In this article, we will discuss: Jim Cramer’s Biggest Winners to Buy: Top 20 AI & Other Stocks He Got Right in 2026. For more stocks, you can head to Jim Cramer’s Biggest Winners to Buy: Top 5 AI & Other Stocks He Got Right in 2026.
With AI stocks and the broader markets struggling during June’s end, CNBC’s Jim Cramer didn’t hold back when discussing the latest events. Even though he was on vacation last week, Cramer found some time to tweet about the latest equity movements. On June 26th, Cramer tied the weak share price to aggressive spending by hyperscalers:
The market is telling the hyperscalers no more money for you. You are reckless. These companies think they are paragons and fabulous stewards of our capital. If that’s the case why are they spending more money on the lowest part of the tech food chain?”
This tweet wasn’t the end of it, as the CNBC TV host asserted that payoffs from aggressive investments were necessary:
“We keep hearing ‘genius, this’ and ‘genius’ that about these ai people; it doesn’t take a genius to see that wrecked balance sheets aren’t signs of success if there is NO payoff in sight. Either merge–this government will bless it–or slow it or stop it. That’ what this week’s about.. Can’t you see it?”
Our Methodology
To make our list of Jim Cramer’s hottest stock picks, we made a list of AI stocks that he was optimistic about in January 2026. Then, their performance since the comments were made was calculated, and the stocks were ranked accordingly. Additionally, the number of hedge fund investors back then was also mentioned. Finally, the number of investors as of the first quarter of 2026 was also mentioned for additional context.
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 599.2% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 372 percentage points (see more details here).
20. Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ:AVGO)
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings in Q3 2025: 183
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings in Q1 2026: 173
Performance Since Cramer’s Remarks: 4.6%
Date/Month of Cramer’s Remarks: January 5th, 2026
Chip designer Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ:AVGO) is one of the most important firms in today’s AI era, courtesy of its ability to design custom AI chips. Its shares are up by 30% over the past year and by 3.7% year-to-date. Since Cramer discussed the firm, the stock is up by 4.6%. Additionally, since his remarks, Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ:AVGO) has seen significant turmoil on the market. One notable period was between 3rd and 5th June, which saw the stock lose 19.51%. The shares dipped after the company’s latest earnings report saw it maintain, and not raise, its AI chip revenue guidance. Here is what Cramer had said about Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ:AVGO) in his morning appearance:
“This is the software getting eaten by hardware, which is a little bit of a change. I come back and say, that Salesforce is going to fight. I think we should be buyers of Salesforce, because they have an agentics business. But at the same time, I’d rather own Broadcom, which is Hock Tan, potential winner.”
19. Affirm Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:AFRM)
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings in Q3 2025: 60
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings in Q1 2026: 61
Performance Since Cramer’s Remarks: 3.8%
Date/Month of Cramer’s Remarks: January 5th, 2026
Cramer has discussed Affirm Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:AFRM) several times over the past couple of months. Its shares are up by 23% over the past year and by by 13.8% year-to-date. A key player in the buy-now, pay-later (BNPL) industry, Affirm Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:AFRM) announced a new pilot program in January to allow renters to break their payments in equal halves. The Wall Street Journal also reported earlier this year that the firm had managed to line up $750 million in funding from Liberty Mutual Investments. June 2026 was a key month for Affirm Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:AFRM) as it was dropped from the Russell 1000 Value Index, the Russell 3000 Value Index, the Russell 3000E Value Index, and the Russell 2500 Value Index. Cramer commented on the firm in his appearance on Mad Money:
“Oh, you should buy more…. I think that stock is going to par, which is genuine Wall Street gibberish for $100. It’s at $80 right now. Max Levchin, genius. He’s a funny guy, too. Come on, man.”
18. Dover Corporation (NYSE:DOV)
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings in Q3 2025: 55
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings in Q1 2026: 45
Performance Since Cramer’s Remarks: 7.4%
Date/Month of Cramer’s Remarks: January 5th, 2026
Dover Corporation (NYSE:DOV) is one of the largest industrial products manufacturers in America. The shares are up by 13% over the past year and 9% year-to-date. Since Cramer discussed Dover Corporation (NYSE:DOV) in his morning appearance, several analysts have discussed the firm. For instance, Oppenheimer raised the share price target to $250 from $242 and kept an Outperform rating on the stock. The financial firm remarked that the industrial products company had delivered a strong set of first-quarter results and added that Dover Corporation (NYSE:DOV)’s current valuation was satisfactory. The firm’s first quarter earnings saw it post $1.87 billion in revenue and $2.05 in earnings per share to meet analyst estimates for revenue and beat them for earnings. Here is what Cramer said about Dover Corporation (NYSE:DOV) in January:
“My charitable trust owns Dover, it’s the lowest multiple of those, I was always surprised at how terribly it traded last year. Could be different this year.”
17. Medline Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLN)
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings in Q3 2025: N/A
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings in Q1 2026: 65
Performance Since Cramer’s Remarks: 6.8%
Date/Month of Cramer’s Remarks: January 7th, 2026
Medline Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLN) is a large surgical instruments provider. Its shares are up by 5.3% over the past year and by 6.3% year-to-date. They are up by 6.8% since Cramer discussed the firm on Mad Money in January. One notable movement occurred on May 6th when the stock closed 7% lower. On that day, Medline Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLN) reported its fiscal first quarter earnings, which saw the firm post $7.4 billion in revenue and $0.33 in adjusted earnings per share. Additionally, the firm posted $239 million in net income to mark a 26% annual drop. The firm also suffered from a major fire in its distribution center in June. Here is what Cramer said about Medline Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLN) in January:
“But again, the fact that the IPO market was able to mostly self-correct in these situations and stamp out the froth, that’s what we really like, it’s a good thing for stocks in general. Just after Fermi came public, the IPO market went quiet for a while, thanks to the government shutdown that forced a much-needed cooling-off period for the IPO market, was good for us. After the government reopened, we ended up getting the largest deal in four years when Medline came public. Now, this is a medical supplies distributor and a medical device maker, highly thought of in the industry. Medline priced its IPO at $29, and the stock jumped to $41 on its first day of trading. Now, it’s just at 40 bucks and change. Now, this seems pretty healthy to me, and it’s a terrific company, and if the stock comes in, it’s a buy.”
Brown Advisory Mid-Cap Growth Strategy discussed Medline Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLN) in its fourth quarter 2025 investor letter:
“After following the company for years, we purchased shares of Medline Inc.’s (NASDAQ:MDLN) IPO in the quarter and subsequently added to our position. Medline is a differentiated business offering exposure to both medical technology demand and provider volumes through its vertically integrated manufacturing and distribution platform. The data from its scaled distribution business informs the higher margin manufacturing business, a key competitive advantage.”
16. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS)
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings in Q3 2025: 75
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings in Q1 2026: 83
Performance Since Cramer’s Remarks: 7.5%
Date/Month of Cramer’s Remarks: January 5th, 2026
Throughout 2026, The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS) has remained one of Cramer’s top stocks in the sector. Its shares are up by 41% over the past year and by 11.7% year-to-date. Since the CNBC TV host discussed the firm in January, the investment bank has experienced key developments. For instance, just as Cramer outlined, The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS)’s key role in the mergers and acquisitions industry allowed it to benefit from the rise in dealmaking. For instance, a Reuters report outlined that the bank grew its market share in the Europe, Middle East and Asia region’s M&A activity to 44% from the year-ago figure of 42%. It also hiked its dividend and beat earnings and revenue estimates for the first quarter. Here is what Cramer had said about The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS) on Mad Money:
“Take Goldman Sachs. I’ve been shouting from the rooftops that this will be the year of mergers and acquisitions, not to mention gigantic equity offerings. Goldman stock opened almost unchanged. It sells at just 17 times earnings, less than the average S&P 500 stock, even though it’s much better than they are, and it’s a huge player in M&A and issuance IPOs. That’s worth buying. The stock ended up rallying nearly 4% after it caught fire. You could have made all that today, and I think it’s still got lots more room to run. Not a trade.”
15. Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings in Q3 2025: 69
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings in Q1 2026: 80
Performance Since Cramer’s Remarks: 11.9%
Date/Month of Cramer’s Remarks: January 15th, 2026
Investment bank Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) is another stock that Jim Cramer has frequently discussed in 2026. The shares are up by 48% over the past year and by 17.6% year-to-date. Along with Cramer, several analysts have also discussed Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) this year. For instance, Bank of America raised the share price target to $225 from $220 and kept a Buy rating on the shares on April 16th. The bank remarked that it was optimistic that the remarks made by Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)’s during its latest earnings call would help with earnings and capital return growth. The investment bank’s first quarter earnings saw it post $20.5 billion in net revenue and $5.6 billion in net income, which led its $3.43 in earnings per share to beat analyst estimates. Here is what Cramer said about Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) in January in his morning appearance:
“You know Ted is, Ted Pick is doing a great job. Remember my thesis, they’ve been taken down? Well because people just say, you know what, this group is not, these aren’t semis, this is not AI, it’s not semiconductors, in the end, it’s finance and these stocks are up 35%. “Look I’m going to go against the market, I think the market’s wrong on this, I think the market’s trying to figure out, has it moved too much? And I think Ted Pick has reinvented this company, I got to salute him. . .but this Morgan Stanley model’s a good one, David, it’s very sticky, it’s much less episodic, it deserves a much higher price-to-earnings multiple.”
14. Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL)
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings in Q3 2025: 243
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings in Q1 2026: 265
Performance Since Cramer’s Remarks: 13.70%
Date/Month of Cramer’s Remarks: January 5th, 2026
Since the start of 2025, Jim Cramer has markedly changed his opinion about technology giant Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL). Early in 2025, the CNBC TV host was not only wary about buying the shares, but he also famously sold some as he was worried about the firm’s trouble with the Justice Department. However, as the year came to a close, he became increasingly optimistic about Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL). Cramer based his newfound optimism on the back of several factors, such as Google’s strength in cloud computing, video streaming, artificial intelligence, and search engines. Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) made key inroads into financial services AI on June 30th after it announced a partnership with FactSet. On June 22nd, the stock slipped by more than 5% after key AI executives departed the firm. Here is what Cramer said about Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) in January:
“It’s interesting that NVIDIA, and Alphabet, Google, are rivals. True rivals, because Google spent a lot of money and has dealt with a lot of high-bandwidth memory.
“And therefore, remember, Alphabet has a special relationship with Apple. I do believe that Gemini’s going to be along for the ride, pay them more, and Gemini’s going to be the de-facto name. It’s going to be Anthropic for business-to-business. . . .for regular search, you’re going to go to Gemini cause it’s just superior to everyone. Now ChatGPT has a new iteration coming, maybe that one will be better.”
13. Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings in Q3 2025: 51
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings in Q1 2026: 49
Performance Since Cramer’s Remarks: 13.95%
Date/Month of Cramer’s Remarks: January 6th, 2026
Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT) is a food chain that operates brands such as Chili’s and Maggiano’s. Its shares are down by 2.7% over the past year and are up by 17.3% year-to-date. As opposed to the high growth AI stocks, Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)’s shares have performed comparably well in the year’s first half. On April 29th, the shares closed 14.5% higher. On that day, the firm reported its earnings for the fiscal third quarter and posted $1.47 billion in revenue to meet analyst estimates and $2.90 in adjusted earnings to beat analyst estimates of $2.87. In January, as Cramer discussed Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT), he mentioned cattle prices:
“Look Kevin Hochman’s done a great job. The stock really dipped big when cattle prices went way up. I’m glad to see it’s coming back. I think he’s got cattle price under control. He has a $10 meal, and most people don’t have that, it’s actually pretty terrific, people should try it.”
During the third quarter earnings call, Brinker International, Inc. (NYSE:EAT)’s management also discussed the prices:
“But there’s always puts and takes, but there is going to be pressure with beef. I mean that’s clearly out there. Luckily, that’s not the total basket for us. We’re a varied menu, so we have different opportunities. Obviously, we sell a lot of chicken as well. But yes, we’re going to continue to see pressure in commodities as we move forward. It will probably be similar levels that you’ve seen us in the past or this last half of the year, we’ve had that mid-single-digit inflation. So I’m anticipating that will be something similar as we move forward into F ’27.”
12. Fifth Third Bancorp (NASDAQ:FITB)
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings in Q3 2025: 39
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings in Q1 2026: 46
Performance Since Cramer’s Remarks: 14.83%
Date/Month of Cramer’s Remarks: January 6th, 2026
Fifth Third Bancorp (NASDAQ:FITB) is a regional bank headquartered in Ohio. Its shares are up by 31% over the past year and by 19.8% year-to-date. 2026 has been a key year for Fifth Third Bancorp (NASDAQ:FITB). The bank closed its merger with Comerica on February 1st; it reported its first quarter earnings on April 17th; and it transferred its listing to the NYSE in the largest shifting of its kind in the exchange’s history. Fifth Third Bancorp (NASDAQ:FITB)’s earnings saw the firm post $2.86 billion in revenue and $0.83 in adjusted earnings per share to meet analyst estimates for both of the metrics. Additionally, it also raised its annual net interest income guidance to range between $8.7 billion and $8.8 billion on the back of synergies from the Comerica deal. Cramer discussed the firm’s Comerica deal and recommended buying the shares:
“Yeah, FITB, this is a good combination. I’ve wanted it. They are going to bring some, they will bring some discipline to Comerica. I think it’s a buy.”
11. Snowflake Inc. (NYSE:SNOW)
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings in Q3 2025: 102
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings in Q1 2026: 82
Performance Since Cramer’s Remarks: 15.95%
Date/Month of Cramer’s Remarks: January 5th, 2026
Data warehousing firm Snowflake Inc. (NYSE:SNOW)’s shares are up by 17.5% over the past year and by 20% year-to-date. Since Cramer’s remarks, they are up by 15.9% with the most notable period coming between May 27th and June 1st, when the stock gained 59.8%. The stock surged by 36% on Thursday after Snowflake Inc. (NYSE:SNOW) guided $1.415 billion to $1.420 billion in fiscal second-quarter product revenue, which was higher than the $1.37 billion that analysts had penciled in. Additionally, it also announced a partnership with Amazon and beat analyst estimates for fiscal first quarter earnings and revenue. The results fell in line with Cramer’s remarks on Mad Money, where he had discussed Snowflake Inc. (NYSE:SNOW) after its previous earnings release:
“I have to tell you, I thought the quarter wasn’t that bad… I was quite surprised about the negative reaction. You know it is a highly valued company, but I think Sridhar Ramaswamy is a terrific CEO, and I think the stock is, quite frankly, a buy.”
10. Voyager Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:VOYG)
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings in Q3 2025: 19
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings in Q1 2026: 37
Performance Since Cramer’s Remarks: 20.15%
Date/Month of Cramer’s Remarks: January 5th, 2026
Voyager Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:VOYG) is a mid-sized defense contractor that operates in the space industry. Its shares are down by 19.2% over the past year and are up by 23% year-to-date. The firm reported its first quarter earnings on May 4th and posted $35 million in revenue and $0.61 in loss per share to beat analyst earnings estimates. Earlier, on March 9th, Voyager Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:VOYG) had posted its fiscal fourth quarter earnings. During the quarter, the firm earned $46.7 million in revenue and $0.52 in diluted loss per share to beat analyst earnings estimates. Citi discussed Voyager Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:VOYG) on May 18th as it raised the share price target to $44 from $36 and kept a Buy rating on the shares. As part of its coverage, Citi remarked that the stock could recover after the Iran war was over. Cramer discussed Voyager Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:VOYG) in his appearance on Mad Money:
“No, look, it’s got, it’s space, and it’s national security. Those are two of my favorite teams. I think it’s a very good speculation.”
9. Rambus Inc. (NASDAQ:RMBS)
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings in Q3 2025: 25
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings in Q1 2026: 35
Performance Since Cramer’s Remarks: 23.21%
Date/Month of Cramer’s Remarks: January 7th, 2026
Rambus Inc. (NASDAQ:RMBS) is a crucial semiconductor company that offers products that are used by DDR5 memory chips. Its shares are up by 71% over the past year and by 13% year-to-date. April was an important month for Rambus Inc. (NASDAQ:RMBS)’s stock as it closed a painful 21% lower on the 28th. On that day, Baird discussed the firm as it downgraded it to Neutral from Outperform and set a $120 share price target. As part of its coverage, the financial firm remarked that Rambus Inc. (NASDAQ:RMBS) could suffer from a slowdown in RDIMM growth next year due to DRAM shortages. Baird added that the higher demand for CPUs from agentic AI would nevertheless create tailwinds for the firm. A day earlier, the firm had reported $180 million in revenue and $59.9 million in net income. Here is what Cramer said about the firm on Mad Money:
“You know, it always had great technology. It always has. I always keep waiting for that like an explosive move…. you know what? It’s not that expensive versus growth. I’m going to, I’m going to bless it for you. You’ve obviously done some homework, and you’ve been around for a long time. You know it’s a good one.”
8. FedEx Corp (NYSE:FDX)
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings in Q3 2025: 60
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings in Q1 2026: 86
Performance Since Cramer’s Remarks: 26.13%
Date/Month of Cramer’s Remarks: January 16th, 2026
Logistics giant FedEx Corp (NYSE:FDX)’s shares are up by 61% over the past year and by 32% year-to-date. Cramer has discussed the firm several times this year and praised its CEO, Raj Subramaniam. One aspect of FedEx Corp (NYSE:FDX) that has caught the CNBC TV host’s attention is the divestiture of its freight business. The divestiture was completed on June 1st, with the new entity trading on the NYSE under the ticker FDXF. FedEx Corp (NYSE:FDX) will retain a 19.9% stake in the new company. A little more than a week later, the firm announced that it would increase its annual dividend rate by 5%. In his appearance on Squawk on the Street, Cramer discussed FedEx Corp (NYSE:FDX)’s spinoff announcement:
“And this is exciting because we were waiting for this. . .Raj Subramaniam has been about as good as you could be. He knew there was going to be a freight recession, he knew we were coming out of it. I do like the spinoff. I think it would be good. But I think the FedEx actual is fantastic. And I salute Raj for really figuring out the best way to follow up on the late Fred Smith and the amazing work that Fred Smith did when he created this company. And Raj would agree. This is an amazing company. Fred built it, Raj is doing a terrific job succeeding it.”
7. Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings in Q3 2025: 103
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings in Q1 2026: 113
Performance Since Cramer’s Remarks: 28.75%
Date/Month of Cramer’s Remarks: January 5th, 2026
Healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)’s shares are up by 68% over the past year and by 26% year-to-date. The firm reported its fourth quarter earnings on January 21st. It posted $24.56 billion in revenue and $2.46 in earnings per share to beat analyst estimates. Crucially, Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) also forecast full year revenue to range between $99.5 billion and $100.5 billion and full year profit per share to sit between $11.43 to $11.63 to beat analyst estimates for both metrics. Cramer has been increasingly optimistic about Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) for nearly a year now. Some factors that have caught his attention include a robust oncology portfolio and overall business streamlining. On April 14th, Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)’s first quarter earnings saw it post $24.1 billion in revenue and $2.70 in adjusted earnings to beat analyst estimates. It also raised its full year guidance again. Here is what Cramer said about the firm in January:
“The fastest grower, the best opportunity here would not be Eli Lilly, which has moved a great deal and I still like, but Johnson & Johnson. It’s spinning off its orthopedics business, DePuy Synthes, something that will immediately raise its price-to-earnings multiple because that business has much slower growth than the core pharma franchise. Same thing happened when J&J spun off Kenvue, its over-the-counter drug business. Great move to raise the valuation. At one point, this stock was down more than $5 today. I think it’s a terrific entry point even down three.”
6. CVS Health Corporation (NYSE:CVS)
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings in Q3 2025: 78
Number of Hedge Fund Holdings in Q1 2026: 84
Performance Since Cramer’s Remarks: 29.93%
Date/Month of Cramer’s Remarks: January 8th, 2026
Pharmaceutical retailer CVS Health Corporation (NYSE:CVS) has become one of Cramer’s top stocks in the sector. Throughout this year, the CNBC TV host has maintained that troubles in the sector have allowed the firm to establish a strong foothold for itself. CVS Health Corporation (NYSE:CVS)’s shares are up by 55% over the past year and by 30% year-to-date. The stock gained 12.3% between May 7th and May 13th. On the 6th, CVS Health Corporation (NYSE:CVS) reported its earnings and increased the full year outlook for profit per share to range between $7.30 and $7.50, which was higher than analyst estimates. For its fiscal first quarter, the firm posted $100.43 billion in revenue and $2.57 in adjusted earnings per share to beat analyst estimates of $95.09 billion and $2.20. Here is what Cramer said about CVS Health Corporation (NYSE:CVS) in January:
“The sixth best sector and the only other sector to finish 2025 up double digits was healthcare, which finished up 12.5%. Coming into last year, there was a lot of worry about what the health and human services department might do to the industry under the leadership of RFK Jr. But when the worst of these fears failed to materialize, the healthcare stocks were able to make a big run into the end of the year. Guess what was the best performer? CVS Health, up nearly 77% as the company recovered under new CEO David Joyner, and their top competitor Walgreens, is shutting down a lot of stores. Joyner’s money. I’m looking for another huge year.”
While we acknowledge the potential of CVS 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 CVS and that has 100x upside potential, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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