On Friday, Mad Money host Jim Cramer addressed growing concerns in the market as tensions between the United States and China push closer to what he described as a full-scale trade war. He noted that the overall sentiment is clouded by uncertainty. Cramer emphasized:
“At the end of the day, China is the low-cost producer. We need other countries to stand up and make the goods for us, or we need to build automated factories at home to do the same thing because wages in America are simply just too expensive to compete.”
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According to Cramer, both alternatives will take time to implement. In the meantime, he warned that Americans should prepare to either pay significantly more for goods or deal with widespread shortages, or likely both. He also warned that companies exposed to economic cycles could be especially vulnerable.
As inflationary pressures mount, Cramer argued that the broader economy is in jeopardy. He emphasized that unless another country with a labor force comparable in size and cost to China’s emerges unexpectedly, the Federal Reserve will have little ability to intervene meaningfully.
Cramer also pointed to an important reason China controls such a large portion of the American retail market. He explained that Chinese goods are not only cheaper but often just good enough in quality that few American companies are willing to challenge them. He went on to say that Chinese manufacturers have long known how to price their products in a way that discourages American entrepreneurs.
Our Methodology
For this article, we compiled a list of 12 stocks that were discussed by Jim Cramer during the episode of Mad Money aired on April 11. We listed the stocks in ascending order of their hedge fund sentiment 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).
Jim Cramer Discussed These 12 Stocks Recently
12. The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated (NASDAQ:CAKE)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 29
A caller inquired about The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated (NASDAQ:CAKE), and Cramer remarked:
“Excellent. I think Cheesecake Factory is darn cheap. I know that the restaurants are out of favor right now. I want to give you Cheesecake Factory and then see that with Texas Roadhouse, which I think, it just goes down and down. Look, Texas Roadhouse, I have no illusions. This stock is going down another five.”
Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) runs restaurants and bakeries that make cheesecakes and other desserts. The goods are sent to the company’s locations, international partners, third-party clients, and retailers. On March 4, Cramer stated:
“You got a winner in Cheesecake Factory and you’re absolutely right. And by the way, they do have a menu that doesn’t have a lot, you know, they’ve got stuff that is not incredibly fattening too. I think that you’ve got a good stock to buy in Cheesecake.”
11. Realty Income Corporation (NYSE:O)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 36
A caller asked if Cramer would recommend Realty Income Corporation (NYSE:O), and he replied:
“Oh, Realty Income is absolutely right. Now, I know the last quarter, there were a couple of releases that people didn’t like. I looked into them, I felt very confident about it. You do get a monthly dividend there, and I think that letter O should be bought into this weakness.”
Realty Income (NYSE:O) is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that offers monthly dividends. It invests in net lease properties across a range of industries. On April 14, BofA increased its price target on O stock to $62 from $61 and maintained a Neutral rating on the stock. After recent property tours and updates for the quarter, the firm expects “mostly beats and meets” for 1Q results and expects a strong earnings season for REITs, as per the analyst.
10. The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 43
A caller asked if they should get rid of The Kraft Heinz Company (NASDAQ:KHC), and here’s what Cramer had to say in response:
“Waste of your capital. Waste of your capital. There’s so many great stocks that have come down. I mean, unbelievable stocks that have come down so much that I can’t believe it. And I think you just gotta change, I mean, look, we’re looking at, for instance, Texas Roadhouse, okay. This one’s come down gigantically. It is now incredibly inexpensive, and it’s got what I regard as being a fantastic value proposition. I’d much rather see you in that than I would see in Kraft Heinz.”
Kraft Heinz (NASDAQ:KHC) manufactures and distributes a wide range of food and drink products. Its portfolio features well-known brands such as Heinz, Kraft, Philadelphia, and Oscar Mayer. During April 4’s episode of Squawk on the Street, Cramer remarked:
“One of the reasons I say this is because let’s say you try to go to safety, so you pick a Kraft Heinz, got a really nice yield. Well this morning, Citi comes out and says, sell it. It’s a share loser. It is in trouble on many different, on margin issues. And it can’t find a way and then I would throw in GLP-1s because it’s not exactly like they’ve got this incredible lineup of things that are good for you. So this is the dilemma of the market. Can you pull out of a terrific company like an Arm Holdings and AMD, and go into this recognizing you’re going and sacrificing all your growth.”
9. Carriage Services, Inc. (NYSE:CSV)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 48
Carriage Services, Inc. (NYSE:CSV) offers a range of funeral and cemetery-related services and products, including memorial planning, cremation, burial arrangements, and associated merchandise such as caskets, urns, and memorial markers. A caller asked Cramer’s take on the company, and he commented, “Very steady, very steady stock. Can be owned. I like it. Not that expensive. Good call.”
Furthermore, Carriage Services (NYSE:CSV) expects to sell certain non-core assets in early 2025, which will slightly reduce its revenue and field EBITDA. For the full year, the company forecasts revenue of $400-$410 million. It expects adjusted EBITDA between $128 and $133 million. It forecasted its adjusted EPS in the range of $3.10-$3.30, and free cash flow between $40-$50 million.
8. Halliburton Company (NYSE:HAL)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 49
During the episode, a caller asked if they should hold it or double down on Halliburton Company (NYSE:HAL). Here’s what Cramer had to say in response:
“No, I think Halliburton, look, it’s probably going to bottom at 3 and a quarter yield, but I can’t recommend it because it’s got, it’s domestic drilling, and oil’s come down so much in our country that I think that the president, as much as he went “drill, baby drill”, it’s not happening. It’s not happening. So I can’t encourage you there. I’m sorry, I feel terrible about that, but I can’t.”
Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) delivers a broad range of products and services to the energy sector, including solutions for drilling, well construction, production enhancement, and digital technologies for reservoir and production management. In January, Cramer commented:
“I think SLB and Halliburton deserve all of this upside and more…. Yes, I think they can keep climbing. Yes, the growth outlook for the oil service industry is better than I thought going into earnings, primarily thanks to increased activity overseas.”
7. Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (NYSE:AEM)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 53
A caller asked if they should buy more of Agnico Eagle Mines Limited (NYSE:AEM), and Cramer replied:
“No, no. Hold the rest. You’ve done the trimming, you’ve taken off enough for no profits. This is a remarkable company. We had them on, and I don’t think it’s done. I know it seems like a blow-off rally, but you’ve already taken some off. If you hadn’t, I would tell you to take some off. But you’ve already done that. You’ve been disciplined, you have the luxury of letting the rest run.”
Agnico Eagle Mines (NYSE:AEM) is a gold mining company involved in the exploration, development, and extraction of precious metals, including gold, silver, copper, and zinc. On April 4, Cramer stated, “I like… Agnico Eagle… you know one of the more gold-oriented companies.” Additionally, over the past 12 months, AEM stock gained more than 100%.
6. DuPont de Nemours, Inc. (NYSE:DD)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 58
A caller asked what Cramer thought of DuPont de Nemours, Inc. (NYSE:DD), and this is what Cramer had to say in response:
“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.”
DuPont (NYSE:DD) develops advanced materials and solutions used across various industries. Its offerings include semiconductor materials, display components, water purification systems, safety products, specialty silicones, and printing technologies.
5. Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:PLTR)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 64
A caller asked Cramer’s thoughts on Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:PLTR), and he said:
“Well… Alright, so Palantir is a company that frankly is a meme stock, but it does have some good science to it, some good tech to it, and I’m going to tell you, you can buy it.”
Palantir (NASDAQ:PLTR) develops software tools designed for advanced data integration and strategic decision support. It is worth noting that Cramer extensively commented on the company in February, as he said:
“But Palantir’s stock is getting clobbered because it just had a parabolic move and right now this data analytics company needs a huge noisy client win. Karp needs fellow promoter, Elon Musk to hire Palantir to reform the Pentagon. This stock rallied to $125 at its highest last week. It’s now at $90 and change. Is this an all the king’s horses stock? No, not at all.
It’s just that something needs to happen good at Palantir, some big contracts, some big win, not just a book tour. Anything that can reset the narrative because the potty mouth, CEO is saying that, that he’s all about lethality and ontology… I’m sure that if you hire Palantir, it’s like hiring the Spartans and your company’s opponents are gonna dine in hell. Very compelling stuff but it doesn’t tell you much about the earnings power, which is what I care about.”
4. Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 64
Noting the stock’s decline in the year, a caller asked if Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE:NVO) was a buy. In response, Cramer said:
“I do…. It got low enough. When it hit 3.6% yield, it was low enough. Apparently, they’re doing exactly what President Trump wants. I am a buyer at this point in Novo Nordisk, though of course I do like Eli Lilly more, but this stock has come down enough.”
Novo Nordisk (NYSE:NVO) is focused on researching, developing, manufacturing, and distributing pharmaceutical products. For context, over the past year, NVO stock went down more than 47% while LLY stock gained a little over 1%. During an episode of Squawk on the Street aired in January, Cramer remarked:
“Now we don’t know what the President’s going to do. Is Novo Nordisk, cause they make some stuff but it’s a Danish company, where are they going to be in the tariffs?… Yeah because you already have Zepbound, why do you need Wegovy?”
3. Occidental Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:OXY)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 68
A caller asked if they should buy Occidental Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:OXY), and Cramer stated:
“No, absolutely not. It’s one of the worst of the oils, and it’s just, the only reason why there’s any glamor to it is Buffett likes it. But you know what I mean, I give you like a half dozen oils, I like more than that.”
Occidental Petroleum (NYSE:OXY) focuses on finding and developing oil and gas reserves. The company also produces chemicals and handles the transport and sale of energy products. Appearing on Squawk on the Street on Monday, Cramer said:
“Look at OXY. Look at the Buffett oil. I mean, it is just… OXY is emblematic of how bad this business has become. And it’s very hard to own the stock.”
2. Carvana Co. (NYSE:CVNA)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 84
Carvana Co. (NYSE:CVNA) runs a major online platform in the U.S. for used car sales. A caller expressed worry about the company after CarMax reported its earnings and asked if they should hold onto it. This is what Mad Money’s host had to say:
“Yes, I think that they are two very different animals. One is really a great science study of used cars and how to get the price down and sell them at a good margin, that’s Carvana. And the other’s just a very traditional good company, but a very traditional good company is not going to be able to do well against, well, there’s enough room for both Carvana and CarMax, but Carvana’s got a different model and I really like the model and I really like Ernie Garcia and I want you to, if anything, buy more of that stock.”
1. Marvell Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRVL)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 105
A caller highlighted that while its peers have been down this year, Marvell Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRVL) has been worse off. Cramer replied:
“It’s unbelievable. And Matt Murphy is so fabulous. He bought a lot of stock actually higher. They are doing everything right, but you know what? They are up against some very good competition, and people feel that there’s always going to be some Taiwanese company that’s going to come in… It is now getting no credit for anything it’s done in the data center. I think. Marvell Tech is a buy.”
Marvell Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRVL) is a semiconductor company that is focused on data infrastructure. Its products are designed to meet the demands of today’s data centers. ClearBridge Mid Cap Strategy stated the following regarding Marvell Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRVL) in its Q1 2025 investor letter:
“Marvell Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRVL), a networking and storage semiconductor company with a strong presence in data centers, pulled back after a strong run alongside other AI beneficiaries following the DeepSeek announcement. However, we believe that regardless of the impact of less capital and energy intensive AI models like DeepSeek, large AI hyperscalers will continue to build new and more data centers, providing Marvell with a long-term opportunity to capitalize on its position as a preferred partner in their construction.”
While we acknowledge the potential of Marvell Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRVL) as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that 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 MRVL but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock.
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