Jim Cramer, the host of Mad Money, said Friday that with a new round of earnings reports on the horizon, the market can sometimes get “so darned ugly” that investors have no choice but to see it as a potential opportunity.
“Sometimes it is so darn ugly that you have no choice but to view the weakness as a buying opportunity. This morning, the futures created some serious ugliness, but the individual stocks in the index wouldn’t comply. Why? Because while we have a lot of stocks and companies that aren’t making money, and you know I don’t like them, we also have enough… strong companies with stocks that would be getting killed this week.”
READ ALSO: Jim Cramer Discussed These 16 Stocks Recently and Jim Cramer’s Latest Comments on These 17 Stocks.
Cramer said the next phase of the market depends heavily on the Federal Reserve and a handful of important quarterly reports. He mentioned that both could end up helping after what he called the week’s “vicious shakeout.” He pointed to Monday, when John Williams, the president of the influential New York Fed, is scheduled to speak.
Cramer said bulls are hoping Williams signals that inflation has peaked or, more realistically, that unemployment has worsened. He noted that after the declines investors just endured, a more dovish tone from Williams could coax people “out of their foxholes” and get them buying again. He stressed that Williams’ comments matter even more because he is scheduled to speak not only on Monday but also again on Wednesday and Friday.
“Here’s the bottom line: The year of magical investing may indeed be over, but there are plenty of companies making big profits that I think will continue to do so. Sell-offs like this can be bought, but only if you have cash and you upgrade out of the morass of ultra-high-risk speculative stocks that are losing fortunes. Those may not make it through 2026.”
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 November 14. We listed the stocks in the order that Cramer mentioned them. We also provided hedge fund sentiment for each stock as of the second quarter of 2025, which was taken from Insider Monkey’s database of over 900 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 427.7% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 264 percentage points (see more details here).
Jim Cramer Laid Out This Week’s Game Plan: 12 Stocks in Focus
12. BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 44
BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ) is one of the stocks in focus as Jim Cramer laid out this week’s game plan. Cramer finished his game plan with the stock, as he said:
“Finally, on Friday, we hear from another club, this time BJ’s Wholesale Club. I use this one as a barometer for Costco, that down-and-out warehouse club that I think is so great. But so far, I’ve been wrong of late, right for very many years, though.”
BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ) runs membership-based warehouse stores and provides groceries, fresh food, general merchandise, fuel services, and promotional savings. TimesSquare Capital Management stated the following regarding BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ) in its second quarter 2025 investor letter:
“Our preferences in the Consumer-oriented sectors lean toward value-oriented or specialty retailers, franchise models, or premium brands. BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:BJ) operates membership warehouse clubs. First quarter profits and earnings outpaced Street estimates. Strong momentum in consumables offset a slight decline in seasonal big-ticket categories. Investors appear to have been disappointed by management’s decision to maintain full-year guidance, though we view this as a conservative approach. We added to the BJ’s position on its -6% pullback.”
11. Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ:INTU)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 105
Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ:INTU) is one of the stocks in focus as Jim Cramer laid out this week’s game plan. Cramer highlighted the company’s new software during the episode, as he commented:
“Now, Intuit reports. I don’t know if you remember, we had Intuit on a couple weeks, last week, and they recently sampled their new individual financial software. I think it, I thought it was swell, but I’m sure that many people haven’t used it yet, and I think they’ll embrace it once they try. Plus, the IRS is phasing out their homegrown competition to TurboTax. Remember that.”
Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ:INTU) provides financial management, tax preparation, marketing, and personal finance solutions through platforms such as QuickBooks, TurboTax, Mailchimp, and Credit Karma. During the June 5 episode, Cramer noted that he really likes the stock, as he remarked:
“Now, each day has its own Mosaic… And why don’t we just throw in another one that I really like, Intuit? The small business person’s digital accountant, or so I like to think about the TurboTax division. Three aces there.”
10. Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 62
Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) is one of the stocks in focus as Jim Cramer laid out this week’s game plan. Cramer highlighted that the retailer is “loved by the market,” as he commented:
“We hear from another retailer, too, that is loved by the market, Ross Stores. This one’s a discounter. I don’t know if its stock can keep running. I’d be a little careful.”
Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) runs off-price retail chains that provide apparel, accessories, footwear, and home goods. The company targets middle to moderate income level customers with its brands, including Ross Dress for Less and dd’s DISCOUNTS. Cramer mentioned the stock during the September 10 episode and stated:
“In the third place, there’s Ross Stores… which saw just 1% same-store sales growth in the first half. In the most recent quarter, their same-store sales came in a little light… These guys had pulled their full-year forecast earlier in the year in response to the Liberation Day tariffs, but now they got a better handle on the situation, so management reissued their full-year earnings guidance with the upper end of their range just above Wall Street’s consensus estimate, basically inline numbers, so the stock did rally just 1% the next day.
Now, the fact that Ross actually wasn’t slaughtered… for doing a little bit less than some people expected shows you just how much Wall Street really likes this whole group. Now that we know how all three off-price apparel companies are doing, what about paying for numbers?… Alright, in terms of cheapness, Ross Stores leads the way, trading just 22 times next year’s earnings estimates. That is very cheap, much cheaper than Burlington at 25 and then TJX at roughly 28 times next year’s numbers…
Ross Stores is at 2.2 (PEG ratio)… They bought back 260 million of their own shares last quarter, maintaining their plan to repurchase $1.05 billion of stock for the year. That’s not bad… While Ross Stores noted that their top priority will always be providing high-quality merchandise at outstanding value, they just don’t have the scale advantage that TJX has. But given all the other factors I just mentioned, I’m happy to put Ross at second.”
9. The Gap, Inc. (NYSE:GAP)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 44
The Gap, Inc. (NYSE:GAP) is one of the stocks in focus as Jim Cramer laid out this week’s game plan. Cramer highlighted the negative market reaction toward the stock after its last earnings report. The Mad Money host said:
“We had The Gap on when they last reported, and I was adamant that the quarter was good, yet the stock got crushed. That was wrong. The stock’s been bid up nicely ever since then. Perhaps that same pattern continues.”
The Gap, Inc. (NYSE:GAP) is an apparel retailer that provides clothing, accessories, and personal care products for men, women, and children. The company’s brands include Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, and Athleta. Cramer mentioned the stock during the November 12 episode and said:
“Glum people don’t go out to dinner, do they? They hunker down and stay home, all bummed out, eating ready-made salads and whatever else they can afford from the supermarket without breaking the bank. That’s been a problem for millions of people with the federal employee furloughs and the food stamp cuts, stuff that makes us look like a banana republic. Except I think that that’s an insult to the apparel chain, which is part of a broader turnaround at The Gap, by the way. I know this stock’s inching higher after a quarter I felt was pretty good.”
8. Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 105
Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) is one of the stocks in focus as Jim Cramer laid out this week’s game plan. Cramer noted the news of the company’s CEO retiring. He commented:
“Now, we got some jarring news this morning, really jarring for me, I don’t know why I took it so personally, the retirement of Doug McMillon, the longtime CEO of Walmart, and he’s going to be replaced by a fellow by the name of John Furner, Furner, who’s the head of Walmart’s US business.
Now, I had a special relationship with Doug, which included multiple trips with my two daughters to shop there, and I always told him about it. Doug has a remarkable interest in fighting inflation, especially high food prices. He’s done real service to his customers. I think he’s an American hero. I think he will be missed. He’s quite a gentleman. I expect a great quarter, though, because I can’t imagine Doug’s last quarter being anything other than a great one.”
Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) operates a network of retail and wholesale formats, ecommerce platforms, and membership clubs. The company provides groceries, everyday consumables, home and seasonal goods, apparel, electronics, and health services.
7. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 77
Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) is one of the stocks in focus as Jim Cramer laid out this week’s game plan. Cramer discussed the stock in light of “sophisticated equipment” used by hackers from China, as he remarked:
“Next up, we hear… [from] Palo Alto Networks. Now, that’s a cybersecurity company run by Nikesh Arora. And given the endless hacks lately from the Chinese using really sophisticated equipment, I think there’s plenty of business for these guys.”
Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) provides cybersecurity platforms that include network protection, cloud security, AI-driven security operations, attack surface management, and subscription-based threat prevention. During the November 6 episode, a caller showed an inclination toward buying the stock, and Cramer replied:
“Look, I think it’s good. I’m certainly not going to fight that. The stock is not that down from its high versus a lot of others. But I think that the, let’s say, the secular bull case for cybersecurity has never been better. And I love Nikesh’s acquisition of CyberArk. That is just sensational.”
6. NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 235
NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) is one of the stocks in focus as Jim Cramer laid out this week’s game plan. Cramer highlighted the company’s “chief rival” during the episode. He remarked:
“Wednesday night’s the big night of the week, the biggest night because NVIDIA reports. NVIDIA’s at the heart of the data center because the chips power accelerated computing and artificial intelligence. Besides hearing how the company’s doing, we need to hear about the next iteration of chips, the Vera Rubin, and whether it’s ready and whether it’ll be a seamless transition that will keep the company well ahead of AMD, by the way, who still is their chief rival. No, I don’t expect anything from China. I think that’s a dead issue now.
If NVIDIA’s strong, I think it can ignite, not a bounce, but a true rally itself. I continue to say own NVIDIA, don’t trade it, and that’s our position for the Charitable Trust. I can’t stress enough how important NVIDIA is to this market because there’s no AI revolution without NVIDIA. But with it, we could still have a multi-year move, something that an old friend of the show told me, Dave Cote, now the chairman of Vertiv, which is key to keeping these red-hot data centers cool. They own the best air conditioning company… You get a good number from NVIDIA and a big boost from the forecast, next thing you know, the other six members of the Mag Seven, they’re going to start roaring.”
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.
5. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 50
Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) is one of the stocks in focus as Jim Cramer laid out this week’s game plan. Cramer praised the company’s CEO during the episode, as he commented:
“Williams-Sonoma, oh, talk about a real wild trader. They report in the morning, and this one’s going to be hard to game. I think CEO Laura Alber does an amazing job. By the way, she has fully embraced Salesforce’s Agentic game plan. I want to hear how that’s working out. I heard her speak at Salesforce’s Dreamforce, and I want to know, because we own Salesforce for the Charitable Trust. I just can’t figure out why the stock won’t rally.”
Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) is a home retailer that provides cookware, kitchen tools, furnishings, decor, lighting, rugs, and personalized or custom items. Cramer mentioned the company during the August 26 episode and said:
“Let’s talk about Wayfair, Williams-Sonoma, and RH, the old Restoration Hardware… I know both Williams-Sonoma and RH are a different story. They make some fine furniture here, and they’d like to make more furniture, but it’s difficult to find skilled workers to make high-quality merchandise. I’m not slagging our workers. The people who used to make furniture simply moved on to other things, or they retired. … Tariff wouldn’t go far enough to make them come back. At the end of the day, I’m skeptical that we can bring back the American furniture industry as we remember it, and even if we could… would it be worth the cost? I don’t know… Unless the federal government wants to get into the business of making furniture, forcing the hand of RH and Williams-Sonoma, it won’t make a difference to the industry as a whole. There will most likely not be a revival of those great furniture cities.”
4. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 75
Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) is one of the stocks in focus as Jim Cramer laid out this week’s game plan. Cramer highlighted the CEO’s strategy during the episode, as he remarked:
“Now, Lowe’s follows Home Depot and retail week, and lately, Lowe’s has been in better shape. CEO Marvin Ellison runs stores that are equally attractive to the consumer and to the professional contractors. That combination’s been working better than Home Depot’s more contractor-focused approach.”
Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) is a home improvement retailer that provides products for construction, repair, remodeling, and decorating, including appliances, outdoor living, building materials, tools, and decor. During the July 23 episode, when a caller asked whether they should buy, sell, or hold the stock, the Mad Money host responded:
“Marvin Ellison is hitting the ball. He’s doing his best. He got the, Fed chairman won’t cut the rates. We don’t have a lot of housing turnover. You think I’m going to quit Marvin Ellison now? Absolutely not.”
3. Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 54
Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) is one of the stocks in focus as Jim Cramer laid out this week’s game plan. Cramer highlighted the company’s woes, as he commented:
“We also get, this is much tougher, the earnings from Target under the tutelage of outgoing CEO Brian Cornell. Now, I want to hear a plan that can get Target’s mojo back, mojo being a technical term, meaning it’s gotta start doing better. Remember… this used to be a very popular chain, especially with young people, but Target’s struggled with price in this environment of persistent inflation. Even with its extra-special private label goods, there’s a price gap with Walmart, and that has to be solved.”
Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) is a retailer that provides apparel, beauty products, groceries, electronics, home goods, seasonal items, and household essentials. A caller inquired about the company’s stock during the October 31 episode, and Cramer replied:
“Well, it does have a new CEO, and we haven’t seen the imprint yet. I will say this: these stocks are so out of favor that even if you buy the best of them, they’re not working. A longer-term view would say that it’s time to buy Walmart or one that I talked about with Jeff Marks… for the Charitable Trust, which is that Costco has come down so much that I think Costco is the way to go. I don’t care so much about the yield. Target has a big one. I care about growth, and Costco’s got that. That’s the way to go.”
2. The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 73
The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) is one of the stocks in focus as Jim Cramer laid out this week’s game plan. Cramer recommended buying the stock if it gets hit, as he remarked:
“Wednesday and Thursday are chock-filled with retail earnings. Wednesday morning starts with TJX, the parent of TJ Maxx and Marshalls, which we own for the Charitable Trust. I was cautious last quarter, too, because TJX is usually very conservative, but business was just so good. They went, let loose with some tremendous numbers. This is a fabulous company. So if this stock gets hit, which it often does, even on good results, pick some up.”
The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) is an off-price retailer of apparel, footwear, beauty items, jewelry, home decor, furniture, kitchenware, rugs, and seasonal goods, along with some pet and gourmet products. During the November 6 episode, a caller asked if they should be concerned about the stock. Cramer replied:
“No, no… I was just there yesterday. TJX is really, really strong. It’s what works in a bad market, and… right now, we got a bad one. I say own TJX, not sell it.”
1. The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 93
The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) is one of the stocks in focus as Jim Cramer laid out this week’s game plan. Cramer highlighted the stock’s downgrade by Stifel, as he said:
“… We got the first of some very big earnings reports on Tuesday morning when we get Home Depot. Now this morning, Stifel downgraded the stock from Buy to Hold, noting that their business could be exceptionally weak, not just because of the lack of housing turnover, but also because ICE keeps targeting the day laborers who hang out at Home Depot parking lots. Of course, anything connected to housing is joined at the hip with interest rates.
So the stock’s a buy if you believe the Fed will cut rates next month, as I do. I have liked the despot for years and years… In my book, How to Make Money in Any Market, I stress that growth stocks are the only truly safe stocks, and I’m going to include Home Depot because, as long as housing prices have gone higher, which they sure have, you’re going to see some growth from that trend for many, many years.”
The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) is a home improvement retailer of building materials, decor, lawn and garden products, and maintenance supplies. In addition, it provides installation, tool rental, and online specialty services.
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