Jim Cramer's Mad Money Review

Bullish calls:
Vodafone (VOD): 'You know I like VOD!... It's part of my European invasion... ' Verizon (VZ): 'Ivan Seidenberg [CEO]... why have you been hiding? Why don't you come on the show? You know I love you... I do. I think he's fabulous.' Unilever (UN) Sirius Satellite Radio (SIRI): 'I think the merger happens in the first quarter. I've been recommending this stock since $2.75 … you're going to get $6, when the deal comes across... At $6 bucks, then we're done.' Hologic (HOLX): 'This one is - buy, buy, buy! - my absolute favorite right now, when it comes to diagnostics. It was knocked down a couple of points because of that financing..' FCStone Group (FCSX): 'It's just unbelievable how good FCSX turned out to be, and I'm sorry that I gave it just a trade, and not an investment.' Best Buy (BBY): 'BBY is best in show.' Costco (COST): 'I like BBY. Not as much, though, as I like 52-week high, Costco!' Sonic (SONC): 'But SONC is in there buying back stock. It's a regional-to-national store chain. I reiterate that I like that stock very much!' Diamond Offshore (DO): 'Maybe you take a little off the table, but that is some great company!' Transocean (RIG): 'I don't like [Diamond Offshore] as much as I like Transocean.'
Bearish calls:
Broadcom (BRCM): 'No way, no way... sell, sell, sell! BRCM is just challenged.' LHC Group (LHCG): 'I 'm not a believer in that business.' Qualcomm (QCOM) Centex(CTX)
Published By SeekingAlpha

Labels: BBY, BRCM, COST, CTX, DO, FCSX, HOLX, Jim Cramer, LHCG, Lightning Round, Mad Money, QCOM, RIG, SIRI, SONC, UN, VOD, VZ

Memory chip maker Micron Technology Inc. was among the biggest decliners Wednesday on what was a mostly down day for semiconductor stocks, due mainly to worries over a tough pricing environment.
After posting slightly better-than-expected results for its fiscal fourth quarter, Micron issued what one analyst called "subdued" guidance on a challenging pricing environment.
Lehman Brothers analyst Tim Luke kept an "Equal Weight" rating on Micron.
With "memory pricing likely to trend lower over the near term, as spot pricing is still significantly below contract price levels, our low-end estimates are unchanged," Luke wrote in a client note.
Shares fell $1.03, or 8.7 percent, to $10.76 in early afternoon trading. The stock, which is down about 3 percent month-to-date, has traded in the 52-week range of $10.30 to $18.17.
Shares of industry leader Intel Corp. fell 53 cents, or 2 percent, to $25.85. The stock has traded between 18.75 and $27.71 in the past year.
Morgan Stanley analyst Mark Lipacis started coverage of Intel with an "Underweight" rating.
"We recommend that investors reduce positions in Intel ahead of what we expect will be an inventory correction and increasingly aggressive price environment," Lipacis wrote. The analyst also recommended that investors lower their positions in Advanced Micro Devices Inc. for the same reasons.
AMD's shares fell 29 cents, or 2.2 percent, to $12.91.
Qualcomm Inc., which is being investigated by European Union antitrust regulators for possible abusive business practices, was among the handful of stocks heading higher. The company makes mobile phone chips. Its shares rose 34 cents to $42.32.
The Philadelphia Semiconductor Sector index fell 9.75 points, or 1.93 percent, to 496.22.
Published by AP

Labels: AMD, INTC, LEH, MS, MU, QCOM, Semiconductors

Avoid Private Equity: Blackstone (NYSE: BX - News)
Cramer would not buy private equity firms and suggests staying away from the Apollo and KKR IPOs. A former hedge fund manager, Cramer says he knows a thing or two about private equity. He believes the stocks are too expensive and investors would be catching these names at the end of the trend. In addition, if a Democrat wins the White House, he or she will propose taxing "the heck out" of private equity and squeezing the firms dry. Cramer added there are "too many people with too much money trying to get a piece of the action." Finally, companies are taken public at the end of a cycle, and "coming public means they're selling, not buying," Cramer said.
That 80s Show: Apache (NYSE: APA - News)
This week, Cramer has been discussing his theory that once the $80 threshold is broken, a stock becomes "annointed," rises to $100 and eventually reaches $120. He added once a stock hits $100 it will only go down again if it splits. Apache is a name Cramer believes will provide support for this theory because "people will keep buying it." Oil is one of the sectors driving the market, and Apache's advantage over other oil companies is its ability to thrive in challenging areas because of its low production costs and to improve on cheap products it purchases from its rivals. Cramer adds APA is trading at only 1o times earnings; "This stock is mispriced!" Most of APA's oil reserves are in the U.S., and the company has raised its product guidance. "I would buy APA before it gets away from you," Cramer said.
Overcoming Soros: Bon-Ton (NasdaqGS: BONT - News), CVS (NYSE: CVS - News), Rite Aid (NYSE: RAD - News), Qualcomm (NasdaqGS: QCOM - News), Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN - News), Gen-Probe (NasdaqGS: GPRO - News)
Cramer says he doesn't want people to invest like George Soros, "I want to be better than Soros!" For instance, Soros owns BONT which Cramer thinks is alright for the long term, but "short term it really stinks." Although Cramer likes Soros pick CVS after its Caremark acquisition, he prefers RAD. He would also swap Soros' QCOM for his choice, TXN. However, Cramer agrees with Soros about buying GPRO because the stock is "instant growth" with 40% market share for blood screening tests and 58% market share for chlamydia and gonorrhea tests. The company is also making deals with industry leaders such as General Electric, 3M and Millipore.
Mad Mail: Manitowoc (NYSE: MTW - News), Costco (NasdaqGS: COST - News), Casey's (NasdaqGS: CASY - News), Rite Aid (NYSE: RAD - News), Cemex (NYSE: CX - News)
Cramer agreed with a viewer that MTW fits his $80-$100-$120 theory. Since COST is a gas station as well as a retailer, he considers it a viable alternative to CASY. Cramer added he isn't concerned about RAD after the Medicaid ruling, but would let the "good times roll." Being locked in by the housing cycle is not a bad thing for those who hold CX, he said, because the company is "growing like a weed."
Published by SeekingAlpha

Labels: APA, BONT, BX, CASY, COST, CVS, CX, GPRO, Jim Cramer, Mad Money, MTW, QCOM, RAD, TXN

Aruba Networks (NasdaqGM: ARUN - News): 'Blowout quarter last week ... How about we wait for a pullback, before we back up the truck... If it goes below $20, you've got to be willing to pull the trigger.'Merrill Lynch (NYSE: MER - News): ' MER is not going to have any problem going over $100.00 ... Because MER is incredibly well-run. The sub-prime problems are in the past ... That stock needs to go higher right now. Buy, buy, buy!'Level 3 Communications (NasdaqGS: LVLT - News): 'I think this stock is going to finish the year - yes, and if I may be so bold... - at between $7 and $8. So any one of these declines is just another opportunity to load the boat up with LVLT.'Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT - News): 'I got behind WMT in the mid-$40s, and I am not backing away now at $50. It's got much more upside.'Alcoa (NYSE: AA - News): ' I think Alcoa and Alcan are going to merge... You know I think that AA is not going to be public in a year if they don't get that deal...'Alcan (NYSE: AL - News)Dominion Resources (NYSE: D - News): 'I think that one may be a better diversified utility company than yours (Targa Resources). So let's make that switch.'Research In Motion (NasdaqGS: RIMM - News): 'That has the better fundamentals (than Palm.)'Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE: FCX - News)Qualcomm (NasdaqGS: QCOM - News): 'If you want to be in a semiconductor play that has to do with cell, I will send you to QualComm.'BHP Billiton (NYSE: BHP - News) CVRD (NYSE: RIO - News): ' ... among the cheapest mineral stocks ... It's just too darn cheap, too well-run and, ever since they were able to buy the largest nickel company ... this thing wreaks of monopoly!'Barnes & Noble (NYSE: BKS - News): 'I actually like very much the Barnes & Noble quarter, and they're buying back a lot of stock.'
Bearish calls:
Target (NYSE: TGT - News): ' ... sell, sell, sell... let's take a little off the table, and go into Wal-Mart.Aluminum Corp. of China (NYSE: ACH - News) 'The Chinese market is overheated. I liked this stock initially as a dividend play. Now that it only yields 2%.'Targa Resources (NasdaqGM: NGLS - News)Palm (NasdaqGS: PALM - News): 'You got lucky. I need you out of PALM. I would rather see you in Research In Motion ... You just lucky with that Elevation bid... I want to head to the hills, PALM. Sell, sell, sell!'Scholastic (NasdaqGS: SCHL - News): 'Oh, way too inconsistent. It's really hurt a lot of people.'Tesoro (NYSE: TSO - News): 'I want you to sell that. That move has peaked. Those margins cannot be sustained ... 'Valero Energy (NYSE: VLO - News): 'I want TSO and VLO sold.'RF Micro Devices (NasdaqGS: RFMD - News): 'I am not going to bless RFMD. Not on this show. No way ... I understand the speculative desire for RFMD, but I am not going to tell you to stay with it.'
Published by SeekingAlpha

Labels: AA, ACH, AL, ARUN, BHP, BKS, D, FCX, Jim Cramer, Lightning Round, LVLT, MER, PALM, QCOM, RIMM, RIO, VLO, WMT

Bullish calls:
Clean Harbors (NasdaqGS: CLHB): 'It's only a matter of time before we refocus again on clean water. I want you to hold on to ... but it won't be an immediate turn.'PG&E (NYSE: PCG - News): 'Utilities have done quite well.'Exelon (NYSE: EXC - News)Dynegy (NYSE: DYN - News)McDonald's (NYSE: MCD - News): ' Reported a monster good quarter. They guided things up ... even after this incredible run ... if this stock went to 60 bucks, it would not be expensive ... a quintessential stock to buy and put away. If I change my mind, you will know it.'Fastenal (NasdaqGS: FAST): 'Fastenal good, Sears great.'Sears Holdings (NasdaqGS: SHLD): 'Fastenal good, Sears great.'Home Depot (NYSE: HD - News)Lowe's (NYSE: LOW - News)AES (NYSE: AES - News): 'Have reinvented themselves. At 22 bucks, I still find it very cheap. I want to buy more.'Windstream (NYSE: WIN - News): 'Interesting conservative name ... 6% yield. I like that stock.'GigaMedia (NasdaqGM: GIGM): ' ... grows at 40%, has only a 20% multiple. I'll back it.'Boeing (NYSE: BA - News)Costco (NasdaqGS: COST)Paccar (NasdaqGS: PCAR): 'I love Paccar.'Cummins (NYSE: CMI - News): 'You know I like Cummins .'Tata Motors (NYSE: TTM - News): 'Let's buy it, let's buy it, aggressively.'Qualcomm (NasdaqGS: QCOM): 'Only semiconductor company that I am currently recommending on Mad Money.'
Bearish calls:
Starbucks (NasdaqGS: SBUX)

Labels: AES, BA, CLHB, CMI, COST, DYN, EXC, GIGM, HD, Jim Cramer, LOW, Mad Money Lightning Round, MCD, PCG, QCOM, SBUX, SHLD, TTM, WIN

A Second Look at Cigna (NYSE: CI - News)
Although Cramer has not liked Cigna in the past, he is taking another look at the non-pharma health care company because of its serious buyback plan. "Nothing is more reassuring than a company that believes in itself," said Cramer, noting that Cigna bought back 20% of the company since 2004 and is shrinking its number of shares so rapidly, it is "practically going private." Cramer declared, "The single biggest bull market is in the nonpharmaceutical health care sector," and he would buy Cigna.
Volcano (NasdaqGM: VOLC), Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX - News), Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ - News), and General Electric (NYSE: GE - News)
A great way to play fears over drug-coated stents is to buy Volcano, a company that makes intravascular ultrasound catheters which examine the inside of arteries, according to Cramer. Although this technology is not new, it has been underused until the recent stent controversy. Volcano's largest rival is BSX, which Cramer calls "the Citigroup of healthcare" and Volcano has partnerships with JNJ and GE.

Beware of Tech: Oracle (NasdaqGS: ORCL), Microsoft (NasdaqGS: MSFT), EMC (NYSE: EMC - News), SanDisk (NasdaqGS: SNDK), Seagate (NYSE: STX - News), Western Digital (NYSE: WDC - News), Komag (NasdaqGS: KOMG), IBM (NYSE: IBM - News), Micron's (NYSE: MU - News), Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN - News), Intel (NasdaqGS: INTC), Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD - News), Garmin (NasdaqGS: GRMN), Qualcomm (NasdaqGS: QCOM), Cisco (NasdaqGS: CSCO), Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ - News), eBay (NasdaqGS: EBAY), Apple (NasdaqGS: AAPL), Yahoo! (NasdaqGS: YHOO) and IAC/InterActive (NasdaqGS: IACI)
Cramer devoted his Sell Block segment to warning investors not to touch tech until summer, with a few notable exceptions. "Don't be bamboozled by hopeful analysts," he said, and added ORCL, MSFT, EMC, SNDK, STX, WDC, and KOMG are not buys right now. Cramer said IBM should not be bought until it has some "breakthrough earnings releases" and urged investors to ignore MU's upgrade and to avoid TXN, INTC and AMD. However, the few tech stocks worth buying now include GRMN, QCOM, CSCO and HPQ, EBAY, AAPL and YHOO. Cramer is removing IACI from his list of buys.
CEO Interview: David Snow, Medco Health Solutions (NYSE: MHS - News)
When Cramer asked David Snow how his company makes money off of drugs that go generic, he replied, "In the case of generics, $50 billion of branded drugs are going off patent between now and 2011. We are going to work very hard to appropriately move people from branded drugs to generic drugs, and we make money doing that." On the topic of Medco's cash flow, David Snow said the %5.5 billion buyback program is up and running, and the company might make a future acquisition. Cramer said Medco is the definition of a buy in the current environment.
Published By SeekingAlpha

Labels: AMD, BSX, CI, CSCO, EMC, GE, HPQ, IACI, IBM, Jim Cramer, JNJ, KOMG, Mad Money, MSFT, QCOM, STX, VOLC, WDC, YHOO

eBay (NASDAQ:EBAY - News) beat earnings expectations on Wednesday afternoon with $0.31 EPS over an estimated $0.28 EPS. EBAY's PowerRating is 4.
Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM - News) beat earnings on Wednesday afternoon, announcing $0.43 EPS over an expected $0.42 EPS. QCOM's PowerRating is 4.
AT&T (NYSE:T - News) announces earnings Thursday before the open; watch for $0.59 EPS. T's PowerRating is 5.
Dow Chemical (NYSE:DOW - News) looks set to announce $0.93 EPS on Thursday morning. DOW's PowerRating is 5.
Analysts are expecting Ford (NYSE:F - News) to report -$0.91 EPS on Thursday morning before the bell. F's PowerRating is 6.
Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT - News) is expected to report $1.45 EPS when the company reports quarterly earnings tomorrow. LMT's PowerRating is 5.
Nokia (NYSE:NOK - News) reports quarterly earnings Thursday morning; analysts expect $0.35 EPS. NOK's PowerRating is 4.
PowerRatings are courtesy of PowerRatings.net

Labels: DOW, EBAY, F, LMT, NOK, QCOM, T

Rejecting Tech: Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD - News), Intel (NASDAQ: INTC - News), Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN - News), Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM - News), National Semiconductor (NYSE: NSM - News), Marvel (NASDAQ: MRVL - News), MRV Communications (NASDAQ: MRVC - News), Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL - News), Symantec (NASDAQ: SYMC - News), Rackable Systems (NASDAQ: RACK - News), Brocade Communications (NASDAQ: BRCD - News) and EMC (NYSE: EMC - News), Research in Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM - News)
Since it is mid-January, Cramer tells investors that it is time to get out of tech, with a few notable exceptions. The tech businesses that are particularly troubled are cell phones, handheld products, storage stocks, semiconductors and software. Many of these companies are plagued by competition, which is a more destructive force than the calendar. It is for this reason Cramer suggests staying away from Intel and AMD, which are locked in a fierce price war, and he thinks that even the Vista launch will not propel these stocks. Cramer would also sell TXN, QCOM and NSM. However, he would stay with MRVL which is levered to Apple's iPhone. He also likes MRVC because it is poised to spin off one of its divisions. On the other hand, Cramer said that Symantec was a "disaster" and that it had "one of the ugliest preannouncements that was never supposed to happen." He would also stay away from storage companies RACK, BRCD and EMC. Since the handheld trade is "dead," Cramer would unload Research In Motion.

Playing for Keeps: Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO - News), Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL - News), Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ - News), Google (NASDAQ: GOOG - News), Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT - News), Level 3 Communications (NASDAQ: LVLT - News)
Cramer said that some tech stocks transcend the calendar with "blowaway earnings" and great products. He would stay with CSCO, AAPL, HPQ, GOOG and MSFT or buy them on weakness. Although investors may be tempted to cash in on CSCO, Cramer says that CSCO has a "product-driven story that cannot be denied," its competitors are out of the picture and its three downgrades have taken risk out of the stock. Apple reported a strong quarter, gave "ridiculously low guidance" and should continue going up because of the iPhone, according to Cramer. MSFT's dip is a "big fat gift," and Cramer calls Vista the "single most awaited product story in years." He anticipates a big upside surprise with Google and calls it the best internet stock. For a good speculative internet play, Cramer recommends LVLT.
Published By SeekingAlpha

Labels: AAPL, AMD, BRCD, CSCO, EMC, GOOG, HPQ, INTC, Jim Cramer, LVLT, Mad Money, MRVC, MRVL, MSFT, NSM, QCOM, RACK, RIMM, SYMC, TXN

Rejecting Tech: Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Intel (INTC), Texas Instruments (TXN), Qualcomm (QCOM), National Semiconductor (NSM), Marvel (MRVL), MRV Communications (MRVC), Apple (AAPL), Symantec (SYMC), Rackable Systems (RACK), Brocade Communications (BRCD) and EMC (EMC), Research in Motion (RIMM)
Since it is mid-January, Cramer tells investors that it is time to get out of tech, with a few notable exceptions. The tech businesses that are particularly troubled are cell phones, handheld products, storage stocks, semiconductors and software. Many of these companies are plagued by competition, which is a more destructive force than the calendar. It is for this reason Cramer suggests staying away from Intel and AMD, whichare locked in a fierce price war, and he thinks that even the Vista launch will not propel these stocks. Cramer would also sell TXN, QCOM and NSM. However, he would stay with MRVL which is levered to Apple's iPhone. He also likes MRVC because it is poised to spin off one of its divisions. On the other hand, Cramer said that Symantec was a "disaster" and that it had "one of the ugliest preannouncements that was never supposed to happen." He would also stay away from storage companies RACK, BRCD and EMC. Since the handheld trade is "dead," Cramer would unload Research In Motion (RIMM).
Related: Trey Wasser says that storm clouds are on the horizon for Rackable Systems.
Playing for Keeps: Cisco (CSCO), Apple (AAPL), Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), Google (GOOG), Microsoft (MSFT), Level 3 Communications (LVLT)
Cramer said that some tech stocks transcend the calendar with "blowaway earnings" and great products. He would stay with CSCO, AAPL, HPQ, GOOG and MSFT or buy them on weakness. Although investors may be tempted to cash in on CSCO, Cramer says that CSCO has a "product-driven story that cannot be denied," its competitors are out of the picture and its three downgrades have taken risk out of the stock. Apple reported a strong quarter, gave "ridiculously low guidance" and should continue going up because of the iPhone, according to Cramer. MSFT's dip is a "big fat gift," and Cramer calls Vista the "single most awaited product story in years." He anticipates a big upside surprise with Google and calls it the best internet stock. For a good speculative internet play, Cramer recommends LVLT.
Related: Ant & Sons predict that Cramer's endorsement of LVLT will bring more upside.
Publishedby SeekingAlpha

Labels: AAPL, AMD, BRCD, CSCO, EMC, GOOG, HPQ, INTC, Jim Cramer, LVLT, Mad Money, MRVC, MRVL, MSFT, NSM, QCOM, RACK, RIMM, SYMC, TXN

U.S. stocks rose modestly on Tuesday as energy shares advanced on higher oil prices and overshadowed a warning on the risks of inflation from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke that reduced hopes of an interest-rate cut any time soon. Shares of Exxon Mobil Corp.(XOM.N: Quote, Profile, Research), the biggest publicly traded oil company, rose 2.3 percent, or $1.69, to $74.16 as the price of U.S. crude oil advanced 1.1 percent on forecasts of colder weather in the United States. Bernanke said in a speech the U.S. economy is poised to expand at a moderate rate but that risks of higher inflation still remain. In addition to Bernanke's comments, Philadelphia Federal Reserve President Charles Plosser said U.S. interest rates may not be high enough to quell inflation. Stocks moved between positive and negative territory throughout the session, driven by mixed economic data. Reports showed unexpectedly pronounced weakness in durable goods orders and consumer confidence, but surprising growth in the battered housing sector. Lingering concerns about the dollar's recent sell-off also somewhat limited gains, traders said. The dollar's recent drop has hurt demand for U.S. investments, causing the three major U.S. stock indexes to register their worst day in months on Monday. Exxon Mobil's stock gave the biggest boost to both the blue-chip Dow average and the broad S&P 500. Shares of other large energy companies, including Chevron Corp. (CVX.N: Quote, Profile, Research), also rose and bolstered the S&P 500. Chevron's stock gained 1.6 percent, or $1.13, to $69.88 on the NYSE. Interest-rate-sensitive shares such as Caterpillar Inc. (CAT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) fell. The heavy equipment maker was a drag on the Dow, with its stock losing 0.6 percent, or 37 cents, to $61.60. On the Nasdaq, shares of Apple Computer Inc.(AAPL.O: Quote, Profile, Research) climbed 2.5 percent, or $2.27, to $91.81 after UBS raised its price target on the company's stock. Shares of Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO.O: Quote, Profile, Research) rose 4.8 percent, or $1.23, to $27.03, following a 3.9 percent drop on Monday. But other technology shares fell, including Qualcomm Inc. (QCOM.O: Quote, Profile, Research) and Microsoft Corp.(MSFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research). Qualcomm was down 1.7 percent, or 60 cents, at $35.85, while Microsoft fell 0.3 percent, or 9 cents, to $29.39. Both trade on the Nasdaq. Volume was active on the NYSE, where about 1.60 billion shares changed hands, slightly below last year's daily average of 1.61 billion. On Nasdaq, about 2.03 billion shares traded, above last year's daily average of 1.80 billion. Advancing stocks outnumbered declining ones by a ratio of about 2 to 1 on the NYSE and about 8 to 7 on Nasdaq.
Source: Reuters.com

Labels: AAPL, Bernanke, CAT, CSCO, CVX, MSFT, QCOM, XOM