In this article, we will look at Jim Cramer’s top insights as he shared a game plan of what to buy, sell, and hold right now with callers. The host of Mad Money said on Friday that the unrelenting climb in oil prices, driven by the conflict involving Iran, continues to weigh heavily on stocks and may point to further losses ahead.
Look, it was another miserable week, four weeks since the war started, and it’s been pretty darn awful. Sadly for the bulls, the history of oil shocks is littered with bear markets, 20% drawdowns that say raise cash because it’s almost never too late to sell something to protect yourself. Today was more of the same… It’s a tough, rough road. My trust has the highest cash position I can recall, but you know what? It is never enough when you have horrendous action like this. It’s almost impossible to predict what will happen in the war with Iran. We gotta stop trying to do that right now.
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Cramer went on to say that one approach has remained consistently effective: buying oil stocks regardless of short-term movement. He emphasized that whether these stocks are rising or falling at a given moment does not change the broader trend, as crude prices continue moving higher, which results in continued pressure on stocks. He added, “It’s one for one. Please don’t overthink it.”
You’re going to hear me talk about rate cuts and oil increase because those two are what’s in play. Incredible as it seems, with all this turmoil and the beckoning of a bear market, we have plenty of people saying that the Fed chief should call for a rate hike. What are they kidding me? The vast majority of the inflation in the system comes from the supply shock that emanates out of the Gulf. We didn’t know how intertwined we were with those countries until now, and we are learning that is a very suboptimal situation. Right now, we have as much pessimism about stocks as we did when the COVID pandemic swept through us. The hatred for tech, I find, is extraordinary. Stocks like Meta, Microsoft, and yes, even NVIDIA, are being sold as if they’re about to collapse. It’s a wholesale slaughter. And I can’t tell you when it’ll end, even as I’m telling you that the companies themselves are doing great, so what you’re hearing me say is not yet.
Our Methodology
For this article, we compiled a list of 18 stocks that were discussed by Jim Cramer during the episode of Mad Money aired on March 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 498.7% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 303 percentage points (see more details here).
Buy, Sell, or Hold? Jim Cramer’s Take on 18 Callers’ Stocks as Crude Oil Prices Climb
18. Tempus AI, Inc. (NASDAQ:TEM)
Jim Cramer gave top insight on Tempus AI, Inc. (NASDAQ:TEM), sharing a game plan of what to buy, sell, and hold right now. During the lightning round, a caller inquired if there is any future for the stock, and here’s what Cramer had to say in response:
I like this stock, but the problem is it’s a high multiple stock in a sell-off that is driven in part by oil and in part by interest rates. It will keep going lower. It’s a decent spec. I would hold on to some, but not all.
Tempus AI, Inc. (NASDAQ:TEM) develops technology that organizes and analyzes large amounts of clinical and molecular data to help doctors personalize patient care. The company’s platform uses AI to run diagnostic tests, match patients with clinical trials, and assist pharmaceutical companies in discovering new cancer treatments. During the February 6 episode, a caller asked whether the stock was a buy, sell, or hold, and Cramer responded:
Well, you know we’re not recommending stocks that are losing a lot of money here just because the year of magical investing made a return, and I think that you got a little reprieve, and it’s going to go back down again.
17. Oscar Health, Inc. (NYSE:OSCR)
Jim Cramer gave top insight on Oscar Health, Inc. (NYSE:OSCR), sharing a game plan of what to buy, sell, and hold right now. A caller asked if the company is positioned for significant growth in 2026 under CEO Mark Bertolini and Co-Founder and Vice Chairman Joshua Kushner. Cramer remarked:
Yeah, that stock has really broken down here. I think it’s really an opportunity. It kind of held in the mid-teens for a long time, and now it’s come down to $11. I would start buying it here, buy some, I’d buy half here, and then buy half at $9 if it gets there. Otherwise, just own it. That’s a good, really good idea.
Oscar Health, Inc. (NYSE:OSCR) provides medical insurance plans for individuals, families, and small businesses. During the January 16 episode, a caller sought Cramer’s advice on the stock, and he replied:
I’m going to tell you the truth, if Bertolini weren’t running that company, I would say [bear buzzer], but because he is, and I like him a lot, I’ll go with that [bull buzzer].
16. Venture Global, Inc. (NYSE:VG)
Jim Cramer gave top insight on Venture Global, Inc. (NYSE:VG), sharing a game plan of what to buy, sell, and hold right now. Asking about the stock during the lightning round, a caller inquired if there is longevity, and Cramer stated:
Yeah, it’s breaking out. I think it can go much higher, probably goes to $25. This is precisely the kind of stock that you need in this environment. It’s tough to bite the bullet and say to buy it after the stock has been all the way down to 5, 6. But you know, we don’t care where it’s coming from. We care where it’s going to. And the answer is that stock is going higher.
Venture Global, Inc. (NYSE:VG) develops and operates LNG facilities and handles natural gas liquefaction, transport, shipping, regasification, and sales. Cramer was bearish on the stock when a caller asked about it during the January 22 episode. The Mad Money host said:
Venture Global, no. Venture Global, we do not like. We did a really good piece about it the other day. We just think that they just didn’t deliver, and we don’t think they’re going to deliver at all.
We recently covered the stock as part of our list of stocks gaining momentum fast. You can read about it here.
15. Capital One Financial Corporation (NYSE:COF)
Jim Cramer gave top insight on Capital One Financial Corporation (NYSE:COF), sharing a game plan of what to buy, sell, and hold right now. Mentioning the recent private credit issues, a caller asked if they should add to their position or if the “long knives” are out for the company. In response, Cramer said:
Oh no, Capital One has almost no exposure to what you just mentioned. As a matter of fact, it’s at 9 times earnings. Jeff and I talked about it today at the club meeting, and we think that even though the chart is horrible, it is a good level to start if you don’t own any stock. We’re going to continue to own ours.
Capital One Financial Corporation (NYSE:COF) provides banking and financial services, including credit cards, loans, deposit accounts, and commercial banking solutions. Cramer called the stock a “solid buy” when a caller asked about it during the March 9 episode. He said:
Okay, now, Capital One is, it’s supercharged right now because it’s got a lot of credit card debt, obviously, and people are very concerned about credit card debt at a time when oil has moved up so much. One point, the stock was down six today. I would tell you that it’s an incredible, fantastic opportunity. We own the stock for the Charitable Trust. It did go as high as $250. We sold some, we bought it back a little too quickly, but it’s down a huge amount in the last month, and I think it’s just a solid buy.
14. ImmunityBio, Inc. (NASDAQ:IBRX)
Jim Cramer gave top insight on ImmunityBio, Inc. (NASDAQ:IBRX), sharing a game plan of what to buy, sell, and hold right now. When a caller mentioned that they have a small position in the stock, Cramer commented:
Okay, that is a pure spec…. I would encourage you to own it, provided you don’t own any other spec, because that company is losing a lot of money.
ImmunityBio, Inc. (NASDAQ:IBRX) develops therapies designed to strengthen the immune system against infectious diseases and several cancers. A caller asked about the stock during the March 19 episode’s lightning round, and Cramer replied:
ImmunityBio had a big cross of a huge amount of stock, but at the end, I don’t know where that stock went to. I’d like to see the stock come in and see if that block holds before I buy that, because that stock is part of the magical thinking era.
13. Carrier Global Corporation (NYSE:CARR)
Jim Cramer gave top insight on Carrier Global Corporation (NYSE:CARR), sharing a game plan of what to buy, sell, and hold right now. A caller asked how the company might benefit from the growing demand for “complex cooling solutions” required by the nationwide construction of data centers. Cramer replied:
No, you’re not going to, if you want to do that, that’s Vertiv. Vertiv is still the one… Carrier just doesn’t, Carrier doesn’t have the horses.
Carrier Global Corporation (NYSE:CARR) provides climate and energy solutions through its HVAC and refrigeration products and services. Cramer analyzed the stock’s performance during the episode aired on March 3, as he said:
It’s been a good year for Carrier Global, the heating, ventilation, air conditioning company, with a stock that’s up 16% so far in 2026. When Carrier reported a month ago, their top and bottom line results came in a little weaker than expected. That’s thanks to weakness in North American residential construction, we all know about that.
And their full-year forecast, I think, was justifiably a little cautious. But inside that disappointment, Carrier’s increasingly a two-speed story. The residential business is highly cyclical, and it’s still in the bust phase of the boom and bust cycle. But their commercial HVAC and aftermarket business is doing extremely well, in part because it’s got some data center exposure. Doesn’t hurt that Carrier fits the HALO rubric, heavy assets, low obsolescence. You know, we like that during the show.
12. Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST)
Jim Cramer gave top insight on Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST), sharing a game plan of what to buy, sell, and hold right now. A caller asked if the stock might experience further pullbacks given the current economic climate and the company’s new CEO. Cramer replied:
No, no, no. This one is what you buy in this environment. We see a lot of stocks doing quite badly, except for the chemical stocks and the oil stocks. And I want to put Costco in there and Walmart as two stocks of companies that you buy because those are representing a very difficult economic environment. That’s what people think we’ve gotten because of the war. And Costco’s going to be a big winner, and we stay long here for our Charitable Trust. And I like it more now than I have in a very long time.
Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) operates membership warehouses and provides groceries, fresh food, household goods, electronics, and more. In addition, the company offers various services through pharmacies, gas stations, optical centers, and e-commerce options. We recently discussed the analyst sentiment around the stock. You can read about it here.
11. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG)
Jim Cramer gave top insight on Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG), sharing a game plan of what to buy, sell, and hold right now. During the episode, a caller asked for Cramer’s thoughts on the company, and he said:
Man, I gotta tell you, I thought candidly it was going to hold at this level. This is the crunch time. It’s at $30. I think it can do so. But here’s the problem. It’s got to show some better-than-expected numbers, and it hasn’t been able to do that yet. Scott Boatwright, you must deliver a better quarter. You got one month left. April 29, you gotta deliver. Have to.
Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG) owns and operates restaurants that provide burritos, bowls, tacos, salads, and other menu items. A caller asked what Cramer thinks of the stock over the long term and highlighted that they were in the “house of pain.” In response, the Mad Money host commented:
The house of pain is a terrible place to be. Though I had the Chicken al Pastor, man, that was dynamite, but that’s not going to be dispositive to the stock. I think the stock is marking time, but that the numbers are going to turn here. Scott Boatwright is doing everything right. It’s been at $34, $35 since it’s reported. I’m feeling okay about it, but I don’t like the restaurant group that much because it translates as being, if gasoline is up, restaurants are down. That’s the way it is.
We recently discussed the stock as part of our list of best restaurant stocks to buy for growth in 2026. You can read more here.
10. Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM)
Jim Cramer gave top insight on Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM), sharing a game plan of what to buy, sell, and hold right now. Answering a caller’s query about the stock, Cramer said:
I think that Yum has come down to a very attractive price, $153 down from $169, 23 times earnings, excellent growth, asset light model. And right now, what’s going on in the worldwide economy does not really impact a company that offers a nice value meal.
Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM) develops and franchises several quick-service restaurants, including well-known brands such as KFC, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut. A caller asked about the stock, referring to the company’s announcement of the possible spin-off of the pizza brand, and in light of Domino’s earnings. Cramer responded:
Okay, I’m so glad you asked about this. I was doing a piece about fast food. I will tell you, I think Yum! Brands, the stock has been a horse lately. It’s up 9%. I want you to hold it. I would buy any Yum! Brands, if it dropped because that plan to shed Pizza Hut, spin it off, whatever, is going to give you amazing numbers because of how well Taco Bell is doing. Taco Bell will shine. We’ll know how great it is. Own Yum! Brands.
9. NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA)
Jim Cramer gave top insight on NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA), sharing a game plan of what to buy, sell, and hold right now. A club member asked how the company’s multi-billion-dollar investments in other companies affect shareholders and whether owning the stock provides indirect exposure to those holdings. Cramer replied:
Okay, this is a really important question. First of all, I know NVIDIA’s going down. Like, I’m not an idiot. I mean, you look, and the stock’s going down. They did have a great meeting, and when you have a great meeting, and the stock goes down after, it means the stock is part of a cohort that’s hurting right now, and that’s technology. I think you can’t take a look at NVIDIA every day. I know that if you feel like, as I’ve been saying, look, I do think it’s going to come in you, you can sell some and you can buy it back later. I think that’s too tricky for most.
The investments that NVIDIA makes are part of creating an ecosystem that wants to use NVIDIA. Because what NVIDIA’s trying to do is make it so it’s the most important stock, most important company when it comes to writing software, most important company when it comes to artificial intelligence, and it’s succeeding in doing that. And I think that people have to recognize that, yes, at this moment, it’s not in favor. Google’s not in favor. Meta’s not in favor. It just, it’s cyclical. It’ll come back. But the problem is, right now, people say I want it now. And I’m going to tell you right now, you’re not going to get that because the war is still on.
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.
8. AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV)
Jim Cramer gave top insight on AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV), sharing a game plan of what to buy, sell, and hold right now. When a club member asked Cramer for his recommendation of a company with strong drone technology for long-term investment, he said:
The answer is right now, we don’t have one. I like AeroVironment, but they have this contract that’s being contested, and it makes me want to stay away because if they don’t get the contract, this stock’s going to have another leg down.
AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ:AVAV) develops robotic and autonomous systems, including uncrewed aircraft, counter-UAS tools, precision-strike solutions, advanced AI, and autonomy. In addition, the company provides space, cyber, communications, and intelligence systems used in defense and commercial applications. Cramer mentioned the company during the March 6 episode and stated:
We also hear from AeroVironment, and this one’s timely. We have lots of defense stocks just going higher and higher, led by Lockheed Martin. That’s big hardware. By the way, I like RTX, too. If you want drones, though, and I know many of you do, you do buy the stock of AeroVironment. It’s a long-time Cramer fave, but things don’t seem right here.
November of 2024, this company announced a deal to acquire BlueHalo for $4.1 billion to exploit that company’s counter-drone technology as well as its satellite abilities. BlueHalo has a big contract with the Pentagon for satellite work. The stock was pummeled recently, though, when we heard that the contract will be rebid. Now, we gotta find out what’s really happening here. I think AeroVironment has terrific technology, but we need to learn more about BlueHalo because, without that contract, maybe these guys paid too much for the acquisition, and the stock is overvalued. I want to know.
7. Corning Incorporated (NYSE:GLW)
Jim Cramer gave top insight on Corning Incorporated (NYSE:GLW), sharing a game plan of what to buy, sell, and hold right now. A club member asked Cramer which area of the AI and data center trade, semiconductors, energy, or infrastructure, he feels most confident in, and asked about his top three stock picks. Cramer replied:
I’m going to have to go with build out, and I like GE Vernova, and I like Eaton. And then after that, I’m kind of torn. But I think that Corning, because it’s a fiber company and fiber’s taking over what copper was, is the best one.
Corning Incorporated (NYSE:GLW) develops optical fiber, cables, and related hardware for telecommunications, and produces glass substrates for displays used in TVs, computers, and mobile devices. Moreover, it supplies specialty materials, emission control products, and laboratory equipment. During the March 2 episode, Cramer mentioned the stock while discussing noteworthy S&P 500 stocks, as he remarked:
February’s second-best performer… is one of the ones that I am most excited about, and that is Corning. It’s a stock we own for the Charitable Trust. It was up 45.7% last year. Now, this company’s a glass specialist. It’s been printing money as it makes fiber optic equipment for the AI data center buildout, and that’s how the stock could quadruple in less than a year. Now, I had my aha moment with Corning after visiting the company’s Harrodsburg, Kentucky, glass plant last September. That trip was mainly about their business supplying glass for the iPhone, but I left Kentucky feeling more excited about the fiber optic opportunity than anything else, and quickly built a sizable position in this one for the Charitable Trust.
Since then, it’s been less than five months, and the Trust has a 96% gain in this situation. Corning’s gradual ascent turned into a fierce rally in late January when the company announced a $6 billion deal to supply fiber for Meta Platforms’ data centers, and then the next day reported a great set of numbers, even better guidance for the current quarter. The stock hasn’t looked back since. I think the big lesson from Corning is that companies supplying components or services for the data center continue to be some of the best stocks in the entire market, even after they’ve moved a great deal.
6. Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE:CCL)
Jim Cramer gave top insight on Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE:CCL), sharing a game plan of what to buy, sell, and hold right now. Noting that they hold both CCL and RCL shares, a club member inquired whether Cramer has a buy, sell, or hold on the cruise line industry. In response, he said:
Okay, I only recommend Viking because I think Viking is insulated. They have a higher margin ship, and they’re in certain places that are not as easily disrupted, just like you described. And that’s the only one I like right now. I also like Disney cruises, but that’s very within the big confines of Disney, and that stock has been a very tough stock to own.
Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE:CCL) runs cruise lines and offers vacation trips. The company also manages ports, hotels, lodges, and tours that support its cruise business. Cramer discussed the company as part of his game plan during the March 20 episode, as he remarked:
Thursday, dry day, but Friday, we get the earnings from Carnival, and it seems like the street’s going very positive about the cruise lines again. These stocks have been hammered, and they aren’t helped by these higher fuel costs. But Carnival’s considered a value vacation, something that seems rare these days, value.
While we acknowledge the potential of CCL 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 CCL and that has 100x upside potential, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
Click to continue reading and see Buy, Sell, or Hold? Jim Cramer’s Take on 5 Callers’ Stocks as Crude Oil Prices Climb.
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