Was Jim Cramer Right About Builders FirstSource, Inc. (BLDR)?

We recently published a list of Was Jim Cramer Right About These 9 Stocks? In this article, we are going to take a look at where Builders FirstSource, Inc. (NYSE:BLDR) stands against other stocks that Jim Cramer discusses.

In an older call, a viewer asked about buying the dip in Builders FirstSource, Inc. (NYSE:BLDR), especially after the stock approached a key technical level. Cramer expressed concern about broader housing sector weakness, citing negative commentary from Home Depot and Lowe’s at the time. He replied:

“You know how much I like this company but I’ve got to tell you both commentary from Home Depot and Lowe’s was not instructive… not constructive… and it makes me concerned that there is still another leg to fall here. Let’s do this… 162… if it goes to 150, then let’s do something, but we’ve got to wait.”

Craner’s call to wait proved smart, as the stock fell -27.56%.

Builders FirstSource Inc. (NYSE:BLDR) is a leading supplier and manufacturer of building materials, trusses, and prefabricated components to professional contractors in the residential construction industry.

On May 20, Cramer admitted he’s intrigued by the stock and gave his own analysis on it:

“Hey, by the way, while we’re talking about building materials, can we not forget about Builders FirstSource, which is a major consolidator in what used to be a highly fragmented industry? This stock’s been a huge long-term performer, but it’s peaked early last year, and the stock has been tumbling ever since because it’s tied not too directly to a not-so-hot housing market, and that’s because of interest rates. Unlike the rest of the market, Builders FirstSource didn’t recover much in April. Then, when the company reported on May 1st, the stock went lower still because management lowered their full-year forecast.

They’re just not feeling good about single-family housing market. I don’t blame them. It’s not, it’s stagnant. With things looking so bleak for Builders FirstSource, it caught my attention last week, though, when the company disclosed that its Chairman, Paul Levy, had bought a staggering 500,000 shares in the open market for an aggregate purchase price of $55.5 million. That’s about $111 per share.

I gotta tell you, I love to see insider buying, especially when the stock’s been doing badly and the insider’s committing a significant amount of money. Levy’s the founder of JLL Partners, that’s a private equity firm that established Builders FirstSource in the late 90s. So he is been there from the get-go. He knows the business as well as anyone could, and he just increased his stake in the company by 43%.

A crane lifting a truss during the construction of a new building.

Now I always tell you that executives sell their stock for all sorts of reasons… but they only buy their own stock in the open market for one reason: because they think it’s going to go higher. So that’s certainly an encouraging thing to see from Mr. Levy at Builders FirstSource. Consider me intrigued.”

Overall, BLDR ranks 6th on our list of stocks that Jim Cramer discusses. While we acknowledge the potential of BLDR as an investment, 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 extremely cheap AI stock that is also a major beneficiary of Trump tariffs and onshoring, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock.

READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires.

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.