know it can bounce, especially with that near 3% yield.
The Procter & Gamble Company (NYSE:PG) provides branded consumer goods across beauty, grooming, health care, home care, and family care. The company sells its products through renowned names such as Tide, Pampers, Gillette, Crest, Olay, and Febreze. Cramer mentioned the company during the January 14 episode and said:
So let’s talk about Procter & Gamble and then let’s talk about a pharma company, J&J. Now, here are two companies that have products that you buy, no matter what. You need toothpaste and medicine regardless of how the economy’s doing… Procter’s a different kettle of fish. They have already told us that business isn’t that hot, and they have lots of problems, so be prepared for, it’s the worst because they’ve told you the worst is coming. It might exceed that. Yet its stock went up big today. That’s because even if it’s bad, Procter & Gamble’s still going to do fine versus the cyclical stocks, which are going to get crushed. When you see this one rally on bad numbers, it’s a real tell that things could go south. We bought Procter for the Charitable Trust, totally just as a hedge, hoping that we don’t get a weaker economy. On a day like today, it’s coming in very handy. Maybe you should have a hedge too.
6. The Charles Schwab Corporation (NYSE:SCHW)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 99
The Charles Schwab Corporation (NYSE:SCHW) is one of the stocks on Jim Cramer’s game plan for this week. Cramer highlighted it as one of the stocks that is “hard to keep down,” as he remarked:
Wednesday morning brings two stocks that are hard to keep down. Johnson & Johnson and Charles Schwab… How about Charles Schwab? Alright, this has become the repository of a big chunk of the gigantic pool of money that’s flowing in from baby boomers to the alphabet generations. It’s said to be something like a hundred trillion dollars. That’s a wall of money that I discussed in How to Make Money in Any Market. I think Morgan Stanley, through e-trade, a good quarter by the way yesterday, Robinhood, and Schwab are the three biggest beneficiaries of my aging generation.
The Charles Schwab Corporation (NYSE:SCHW) provides wealth management, brokerage, banking, and advisory services, providing trading platforms, investment products, and financial planning solutions. During Cramer’s game plan aired on October 10, 2025, he mentioned the stock and said:
Schwab gives us its numbers, too. And why do I want to look at this? Well, I like to look at retail participation in the market. I think more and more people are coming back to stocks, one of the reasons why I wrote my book, and I hope today’s meltdown doesn’t drive those people right back out. They won’t if they read it.
5. Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 103
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) is one of the stocks on Jim Cramer’s game plan for this week. Cramer explained why he sold the stock for the Charitable Trust, as he commented:
Wednesday morning brings two stocks that are hard to keep down. Johnson & Johnson and Charles Schwab. J&J has become a pure play on pharma by spinning off its orthopedics division. That’s smart because orthopedics happens to be a commoditized business. Meanwhile, its pharma business has some of the best drugs in the pipe, and they really shine without the knee, hip, and joint business holding them back. J&J still has a talc overhang of people willing to sue the company for all sorts of cancers allegedly caused by asbestos in their old baby powder. Now, I’m not saying these lawsuits don’t matter; that would be heartless. I am saying that they no longer matter to the stock, now that J&J’s fighting each individual claim, which can be daunting to the plaintiff’s bar. I was intimidated by the lawsuits myself, and sold it for the investing club. That was wrong. I regret listening to the Circe sirens.
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) develops and sells healthcare products, including pharmaceuticals and medical technologies, with treatments in immunology, oncology, neuroscience, cardiovascular care, and infectious diseases.
4. United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 66
United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL) is one of the stocks on Jim Cramer’s game plan for this week. Cramer was bullish on the stock before its earnings report, as he remarked:
Next, I’m a big believer in the travel theme. From the end of COVID until today, I think it has never left us. Remember, what I always say: we are long on money and short on time, which is why I would buy United Airlines ahead of the quarter, along with Delta, American Express, Booking Holdings, and Marriott. Those are what I’m going to be… talking [aboout] next week, and we call it the big five travel. They tend to trade all together, and they are all terrific.
United Airlines Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:UAL) provides passenger and cargo air transportation through its mainline and regional fleets. In addition, it offers ground handling, flight training, loyalty program, and maintenance services. During the game plan shared on the October 10, 2025, episode, Cramer explained how the company gives a readout on economic conditions, as he commented:
Wednesday evening, we get arguably the best possible read on this almost dataless economy when trucking giant J.B. Hunt and United Airlines report… United can tell us the difference between the front of the plane, corporate customers who pay a lot of money, and the back, where regular people do their flying.
3. Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 154
Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) is one of the stocks on Jim Cramer’s game plan for this week. Cramer mentioned the company in his game plan and stated:
After the close, we get results from Netflix. I expect the treatise on why the company needs Warner Brothers Discovery, the object of its affection, and is willing to pay a fortune to get it. How big a fortune will it be? I think that’s going to be determined by opponent, Paramount Skydance, which also wants the property. If Paramount, by the way, would just pay $34, this whole saga would end.
Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) provides streaming entertainment, including TV series, films, documentaries, and games. A caller asked for Cramer’s take on the stock during the December 12, 2025, episode, and he responded:
It has been a buy for me all along until they got into this thing with the, with Paramount to buy… Warner Brothers. I mean, what is that? They’ve got the best studios in the world. They don’t need that. Come on, Netflix.
2. 3M Company (NYSE:MMM)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 60
3M Company (NYSE:MMM) is one of the stocks on Jim Cramer’s game plan for this week. Cramer praised the company’s CEO during the episode, as he said:
3M also reports, and this conglomerate has been quietly surprising people lately. CEO Bill Brown, formerly of L3Harris, has been putting his stamp on the company ever since he took over CEO about two years ago. Known as a vicious competitor, he’s made the company far more nimble. I like 3M ahead of the quarter. I like Bill Brown ahead of many other CEOs.
3M Company (NYSE:MMM) is a conglomerate that provides tech-related industrial, electronics, and consumer products. During the December 11, 2025, episode, Cramer highlighted the company’s new product launches, as he commented:
The quarter from 3M, it was superb. This company used to be a fount of new products. They got bogged down by all kinds of litigation related to forever chemicals that wrecked groundwater. Now, 3M is back to innovating. 70 new products launched in the third quarter, 196 year to date. The electronics and safety end market, after putting up slow growth for ages,… better than expected.
As CEO Bill Brown, in his tour de force quarter, said, ‘Our third quarter performance gives us confidence we’re on the right track and reflects the culture of excellence we’re building inside the company as we continue to drive the rigor and op tempo necessary to deliver on our strategic priorities.’ Okay, that may sound like authentic Wall Street gibberish, but it isn’t for those who know how low 3M had fallen. It’s all you need to know is why 3M rallied $11 and 86 cents, 7.66% today.
1. D.R. Horton, Inc. (NYSE:DHI)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 61
D.R. Horton, Inc. (NYSE:DHI) is one of the stocks on Jim Cramer’s game plan for this week. Cramer started his game plan with the stock and remarked:
D.R. Horton, the giant home builder, puts its numbers up. And so far, the home builders, look, to call them disappointing is too positive. That’s the bad news, though. The good news is that we’re beginning to see green shoots in the housing sector. Pricing has come down. Mortgage rates have come down. There’s even talk about allowing you to use your 401K to buy a home without paying any kind of penalty. Alright, that’s up to the president. We’ll see how serious he is about this potentially groundbreaking plan. It would certainly send the stock of D.R. Horton much higher, along with the rest of the home builders.
D.R. Horton, Inc. (NYSE:DHI) builds and sells single-family and multi-family homes across the U.S. Meridian Hedged Equity Fund stated the following regarding D.R. Horton, Inc. (NYSE:DHI) in its third quarter 2025 investor letter:
D.R. Horton, Inc. (NYSE:DHI) is the largest homebuilder in the United States by volume, with a strategic focus on the entry-level and first-time buyer segments. Our investment thesis centers on the company’s ability to leverage its unmatched scale and production-oriented model to deliver affordable homes, a compelling value proposition in a market challenged by affordability. Its extensive presence across numerous high-growth Sunbelt markets solidifies its leadership position. The company’s operational efficiency drives strong cash flow generation, enabling significant capital returns to shareholders through buybacks while maintaining a ‘land-light’ strategy that reduces balance sheet risk. The stock outperformed during the quarter after the company reported surprising results across several metrics, including stronger-than-expected home closings and new orders (flat versus an expected decline), resilient gross margins that beat prior guidance, and a 2% year-over year decline in construction costs. Management also raised share repurchase guidance, signaling confidence in future cash flows.
While we acknowledge the potential of D.R. Horton Inc. (NYSE:DHI) as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that 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 DHI and that has 100x upside potential, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock.
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