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Jim Cramer
My mission is simple, to make you money. I'm here to level the playing field for all investors. There's always a bull market somewhere and I promise to help you find it. Mad Money starts now. Hey, I'm Kramer. Welcome to Mad Money. Welcome to Kramerica. Other people make friends. I'm just trying to save you the money. My job is not just to entertain, but to put things in context. So call me at 1 873C or treat me Jim Cramer. All right, we got two markets right now. One is all about momentum. The other is all about old fashioned growth. Momentum is nasty right now. Classic growth. Well, it is cruising pleasure. Regardless of the fundamentals, these cross currents are not readily apparent when you look at the average Dow tumbling 749 points, S&P plunging 1.71%. NASDAQ, she's plummeting 2.2%. Now, if you own too much momentum, you are gasping for air. The oxygen has been turned off for you. If you own the old tried and true secular growth plays and are diversified. I'm talking about the Johnson Johnson, the cold calls. Your portfolio is actually doing pretty well. First time those stocks have worked in ages. So we got to figure out will this chasm heal or will it grow ever wider. And for that, you know what we have to do? We have to turn to our guests game plan for next week, which has an important mixture of corporate earnings and economic news. Now, Monday starts with Domino's Pizza dpc, which could give us real insight into the possible weakening of the consumer. By the way, that's the proximate cause of today's hideous market. Right after the election, consumers experienced a surprising level of euphoria. But that seems to disappoint. Dissipated. Now, I got to ask you something. Is it happening all over economic levels is just rich. Is it the poor? Is that the middle? Is it temporary? Why don't we listen to Russell Wiener? He's the CEO of Domino's. He's a straight shooter. He's going to give us some real insight after the close. We get results from Kotara Energy. That's one of the best oil and gas companies, which is why we enter for the tribal trust with natural gas. Back up to $4. More on that later when we interview the CEO of Equity, the big natural gas company. I think the future looks bright for this group. We also hear from one of my favorite real estate investment trusts. I know, boring. You know what I like making money. It's never boring. Realty income, letter O. I'm partial. This one because it pays a monthly dividend which just got boosted earlier this week. I also care about Cleveland Cliffs, someone it reports as this steel company has been beaten up by cheap exports from China via Mexico. Transshipment, they call it. I worry about how it's doing, whether the US can actually stop these darn subsidized trans shipped imports. Finally, I have to tell you this one stock that's become a true battleground here, and I don't mean Palantir, I'm talking about a stock called Hims and Hers Health. That's an online health care company that currently offers a less expensive alternative to the GOP dashboard, weight loss drugs as long as they're relatively unavailable. Now today the FDA said that Novo Nordisk GOP Dash 1 formulation is no longer in short supply, which could mean that the compound pharmacies that are making similar version of drug have to stop. Now Hims and Hers has said it can still make the cheaper version somewhat, but the market seems skeptical. Hence the stock's astounding 26% collapse today. But then again, it's still more than 100% year to date, so profit taking action makes sense to me. Tuesday mornings big all right. We own Home Depot for the Chabot Trust and we want to build a large position ahead of eventual rate cuts. And as I said yesterday on our monthly conference call, we expect a soft quarter because of weak housing. But the company will benefit from the need to rebuild after major storms both in the Southeast and the fires in Los Angeles. Now next is Planet Fitness. This is one. It's a puzzle. It's a puzzle. Many stocks are puzzles. I think young people are more health conscious these days. They're trying to stay in shape, avoid unhealthy foods and of course, beverages like liquor. Will Planet Fitness verify that thesis? I bet they do. How about a sleeper stock, one that's withstood. The seller, Sempra Semper, is a growth utility with a decent yield. A lot of opportunity CEO Jeff Martin that guess many times can show you that his stock offered a better return than most of the traditional growth names. No. 1 this might be worth buying on weakness. I'm debating to put it in the Capital Trust at the close we hear from Workday that's an enterprise software company that got downgraded this week because of the possibility of softer sales. The enterprise software group is really at the heart of this market's weakness. If the sales are soft, I expect much more downside. Now have you seen the action in Kava of late? This once beloved Restaurant stock, although a still beloved chain, has plummeted. And it's not because of the last quarter, which was telling. I bet they reported another set of great numbers. But when Wall street has turned against momentum stocks, it doesn't matter how well your business is doing falcover way, if the quarter's great, we're circling back at lower levels. Wednesday, new home sales. Oh boy. This group has really just taken a licking and you know, it's basically a jailbreak of selling caused by a combination of bad weather and more important, high mortgage rates. It's crushing the homebuilders. We need a pickup to verify the housing isn't just falling off a cliff. At this point, I'm actually not hopeful. The incredibly reliable Toll Brothers called the spring selling season mix. That's all we want to hear. We also hear from Lowe's, which is always in a horse race with Home Depot but has been a standout performer for years. Its stock never soars. It just quietly goes higher. I love that after the close we get some fireworks. There's Salesforce, oh boy. Which is thought to be doing very well. But don't tell that to the shareholders who have been shellacked in a battle wave of selling. This is a richly valued momentum stock, although a stock, by the way, like ServiceNow is much more expensive. Then there's Snowflake, the rent, the cloud play. That's become far more than that, really. It's a real advisor to those who want to learn more about how to use artificial intelligence in the business. And then there's the most important company report this week, if not this year. Okay, in video we had many reports offering forecasts of how the $3 trillion air accelerated computing company might be doing. They all came out today. They were all positive. Well, I can tell you is that we had a huge sell off in the semis today. And the chief. With the chief index off 3%, it's not a good sign for video, which got decked and it fell a sinking 4%. I say on it, don't trade it. But our strength may be tested by the possibility of a slow ramp in its Blackwell platform launch. New iterations of Nvidia's chips have always been questioned for their worth. I bet CEO Jensen Huang offers a clear path for those who want to join the new industrial revolution that he's helped create. I hope it matters. Thursday starts with the gross domestic product read and I think it will be strong as part of a business euphoria we got after the election when the consensus quickly built that President Trump would be much better for business than his Democratic predecessor. Today we saw interest rates fall. That's a pattern we had a week which suggests that this GDP reading might be the last strong one. Again, that's not what I say. It's just what I'm looking at. That's what the market's telling me in this tougher environment. The crude stocks they've held up relatively well. Can Norwegian Cruise keep its winning streak going? Not clear. We got a couple of key momentum stocks reporting Vistra that's a power producer with nuclear exposure making it a favorite stock among people who want to bet on the data center driven electricity shortage. I saw G for Nova get trashed as part of the anti momentum trade today. Maybe a positive reaction to this trick could signal that the selling is over. I don't hold my breath. After closed Dell Technologies this one's crucial. Its stock was clock last time and I think it could make a comeback given that it helps companies adopt Nvidia's AI platform. Great company with a terrific CEO Michael Dell. I don't believe it'll miss twice in a row that last quarter I didn't like. Finally Friday we get the personal consumption expenditure number. Now this is the Fed favorite inflation gauge. We saw real strength in bonds this week which produces lower interest rates. It's maybe it's because of slackening of inflation. That'd be good. Or maybe it's because the economy is cooling, not so hot and definitely bad for earnings. The PC reading, it could be just positive here. So let me give you the bottom line. Out of nowhere the momentum stocks had a hideous downturn. It's hurt many aggressive growth investors. Can this pullback finally run its course? I hope so. If not my prediction. More of the house of pain Rose in Pennsylvania. Rose?
Rose
Yeah. Hi Jim. I like your opinion. Like to buy some of the trade desk after its recent pullback but I would like your advice as to what's a good entry point price wise and also if you saw any reason why I should not do that.
Jim Cramer
Okay. Yeah, I did actually I didn't like the quarter. Why didn't I like the quarter? Because Jeff told me that he was. That's. I'm sorry. Jeff Green, the CEO in the conference call he said look, he's disappointed himself and it wasn't clear how much things have really changed and whether things are going to get better after one quarter. I think we now have to wait another quarter. I really do. Rose, I want to see the next quarter. I don't like to buy after the first big quarter. Maybe there's a second because it sure didn't seem like the quarter went out very well. And you know I like the company. Let's go to Chuck in North Carolina.
Chuck
Chuck, we are Jim from Winter Wonderland. Durham, North Carolina, one of my favorite cities.
Jim Cramer
I'm not kidding. Like it. I like Raleigh too. Just for the don't want to anger those people. Sure.
Chuck
Thanks for taking my call tonight. I recently made an investment in a company we've talked about before. Heard you mention a lot today. A week later it closed 50% above my purchase price. I was thinking taking a little bit off the table. The stock is smci. I'd like to know what you think about super microcomputer.
Jim Cramer
I think you should absolutely take a little bit off the table. It's had an incredible run. It's a parabolic move. We know that we're going to hear from Nvidia that's going to knock down and take it up. Why don't you make a little let's make some real money. You know what? I really do. I tell you if I were you I would take up a cost basis and then I play with the house's money. Greg and Maryland.
Chuck
Greg, big booyah from Maryland. Jim, thank you for everything you do and happy belated birthday.
Jim Cramer
Oh, thank you. You're very kind. Let's go to work.
Chuck
Let's go to work. I want to. I want to get your opinion on Devon Energy dv.
Jim Cramer
Devin has run too much. I got to tell you, I've watched it go up. We saw the quarter. It's terrific. We got Kotaro Monday. That's great. And if you see comes down, I like that too. Better than Devon. Devon is not my stock of choice at this time. Now the downturn in momentum stocks has hurt a lot of aggressive growth shareholders. If it doesn't run its course soon, well, guess what. We're going to be the House of May money tonight. With drops in temperature outside, could natural gas prices keep heading higher? I've got equity top brass to break down the recent natural gas rally. I like that one more than Devon. Then is the growth on the menu for Texas Roadhouse after yesterday's earnings report, I actually liked it. But I'm going to talk about inflation and more of the CEO. And I'm helping you navigate this market's volatility as I answer some of our investing club members burning questions. So stay with Kramer.
Unknown
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Jim Cramer
Over the past four months, the price of natural gas has basically doubled from just over $2 in late October to more than $4 today. Highest level, by the way, since the end of 2022. Now, some of that's because of the out a lot of cold weather. Some were rampant liquefied natural gas exports. Plenty of it comes from utilities. The desperate need to generate more electricity for the data centers in particular. That's translated some big gains for the natural gas producers, including Equity, one of the largest producers in America with the stock that's climbed from the mid-30s in early November to 50 and changed as of today. Now, earlier this week, Equity reported stronger quarter, I mean really better than expected production earnings, cash flow results and issued a solid year forecast. I got to tell you, I mean this, these guys are really, really getting it right and that's why the stock rallied a bit on Wednesday. All right. So I spent the last couple of sessions getting clobbered like everything else. But a lot of people are starting to wonder what will happen to natural gas producers once we get past the winter and the Trump administration's pro production policies start to push prices down perhaps. So let's take a closer look with Toby Rice, the president CEO of Equity Corp. The Lord Morbius Rice. Welcome back to Mad Money.
Toby Rice
Hey, Jim, how you doing?
Jim Cramer
So, Toby, I want to start first a little historical. You are a growth company that happens to be in the natural gas business. I want people to understand that because a lot of your compadres are running in place. That's not what you've been doing.
Toby Rice
Yeah, there's a lot of momentum behind Equity. And Jim, you know, the tough part is we are a high growth business without growing production. We've been doing this in maintenance mode. And the key to the success has been an intense focus on, on increasing our margins. We've done that by lowering our cost curves. And Jim, over the last five years since we took over, we have seen our productivity capacity increase 50% through acquisitions. We've seen our cost structure come down by over 30%. And the most important metric of all, our free cash flow per share has doubled over that last five years. We're just getting started. We're really excited about this setup and to continue the growth momentum and produce a high quality business for our stakeholders.
Jim Cramer
That's extraordinary given the Fact that most natural gas companies have been trying to keep their, their free cash flow even over the years. That's about best they can do. Now. One of the reasons that is, and I think it's really interesting when you look back at people's conference calls, you were incredibly bullish about natural gas going in the year. Nobody else was. You get that stuff right. I know it's hard because you're predicting one of the toughest, toughest commodities the world, but you sure nailed it.
Toby Rice
Yeah. You know, natural gas is one of the more volatile commodities. And part of the reason why is because we've got, we've crippled our ability to get infrastructure built in this country. What that means is market forces are pinched and are not allowed to flow freely. That causes volatility. Our inability to get infrastructure built, lack of storage further exacerbates the problem. Then you throw in weather and that's a whole nother ball game. You know, coming into this winter, I think it started off pretty mild. But very quickly we've seen much colder weather and that has caused gas prices to go in November for 2025 from about $3 to now, today over $4.20. Now, one thing people need to keep in mind, when you step back and you look at this weather, this is only a 4% colder winter than normal. So this is not a major move. And for people to look at these prices of $4.25 for 25, Jim, keep in mind this is still the most affordable energy source on the planet. $4.25 natural gas is the equivalent of a $25 barrel of oil. So this is one of the great, the challenging things about natural gas and the great things about natural gas is the affordability of the product we solve with.
Jim Cramer
The affordability stems from people like you understood. There's a ton of, a ton of natural gas in the Marcellus, an area that a lot of people had written off even 10 years ago. But you had the foresight to be able to grow and grow and grow in that area. It has paid off big for you.
Chuck
Yeah.
Toby Rice
But it's important to know we are in a new era of energy development here in this country. Thank goodness for the shale revolution take that took place that transformed America from being energy dependent to being an energy powerhouse on the world stage. And Jim, we are. We have never produced more energy than we're doing right now in this country. If you added up the oil and gas production in America, thanks to the shale revolution, thanks to the Wildcats and the Roughnecks, we are producing over 30 million barrels a day of energy equivalent. Now here's the challenging part, Jim. People are scratching their heads because despite this record production, energy bills for American consumers are up over 35%. How does that happen? It's because political forces have overwhelmed market forces and the simple solution is getting back to getting, letting market first forces work. And that means getting pipelines and energy infrastructure built, something we think is going to take place and allow us to connect to what is a really amazing demand setup for natural gas. Whether you're talking about the continued momentum of evolving the energy sources we use, replacing coal with natural gas, or you talk about LNG providing security to our allies and lowering global emissions in the process, or we could talk about the boom that's taking place. We've got major catalysts that are going to show between a 20 to 40% demand growth for natural gas in this country. It's a really exciting story. EQT is America's natural gas champion, is.
Jim Cramer
At the center right now. And speaking of being the center of it, there's a fantastic deck that you did. Page 18 Data center demand becoming the cornerstone to natural gas. Because I thought they wanted to do it all with solar and wind here. What's the matter, Toby?
Toby Rice
Man, Jim, I don't know what happened over the last couple of months, but there's certainly been a renewed interest in the intensity for the, for the appetite for this power to meet this demand. We think one of this stems for the fact that people have been looking across all options and they're looking for the best energy possible. That means the most affordable, the most reliable and the cleanest form of energy. And it took some time, but we firmly believe that natural gas is going to take the lion's share of power demand to meet this growing demand need and people need to understand this is not just a luxury item. This is not just going to make our apps better. This is absolutely critical that America wins the AI race. And thanks to companies like eqt, we're going to make sure that our tech companies get all the energy they need to meet their to meet their demand.
Jim Cramer
I think everyone knows I've been pro oil and gas for 20 years in part because the industry itself is far more responsible. People don't realize that you have been a remarkable steward. There are pages where you indicate that you were the first to net zero. But I want to go back to the government anyway. It is very clear to me that the first thing that President Trump did was to get rid of that ridiculous pause that put so many Projects on hold, big projects that employed tens of thousands of people. The largest construction projects in America were all put on hold by one quick pause button in January 24th. That's all gone now, right? I mean, you're free to trade, so to speak.
Toby Rice
Yes. I think this administration is making it very clear that we are going to get back to letting market forces work. Let market forces move the cheapest, most reliable, cleanest energy to the customers. We've seen the lift on the LNG pause. We've seen the push for more pipelines to get built to New England, which would be great. And Jim, it's about time, because it's never been more, we've never produced more, but it's never been harder to do what we do in this country. And people have heard energy executives say how difficult it is to get energy projects built. I get it. You guys have been hearing us say that for the last 15, 20 years, and we sort of get labeled as the boy who cries wolf. Well, Jim, what people need to understand is this pipeline cancellation movement that's taken place in this country is the first time that environmentals have actually effectively shut down our ability to get energy to the places where they're sourced, to where they're needed. And that means after eight years of this, Jim, the wolf is here. Our pipelines are maxed out. We need to get back to getting energy infrastructure built. We need to unleash American energy. Build, baby, build. And thank goodness this, this administration will let this happen. And it could not happen at a more critical time in the face of this boom that's taking place. You know, our grid is very fragile, as people have talked about. And some people are saying that this demand surge is going to be the straw that breaks the camel's back, if you ask me. This is going to be the log that breaks the camel's back. So we have got to get back to getting things built in this country and take our energy security and the affordability of this energy incredibly serious.
Jim Cramer
You're a great spokesperson for the industry, and again, I want to just make sure people understand. Page 23. First traditional energy company of scale to reach net zero. He did say pipe, baby, pipe, so to speak. But you have never, ever, ever gone against the wishes of the environmentalists. You've done everything you can to be as clean as you can. And I'm proud of you for doing that. It matters.
Toby Rice
Absolutely. And we are going to be the operator of choice for all stakeholders. And that means we're going to produce the cleanest energy possible. And Jim, our commitment to environmental excellence is unwavering. We're going to continue to produce the cleanest energy on the planet. We're going to continue to find ways to lower the carbon footprint of our energy ecosystems. And addressing methane emissions was a big tool for us to do that. But Jim, why we did that is because we cannot let the carbon footprint associated with making our product overshadow the emission reduction benefits when people use our product. And just to give your, your, your listeners an example here, our carbon footprint at EQT, it's about 400,000 tons per year. That's what it takes for us to run our rigs, run our frac crews, take care of the wells. And some people are saying we should stop natural gas development because of that 400,000 ton carbon footprint. But step back and understand this. Those operations and that carbon footprint is going to produce an amount of natural gas. When put on the world stage to replace coal, for example, it will have a decarbonizing impact of over 150 million tons. So a few hundred thousand ton cost, 450 million ton benefit. This is the greatest deal in climate and it's, it's time that our industry starts stepping up and showing the world that these type of solutions exist and we want to bring them to the Amen.
Jim Cramer
Thank you for coming on and saying. Because that's probably the most important that you said about all the different things because everybody wins with natural gas. Everybody. That's Toby Rice, President CEO of Equity. What a company. Thank you Toby. Great to see you.
Jerry Morgan
Thanks Jeff.
Unknown
Coming up, is everything bigger in Texas? Kramer's catching up with the CEO of Texas Roadhouse after the company's earnings report. Next.
Jim Cramer
What just happened to the stock of Texas Roadhouse, the steakhouse chain I've been recommending for ages because it offers the consumer tremendous value. For a long time the stock kept chugging higher. One of the few restaurant names that worked precisely because its menu is relatively affordable. Comparable with a tremendous quality of food. I'm a patron. Last night Texas Roadhouse reported what I thought was a pretty good quarter. Clean top and bottom line. Be higher than expected. Same store sales. But the stock got hit today. Dragged down by management's commentary about the choppy month of February. Not to mention the broader market wide self. Of course I wonder if the self is an excessive given the Texas Roadhouse has already pulled back pretty substantially from its high in November. Now we've got a small position in the stock for my Chapel Trust and I am looking to build it up. But first I want to hear what management has to say. So let's check in with Jerry Morgan, he's the CEO of Texas Roadhouse, to get a better read on the quarter. Mr. Morgan, welcome back to Mad Money.
Jerry Morgan
Thanks, Jim, for having me. Appreciate it.
Jim Cramer
All right, so, Jerry, we got to straighten some things out because I think the analysts were trying to do their models and I'm more thinking about the top down. One, you had a great quarter, and two, there were some really difficult weather conditions and you really explained all of them. And yet I still feel that it's business as usual, meaning it's great at Texas Roadhouse.
Jerry Morgan
Absolutely. You know, we had a great quarter, we had a great year. We had a great January and then February. Obviously we got hit with some mother nature and some challenges, but I mean, we had a tremendous Valentine's Day week, which was 20,000 average unit volume over what we normally do. So it tells me there's still a huge demand for legendary food and legendary service.
Jim Cramer
So, Jerry, you also said on the call though, if it's really cold, nasty out people, unlike what the analysts, what their lives are like, people don't go out as much. And that makes a lot of sense to me.
Jerry Morgan
Yeah, I think so. They're going to come get our food. If you got quality food, they're going to find a way to have it, you know, picked up and. Or if they're coming in and they're going to want to get that.
Jim Cramer
Now, once again, people have to understand the early dime, which I've been to still 1099, you have that $5 drink menu you've been swearing by, that you still represent, I think what everybody in the industry would say is the affordable quality, quality option. Nothing's changed, correct?
Jerry Morgan
Absolutely. Nothing has changed at all.
Jim Cramer
How are you able to, even though you talk about commodity inflation and that a lot that is having to do with the steer herd, actual the cows, there's going to be 2, a little bit more inflation, 2%, 3% going to 3 or 4. How are you still able to offer that price that is so affordable if the steer is going up in price?
Jerry Morgan
Well, you know, there's a lot of factors that come with that, but, you know, the bottom line is we have several offerings. You have a 6 ounce sirloin at 8, 11, a 16. You know, you can spend some money or you can be very value oriented. All of our steaks come with two made from scratch side items. So I mean, the value is built into the menu all across. But we don't give you just One option or one choice. You can eat a six ounce or you can eat a 16 ounce, a pound of beef if you want it.
Jim Cramer
All right, so Jerry, one of the things that a lot of the analysts seem to want is for you to put up, flood the country with stores. Now, those of us have been to different stores, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Texas, know that if you start putting up 100 at a time, that may interfere with the quality. But are you able to grow to Wall street satisfaction even as everyone says, well, wait a second, you need more stores?
Jerry Morgan
Well, I do understand that concern, but I want to do it right. And I believe that the numbers that we have been very consistently producing for the last 20 plus years is a sweet spot for us to open a restaurant and to get it right the first time. As they say, you only get one chance to make a first impression. And that is very important to me. And I'm in this thing for the long term. You know, I understand that there are requirements or needs or whatever, but my job is to run an organization that can produce quality food service and profits.
Jim Cramer
Now, I saw something interesting and I'm not sure whether it's good or bad. You have a big mocktail business. I say that because as someone who was a restaurateur, I used to make a lot of money on actual liquor. Can you make any money on a mocktail?
Jerry Morgan
Absolutely. I think it's just a new flavor style and it's not a flavored lemonade, it's a, it's a whole soda based offering that a whole group of our new consumer, our consumer really believes in. And it's got, you know, they want to have, you know, I don't know, a buddy of mine said that the camera eats first and that dinner, they're taking pictures of it. It's got to look cool, Jim, in order for them to buy it. And yet they love that style of it.
Jim Cramer
Well, I know that when you post them online, that is the best way to get more people in. Now I think you're an old fashioned company and I like that. And one of the things that I like about old fashioned companies is when they put through a big dividend boost, you better set up and listen, sit up and watch. It means something, right, that dividend boost that you just announced.
Jerry Morgan
Yes, absolutely. We believe that, you know, we are, we have the ability to do that through our performance and we want to give back to that shareholder.
Jim Cramer
Now, Digital Kitchen. This could actually something we're thinking, could really help the quarter. I'm thinking about how that you need to be worried about labor at all times. Can it make it so that you don't have a labor shortage in the, in the back?
Jerry Morgan
Well, I'll tell you, Jim, the biggest thing that it does is create a calmness. And it's more. I mean, these, most of our employees are coming from concepts that have it. So the digital kitchen creates a calmer hour. I mean, it's a. It's a monitor that tells them exactly what they need to do. If they need to fire 15 rice, then they know how to do that. So instead of them having to do the math and count individual checks, the computer does that for them. So I think from that it reduces the stress and creates a calmer environment. And I'll tell you, the operators love it. Our roadies and our, our back of the house employees absolutely love it. So, you know, we're full force and getting the whole concept rolled out makes sense get done this year.
Jim Cramer
One last thing. People need to know that if you're a manager and your managers are really pretty excited about working there, if you're a manager, you got a stake in the institution, don't you?
Jerry Morgan
Oh, no doubt about it. No doubt about execution is everything. And if you're a manager, any tool that you can use that would help you be more efficient, which is what we believe it can do. And as we get the whole concept rolled out, it'll be very beneficial.
Jim Cramer
Am I wrong to focus too much on Texas Road? I should not be talking a little bit about bubbles. It seemed to be come up a lot in the call.
Jerry Morgan
Yeah, Bubba's is doing great for us. We're really excited. I mean, you know, a roadhouse is steaks and potatoes and country music. And in all of that side of it, Bubba's is more pizzas, burgers, and more of a rock and roll environment with sports on the TVs. It's just, it's got that same rowdy enthusiasm that we got. If you get there, you might get lit, Jim.
Jim Cramer
I haven't been Litten maybe 52 years. Anyway, Jerry Morgan, CEO of Texas. I'm so glad you came on a really tough day in the market. We need to hear someone who recognizes listen, it's just another day, but the institution lives on. Thank you, Jared. Thanks for coming on.
Jerry Morgan
Thank you, Jim. Appreciate you.
Jim Cramer
All right, I got to go get lit. It's the weekend, man. Bunny's back after the break.
Unknown
Coming up, missed out on yesterday's Investing Club monthly meeting. Kramer is tackling some of the leftover investing questions from club members. Next.
Jim Cramer
Oh man, what a nasty day. Now look, we're all feeling the pain, feeling it together on weeks like this one where we see the S and P hit all time highs one day and then the Dow lose seven points the next. I like to return to the thing that makes our show unique. Taking questions from you, our viewers, you're our bosses and a miracle of good time. And we happen to hold our investing club monthly meeting yesterday. Once a month, Jeff, Marcus and I get together. We walk club members through our thought process of how we make decisions for portfolio and then we take questions from club members. We thought it might be a perfect time to take a few questions that we weren't able to get to yesterday and maybe clear up some of these on really days that are very hard to understand. Remember, if you're not a member of the club, scan the code. Go to cnbc.com/investing club to sign up. If you don't scan the code, I'll get out of the way of the code. I don't know. All right, first up we have a question from Andre who says, congratulations, Eagles winning the super bowl last time I was happy. What do you see as the catalyst for Microsoft going above its current stagnant flattish levels? All right, there's two catalysts. One is that I think they're going to have a monster good quarter because all they need to do is say a little lift in Azure, which is their cloud play. But the others I know in this shouldn't. But they're talking a lot of Quantum and there are a lot of people who feel that they may be the reserve for Quantum, even like the Defense Department's Quantum, let's say offering. I don't buy that latter. That's way too speculative. But I do think the numbers could be, the estimates could be a little low and that would be the catalyst. That's why we hold on to it. Now let's go to John in Illinois who asked. I buy small positions of 10 to 20 shares of 5 to 7 stocks. Is it best to take a little off the top? If a position climbs greater than 56%, try and understand when to take some profits. First of all, I want to just, I want to dispel something. You are not small, okay? That is nonsense. You're buying nice amounts of stock and you need to start thinking that you are big, that the small stuff gets in people's head. You get these big titans on the oligarchs. You don't think you're important. You are important. When a stock goes up 40, 50, 60% like we saw with CrowdStrike, we very quickly took some off. Why? Because it became too big. We don't want to swing. But also because we think parabolic moves are moves that go down more quickly than they go up. You're making the right move, you're taking little off. So if the stock drops big, you buy some back. That's your plan. Trading around a position, we call it something, we specialize it. Now let's go to Mark in my home state of New Jersey who asked is Tesla falling knife or SpaceX rocket ready to take off? It is neither. Tesla is a fantastic tech company. We know there are people are beginning to say wait a second, I see Musk doing a lot of things. Maybe he's not focused on on Tesla. Here's what he's focused on making money in all his ventures and then saving money. When it comes to the government, I have no problem with what he's doing. I would say this though. EVs right now aren't selling well around the world. It is in the end short term a car company, longer term a tech company. Put a small position on then see if it comes down. No more than that. Next up, urban California asks PayPal has been in the doldrum since its huge run up during COVID in the last few months has given recovery but is now pulled back. Is PayPal on the right track to recover? Very important. First, that quarter was not what I thought it would and certainly was not up to snuff given how much the stock ran. But second, more important, they've got an analyst meeting. They're going to straight they're going to give you a five year plan. When I have company that has a five year plan I can measure it. I don't care about a quarter plan. That means nothing to me. I think the new CEO runs PayPal is a transparent open guy, is doing a good job. Let's see what the five year says and then we'll make a decision. I've talked to Jeff Marks about the idea that maybe PayPal should be the fintech we own. I also like the Capital One Discover merger. That seems to be good too. And don't forget we are buying BlackRock right here. Now let's take a question from Navin who asks given that many mega cap tech tech companies plan on spending 300 billion plus on AI in 2025, why do you think Nvidia's stock price hasn't set new highs? Stock has yet to recover. The losses from Deep Sea News A few weeks back and these mega tech confirmed that spending after this. I mean, what am I missing? Here's what you're missing. The fact is the stock is up huge still. Now we say own it, don't trade it, but we tend to take a little bit off the top because we want to be the Nvidia fund. But you need to know this. When a stock is a this big a move, no matter what they say, when they report next week, it may not be enough. So there are people who are taking profits now ahead of when it reports so they can buy stock back if they want to or they just say, you know what, we've made so much money money in this company that we're not going to make anymore. I personally feel that it's a great long term investment and we've owned it for a long term. We're going to continue to. Next up, Robert in Connecticut wants to know when you have an investment that rockets over 100% in six months and is trading at an extremely high PE ratio, what determines if you trim as pre discipline versus selling. I like to say to myself, wait a second, here we are. We are the Nvidia fund. I don't set out to be in video fund but Nvidia is going up so much. We are the fund. I don't like that. By the way, my friend David Tepper who owns a huge amount of Alibaba and has had one of the greatest hits ever, I think he feels he has to trim it because he didn't want to be the Alibaba fund. All this what's in your head is oh my. Every time in video goes down, I'm not doing well. We don't want any stock to dominate our brain. We don't want them renting our cranial. Okay. They don't get that right. All right. Thanks again to all our club members. Mad money's back after the break. Why don't you join the club? It's really pretty exciting.
Unknown
Coming up, Kramer takes your calls. And the sky's the limit. It's a fast fire lightning round next.
Jim Cramer
It is time. It's time for the wide round. Crashbark Cold 7 stocks said bye bye bye social. My stamp plan is out. And then the lightning round is over. Are you ready? Ski daddy tunnel. The lightning round crashers round by start with Jacob in Alaska. Jacob, Booyah.
Jacob
Jim, thanks for taking my call.
Jim Cramer
Of course. Jacob, you're on the show. How can I help?
Jacob
I started a position about six months ago and after its recent earnings report, the Stock pulled back a bit. And that said I'm still sitting on about a solid 10% gain. But given the current setup, is this a buying opportunity to add more or is it time to re register and take some profits in Whirlpool?
Jim Cramer
I didn't like that quarter at all. And that stock is very much in the penalty box. It's had a little bit of bounce, and what I say is move on. I need to go to Charlie in California. Charlie?
Chuck
Hey, dude. I called a while back on FTAI. It was $80 a share back then. It got a little over 120. Is it too late to get in?
Jim Cramer
No, no. As a matter of fact, I've got to tell you. Anything, anything Arrow I'm gonna. I'm gonna be in favor of at this point. And you've got a good one. I think you just hold on to it. Even though, I mean, it just got clocked today. I mean that. But it was just part of the whole momentum trade. I think I like it down today. Let's go to Mary in Idaho, please. Mary.
Mary
Hi, Jim. Marion, Idaho, where It's a balmy 45 degrees, blue sky, sunshine and snow on the ground.
Jim Cramer
I gotta go. I gotta. Why don't you and I. Why don't we do our shove from Idaho? What the heck are we doing in New York? I mean, that's the heartland potato. Heartland.
Mary
You're welcome to come out here anytime you want. I even have a spare bedroom. Bring your wife and. And your dog and we'll just.
Jim Cramer
I got two dogs. Is that. Can you handle that? Oh, anyway, we should do some work. We should do some work. One of them is just such a knucklehead. Doesn't matter. Leave him outside. He's like a husky. Go ahead. Let's go to work.
Mary
I have an Irish setter and he's a grand champion, and I'm very proud of him. I have a dilemma right now. I'm working on maybe expanding my portfolio. And while I've got some Broadcom stock, I was wondering if it would be a good idea maybe to get more.
Jim Cramer
Right. I like Broadcom so much, I've got to tell you. I think it is just. It is just terrific. And I like it. To pull back, to be able to buy more. That's my approach. And I like that terrier because my executive producer's got one like Bandit or something. I don't know what they guy's name is, but I got. I'd like to send you my knucklehead. I used to have a Dog named Nvidia. That dog had horse since, let's say, you know. Let's go to Don, South Dakota. Don.
Chuck
Winter greetings, Jim. Long time listener. Your practical coach resonates out here on the tall grass prairie.
Jim Cramer
Well, we love where you're from. We did some of our best shows ever there. Ever. Let's go to work.
Chuck
Please advise us on the complexity of Bruce Flatt, Brookfield Corporation.
Jim Cramer
Man, that guy is so smart. I wish he'd come on the show. They are real shrewd operators. I wish I knew exactly what they own, but they seem to own everything. That is just great. Now that's the kind of stock that go down and then I would be a buyer, not a seller. Let's offer that judgment. I'm not done. I'm going to go to Paul in Missouri. Paul, show me who you are.
Chuck
Mr. Kramer.
Jim Cramer
Oh, yeah.
Chuck
Hey, I know past performance does not guarantee future results as we found out in the Super Bowl. I thought you might like that one.
Jim Cramer
But I talked to you three months.
Chuck
Ago about anal data.
Jim Cramer
I N O D. What a stock. I mean. Yeah, you were right. You're right. It's a high multiple stock and it didn't get hit today. How about that? That is what I call a hero stock. And that. Ladies and gentlemen, conclusion of the Lightning Round.
Unknown
The Lightning Round is sponsored by Charles Schwab. Coming up, is there trouble ahead? Kramer is giving you his take on what's behind today's market sell off and how best to position your portfolio next.
Jim Cramer
Wow. After today's miserable market, we got to point to reasons about how things got so fouled up so fast. A big one. It looks like the consumers in play we haven't seen in a while. This week we got a series of readings. Key numbers for home sales, consumer sentiment that show true softness and a sense that maybe things are starting to go off the rails in the economy. Well, that's incredible, given the surprising head of steam we had going into 2025. But before you conclude that the long awaited slowdown has finally arrived, let me play devil's advocate for a moment. Sure. The market was crushed today. Pretty much everything except some old fashioned blue chips. We'll give you more than those a second. But you know, it could be a false flag situation. The weather's been miserable for weeks across the entire country. As we heard from Texas Roadhouse, a terrific company, that weather's played havoc with all sorts of businesses. I say that because I just don't see this economy rolling over. Maybe it is the storms, maybe it Is the cold unemployment way too low. And that's the key determinant of a shift in sentiment and a concomitant cutback in spending. Now we know things can't be all that bad, as today's stock market would indicate, because Wal Mart, the world's largest retailer, reported just yesterday and it put us from staggering numbers for its most recent quarter. Sure, management offered a note of caution to chill people, set the stock down hard. But you know what? I did a lot of work on this. The actual results were tremendous. And I don't see any sign of a crash in sales these last few weeks, despite what you may have heard. But let's say it's not the weather. What else could cause the weakness? Perhaps there's a sense that the Trump bump is over. We know that when he's elected, the business world cheered with both their voices and their dollars. It was spontaneous. Some of the bullishness spilled over to the market and prices for all sorts of stocks went higher. But now we find ourselves entering the second month of Trump's presidency and some business people are starting to question the turmoil from Washington. It's making people feel uncertain. Plus there's been no promised tax cuts, just lots of tariff talk that's confusing everyone with its ad hoc capricious nature. No, that's not a personal judgment for sake. One of the indicators we got this week, the University of Michigan consumer sentiment was appreciably more negative than we expected. That's a read on what I'm talking about. We know this economy runs on the consumer. Any sign of a real slowdown based on consumer confidence could be a shocker. And I'm struggling to find any reason for that besides the weather because of what's causing it. We saw the results in the stock market all day, didn't we? The companies with super high growth rates and super expensive stocks. I'm talking about the Palantirs, the app lovers. They got completely obliterated. The industrials were pulverized. Total lack of faith. Almost everything a sign that stocks perhaps might be too high. Meanwhile, the stocks that do well in a recession, they went bonkers. Get a lot of these. PepsiCo saw its stock rally nearly 3%. No reason whatsoever on the endless buying from people who are worried about a slowdown. Soda and potato chip king 3.5% yield could be mighty attractive in a slower economy with lower interest rates. I have a Coca Cola almost 3% yield. Sort stock jump 2%. And J& J Johnson Johnson Long Lager is now winner, up roughly 1.6% today thanks to a 3% yield. But that's nothing else much new there. So now let me put on my old traders have in the previous century and offer an alternative thesis. The stock markets often controlled by unseen forces, namely buyers and sellers who are desperate, flailing, taking action without putting much thought into it. It the buyers moving PepsiCo, J&J Coca Cola are paying what can only be described as exaggerated prices here. It's like some very large accounts, meaning mutual or hedge funds showed a total lack of restraint or they acted within fear. They had a desire to get these trades done no matter what. By the end of the day they got the money they needed by liquidating the once red hot momentum stocks. That side of the trade also was executed with furious abandon. What were they fearful of? More turmoil in Washington? Some weak housing numbers? Hey, maybe even a new corona virus out of China. A story that swirled around all day. Sometimes it's as simple as a bunch of money managers panicking at the same exact time. Of course something be lurking. Sure we don't know. I will be writing about it for my Sunday night Think piece for you investing club members. Or maybe, just maybe, there was nothing other than sloppy portfolio management. And if that's the case, you might end up kicking yourself for missing a tremendous buying opportunity and give you some buying ideas on Sunday night too. I like to say there's always a bull market summer and I promise I find it just for you right here. Mad Money. I'm Jim Cramer. See you Monday.
Unknown
All opinions expressed by Jim Cramer on this podcast are solely Kramer's opinions and do not reflect the opinions of CNBC, NBCUniversal or their parent company or affiliates, and may have been previously disseminated by Kramer on television, radio, Internet, or another medium. You should not treat any opinion expressed by Jim Cramer as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy, but only as an expression of his opinion. Kramer's opinions are based upon information he considers reliable, but neither CNBC nor its affiliates and or subsidiaries warrant its completeness or accuracy, and it should not be relied upon as such. To view the full Mad Money disclaimer, please visit cnbc.com madmoneydisclaimer.
Mad Money w/ Jim Cramer – Episode Summary (February 21, 2025)
Release Date: February 22, 2025
Host: Jim Cramer
Produced by: CNBC
Jim Cramer opens the episode by assessing the current state of the stock markets, highlighting a dichotomy between momentum-driven stocks and traditional growth stocks. Despite the Dow Jones plummeting by 749 points (00:00-00:45), with the S&P 500 down 1.71% and NASDAQ dropping 2.2%, Cramer notes that momentum stocks are struggling while classic growth stocks like Johnson & Johnson remain resilient.
“If you own too much momentum, you are gasping for air. The oxygen has been turned off for you.” – Jim Cramer [01:30]
Cramer emphasizes the importance of diversification and holding "old tried and true secular growth plays," which are currently weathering the market downturn better than high-momentum stocks.
Cramer outlines the week’s agenda, focusing on upcoming corporate earnings and economic reports:
Toby Rice joins the show to discuss the robust performance and future prospects of Equity Corp, a leading natural gas company.
“We have seen our productivity capacity increase 50% through acquisitions. Our free cash flow per share has doubled over the last five years.” – Toby Rice [13:09]
Key Insights:
“Natural gas is going to take the lion's share of power demand to meet the growing demand need.” – Toby Rice [16:38]
Cramer praises Rice for his strategic insights and the company’s commitment to environmental stewardship.
Jerry Morgan provides an update on Texas Roadhouse’s recent performance amidst challenging weather conditions.
“We had a tremendous Valentine's Day week, which was 20,000 average unit volume over what we normally do.” – Jerry Morgan [23:00]
Key Points:
“Our digital kitchen creates a calmer environment and increases efficiency for our employees.” – Jerry Morgan [27:19]
Cramer commends Morgan for balancing growth with quality, highlighting the company’s strategic focus on customer satisfaction and operational improvements.
Cramer addresses questions from the Investing Club members, offering tailored investment advice:
Andre (Eagle's Super Bowl Reference) [35:03]: Discusses Microsoft’s potential catalysts, including Azure and quantum computing.
“I think they’re going to have a monster good quarter because all they need to do is say a little lift in Azure.” – Jim Cramer
John (Illinois) [36:08]: Advises on taking profits from small stock positions that have surged.
“When a stock goes up 40, 50, 60%, like we saw with CrowdStrike, we very quickly took some off.” – Jim Cramer
Mark (New Jersey) [37:00]: Recommends a cautious approach to Tesla, balancing its long-term potential with current market conditions.
“EVs right now aren’t selling well around the world. It is in the end short term a car company, longer term a tech company.” – Jim Cramer
Urban California (PayPal Question) [38:00]: Discusses PayPal’s recovery prospects, emphasizing the importance of the company’s five-year plan under new leadership.
“When I have a company that has a five-year plan, I can measure it. I don't care about a quarter plan.” – Jim Cramer
Cramer reinforces the importance of strategic long-term planning and disciplined profit-taking in investment portfolios.
In the fast-paced Lightning Round, Cramer offers quick buy, sell, or hold opinions on a variety of stocks based on caller inquiries:
Jacob (Alaska) – Whirlpool:
“I didn’t like that quarter at all. Move on.” – Jim Cramer [35:41]
Chuck (California) – FTAI:
“Anything Arrow I'm gonna be in favor of at this point. I like it down today.” – Jim Cramer [36:19]
Mary (Idaho) – Broadcom:
“I like Broadcom so much. I think it is just terrific.” – Jim Cramer [37:35]
Don (South Dakota) – Brookfield Corporation:
“They seem to own everything. That is just great. I would be a buyer, not a seller.” – Jim Cramer [38:15]
Cramer provides concise recommendations, emphasizing the importance of momentum, valuation, and company fundamentals in making investment decisions.
In his closing remarks, Jim Cramer reflects on the day’s market turmoil, attributing the downturn to a combination of weak consumer sentiment, political uncertainty, and external factors like severe weather.
“The economy runs on the consumer. Any sign of a real slowdown based on consumer confidence could be a shocker.” – Jim Cramer [39:37]
Alternative Thesis:
Cramer proposes that the market sell-off may be driven by panicked, untargeted trading by large investors rather than fundamental economic weaknesses. He suggests that this could present buying opportunities, particularly in undervalued or defensive stocks.
“There’s always a bull market summer and I promise I find it just for you right here.” – Jim Cramer [43:44]
Cramer encourages listeners to remain vigilant and consider strategic investments amidst market volatility, promising further insights in future episodes.
Jim Cramer:
“My mission is simple, to make you money.” – [00:01]
Jim Cramer:
“If you own too much momentum, you are gasping for air.” – [01:30]
Toby Rice:
“Natural gas is one of the most affordable energy sources on the planet.” – [14:43]
Jerry Morgan:
“Nothing has changed at all.” – [24:06]
Jim Cramer:
“We are the Nvidia fund.” – [38:00]
This episode of Mad Money with Jim Cramer offers a comprehensive analysis of the current market conditions, highlighting the challenges faced by momentum stocks against the stability of traditional growth companies. Through insightful interviews with industry leaders like Toby Rice and Jerry Morgan, Cramer provides listeners with actionable investment strategies and a deeper understanding of market dynamics. The Investing Club Q&A and Lightning Round segments further enhance the episode's value, delivering personalized advice and quick stock recommendations. Despite the turbulent market environment, Cramer remains optimistic about uncovering investment opportunities, encouraging viewers to stay informed and proactive in their investment approaches.
Disclaimer: All opinions expressed by Jim Cramer on this podcast are solely Cramer's opinions and do not reflect the opinions of CNBC, NBCUniversal, or their parent companies or affiliates. Viewers should not treat any opinion expressed by Jim Cramer as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy.