Buy, Sell, or Hold? Jim Cramer Evaluates 5 Stocks and the Fragile Food Market

In this article, we will list 5 Stocks that Jim Cramer evaluated while discussing the Fragile Food Market. Please visit “Buy, Sell, or Hold? Jim Cramer Evaluates 14 Stocks and the Fragile Food Market” if you’d like to see an extended list and how we arrived at it, as presented by Jim Cramer.

5. Lumentum Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LITE)

Lumentum Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LITE) is one of the stocks Jim Cramer evaluated, along with the fragile food market. Cramer noted that the company is a better performer than Coherent, as he said:

If you’re looking for groups to buy into weakness as rising oil prices crush the stock market, you can do a lot worse than the data center suppliers. Later this month, two optical companies are joining the S&P 500: Coherent, which we spoke to earlier this week, and Lumentum. Now, both of them are getting $2 billion investment from NVIDIA, but Lumentum’s been the better performer. It’s up nearly 900% over the past 12 months, despite an 8% decline today as part of that broader tech-led sell-off.

Lumentum Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LITE) designs and sells optical and photonic products, including lasers and components, for cloud networking, data centers, and industrial applications. Cramer mentioned the stock during the March 9 episode and commented:

Next, a week ago, we learned that NVIDIA was investing $2 billion apiece in a pair of fiber optic plays, Coherent and Lumentum. They both have a lot of exposure to AI infrastructure. Apparently, S&P and NVIDIA have the same style because both those stocks are getting added to the S&P 500… Lumentum is similar, except that stock has been even hotter. It’s up more than 1,300% from its post-Liberation Day lows. The stock’s a lot more expensive than Coherent on a price-to-earnings basis, higher risk, higher reward. But they’re both plays on optical networking equipment for the data center.

4. Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMD)

Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMD) is one of the stocks Jim Cramer evaluated, along with the fragile food market. A caller asked if Cramer thinks it is advisable to start a position in the stock, and he said:

Alright, now, this is very interesting because I have, because we own such a big position in NVIDIA, I don’t want to own its biggest competitor, which is AMD. But you know what, if I didn’t own NVIDIA, I most certainly would. It is a dog fight, and Lisa Su is fabulous.

Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMD) makes processors, graphics cards, and AI chips for computers, servers, and gaming systems. The company’s products include Ryzen, Radeon, and EPYC. White Falcon Capital Management stated the following regarding Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMD) in its fourth quarter 2025 investor letter:

The top 5 positions for the White Falcon portfolio are precious metal royalty companies, AMD, NFI Group, EPAM, and Nu Holdings. Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMD) designs a broad range of digital semiconductors serving PCs, gaming consoles, and data centers, including the rapidly expanding AI market. Under CEO Lisa Su, the company was pulled back from the brink of bankruptcy and reshaped into a high‑performance computing leader. Over the past decade, AMD has steadily taken market share from Intel and emerged as a credible No. 2 in GPUs behind Nvidia. Given AMD’s volatility, we initiated a position in November 2022 and added to it again in April 2025. Management has guided to approximately $10 in Earnings per share (EPS) for FY2027E and more than $20 in EPS by 2030E. If the company delivers on these targets, then it should be a $400+ stock in a few years which is roughly 75% higher than current levels.

3. Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC)

Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC) is one of the stocks Jim Cramer evaluated, along with the fragile food market. A caller asked Cramer’s thoughts on the stock, and he stated:

Okay, I think Bank of America is an excellent bank. I think that the financials right now have taken such a severe decline. Bank of America at $47. Could it go down to $40? Maybe. All the financials are under pressure in part because of Iran, but also because of private credit. I would stick with Bank of America. That’s the kind of company at 10 times earnings that I think is going to give you a long-term good return. Think longer term. You must do that.

Bank of America Corporation (NYSE:BAC) provides banking, investment, and financial services, including lending, wealth management, trading, and advisory solutions. Cramer mentioned the stock during the January 14 episode and stated:

Alright, how about Bank of America, which looks fantastic. They posted a small top and bottom line beat, with a 7% revenue growth, 18% earnings per share growth. Astounding. Their net interest income was up 10%, also slightly better than expected, yet the stock still sold off 4% today. I think that’s extreme. Don’t let that mislead you. Bank of America reported a solid quarter, all four of the business lines, they beat revenue expectations, with global wealth and investment management and global markets both up over 10% year-over-year. I’m not used to seeing that. Bank of America also sounded confident about 2026, guiding for 5 to 7% net interest income growth this year. CEO Brian Moynihan said, ‘While any number of risks continue, we are bullish on the U.S. economy in 2026.’ It’s tough to poke holes in this Bank of America quarter. Sure, the company got a boost from lower than expected credit charges, which helped drive their slightly better than expected earnings beat. Like JPMorgan, their debt and equity underwriting was light. That was disappointing. But really… I think this was a really fine quarter for Bank of America, maybe the best. And the stock only got hit today because Wall Street paints out with a broad brush. This decline was, I think, pure guilt by association. I’m pronouncing it innocent.

2. The Progressive Corporation (NYSE:PGR)

The Progressive Corporation (NYSE:PGR) is one of the stocks Jim Cramer evaluated, along with the fragile food market. During the episode, a caller inquired if the stock is a buy, sell, or hold. In response, Cramer said:

I’m not a big believer in the… this insurance companies, particularly in that particular way. Hey, listen, if you want to own an insurance company, go own Berkshire Hathaway. They’ve got GEICO. It’s a much better diversified way to be involved in insurance. And Chubb is a better company, too, if you want to put that out there.

The Progressive Corporation (NYSE:PGR) provides insurance for personal vehicles, residential properties, and commercial transportation fleets, as well as specialized business liability coverage and investment services. We recently mentioned the stock while compiling a list of safe stocks to buy now for a starter stock portfolio. You can read about it here.

1. PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP)

PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) is one of the stocks Jim Cramer evaluated, along with the fragile food market. A caller asked if it is time to get out of the stock, and Cramer replied:

No… This is at the crux of what I’m talking about. I don’t want people selling good stocks because of short-term concerns. You get a 3.5% yield. You’ve got CEO, Ramon Laguarta who’s doing a terrific job. You’ve got the best food and beverage play. I don’t want you selling.

PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) produces, markets, and distributes beverages and convenient foods, including snacks, cereals, dairy, and ready-to-drink products. Cramer mentioned the stock during his game plan presented during the episode aired on January 30. He stated:

Now, Tuesday’s filled with high-profile companies like PepsiCo, Merck, and Pfizer in the morning. I worry about PepsiCo because of its snack division, Frito-Lay. It’s struggling, a casualty of the GLP-1 weight loss drugs. At the same time, CEO Ramon Laguarta could be ready to take some serious actions to lessen the company’s dependence on snacks. Now, the stock did close almost five points higher today. That’s a huge move for the stock. Maybe something’s going on, or that whole group just went nuts today after a great quarter from Colgate.

While we acknowledge the potential of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ:PEP) 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 PEP and that has 100x upside potential, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

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