In this piece, we will look at the stocks Jim Cramer discussed.
In a recent appearance on CNBC’s Squawk on the Street, Jim Cramer discussed long-term interest rates and tied them to economic sentiment. When asked by co-host Carl Quintanilla why the markets continued to hold up even though interest rate expectations had dropped, the CNBC TV host used the long-term rates to wonder whether markets were in a prosperous moment. Cramer’s comments came after banking giant JPMorgan withdrew its projection of a rate cut in January and went as far as to predict that not only would interest rates remain unchanged in 2026, but the next shift would come in the form of a 25 basis point hike in the third quarter of 2027. Discussing the overall sentiment, Cramer remarked:
“Well I’ll tell you, the more I, you step away for a second, and you go out West, and you look at what people are looking at. And what they’re saying is, hey you know Jim, why don’t you talk about the fact that interest rates have done nothing? That it’s still, the ten year is still exactly where it was? If it’s so bad, why is the ten-year exactly where it was? And we’re going to pay more because if the ten-year hasn’t gone up in interest, so far, after all the craziness, well you know what, maybe this is a little bit more of a halcyon moment. So the long buyers are buying into the halcyon moment. We do need to see silver go down, we need to see gold stop going up. Copper, enough already.”
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 January 15th. We also provided hedge fund sentiment for each stock as of the third quarter of 2025, which was taken 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).
15. ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML)
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings: 82
ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML) is a Dutch semiconductor manufacturing equipment provider. It enjoys a monopoly in the high-end market due to being the only firm capable of making EUV lithography machines. ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML)’s shares have gained 79% over the past year and are up by 16.8% year-to-date. Taiwan chip giant TSMC’s strong earnings report is also seeing analyst focus on ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML)’s shares. For instance, Bernstein reiterated an Outperform rating and a €1,300 share price target for the firm after TSMC’s capital expenditure guidance for 2026, which marked a 32% annual bump. RBC Capital initiated coverage of the shares as well in January. It set a $1,550 share price target and an Outperform rating as it pointed out that spending on wafer equipment and EUV machines could sustain in 2026. Cramer discussed ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML)’s share price performance after TSMC’s earnings:
“It’s really funny ASML moved faster than Taiwan Semi itself and the others caught up and a lot of firms upgraded the capital equipment stocks.”
14. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM)
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings: 194
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM) was the star of the show last week as it set the tone for AI investing in 2026. The firm is the largest contract chip manufacturer in the world, particularly when it comes to manufacturing leading-edge chips. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM)’s shares are up by 7% year-to-date on the back of strong fiscal fourth quarter earnings report. The results saw the firm deliver NT$1.046 trillion in revenue and NT$505 billion in profit, which beat analyst estimates of NT$1.034 and NT$478 billion. Cramer discussed the results and used them as a proxy for the health of the AI industry. He also discussed Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM)’s US Arizona site and mentioned that the form factor of the chips manufactured here wouldn’t be as small as those that the firm makes in Taiwan:
“The actual Taiwan Semi call was amazing, and we’re gonna get a lot of talk about what it means for Applied Materials and Lam Research. It’s good. But what the essence of it was, you think there’s a bubble? Have you talked to any of the clients? Do you know that they can’t enough? Do you know how much money they’re making? We usually hear that they’re spending too much and they’re not getting a return. It was quite the opposite from the company that sees everything. The begging that’s going on for equipment. That includes the actual customers going, maybe even cutting off NVIDIA. David, their conference calls are different from ours. Their conference calls are, let’s stop fooling around, this is as great, because, there’s no way it can’t be. And I found it refreshing, because there was none of this, there was one question directly about a bubble, and I’m not saying it was laughed out loud because the translation misses something, but what the essence of it was, they want it, we gotta make it.
” One thing I think we have to point out, Carl, is the US buildout of Taiwan Semi was praised multiple times. Now Morris Chang, who founded Taiwan Semi has been very critical. But there, and it’s not the best form factor, it’s a little bit larger. . .you’re starting to say maybe America isn’t as bad a place to build as the critics say. Now Taiwan Semi is an upbeat company and there’s not a lot of room for frivolity, but anyone who listened to that call was struck by the fact that we can’t just buy Lam Research and KLA and Applied Materials over and over again. . .”
13. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings: 166
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is one of Jim Cramer’s favorite stocks. As he did in 2025, the CNBC TV host has also started the year by defending the firm. As the year started, he predicted that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) would sign a deal with Google to use the latter’s Gemini AI assistant. After his prediction came true, Cramer is now confident that the technology company’s software business is performing well. Cramer’s views go against some analysts. For instance, Raymond James initiated coverage with a Market Perform rating as January started. The financial firm commented that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s stock appeared to reflect all valuation upside. However, Bank of America kept a $325 share price target and a Buy rating and outlined that the firm could benefit from strong services growth and iPhone demand. Cramer appears to agree with BofA:
“Well, you know also Apple. And Apple came out, high end versus low end phone. People aren’t going to buy Apple, why, because you don’t talk about Apple. But Apple was an undercurrent. Apple’s been left behind in any sort of rally since the year began. But Carl this company sees everything. Do the analysts really see everything?
“Please don’t forget Apple, please, they were so positive about high-end phones, no one likes to think about it. They just say, oh Apple, but you know Apple’s got a deal with Google that was really one of the greatest deals ever. One of the things that was so [inaudible] about Apple is they couldn’t develop their own and spend tens of billions of dollars building power plants in Montana, they didn’t do that. Good for them.”
12. NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA)
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings: 234
With the year settling in, Jim Cramer has continued to defend NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA)’s shares as well. While the stock lost close to 8% in the final two months of 2025, the CNBC TV host asserted that the firm was worth investing in. Year-to-date, NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA)’s shares have lost close to 1.5%. Analysts and media reports have attributed the weakness in the shares to concerns about AI’s profitability. Wolfe Research maintained an Outperform rating and a $250 share price target on the shares in mid-January. The firm outlined that NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA)’s shipments of the China-specific H200 GPU could be impacted by the White House’s announcement of a 25% tariff on China. Jefferies raised the firm’s share price target to $275 from $250 and kept a Buy rating in January. It commented that NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) could experience revenue growth over the next couple of years. Cramer discussed the recent share price performance and CEO Jensen Huang’s fireside chat with Eli Lilly CEO David Ricks:
“Do the traders who’ve left NVIDIA behind see everything? Were they at the David Ricks fireside chat where they talked, where Jensen talked about living forever? I mean, that was a new one. I’m raising numbers on that one partner, living forever.
“. . .it’s NVIDIA that you should be buying, but, Carl, the skepticism for NVIDIA remains and I don’t think it’s going to change.”
11. Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC)
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings: 81
Chip making giant Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC)’s shares are up by 18.7% over the past year. The stock has fared well after new CEO Lip-Bu Tan took over last year. January has been a busy month for the stock as far as analysts are concerned. For instance, UBS raised its stock price target for Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) to $49 from $40 and kept a Neutral rating on the shares. According to the investment bank, the semiconductor company can end up benefiting from a supply-constrained PC and server market. UBS added that while Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) could suffer from capacity problems in the first quarter of 2026, new product launches could help the firm as well. Jefferies also raised the share price target to $45 from $40 and kept a Hold rating. The financial firm outlined that production of the latest technology chip product could affect Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC)’s margins. Cramer briefly mentioned the firm’s CEO:
“People are realizing that Lip-Bu Tan has turned this company around. I remember I said that instead the President was going to fire him. The President says that he has a lot of people he wants to fire. . .”
10. Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ:ADBE)
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings: 88
Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ:ADBE) is one of the most popular productivity software companies in the world. Its shares are down by 32% over the past year, with media reports suggesting that the firm has struggled to keep up in the era of AI. Cramer regularly discussed the stock in 2025 and pointed out that Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ:ADBE) is struggling as its software-as-a-service model comes under threat from AI. Goldman Sachs discussed the shares in January as it set a $290 share price target and a Sell rating. The bank warned that Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ:ADBE) was facing stiff competition that could affect the firm’s high-end user growth, particularly due to the lack of exposure to a budget tier product category being a key concern. Oppenheimer also cut the rating to Market Perform from Outperform and pointed towards the impact of AI on software stock valuations. Cramer discussed Ben Reitzes and Mellius Research’s thoughts about Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ:ADBE):
“Ben thinks that, look he’s focused on ServiceNow, he’s focused on Adobe. Which by the way I don’t know if anyone got the Apple suite, of things that I would use Adobe for, that I’d pay 600 dollars for. Chilling if you’re Adobe.”
9. Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM)
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings: 119
Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM) is a customer relationship management software provider. Its shares are down by 30% over the past year and by 10.5% year-to-date. Wolfe Research discussed the firm in January, as it kept an Outperform rating and a $350 share price target. The financial firm outlined that Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM) was experiencing tailwinds for its AI portfolio. Like Cramer, Wolfe also discussed the Agentforce business and pointed out that the platform was increasing its penetration in the firm’s broader software portfolio. The commentary followed an earlier upgrade from Barclays, which had raised the share price target to $338 and kept an Overweight rating on Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM)’s shares. While Cramer admitted that the agentic business was great, he wondered whether the broader turmoil in the software sector was affecting the stock:
“Well. . .the problem is clearly one thing, which is that the agentic business for Marc is doing great but the rest of the thing is going to be challenging, hasn’t seen it yet, and I think it’s important. There are people that are not being hired anymore, the seat count isn’t going up. So what it makes me feel like, Carl, is this that the action in the stocks is not wrong.”
8. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS)
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings: 75
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS) is one of Cramer’s top stocks in the banking sector. Throughout 2025, the CNBC TV host kept an upbeat tone about the firm due to the impact of growing M&A and IPO activity on the shares. However, earlier in January, HSBC trimmed the share price target to $604 from $608 and kept a Hold rating. It bumped up earnings expectations for the banking sector for 2026 and 2027 in the coverage. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS)’s fourth-quarter earnings report, released in January, revealed that the bank’s investment banking fees jumped by 25% to sit at $2.58 billion. Cramer discussed the earnings and the share price movement:
“Right I mean I think that there’s a, the narrative now, is at Goldman the expenses are up way too high. When you speak to David Solomon, you get a story basically about this is the best, what’s maybe the best it’s ever been. The M&A looks like it’s going to be the best ever. IPO, they’re thinking could be the best ever. Certainly, the best last time it was so good. I think that something could change here today. I think everybody’s gotten wise. You sell the banks on the news, so when everyone’s that wise, you buy the banks when they’re down.”
7. Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC)
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings: 76
Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) is one of the biggest banks in America. The shares are up by 13% over the past year. Bank of America started 2026 on a strong note for the bank as it raised the share price target to $107 from $100 and kept a Buy rating. A cheaper valuation was at the heart of the commentary as BofA outlined that Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) appeared to be trading at a discount to its peers. BofA added that the stock could provide returns if the valuation gap narrowed. Cramer is a strong believer in the bank. Throughout 2025, he continued to praise Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC)’s CEO, Charlie Scharf, and praised the bank’s ability to build a solid team and the tailwinds from the Federal Reserve lifting its asset cap. In this appearance, the CNBC TV host discussed the bank’s recent earnings numbers. The results saw Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC)’s net interest income of $12.33 billion miss analyst estimates of $12.46 billion and its 2026 interest income forecast of $50 billion also fell short of $50.3 billion in estimates. Here’s what Cramer said after the earnings:
“Well I think that, people did not like that Wells Fargo number, and I know Charlie felt, Charlie Scharf felt, very, I think not aggrieved, but he said well you know give me a break.
“Wells Fargo was up 35%, it came in way too hot”
6. Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC)
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings: 111
Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC)’s shares are up by 13% over the past year. Ahead of the earnings, TD Cowen raised the firm’s share price target to $66 from $64 and kept a Buy rating. TD Cowen pointed out that it expected the banking sector to perform well in the upcoming earnings season. HSBC’s action was bolder as it bumped the share rating to Buy from Hold and set a $50 share price target, as it commented that a pullback in the shares might provide an opportunity. Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC)’s fourth quarter earnings report saw it post $28.53 billion in revenue and $0.98 in earnings per share. Both of these beat analyst estimates of $27.94 billion and $0.96. On the day of the report, the stock closed 3.8% higher, and Cramer wondered whether the tussle between the President and the Fed when it came to interest rates was to blame:
“David, Bank of America, cause they need the rates higher. That may have been one that you, you know Brian Moynihan did a very good job as CEO, but rates higher is not what I think the President wants.”
5. BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE:BLK)
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings: 63
BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE:BLK) is one of the biggest asset managers in the world. Its shares are up by 14.9% over the past year and by 7.2% year-to-date. BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE:BLK) scored a major win in January after reporting its fourth-quarter earnings. The results saw BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE:BLK) post $14 trillion in assets under management, which set yet another record. The firm’s net profit per share sat at $13.16, which beat estimates of $12.21. After the earnings, Jefferies raised BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE:BLK)’s share price target to $1,351 from an earlier $1,333 and kept a Buy rating. Some of the factors that Jefferies discussed in its report included a 12% organic fee growth in the fourth quarter and platform growth in areas such as digital assets. Cramer also praised BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE:BLK) and its CEO, Larry Fink:
“Winner winner, chicken dinner. Best one there is. We should recognize the fact that there is something wholesale going on perhaps in the way people save, it’s possible. . it’s also, David, their technology is fantastic. But the amount of money coming in is just extraordinary.”
“Jeez, you know they usually don’t get it, a ten percent increase, they don’t give you that kind of dividend boost. That’s not what they do. I’m very excited, I’m very excited because this says, people are a little optimistic, they’re saving, the individuals are saving more. . .
“Now, we’re going to have Larry Fink on, so when you talk about asset gatherer, everybody looks weaker versus them.”
4. Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings: 69
Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) is one of the largest investment banks in the world. The shares are up by 37% over the past year and by 3.9% year-to-date. Keefe Bruyette raised the share price target to $210 from $202 in January and kept an Outperform rating on the shares in January. The shift came after Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)’s fourth quarter earnings report, which saw the bank post $17.89 billion in revenue and $2.68 in earnings per share. The results beat analyst estimates of $17.77 billion and $2.44. Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)’s shares jumped by 6% following the report, and CEO Ted Pick remarked that the strong results were due to the bank’s multi-year investments bearing fruit. Ahead of the earnings, Cramer had commented that we might see “fireworks” and added that the “asset gathering in Morgan Stanley has been extraordinary.” After the results, he reiterated that the CEO was doing a good job:
“You know Ted is, Ted Pick is doing a great job. Remember my thesis, they’ve been taken down? Well because people just say, you know what, this group is not, these aren’t semis, this is not AI, it’s not semiconductors, in the end, it’s finance and these stocks are up 35%.
“Look I’m going to go against the market, I think the market’s wrong on this, I think the market’s trying to figure out, has it moved too much? And I think Ted Pick has reinvented this company, I got to salute him. . .but this Morgan Stanley model’s a good one, David, it’s very sticky, it’s much less episodic, it deserves a much higher price-to-earnings multiple.”
3. Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings: 103
Jim Cramer has turned quite optimistic on pharmaceutical firm Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) lately. Most of the CNBC TV host’s optimism stems from the firm’s cancer drug portfolio and its decision to spin off its orthopaedic business. The shares have gained 47.8% over the past year and by 5.5% year-to-date. Early in January, Bernstein raised Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)’s share price target to $208 from $193 and kept a Market Perform rating on the shares, The Fly reported. The financial firm pointed towards clearer visibility into macroeconomic uncertainties as one factor behind the optimism. Cramer continued to praise Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)’s business spinoff strategies and the cancer portfolio:
“I hope that the people at JPMorgan for their 44th Healthcare Conference don’t take this personally. This company did not present and I am now willing to say that after Eli Lilly it was the best. This has been a remarkable move, this is JNJ. Now it had been kept down, the talc lawsuits, they decided to stop that. . .
“Right now they got rid of Kenvue. Now we know that was timely. They are getting rid of orthopaedics, that is a market that does not have any price to earnings multiple to speak of, because it is a commodity. But they have the fastest growing oncological portfolio, they have so many great things in terms of like machines and what they are doing. And I’ve got tell you David I think this thing can go much higher, why, becuase it’s only selling at 19 times earnings, I shouldn’t say this, Novartis has a great portfolio too. . .but I just like this and what really was really troubling, the talc lawsuits. They’re fighting them one by one. No more of this thing where they’re doing a class action, it wouldn’t have mattered, they would have been able to amortize it. But forget that, don’t worry about that, because they’re not losing the ovarian cancer cases. This one is pureplay pharma and and it’s growing really fast.”
Mar Vista U.S. Quality Strategy also discussed Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) in its fourth quarter 2025 investor letter:
“Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) stock demonstrated strong performance in Q4, driven by robust financial results, upward guidance revisions, and accelerating growth for the pharmaceutical and medical technology segments. The company’s consistent execution across key business segments and positive market sentiment, despite a significant headwind from Stelera generics, contributed to its outperformance relative to broader market indices. Management continues to expect 5-7% revenue growth through 2030 which exceeds consensus estimates.”
2. Rubrik Inc. (NYSE:RBRK)
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings: 52
Rubrik Inc. (NYSE:RBRK) is a data security company that caters to the needs of the financial, education, healthcare, and other industries. Its shares are down by 5.9% over the past year and by 11% year-to-date. January has been a crucial month for the stock as it has seen several analysts share their thoughts on it. For instance, KeyBanc cut the share price target to $95 from $113 and kept an Overweight rating on the shares. The financial firm pointed towards a valuation multiple contraction. Piper Sandler also discussed the valuation multiple in its coverage. It cut the share price target to $99 from $118 and kept an Overweight rating. However, the financial firm still maintained Rubrik Inc. (NYSE:RBRK) as a top pick. Cramer has repeatedly praised the cybersecurity sector over the past year, so naturally, he’s optimistic about the firm as well:
“Rubrik is one of the hottest tech companies in the world but the stock can’t lift. Why? Because it’s not, uh, well it’s not Western Digital.”
1. Qnity Electronics Inc. (NYSE:Q)
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings: N/A
Qnity Electronics Inc. (NYSE:Q) is a recent listing due to being a DuPont spinoff. The firm provides a wide variety of chemicals that are used in semiconductor fabrication. The shares are up by 14% year-to-date. Deutsche Bank initiated coverage on the stock in November as it set a $92 share price target and a Buy rating on the shares. The financial firm pointed out that Qnity Electronics Inc. (NYSE:Q) enjoyed significant exposure to the growing materials segment. Cramer is also a fan of the firm, as in November, he commented that by owning Qnity Electronics Inc. (NYSE:Q) investors could enjoy the benefits of having exposure to semiconductor equipment firms but without getting involved in the complexities of semiconductor fabrication.
“I’ll tell you what is up, and it’s one thing you’ve going to have to be thinking about, it’s a DuPont spinoff, it’s called Qnity, letter Q. . .watch this one because it does packaging for semis, and it has been just ehhh. And when Ed Green spun it off from DuPont, he predicted this. And now this is a very inexpensive stock that people should. . .”
While we acknowledge the potential of Q to grow, our conviction lies in the belief that some 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 Q and that has 100x upside potential, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock.
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