Jim Cramer's Mad Money Review

Costco (COST), Wal-Mart (WMT), Kroger (KR), Safeway (SWY), Home Depot (HD), Sears (SHLD), Lowe's (LOW), Kohl's (KSS), J.C. Penney (JCP), Macy's (M)
When retail swoons, bears are quick to blame the sluggish consumer, but Cramer believes a more nuanced view is in order. Even though consumers don't want to shop at Wal-Mart, Safeway or Kroger because of boredom, or at Home Depot, Lowe's and Sears because of housing problems doesn't mean they don't want to shop. Today's consumer wants to be entertained, pampered and is looking for a bargain, said Cramer. Target and Wal-Mart no longer provide this experience, but Costco is fitting the bill because "it is a better place to shop." The consumer is not interested in Kohl's, J.C. Penney or Macy's, particularly the latter, since the stores have gone downhill because of the consolidation, said Cramer. While Kohl's is okay, its merchandise did not fit the weather. However, Costco is "a more exciting, treasure-hunt place to shop," Cramer said. "I think you're seeing a tiering here and the tiering has to do with execution, performance and fun to shop, not the consumer."
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Labels: COST, HD, JCP, Jim Cramer, KR, KSS, LOW, M, SHLD, SWY, Wall Street Confidential, WMT

Getting Defensive: Kroger (NYSE: KR - News), Safeway (NYSE: SWY - News), Supervalu (NYSE: SVU - News), Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE: CL - News), Kimberly-Clark (NYSE: KMB - News)
"Subprime is the only problem," Cramer reassured investors after the "absolutely brutal" downturn on Tuesday which affected the whole market. While mortgage lenders should be suffering from subprime lending woes for awhile, Cramer remarks, "It is wrong for the Street to be so indiscriminate ... before we damn the whole market, let's remember what were damning." However, this widespread decline provides a buying opportunity in defensive sectors, such as food, drugs and utilities, sectors which historically perform well when housing is doing badly. Cramer suggests looking at KR, SWY, SVU, CL and KMB, but only after three days, since "the future on the commodity that has captured stocks -- the S&P 500 -- expires Friday, so I expect very little upside in this group until Monday."
Thank You for Smoking: Altria (NYSE: MO - News), Altria's When-Issued Shares MO-WI (MOWI), Kraft (NYSE: KFT - News), General Mills (NYSE: GIS - News), Kellogg (NYSE: K - News), Sara Lee (NYSE: SLE - News)
"There's nothing more defensive than cigarettes," says Cramer who recommends Altria's when-issued shares, MO-WI, which are comprised of pure Philip Morris stock without the Kraft spinoff. Cramer comments Philip Morris is best-of-breed and the MO-WI shares offer a higher dividend. He suggests buying before March 30th when MO-WI will rejoin Altria. Although Cramer doesn't dislike KFT, he prefers food stocks GIS, which has been "doing fabulously," K and SLE, which have more "consistent and exciting growth" than KFT.
Dow Chemical (NYSE: DOW - News), Alcoa (NYSE: AA - News), BHP Billiton (NYSE: BHP - News), and Companhia Vale do Rio Doce (NYSE: RIO - News)
Cramer admits he has been waiting since February for DOW and AA to dip after takeover rumors which were printed a British newspaper. While he discourages speculation on potential buyouts if the fundamentals are not strong, "the fundies for both DOW and AA are pretty good." According to the rumors, Dow could be purchased by private equity firms at $60 a share, a substantial premium from its present rate of $42.94. He notes the company has a 3.5% dividend yield, has been raising prices and cutting costs. There is talk that BHP and RIO are eyeing AA at $40 billion, or $40.68 a share, while its current price is $32. The companies need the extra smelting capacity, and Cramer comments aluminum should perform better than it has been. "Buy Dow and Alcoa because when there's smoke, there's fire."
CEO Interview: Brian Roberts, Comcast (NasdaqGS: CMCSA) with Verizon (NYSE: VZ - News)
Cramer asked Brian Roberts if Comcast raised its capital expenditure in order to compete with rival Verizon, and he replied, "We upped our spending because people are buying our new products in record numbers. We're selling 50,000 phone subscriptions a week." This 30% increase "costs some money," although Roberts added these expenses will not interfere with Comcast's buyback plan; "We have bought back almost 10% of stock in the last two-and-a-half years, and we're going to continue buying back stock," Roberts said. Cramer would pull the trigger on Comcast and referred to Roberts as "money in the bank."
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Labels: AA, BHP, CL, DOW, GIS, Jim Cramer, K, KFT, KMB, KR, Mad Money, MO, RIO, SLE, SVU, SWY, VZ

Getting Defensive: Kroger (NYSE: KR - News), Safeway (NYSE: SWY - News), Supervalu (NYSE: SVU - News), Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE: CL - News), Kimberly-Clark (NYSE: KMB - News)
"Subprime is the only problem," Cramer reassured investors after the "absolutely brutal" downturn on Tuesday which affected the whole market. While mortgage lenders should be suffering from subprime lending woes for awhile, Cramer remarks, "It is wrong for the Street to be so indiscriminate ... before we damn the whole market, let's remember what were damning." However, this widespread decline provides a buying opportunity in defensive sectors, such as food, drugs and utilities, sectors which historically perform well when housing is doing badly. Cramer suggests looking at KR, SWY, SVU, CL and KMB, but only after three days, since "the future on the commodity that has captured stocks -- the S&P 500 -- expires Friday, so I expect very little upside in this group until Monday."

Thank You for Smoking: Altria (NYSE: MO - News), Altria's When-Issued Shares MO-WI (MOWI), Kraft (NYSE: KFT - News), General Mills (NYSE: GIS - News), Kellogg (NYSE: K - News), Sara Lee (NYSE: SLE - News)
"There's nothing more defensive than cigarettes," says Cramer who recommends Altria's when-issued shares, MO-WI, which are comprised of pure Philip Morris stock without the Kraft spinoff. Cramer comments Philip Morris is best-of-breed and the MO-WI shares offer a higher dividend. He suggests buying before March 30th when MO-WI will rejoin Altria. Although Cramer doesn't dislike KFT, he prefers food stocks GIS, which has been "doing fabulously," K and SLE, which have more "consistent and exciting growth" than KFT.

Dow Chemical (NYSE: DOW - News), Alcoa (NYSE: AA - News), BHP Billiton (NYSE: BHP - News), and Companhia Vale do Rio Doce (NYSE: RIO - News)
Cramer admits he has been waiting since February for DOW and AA to dip after takeover rumors which were printed a British newspaper. While he discourages speculation on potential buyouts if the fundamentals are not strong, "the fundies for both DOW and AA are pretty good." According to the rumors, Dow could be purchased by private equity firms at $60 a share, a substantial premium from its present rate of $42.94. He notes the company has a 3.5% dividend yield, has been raising prices and cutting costs. There is talk that BHP and RIO are eyeing AA at $40 billion, or $40.68 a share, while its current price is $32. The companies need the extra smelting capacity, and Cramer comments aluminum should perform better than it has been. "Buy Dow and Alcoa because when there's smoke, there's fire."
CEO Interview: Brian Roberts, Comcast (NasdaqGS: CMCSA) with Verizon (NYSE: VZ - News)
Cramer asked Brian Roberts if Comcast raised its capital expenditure in order to compete with rival Verizon, and he replied, "We upped our spending because people are buying our new products in record numbers. We're selling 50,000 phone subscriptions a week." This 30% increase "costs some money," although Roberts added these expenses will not interfere with Comcast's buyback plan; "We have bought back almost 10% of stock in the last two-and-a-half years, and we're going to continue buying back stock," Roberts said. Cramer would pull the trigger on Comcast and referred to Roberts as "money in the bank."

Published By SeekingAlpha

Labels: AA, BHP, CL, DOW, GIS, Jim Cramer, K, KFT, KMB, KR, Mad Money, MO, RIO, SLE, SVU, SWY, VZ

Bullish calls:Disney (NYSE: DIS - News): ' a good quarter... it will be trapped by the strike next week because it's expiration ... I'm staying bullish on DIS. Iger's doing a great job ... Do not be perturbed that the stock did not go up after that great quarter.'Nike (NYSE: NKE - News): ' ....There are unbelievable stocks like NKE at $103.'Under Armour (NYSE: UA - News): ' ... maybe a little UA wouldn't be so bad either.'Safeway (NYSE: SWY - News): 'I like SWY in that department because its got that division that makes gift cards.'Express Scripts (NasdaqGS: ESRX)RBC Bearings (NasdaqGS: ROLL): ' That's pin action off of almost every piece of machinery that built in this country.'Amerisafe Inc. (NasdaqGS: AMSF): ' This is an insurance company, and most people don't understand it... the stock is going higher.'Avis Budget Group (NYSE: CAR - News): ' I felt so bad because I told people not to buy it and it worked ... I still think that CAR is good. I think you've got a good situation.'Autonation (NYSE: AN - News)IAC/InteractiveCorp (NasdaqGS: IACI): 'Man, what a great quarter. Wall Street hated that quarter. I don't know why... Doug Lebda [CEO] and Barry Diller....they're buying back stock hand over fist. I don't know how they're going to get the respect of Wall Street but they got it in Main Street. The stock is headed to the mid-40s.'Harley Davidson (NYSE: HOG - News): 'The bears are all over it ... I think at $65, we pull the trigger again ... It's not expensive. I am not worried.'Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE: ICE - News): 'Iceman's darn good ... I was too negative ... Ilike all the exchange stocks, but ICE - I'm blessing it right here, right now.'Bearish calls:Finish Line (NasdaqGS: FINL): 'I cannot let that Bar Mitzvah money stay idle in FINL when there are unbelievable stocks like NKE at $103 .... I need you to make the change right now."Whole Foods Market (NasdaqGS: WFMI): ' I think WFMI is too risky ahead of its quarter. I say ixnay.'Caremark Rx (NYSE: CMX - News): 'If you own CMX, you will get a higher bid from CVS next week. Then you will ring the register, because ESRX will not pay more. You swap out of CMX and go right into ESRX.'Home Inns & Hotels Management Inc. (NasdaqGM: HMIN): ' ... bulls make money, bears make money, hogs get slaughtered.... I want you to cut that position right now.'Published By SeekingAlpha

Labels: AMSF, AN, CAR, CMX, DIS, FINL, HMIN, HOG, IACI, ICE, Jim Cramer, Lightning Round, Mad Money, NKE, ROLL, SWY, UA, WFMI

Allegheny Technologies (NYSE: ATI - News), Intel (NasdaqGS: INTC): Cramer "adores" ATI which he calls the "ultimate ethanol play," because it produces metals which are durable enough for the corrosive alternative fuel. He predicts that ATI will also get big orders from Intel, since the tech company is producing chips made of hafnium, and ATI is the leading producer of the metal. Although the stock has risen from $20 to $103 in only two years, Cramer is bullish on ATI.
Kroger (NYSE: KR - News), Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT - News), Safeway (NYSE: SWY - News): Cramer comments that the big supermarket chains such as KR and SWY are competing well against retail giant, Wal-Mart, and adds that the"feast-on-Wal-Mart trade has been great for Safeway," and he feels that Kroger will also benefit.
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Labels: ATI, INTC, Jim Cramer, KR, SWY, WMT

Bullish calls:
Bank of America (NYSE: BAC - News): 'I like the stock very much here ... good yield, nice growth path, is not going to set the world on fire. ... I say buy Bank of America.'Level 3 Communications (NASDAQ: LVLT - News): 'Some people think I run hot and cold. ... I like LVLT. ... I endorse LVLT ... gonna close a deal soon with Broadwing (NASDAQ: BWNG - News). I am going to stay behind that thing with a TripleBuy.'ConAgra (NYSE: CAG - News): ' ... run, don't walk, into ConAgra, which is one that we nailed nine ways to Sunday.'Quest Software (NASDAQ: QSFT - News): 'The jury is still out. ... I like the core business. I want you to stick with it.'ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP - News)Denny's (NASDAQ: DENN - News): 'For pecking order, I like Denny's, Brinker Darden ... 'Safeway (NYSE: SWY - News): ' I can't get behind a supermarket other than Safeway.'
Bearish calls:
CBOT Holdings (NYSE: BOT - News): 'We don't need to put any more money in those stocks. We are now in the 'don't buy' mode until that deal [with the Chicago Merc] closes.'FedEx (NYSE: FDX - News): 'I've been let down by FedEx. ... I thought you were having an Internet Christmas. ... even stuck my neck out ... We are done recommending FedEx on this show.'Scottish Power (SPI): 'Ring the register. ... Declare victory, nice investing, well done.'Smithfield Foods (NYSE: SFD - News): 'I want you to sell Smithfield Foods.'American Oriental Bioengineering (NYSE: AOB - News): 'Do not buy ... 'Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM - News): 'Tough situation, obviously, they had that Taco Bell problem ... For pecking order, I like Denny's, Brinker, Darden ... and then, only then, do I like Yum.'Winn-Dixie (NASDAQ: WINN - News): 'Just came out of bankruptcy ... I can't get behind a supermarket other than Safeway.'Skyworks Solutions (SKWS): 'Ixnay on the Skyworksnay.'Harrah's (NYSE: HET - News): 'You just struck it rich! You go out and you ring the register!'

Labels: AOB, BAC, BOT, BWNG, CAG, COP, DENN, FDX, HET, Jim Cramer, Lightning Round, LVLT, Mad Money, QSFT, SFD, SWY, WINN, YUM

Out in the Open: Daktronics (NASDAQ: DAKT - News), Lamar (NASDAQ: LAMR - News), Clear Channel (NYSE: CCO - News) and CBS (NYSE: CBS - News)
Although Cramer has often said that old media is dying, the oldest advertisements, billboards, are " coming back with a vengeance," because they are on the street where they cannot be avoided and are going digital. Daktronics is up 165%, but Cramer recommends buying it because the company "owns the market" in digital billboards, which he believes is the fastest growing form of advertising after the internet. The company also produces scoreboards for sports events. Cramer thinks Lamar is a better acquisition than CBS and Clear Channel, " because it is a pure play and is "going digital faster than any other company."
Safeway's Secret (NYSE: SWY - News)
Since many of the obvious holiday stocks are "played out" Cramer suggested a good oblique strategy for benefitting from the season by investing in Safeway which, in addition to running great stores, owns the $4-5 billion greeting card business, Blackhawk, whose products are sold by Barnes & Noble (NYSE: BKS - News), Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL - News) iTunes, MasterCard (NYSE: MA - News), Nordstrom (NYSE: JWN - News), Home Depot (NYSE: HD - News) and Sears (NASDAQ: SHLD - News). Not many people are aware that Safeway owns Blackhawk, but when this is no longer a secret, the stock should rise, comments Cramer. In addition, Safeway's supermarkets are "financially sound enough to add a half-billion dollars to its buyback program last Friday and offer a dividend," and he would get into the stock before its analyst meeting on Tuesday.
CEO Interview: David Pyott of Allergan (NYSE: AGN - News)
David Pyott discussed the company's developing program for neuropathic pain and its rapid growth in the opthalmology sector. "The great position we have is that Allergan is the largest company in the world in the medical aesthetics space," he said, noting the popularity of breast implants, Botox and Juviderm among plastic surgery customers. Pyott also mentioned an upcoming trial between Juviderm and Medicis' Restylane to see which treatment customers like better and lasts longer. After the interview, Cramer commented that Thomas Weisel Partners' downgrade of Allergan was unfair, and that he would back up the truck as soon as the stock's price dips.
-SeekingAlpha

Labels: AAPL, AGN, BKS, CBS, CCO, DAKT, HD, Jim Cramer, JWN, LAMR, MA, Mad Money, SHLD, SWY