During the Mad Money episode which aired on Tuesday, Jim Cramer discussed how stock ownership is viewed in the United States, saying:
“Alright, look, lately, we can’t go a day without hearing some widespread misperceptions about stock ownership. I gotta tell you, I think it’s infuriating. Here we are celebrating the 20th anniversary of Mad Money, dedicated to the proposition that you can potentially make lots of money by picking individual stocks, yet I keep hearing that most Americans don’t care about the stock market, and this direction means nothing.”
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Jim Cramer challenged the idea that the stock market only serves the wealthy, calling it a flawed and dismissive perspective that overlooks the financial involvement of millions of ordinary Americans, saying:
“It’s the whole reason anyone watches the darn show, and it generally matters, not just to the rich, but to tens of millions of regular people, home gamers, and never let any politician tell you otherwise. […] More than 60% of Americans have some exposure to the market, either directly or indirectly. 70 million people have active 401Ks. Millions more have retired with them. 60 million people have IRAs. Only 156 million people voted in November. I mean, we’re talking half the electorate here.”
Cramer argued that stockholders make up a major segment of the population and should not be ignored. He stated, “It’s not just arrogant, rich people who own stocks.” He also criticized affluent individuals who caution others against investing in stocks while continuing to benefit from their tax advantages. As he put it:
“Now look, stocks are ridiculously tax advantaged, more than just rich people want that. In a world where probably no more than 10% of this country can retire on their paycheck savings, stocks represent a different kind of social security, a one-sided pack where people try to save and the government dismisses them.”
Our Methodology
For this article, we compiled a list of 13 stocks that were discussed by Jim Cramer during the episode of Mad Money on May 1st, 2024. We then calculated their performance from May 1st, 2024, market close to April 30th, 2025, market close. We have also included the hedge fund sentiment for the stocks, which we sourced from Insider Monkey’s Q4 2024 database of over 900 hedge funds. The stocks are listed in the order that Cramer mentioned them.
Please note that this article mentions Jim Cramer’s previous opinions and may not account for any changes to his opinions regarding the stocks that are mentioned. It is primarily an examination of how his previously provided opinions have panned out.
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 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).
13. Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 98
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ), the healthcare giant, was mentioned back then after buyers flocked to the stock on hopes it would resolve ongoing legal issues related to its talc products. Here’s what Jim Cramer said at the time:
“Buyers flock to J&J under a belief that it can finally put paid to lawsuits over allegations of traces of asbestos in their talc that plaintiffs state cause ovarian cancer. The stock’s so low that I think it could go higher still if J&J can reach a comprehensive settlement. The plaintiffs have lost 16 out of the last 17 cases against J&J so I bet you they capitulate.”
The stock has had a lot of ups and downs over the past year, recording an overall performance of 2.06%.
Discussing Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) in the most recent episode of Squawk on the Street, Jim Cramer said:
“You said it yourself like JNJ, the thing that. . .didn’t save their quarter, but what made it so that you kind of liked it is the weak dollar. So remember most of these companies are like wow, bring it down . . . the companies themselves are very pro weak dollar. So when you speak to them offline, they love it.”
12. DuPont de Nemours, Inc. (NYSE:DD)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 58
DuPont de Nemours, Inc. (NYSE:DD), a chemical and specialty materials company, was highlighted as a “Cramer fave” after reporting a major business turnaround across water and semiconductor markets. Here’s what Jim Cramer said at the time:
“Buyers flocked to the chemical stocks too, and that was because of the huge turnaround in Cramer fave and travel trust name DuPont, which sells almost its entire product line into everything from water to semiconductors. I can’t believe it because it’s been down and out.”
Things didn’t go so well for the chemical stock over the past year, as the stock fell 15.31% over the past year.
When asked about DuPont de Nemours, Inc. (NYSE:DD) during a recent episode, here’s what Cramer replied with his thoughts on why the stock hasn’t been performing well recently:
“Okay, so DuPont, I’m actually gonna write a piece about, this is really interesting you mentioned this. DuPont is…. DuPont’s a good example of what happened in this market. They have one division, very, very small, that got investigated by the Chinese, that caused the stock to lose about a quarter of its value. It has not bounced back even though the division’s very small. Why? Because people believe that China is toxic. I can’t, Jeff Marks and I are going back and forth. We so much want to tell people to buy it, but who knows what the Chinese are going to do next if we keep at them and they keep at us.”
11. Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 339
Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), the e-commerce and cloud computing giant, was praised in that older episode after reporting a “lights out” quarter with strong results in AWS, advertising, and international segments. Here’s what Jim Cramer said at the time:
“Buyers reached for Amazon which reported last night an absolutely tremendous lights out quarter with strength in Amazon Web Services, advertising, and Amazon international. You absolutely have to love those positives. Amazon’s at the top of the class when it comes to generative AI. It’s got so much going for that it’s almost too long to list here. It was a smash hit! If you get a chance to read the release you will be blown away.”
The e-commerce giant has barely risen over the past 12 months, now up 5.12% overall.
Jim Cramer recently listed the biggest winners over the past 20 years and of course Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) was included. Here’s what he said about it:
“Next, we’re entering cream of the crop territory. In sixth place, we find a Magnificent Seven named Amazon, up more than 10,700% gain in the Mad Money era. When this show began, Amazon was a lowly survivor of the Dot-com bust, growing its e-commerce business nicely, but still barely profitable. Since then, though, it’s grown into a colossus with its sprawling e-commerce business and a bountiful cloud infrastructure division.
Now, as a mega-cap tech giant, Amazon has all sorts of exciting new growth opportunities, from a still underappreciated advertising business to the Prime membership program that’s brought the company into the streaming media space. Much, much more. Amazon reports on Thursday night and while I’m sure there’ll be a lot of talk about tariffs of course, and the state of the consumer, this is one of the few retailers with enough bargaining power to truly mitigate these new import duties and I still like it for the long haul [buy, buy, buy].”
10. Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 234
Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL), the parent company of Google, was named by Cramer as a stock to buy on weakness due to its strong AI platform, YouTube, and Google Cloud businesses. Here’s what Jim Cramer said at the time:
“Alphabet, the parent of Google, has to be bought on any weakness? Sure enough, you got big weakness yesterday and it was time to pounce. YouTube’s doing great, Google Cloud is terrific, and what a good artificial intelligence platform to say nothing of the core search business.”
The megacap tech stock hasn’t done well over the past year and is down 2.42% since.
However, Cramer has recently changed his stance on Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL). He also admitted that his charitable trust has recently sold its shares in the company. Here’s what he said ahead of its recent earnings:
“Look I am trying to describe a situation that where you could have these stocks where people were shorting the other day. And today they’re just being gaffed because there’s a little story crafted for every one of them except for Alphabet. I don’t have one crafted for Alphabet.”
9. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 317
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), the tech giant, was identified as a must-own stock despite recent declines, due to its strong earnings and strategic AI leadership. Here’s what Jim Cramer said at the time:
“This thing is just getting killed! It had fallen the level below where it was trading before that amazing quarter. I think there’s nothing better than owning Microsoft right now, and you gotta check that box as my charitable trust has.
The company’s shares have risen 8.64% over the past months, not entirely validating Cramer’s bullish outlook.
The Mad Money host recently highlighted Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)’s importance and said the following:
“After the close, alright, here we go, Meta Platforms and Microsoft, both important, and the Street’s really split on these two… Microsoft’s disappointed investors three straight times, three quarters in a row, mostly by issuing soft outlooks after delivering solid results. Now I think we need to see this Copilot gain some serious traction while data center spending stays strong, but not too strong. We don’t want them to spend even more than they thought, and Azure, its cloud business, gets back into an accelerated group. That might be a tall order, but I think this company knows the penalty will be severe to its price to earnings multiple, the PE multiple, if it misses a year’s worth of earnings reports.”
8. Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMD)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 96
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMD), a major chipmaker, was criticized at the time for a weak quarter and conservative guidance, which spooked investors despite its role in AI. Here’s what Jim Cramer said at the time:
“AMD produced a weaker than expected quarter as people who focus on its embedded business and its gaming business were disappointed, while those who were concerned about a data center slowdown were spooked by a lowball boost in their forecast generative AI chips. Now I believe the CEO Lisa Su is simply being conservative, so I’m not going to sweat this program. […] Oh and there’s no data center slow down – none, none – that anybody can find and yet people keep looking for one.”
The chipmaker has struggled over the past year and its shares have sunk by 31.30% invalidating Cramer’s optimistic outlook.
Following another recent decline, Cramer had this to say about Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMD):
“No, no, no. You know, I think the world of Lisa Su, but we are going to try to limit, as I said in the club, we are going to try to limit our exposure to what I regard as being a charnel house, a semiconductor charnel house.”
7. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 166
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), the giant iPhone maker, was discussed toward the end of that older episode as Cramer warned about China weakness potentially impacting the company’s quarterly results. Here’s what Jim Cramer said at the time:
“Do you want to dodge a quarter? You want to dodge it, be my guest. I’m never good enough to know when to get in and get out, so I’m sticking.”
Despite the challenges, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has remained resilient over the past year and its stock is up 25.39%.
Making Jim Cramer’s recent list of the best stocks in the last twenty years, he said the following:
“Fourth place: Apple, up more than 14,500% since we went on air. The great thing about Apple is these gains were totally gettable, come on. This was the most obvious story in America for years and years. It’s much harder to own here because it’s under fire from the White House for sourcing most of its merchandise from China for the cell phones. But it’s still a terrific illustration of the fact that you don’t need to be a genius to pick winners in this business.”
6. Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY)
Number of Hedge Fund Investors: 70
When a caller asked about Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY), Cramer responded negatively, citing weak pipeline prospects discussed at an earlier J.P. Morgan healthcare conference. Here’s what Jim Cramer said at the time:
“They told you when we were at J.P. Morgan that look, we don’t have the horses now, but the dividend is safe. I mean, what that was, was the crowd Clarion call to move out. At these prices I I still think the clarion call is on—feels a little like ‘fear me’.”
Cramer’s call was a miss, as the stock has risen by 13.28% since those comments.
However, he is increasingly more bullish on Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY) in recent episodes. Here’s what he said a few days ago:
“I’m going to say something that could get me in trouble, but I, I like the market at this level. I really do. But I’ve got to tell you, and Michael, you know I play it straight, I like Bristol Myers a lot more—BMY. I like it a lot more because the schizophrenia drug is on the come.”
5. Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST)
Number of Hedge Fund Investors: 96
When a caller brought up Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST), the retail giant was praised for its stability and ‘basing’ pattern despite leadership changes. Here’s what Jim Cramer said at the time:
“I like Costco very much. What’s happened is we got a new CEO, we got a new CFO, and there always going to be people say well, you know what, the stock paid the dividend it’s over. I think this stock is basing. That’s what the stock is doing, it’s basing—and that makes me like it.”
Cramer was rightly bullish on the retailer, and its stock is now up by 38.35% since those comments.
In a recent episode, Cramer also gave his view on how Costco Wholesale Corp (NASDAQ:COST) will benefit from Trump’s tariff regime. Here’s what he said:
“Costco huge winner. Why? Because they have a club. The club status is to pass on anything. And then they still have the, and it’s still going to be cheaper. So we cannot lump all these together. We lump them initially. Costco is going to be down as much as Target, but then we have to come back and say maybe Target should stay down, but Costco should go up. So there’s like a secondary look at things.”
4. Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING)
Number of Hedge Fund Investors: 36
Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING), the fast-casual chicken wing chain, was featured during an interview with its CEO Michael Skippworth, after the company posted blowout earnings and raised its full-year forecast. Here’s what Jim Cramer said at the time:
“The Red Hot chicken wing chain reported this morning numbers were just excellent. Wingstop delivered another great quarter. […]
After initially rallying to a new all-time high this morning the stock saw actually a predictable wave of profit taking, actually finished slightly in the red. Now you know what I think, that’s just because the Wingstop stock stop came in hot just like it’s wings. Even after today’s dip it’s up almost 50% for the year after rallying 86% last year so are you getting this great quarter for free? Feels like there’s something missing here.”
This was another miss by Cramer as the shares of the restaurant have sunk by 32.37% since those comments.
However, Cramer has changed his view on Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING) since then. Here’s what his said on February this year:
“I made some critical comments about Wingstop’s quarter last time. I felt that they didn’t give you enough information on what was wrong. They berated me, they chastised me, and uh, well look let the numbers speak for themselves, the stock’s down thirty-five today. And I had nothing to do with it.”
“I think Wingstop is, struggling right now. Now, they would come back and say Jim we’re doing better than everybody else. And that may be true. But, they’re not the Wendy’s camp. Wendy’s is, other than my wife, Wendy’s really doesn’t have any regular customers. They, . . .Wendy’s is hurting. But I do think that Wingstop, until they give us an explanation about why there’s a slowdown, even though they make a lot of money per store, I remain a skeptic.”
3. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 81
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS), the investment banking powerhouse, was the focus of a technical analysis segment where Cramer and Dan Fitzpatrick made the case for more upside after a strong earnings report. Here’s what Jim Cramer said at the time:
“Goldman Sachs hit a new all-time high today and the stock stands poised to go a lot higher. It certainly doesn’t hurt that Goldman reported a great quarter a couple of weeks ago with capital markets activity making a big comeback. You know we have a lot of IPOs these days. These guys were able to make a lot of money even when IPOs and equity offerings and mergers had dried up; all key revenue sources. So you can only imagine how profitable Goldman’s going to get now these areas have started turning around. […] Goldman gives you more exposure to the resurrection of the investment banking business but it’s also back once again emphasizing the wealthy client advisory business. […]
Fitzpatrick points out that Goldman stock has been in a basing pattern for two and a half years. It’s just stuck in an admittedly broad trading range basically drifting sideways. […] According to Fitzpatrick that’s a good thing though because well, this is what it looks like when a stock builds a base and eventually that base can turn into a trampoline. You reach a point where anybody who was going to sell at the high end of the range has already sold so once buyers start getting really interested then the stock can soar.”
Cramer’s analysis was spot on, as the financials giant soared by 29.72% since then.
The Mad Money host keeps advocating for Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS). Here’s what he said on April 23:
“… My Charitable Trust owns Goldman. When I’ve seen Goldman this cheap and I know how good they are, worked there at one time, I gotta tell you, I think Goldman, at 11.8 times earnings, is the way to go.”
2. PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL)
Number of Hedge Fund Investors: 94
When a caller asked about PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL), the payments firm was discussed positively, with Cramer showing confidence in the new CEO’s leadership during the transition period. Here’s what Jim Cramer said at the time:
“I was surprised that the stock finished down after being up a couple. I think that this guy Alex is just fantastic. David Faber did an interview with him and I was so impressed and that was literally about eight points ago I think you have something here with PayPal. It was undermanaged, it’s a very inexpensive stock. I still think it’s ripe for merger but it’s a $69 billion company. But I’m with you.”
Although the stock did initially climb after those comments, it fell back to its levels from a year ago with an overall decline of 0.89%
Following the recent acquisition announcement, here’s what Cramer said about PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:PYPL):
“People should know that it’s PayPal, Stripe, Square, all against them. And I think that these guys could be very powerful versus those. PayPal, if you remember, it’s kind of dropping back a little.”
1. Okta, Inc. (NASDAQ:OKTA)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 72
When a caller asked if Jim Cramer was still bullish on Okta, Inc. (NASDAQ:OKTA), the identity and access management software provider, Cramer reaffirmed his confidence in CEO Todd McKinnon, especially following the company’s recovery from a high-profile cybersecurity breach at the time. Here’s what Jim Cramer said:
“I think Okta is terrific! He [CEO Todd McKinnon] came back big from that hack. He learned from it, he’s humbled by it, and he’s the man to see.”
It was proven to be a good call by Cramer, as the cybersecurity stock is up 19.84% since then.
When asked again on the 1st of May this year, Cramer said this about Okta, Inc. (NASDAQ:OKTA):
“I think Okta is terrific. It’s one of the greatest companies. I tell you, anybody who works there has a great time, and they have done remarkable things. And Todd McKinnon is terrific, and so is cybersecurity…. This one is a winner. I’m going to give you a twofer… CrowdStrike and Palo Alto Networks, they’re all terrific.”
OKTA is a stock Jim Cramer recently discussed. While we acknowledge the potential of OKTA as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. There is an AI stock that went up since the beginning of 2025, while popular AI stocks lost around 25%. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than OKTA but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock.
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