Jim Cramer, the host of Mad Money, said Friday that in the artificial intelligence arms race, companies have little choice but to spend heavily to remain relevant.
Maybe it’s time to start thinking differently about increments. Right now, we tend to blanch when we hear that a company’s spending north of a hundred billion on something. We get nervous when a company raises a huge amount of money for something amorphous… Let me give you a novel idea: when you hear about these sums, I think you’re going to have to do the unthinkable. I think you need to think of $100 billion as, well, not a lot of money… Instead, a hundred billion just seems to be the entry point if you want to be able to build a thorough set of data centers. Let’s start with the understanding that many of these hundred billion dollar amounts, though, might never be spent.
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Cramer went on to explain that these undertakings are anything but simple. He added that the machines required to power such facilities come with enormous price tags, and estimating the cost to build at scale is extremely difficult. He went on to say, “Most importantly, though, this is 2026, not 2006 or 1996; we’ve had serious inflation and a hundred billion dollars, unfortunately, ain’t what it used to be.” He also mentioned that executives overseeing these purchases and construction efforts expect a faster payoff than many outsiders might assume.
It’s hard to avoid paying $100 billion. So from here on, let’s do this: let’s accept that… the price of admission is a hundred billion dollars, and just hope we don’t have to ignore $200 billion anytime soon.
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 February 27. We listed the stocks in the order that Cramer mentioned them.
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 Radar
14. Tapestry, Inc. (NYSE:TPR)
Tapestry, Inc. (NYSE:TPR) is one of the stocks on Jim Cramer’s radar. When a caller mentioned that they researched and found out that a high number of high school students want Coach handbags, Cramer commented:
Yes, and that is right. And you should own the stock. Your research dovetails exactly with what I hear from Wall Street and from the company. You want to buy, buy, buy some. Buy half of it, and then if it falls, buy some more. That’s the ticket. And thank you for that insight, that’s worth millions for our people.
Tapestry, Inc. (NYSE:TPR) designs and sells handbags, accessories, footwear, and apparel. Its brands include Coach and Kate Spade. Cramer mentioned the company during the episode that aired on December 4, 2025. He said:
I love turnaround stories. If you catch a turnaround early, you can make big, long-term money, and that’s especially true in retail, where comebacks are very hard to find. But if you do find them, ooh, they tend to be bountiful. We’re seeing one right now in Gap under Richard Dickson. We’ve seen one in Williams-Sonoma, of course, created by Laura Alber. I like what’s happening in Tapestry under Joanne Crevoiserat. And who can quibble with the work that Patrice Louvet has done, resuscitating Ralph Lauren.
13. Transocean Ltd. (NYSE:RIG)
Transocean Ltd. (NYSE:RIG) is one of the stocks on Jim Cramer’s radar. A caller sought Cramer’s opinion on the stock, and he replied:
Alright… If it were a $60 stock instead of 6, no one would touch it. The fact is that it can go higher, but I do know it’s got a lot of debt. It’s not my favorite. My favorite is Halliburton, and my second favorite is SLB.
Transocean Ltd. (NYSE:RIG) focuses on offshore drilling for oil and gas and provides high-tech rigs and specialized crews to operate in deepwater and harsh environments. In January 2025, Cramer showed a bearish sentiment toward the stock as he said:
I do not dig RIG. No, no, no. I do not dig RIG, and I’ll tell you why, because if I don’t like SLB, there’s no way I can like RIG because they’re not nearly as good as SLB. So I’m gonna take a serious big-time size pass on your stock.
It is worth noting that since the above comment was aired, the company’s stock has gained around 50%.
12. International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF)
International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) is one of the stocks on Jim Cramer’s radar. Answering a caller’s query about the stock, Cramer said:
We were going to do a piece on IFF because we think that the turnabout is real. And then, let me tell you, sir, we decided to hold off because it went so high. It’s up 22% for the year. But you’re right. IFF is back after being in the wilderness for almost a decade. IFF is back.
International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) creates ingredients for the food, beverage, and personal care industries. The company has three main segments, including health and biosciences, scent, and food ingredients. A caller asked about the stock during the October 8, 2025, episode, and Cramer responded:
Okay, the problem there is that it’s just flatlining. The sales have flatlined. There’s really nothing that I can say that’s good about it. It has no growth, and that’s disappointing. It used to be a better company.
11. USA Rare Earth, Inc. (NASDAQ:USAR)
USA Rare Earth, Inc. (NASDAQ:USAR) is one of the stocks on Jim Cramer’s radar. During the lightning round, a caller asked about the stock, and Cramer remarked:
Okay, so I’m going to tell you this is a totally speculative situation. Now, in How to Make Money in Any Market, I say you can buy one of these, okay? Let that be your one. Do not betray me and buy two of them. That’ll be too dangerous.
USA Rare Earth, Inc. (NASDAQ:USAR) supplies rare earth elements and other critical minerals, including neodymium, dysprosium, terbium, gallium, beryllium, and lithium. Cramer was asked about the stock during the January 6 episode, and he responded, “See, I think that’s one of those years of magical investing stocks, and that year ended. I can’t bless it. Losing too much money.”
We recently mentioned the stock while discussing noteworthy manufacturing stocks. You can read it here.
10. Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)
Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) is one of the stocks on Jim Cramer’s radar. Inquiring about the stock, a caller noted that they are up over 4,000% in AMAT, and Cramer replied:
Alright, now I will tell you that both Jeff Marks and I were talking about adding Applied Materials to the bullpen. It got away from us. I actually think, and I know this is a little radical because I like Gary Dickerson so much, I would take a little bit off. It’s a parabolic chart, and then come back to it if you want to, but not more than that because I gotta tell you, that’s a great, great position… Congratulations.
Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) provides equipment, software, and services that help manufacturers produce semiconductors and other electronic devices. During the episode aired on December 17, 2025, Cramer was bullish on the stock due to share buyback activity, as he stated:
That’s why I went through that list of 51 companies to pick out 10 that are worth recommending to you. Now, first up is one of my old favorites is Applied Materials. It’s a semiconductor capital equipment maker, which has reduced its share count by 31% since the end of 2015. Now, this stock had a strong year. It’s up over 50% for 2025 because we have insatiable demand for all sorts of semiconductors, especially, you know, believe it or not, the commodity ones, which means there’s equally big demand for the machines that make semiconductors. But Applied Materials, AMAT, is also a great long-term performer. It is up 1,200% since the end of 2015, versus 229% for the S&P 500. Now, some of that’s the strength of the core business, and some of it’s the voracious buyback. By the way, it is a terrific example of the kind of stock I suggest you buy in my new book, How to Make Money in Any Market. This is the essence of what I’m trying to get across to you.
9. Lumentum Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LITE)
Lumentum Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LITE) is one of the stocks on Jim Cramer’s radar. Noting that the stock has risen over the last six months, a club member asked whether they should sell a little or hold their position. In response, Cramer said:
Alright, so Lumentum, Jeff Marks, who is my colleague, he and I looked at this stock, and also Ben Stoto, who is a research director, and the stock’s like this. Okay, so we think that if we come in, we are going to get annihilated. So we did a hard pass on it, and I’m going to ask you to do a hard pass. A stock like Lumentum that is up in a straight line, it’s just too dangerous for me. I would be a seller, not a buyer.
Lumentum Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LITE) designs and sells optical and photonic products, including lasers and components, for cloud networking, data centers, and industrial applications. During the December 12, 2025, episode, a caller asked whether they should hold on to the company’s stock or sell it. The Mad Money host responded:
I think it’s had such a run. I just can’t put you, you know, I can’t say yes to that. Remember… JDSU meant Just Don’t Sell Us, and then it became just… well, whatever. But let’s just say don’t compare the two. This is a better company, but I don’t want you to be in it.
8. Marvell Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRVL)
Marvell Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRVL) is one of the stocks on Jim Cramer’s radar. When a club member mentioned that they have a position in the stock and asked what they should do, Cramer commented:
Okay, listen up… Marvell reports next week. Matt Murphy is what I call a money good player. He is going to be able to describe a deal that I think, if they let him talk about it, that is with Amazon. That is a phenomenal deal. They are making the chips for a whole bunch of these hyperscalers, and I think that they’re going to be, Amazon sold out of its most recent chip. Matt’s going to do a big number. Hold onto it. If it drops next Monday or Tuesday, buy more Marvell. I think it’s a great situation right here.
Marvell Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRVL) develops semiconductor solutions for data infrastructure, including system-on-a-chip designs, processors, and networking and storage products. Cramer mentioned the stock during the Squawk on the Street episode aired on February 6. He said:
But I want to remind people that most of what Andy Jassy the CEO of Amazon was talking about yesterday, was how great his Trainium is. And the Trainium chip, that’s a Marvell, is their partner. Marvell is only up 6%. It is down 7% for the year. I would buy Marvell even up here. That’s Matt Murphy doing a fantastic job, he’s their partner, I don’t understand why it’s not up more.
7. NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA)
NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) is one of the stocks on Jim Cramer’s radar. A club member asked in what case does “disciple trumps conviction” change to “own it, don’t trade it.” In response, Cramer said:
Alright, now, these are contradictory, okay, and it’s really difficult. Own it, don’t trade it… directly contradicts discipline trumps conviction. So you take a day like today, when NVIDIA’s down really badly, and yesterday, when NVIDIA was down really badly, discipline should say that you should sell some NVIDIA because there’s something wrong. But if you have conviction and you really believe in it, then you need to stand pat, and if it finally goes even lower, you need to buy some. You can make this kind of decision about one or two stocks. If you have a portfolio of things that you own, don’t trade, you’re going to lose a lot of money. We have picked NVIDIA, and we have picked Apple. Those have been our two favorites, and they’ve been right. Was it a painful day today? Yes, because we have an own it, don’t trade it philosophy, but it has made us money on those two. Anything else, we’re willing to sacrifice.
NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) develops accelerated computing and AI platforms, GPUs for gaming and professional use, cloud services, robotics and embedded systems, and automotive technologies. We discussed Wedbush’s recent price revision on the stock, which you can read here.
6. Roku, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROKU)
Roku, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROKU) is one of the stocks on Jim Cramer’s radar. A caller mentioned that the stock seems to be going up, and Cramer replied:
Yeah, I think it is because it’s got advertising and it’s got targeted advertising. People love targeted advertising. This is the kind of stock that goes up even on bad days for the Nasdaq, like today. I wish that my Charitable Trust owned it. I think it’s a very smart, very smart thing to buy. I always looked at the price-to-earnings multiple and thought it was too rich, but they are doing very, very well.
Roku, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROKU) provides a TV streaming platform that lets users access shows, movies, news, and sports. Additionally, the company sells streaming devices, smart TVs, audio products, and provides digital advertising services. Cramer made a similar bullish comment on the stock when a caller asked about it during the December 17, 2025, episode. He remarked:
I like it, okay? It’s got a lot of… positive chatter about the numbers. It’s just been going up, up, and up, and I think it makes sense because that’s where the advertisers want to be.
5. NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE)
NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) is one of the stocks on Jim Cramer’s radar. When a caller inquired about the stock during the episode, Cramer commented:
Okay, so I would tell you, let’s say… we brought Elliott Hill here. He would say that the number one thing we have to improve on is quality. He would totally agree with you. The problem is, I think that they got run down, and you can’t turn around a fashion play in two, three, four, or maybe even five quarters. We have to wait a full maybe year, maybe two years, to see what he does. That’s how poorly the company was doing that he received, and he’s doing his best. The Charitable Trust owns it. Right now, it’s disappointing, but I’m betting that with more time, it will not be disappointing. That’s all I can tell you.
NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) is an athletic and casual footwear, apparel, equipment, and accessories company that sells its products under brands, including Nike, Jordan, and Converse.
4. Flutter Entertainment plc (NYSE:FLUT)
Flutter Entertainment plc (NYSE:FLUT) is one of the stocks on Jim Cramer’s radar. During the episode, Cramer noted the company’s losing market share as he stated:
When you listen to the conference call commentary, there’s some crazy stuff happening here. All last year, we heard that the online sportsbooks were suffering because the clients won too much. You can understand why that’s a problem for Flutter’s FanDuel. But this time, we heard that the clients lost too much. And it turns out that’s also a problem because of a new gambling term that, frankly, it’s new to me. It’s called recycling… I think it’s much easier to walk away now that people have many more alternatives. That’s what I think matters…
Looking forward, I’m willing to entertain the idea that people have gotten too negative on Flutter stock. The company’s still growing, it’s still profitable, and its shares are starting to look pretty darn cheap. It sells at 12 and a half times this year’s earnings estimates and less than nine times next year’s numbers… At the end of the day, Flutter’s latest quarter didn’t do a thing to change the narrative that they’re losing share to the prediction markets. While Flutter denied that the prediction markets are a serious problem, they confirm that they’re losing share to somebody. Of course, management said it wasn’t because of the prediction markets. Instead, they pointed to a vague issue with that generosity playbook.
But why should anyone believe them? So, unfortunately, I don’t see what breaks Flutter out of its current downtrend other than the stock simply becoming too cheap to ignore. But that’s a dangerous game because if the company continues to lose market share, then those earnings estimates might prove to be too high, and when the actual numbers come out, the stock will turn out to be more expensive than it seemed. It sure feels like that’s going to be the case.
Bottom line here: The stocks of the main online sportsbooks have been getting killed for months as Wall Street bet that the online prediction market would eat them alive. So far, those fears have been mostly theoretical, but last night’s quarter from Flutter was simply not strong enough to dispel those concerns. In fact, they confirmed that they’re losing market share, so this stock got crushed again. Even if you want to go bottom fishing here, I say don’t cast your line until these guys come to grips with the fact that the prediction markets are the real problem. As long as they’re in denial about that, it’s too dangerous to stick your neck out for this one.
Flutter Entertainment plc (NYSE:FLUT) operates sports betting and online gaming services under well-known brands such as FanDuel, PokerStars, Betfair, Paddy Power, Sisal, and others.
3. Sterling Infrastructure, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRL)
Sterling Infrastructure, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRL) is one of the stocks on Jim Cramer’s radar. Cramer highlighted it as one of the “hottest stocks,” as he commented:
I want to talk about one of the hottest stocks out there that you maybe never even heard of. It’s called Sterling Infrastructure. Now, this is an engineering construction firm that pivoted from old-fashioned highway work into high-margin mission-critical infrastructure like data centers a few years ago. That’s why this stock is up a staggering 1,800% over the past five years, including nearly 250% gain over the past 12 months and a 40% gain year to date. Now, two nights ago, Sterling reported what I thought was a strong quarter, robust top and bottom line beat, 51% revenue growth, a stunning 78% increase in their backlog. Even better, management has a higher than expected full year forecast. They’re talking 25% revenue growth and 26% earnings growth. Yet the stock has actually gotten dinged a bit in response to these numbers.
Sterling Infrastructure, Inc. (NASDAQ:STRL) provides e-infrastructure, transportation, and building solutions, including site development for data centers, industrial facilities, and public works projects. In addition, the company offers concrete, plumbing, and surveying services for residential and commercial construction.
2. KeyCorp (NYSE:KEY)
KeyCorp (NYSE:KEY) is one of the stocks on Jim Cramer’s radar. When a caller mentioned that they have held the stock for a while now, Cramer said:
I think you should continue to hold it. Just continue. You got that 4% yield. You got Chris Gorman doing this job. You’ve got a $20 stock, down a dollar today. I actually would advise people, if this stock fell to 19, I think you pull the trigger. I am a big backer of KeyCorp.
KeyCorp (NYSE:KEY) provides retail and commercial banking services, including deposits, lending, mortgages, credit cards, and wealth management. Moreover, the company offers capital markets, investment banking, equipment financing, and advisory solutions. While discussing “relatively cheap” S&P 500 stocks during the episode aired on September 22, 2025, Cramer mentioned the stock and said:
For my small bank, you know what, I like KeyCorp. That’s that Cleveland-based parent of KeyBank. We’ve had them on a bunch of times. Fine regional bank, underrated capital markets business to boot. KeyCorp is expected to grow at a 22% clip next year, yet trades at just under 11 times next year’s numbers.
It is worth noting that since the above comment was aired, the company’s stock is up nearly 11%.
1. Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX)
Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) is one of the stocks on Jim Cramer’s radar. A caller asked what possible headwinds the company might face in light of tariffs, and Cramer replied:
That’s a great question. Okay, here’s the other thing that can really hurt Starbucks, and you know, I’m a big believer and have a big position in my Charitable Trust, what can hurt them is the inability to be able to close all the stores that aren’t doing that well and then put the money towards the ones that are doing well. And… That’s how you have to get same store sales. And it’s very difficult for Brian Niccol to say, okay, that store closed, this store open. We see a lot of it in New York, by the way. He has to get the Starbucks into the middle of the country. They’re underrepresented in the middle, and they’re overrepresented in the coast. And I think he’s going to take care of that, but it just takes time.
Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) sells coffee, tea, and other beverages, as well as food products, through its stores and licensed outlets. The company’s brands include Starbucks Coffee, Teavana, Seattle’s Best Coffee, Ethos, and Starbucks Reserve.
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