On Monday, Jim Cramer, the host of Mad Money, highlighted how the market has turned upside down, with investors now buying stocks that they used to dislike, saying:
“If you told me this is where the market was headed two or three months ago, I would have thought you were insane, even crazier than I am. This radical transition over the past few weeks has just been frankly unfathomable. We’re now buying stocks we hated and we’re despising, and guess what we are now selling short the stocks that we used to worship. And it’s all happening on the fly. […] You can’t tell what’s underneath though but that makes it much easier for those real seekers who want to surf the Trump ‘stock wave’.”
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Cramer centered the episode around the question on every investor’s mind: has the market finally bottomed?
“Fresh off a turbulent week for the tape, I’m opening up the phone lines and answering your most pressing questions because are we at a bottom? That’s what everybody wants to know. […] Well, the tariff exemptions, it looks like they’re coming. Market was eager to take a sigh of relief. I’m not so sure where we are with them, but the major indices jumped higher on President Trump’s announcement of temporary exemption on tariffs for phones computers and semiconductors, and really, I guess the subtext is for Apple. But in a tape this volatile we have headlines dropping left and right, I’ve got to tell you, I spend so much time trying to figure out what’s going on, but I think that periodically I nail it. So tonight what I want to do is open up our phone lines to hear directly from you, from the people of America.”
Our Methodology
For this article, we compiled a list of 11 stocks that were discussed by Jim Cramer during the episode of Mad Money aired on April 14. We listed the stocks in the order that Cramer mentioned them. We also provided hedge fund sentiment for each stock as of the fourth quarter of 2024, which was taken from Insider Monkey’s database of over 1,000 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 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).
11. Dollar General Corporation (NYSE:DG)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 53
A caller asked about Dollar General Corporation (NYSE:DG), noting how dollar store stocks have been beaten down recently. Cramer admitted he initially misjudged the situation, focusing too much on tariffs, but he now sees a bullish move ahead for the stock, saying:
“Here’s what I did wrong with Dollar General. I first thought of it as having to do with tariffs, and it’s not a good situation. What I didn’t think about is how Dollar Tree is doing so poorly and getting offloaded a lot of Family Dollar and a lot of Family Dollar stocks are right against Dollar General and the Family Dollars are going to- a lot of them are going to close, which gives a free reign for Dollar General. So where’s that lead me? Even though it imports a lot from China, I say it’s a buy, wow.”
Responding about the divergence between Dollar General Corporation (NYSE:DG) and Dollar Tree, Jim Cramer said the following:
“[DG and DLTR shares trading differently due to their different exposures to China] Yes, Todd Vasos got very lucky with Dollar General. Dollar Tree is really struggling. No I know that was very, that was interesting. That was interesting. And I know that, that, five below went five below. I mean that’s like, really below. These companies you have to go case by case.”
10. Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 105
A caller asked Cramer whether it was still worth holding Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL) due to all the uncertainty around the data center market and the TikTok deal. Cramer reassured them that Oracle remains a solid long-term investment and emphasized the company’s strong positioning. Here’s his reply:
“Okay I want you to buy more, I want you to buy more. I think that they’re doing a lot of great things. I’m not as concerned about what’s going to happen with the data centers. I am not concerned about what’s going to happen with Oracle and they are very much in charge of their own destiny. I think Safra A. Catz is terrific. I would buy the stock.”
In a recent episode from April, Cramer discussed the struggles that enterprise software businesses are facing, using Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL) as an example. He said:
“Oracle and Salesforce peaked back in December; they’re now down almost 30% from their highs. […] The Department of Defence said it would cancel an Oracle contract to modernize the Pentagon’s HR system. There’s some hope that Oracle could recover the contract, but that could be roughly $100 million in annual recurring revenue down the drain. Sure, that’s a rounding error for Oracle, a company that’s expected to bring in more than $57 billion in revenue this year, but it’s a warning sign for the industry.”
9. ABM Industries Incorporated (NYSE:ABM)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 14
ABM Industries Incorporated (NYSE:ABM) is a facilities management company providing cleaning, engineering, parking, and energy solutions across commercial properties, airports, schools, and manufacturing facilities. Following a viewer question from a previous episode, Cramer invited ABM’s CEO Scott Salmirs on the show for a deeper look at the business. Here’s what he said:
“A couple weeks ago I got a call about a company called ABM Industries which is a facilities management company that serves customers across a wide range of industries. I said I like it because ABM is what you might describe as Trump proof, meaning it’s mostly immune from the White House’s impossible-to-pin-down tariff policy. Now even though I like it, the stock’s had some strange reactions the last couple of quarters selling off despite what I thought were positive numbers, including when they reported about a month ago. I think this one’s worth doing some digging here. […] This is the kind of stock as you heard from the top of my show, that I am really, really interested in.”
Here’s what Jim Cramer said about ABM Industries Incorporated (NYSE:ABM) when asked about it the first time:
“I like that stock… Do you know… that no one in the 20 years of this show has ever asked me about a stock that I just like plain and simple? You’ve got a good one. It’s a janitorial as you alluded to, lighting, parking, security. This is the kind of company that Trump cannot hurt. He can wake up and say, how do I destroy ABM? And he can’t. It’s Trump proof.”
8. e.l.f. Beauty, Inc. (NYSE:ELF)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 35
A caller asked whether it was time to rebuild a position in e.l.f. Beauty, Inc. (NYSE:ELF) after its recent decline. Cramer acknowledged the brand’s pricing power and leadership but expressed concern about its China exposure and the uncertainty surrounding potential tariffs. Here’s what he said:
“I’m so glad you asked me about this. This is at the fulcrum of what I’ve been working on. Elf has a connection to China, obviously that’s where they make their stuff, that’s why they’ve been able to undercut everybody else in price. Now all we know is that it’s up in the air of what’s going to happen with Elf. We don’t know what kind of tariff it’s going to pay. If we don’t know what kind of tariff it’s going to pay then I can’t spend $53 for that stock! It’s just not right. […] And that’s why I’m staying away from Elf, even as I think that everyone knows I think Tarang is a terrific CEO. It doesn’t matter; it’s out of his hands.”
In March, Jim Cramer advised his viewers to stay away from cosmetic stocks and used e.l.f. Beauty, Inc. (NYSE:ELF) as an example, saying:
“And plus I mean, it’s just been a relentless, you know, Elf has been terrible. . . .This is a very challenged group and you got to be careful about cosmetics. . . But I want to stay away from cosmetics nine ways to Sunday. Anything cosmetics is just no place to be.”
7. General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 49
A viewer inquired about General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS) at $59 and whether it was a buy. Cramer supported the idea, citing its strong dividend and possible benefits from political pushback against weight loss drug trends, which could lead to renewed interest in packaged foods. Here’s his analysis:
“Okay you’re going to absolutely love this cuz I got a new rap on General Mills. I think General Mills with a 4% yield and at 59 is a buy. Let me tell you why. I think that our Secretary of Health and Human Services is deadset ultimately against the GLP-1 drugs. I think he’s going to make trouble for them. We own Eli Lilly and it has been a terrible sock dome for the last few months and I think General Mills is the flip side. I think they’re going to take the colour out of the out of the cereals that will be fine and then they’re going to be left alone, and people are going to want to buy it. So let’s say they’re going to take action, if they take that action then then uh then Bobby Kennedy Jr decides to leave him alone, $59 goes to $65. I like your idea.”
Cramer has changed his stance on food companies and General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS). Here are his comments from March:
“. . .food companies are really terrible. Versus say 2007 and nine, where there was growth, there’s no growth in these companies. Campbell Soup, there’s no growth. Kraft Heinz, there’s no growth. General Mills, there’s no growth. These are really, they’re really [inaudible] companies.”
6. American Airlines Group Inc. (NASDAQ:AAL)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 59
A viewer asked whether American Airlines stock could ever “take off again.” Cramer was pessimistic, citing its weak share performance and noting it’s back at pandemic-era levels.
Here’s his reply:
“You know what I am I’m bummed about American Air. Do you know that it’s back to where it was during COVID times? And it- it’s really a shame because they’re a better company than that.”
Last month, Cramer expressed his opinion on travel and leisure stocks. Here’s what he said about American Airlines Group Inc. (NASDAQ:AAL)’s earnings outlook then:
“And several other airlines mainly followed suit. American slashed revenue outlook for the first quarter and guided for much larger than expected loss… But honestly, these names have already come down dramatically over the past few weeks. This makes them very interesting to me. After this week’s blood bath, you got a lot of them are down 35 to 40%.
So given all the newfound negativity, why on earth would I stick my neck out and recommend some cheap travel plays? Look, as tough as these airlines, the updates were, the collective news, frankly, it wasn’t that horrible, at least not if you listen closely.”
5. Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 84
While discussing airlines, Cramer pointed to Delta as the better trade if investors want airline exposure, due to its valuation and relative strength.
Here’s what he said:
“I know that people don’t like the stock but if you want an airline, the one that people are buying, it’s Delta. It’s all the way down to 40. It sells at seven times earnings. People feel that the travel bull market is over. I regard these as what I call trading vehicles. But if you want to trade one; the one you want to trade is Delta, DAL.”
Although Cramer has been cautious on travel and leisure stocks in recent months, he still highlights Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL) as his standout pick. Here’s what he said last month:
“Now for those of you who haven’t been paying attention, this week Delta Airlines slashed its first-quarter earnings outlook, citing, ‘the recent reduction in consumer and corporate confidence caused by increased macro uncertainty’, which they say drove ‘softness and domestic demand’ in recent weeks. Now for a long time, Delta was the best of the airlines so you really don’t want to hear that kind of commentary from them. Now these guys cut their guidance ahead of an appearance at the JPMorgan Industrials conference on Tuesday.”
4. Ardmore Shipping Corporation (NYSE:ASC)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 13
A caller asked about Ardmore Shipping Corporation (NYSE:ASC), citing its low valuation and high dividend. Cramer dismissed it, warning about its exposure to tariffed goods and trade tensions. Here is what he said:
“I don’t like the situation because a lot of what it carries is tariffed and it’s going to cause a real slowdown between the United States and China. You just can’t get in this cross; you don’t want to be in this crossfire, and so I’m going to have to say no to Ardmore Shipping.”
Cramer was never a fan of Ardmore Shipping Corporation (NYSE:ASC). Here’s what he said when asked about it again earlier this year:
“I’m not a fan of Ardmore Shipping. I’m not a fan of most of the container and just kind of commercial cargo ships because they tend to be too episodic for me. So I’m going to take a pass.”
3. Planet Fitness, Inc. (NYSE:PLNT)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 41
A viewer asked whether Planet Fitness, Inc. (NYSE:PLNT) could benefit from consumers switching away from expensive gyms. Cramer responded positively, pointing to better-than-expected performance and recent analyst upgrades. Here’s his input:
“You know I do a memo each morning where I do uh the 10 things that I’m looking at and it starts with a list of about 25 things. The only positive numbers I saw, the only raising price target that I saw today was Planet Fitness, so I took a look at it they’re doing better than expected. I think you have a winner.”
Jim Cramer has been slowly raising his optimism on Planet Fitness, Inc. (NYSE:PLNT). Here’s what he said last month:
“By the way, Planet Fitness had good numbers.”
2. Powell Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:POWL)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 26
A caller pitched Powell Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:POWL), highlighting its growth and valuation. Cramer acknowledged its potential but flagged it as a data center play, a category currently out of favor. Here’s what he said:
“I know Powell Industries and it was in favor – kind of like an Emerson – not that long ago, and suddenly it’s out of favor. If you’re willing to hold on for the next cycle it’s fine, but I’ve got to tell you it’s considered to be a data center play, and people think that data centers are slowing down and that’s the case with Powell Industries too. I’m sorry, I wish I could be more positive. It’s a very inexpensive stock.”
Earlier this year, Jim Cramer analyzed the downfall of Powell Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:POWL) and explained the reasons behind the stock falling out of favor. Here’s what he said:
“This is not an ordinary moment, people. It’s been really interesting to watch Powell stock since the calendar flipped to 2025. It actually went on a huge run in mid-January, climbing quickly from around $230 to nearly $330 in a blistering six-day rally. At one point, that was right after SoftBank, Oracle, and OpenAI announced their $500 billion Stargate AI data center investment project at the White House. Like I said, when the data center was hot, this thing was unstoppable. However, you live by the data center sword, you die by the data center sword. That January rally was followed almost immediately by a sickening 16% decline on January 27th. You know, that day is now known on Wall Street, at least, as “DeepSeek Monday,” when the AI data center stocks just collapsed after the release of a reportedly low-cost Chinese model that seemed to perform just as well as the US competition while using far less hardware. Since then, POWL stock has become the house of pain. Of course, Powell’s not alone here. Everything connected with the data center theme, as I said at the top of the show, has been taking a hit, including the old-line industrial plays that looked like they had made it last year. I think this is now overdone, but many think that the buildout was overdone and we are now past our due date if we own these stocks.”
1. 3M Company (NYSE:MMM)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 79
A caller asked about 3M Company (NYSE:MMM) ahead of its upcoming earnings. Cramer said he expects a decent quarter but warned that large multinationals are currently out of favor with investors. Here’s his analysis:
“Okay 3M is going to report in 8 days and I think the quarter is going to be good, but I don’t know if anyone’s going to care, because it’s a big international and right now big internationals are really frowned upon. But you know what, if you can own it through the cycle again, I think it is a good situation.
MMM is a stock Jim Cramer recently discussed. While we acknowledge the potential of MMM 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 MMM but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock.
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